Y’know, I thought I would catch up, so here are some comments on the last 20 blogs or so…Assisted suicideI thought on your own suicide is a bad thing, but if someone helps you apparently it is OK. But to the larger question of terminating life before its natural end, it begs an even larger question. Is there an existence after this one? Without belabouring the issues of faith, there are only two options, really. There is, or there isn’t.So in that context, and with reference to some religious context since the former is prescribed and informed by these, versus the apparently pragmatic, which is informed by the second point of view, I submit the following.If there is a hereafter, then any suffering beforehand becomes insignificant in the context of forever. So terminating life before then only leaves one with some explaining to do about why they had so little faith. If there is not a hereafter, then any suffering becomes insignificant in the context of forever.Any existence, however pitiable, is more than no existence at all. Just ask a fruit fly. Therefore, either way, ending life earlier than it would naturally happen is stupid. (Remember, we are a species that kills someone because we want their land, we want their stuff, and sometimes we want their parking spot. We are not even close to being mature enough to make these decisions, so let’s not pretend we are.)Branding onlineThis is all I got, so… Oh well, moving on.Smoking cessationJeannie, thanks for bringing up smoking cessation by talking about the next level – but forget about smoking as a minor ailment—it is a co-morbidity that any pharmacist can talk about because, to a great extent, no other profession has really taken it on. And there is a new Certified Tobacco Educator (CTE) certification that is national in scope, and standardizes smoking cessation qualification like the CAE, CRE, and CDE processes do. And, unlike assisted suicide, there is really only one side to take—smoking is bad (although, technically, a form of suicide).Chronic sleeping pill useDerek, thanks for bringing up chronic sleeping pill use. We all know it is usually because there was a lack of effort in finding out where the sleeping problem came from—mental health, pain problem, stress, schedules, diet, other disease problem, etc. It is also an example of replacing a problem with an even bigger problem. Kind of like that assisted suicide thing. Sorry, but it’s there.Tobacco sales in pharmacyWe remember the fight years ago in Ontario, but the fact that is still goes on in other provinces asks for one word—pathetic. But, then again, when bloggers and others complain about owners in pharmacy who demonstrate that they do not give a @#$& about patient’s health (just patient’s pocketbooks) through how they treat their pharmacists, and face protests from these same owners that no, indeed, they care about patients, it is heartening to know that by fighting the ban on tobacco in pharmacy they just make the point again in no uncertain or ambiguous terms. Those pharmacy owners put their own greed above the health of patients. If any patients or the public are reading this (and of course, but definition we are in that group) be forewarned—they will sell you anything without one bit of concern whether it kills you or not. Kind of like assisted suicide of a profession (OK, I’ll stop).Homeopaths self-regulatingAnd speaking of which, the homeopathy thing scares me, although at least they could say they didn’t harm anyone (as far as they know) while they didn’t help anyone. Maybe that is better than tobacco. Then the NHP process gets nailed by Marketplace (I guess up until now too few pharmacists were watching, so they put on a few topics of interest, but there is no such thing as bad publicity) so apparently as far as they know could include there may or may not be something in the product that may or may not help a problem while it may or may not cause a problem that may or may not interact with a disease or treatment that may or may not result in the improvement or slow, agonizing death of the user. Maybe assisted suicide, but like a lottery, where you take your chances—sorry again.Putting side effects into perspectiveBecause every drug has side effects. In fact, every drug has effects, or it is not a drug (by definition). Those that are good, or bad, or side, effects (where did side come from, anyway—were we trying to soften the blow of good vs. bad? Or is it like side dish—not the real reason you came to dinner, but something you will get on the side? Or not? I wish I knew where I was going with this…) But, what the hell, because after all, the drugs they use for assisted suicide rely on the side effects of the drug to do their intended job.Shoppers Drug Mart adherence centreSo many things to say, so little time. But, I’ll tell you a secret. I checked my adherence levels about 10 years after I was working in a small town pharmacy (I was there for 20) to see how I was doing. I could only do a report on refills, since I couldn’t very well move in with all of my patients and watch them take their medications. But I will share the results. In all disease states but one, my adherence levels were over 95%—the HRT category was lower, but this was during the time when all of the controversy started. I did it by asking patients about their medication experiences and solving their problems, and having the staff be alert to problems with adherence at all times. In other words, doing my job. But if facilitating the pharmacist to do their job does not work for a corporation, then by all means invest in a marketing—sorry, adherence program that removes the professional responsible from the adherence equation. Maybe they will buy some smokes…What makes a good manager?Someone who discretely helps people give it their all.Stalwarts keep it coming, and comingLu-Ann, Glen, stalwarts from the old days, keep us up on the new days. Not too many comments, so thanks for what you continue to do.RESPsLast kid in university, older ones spent it all, kid for sale.Ideal ProteinDietitians here hate it, tried it and lost 40 pounds. In no way is this an endorsement of said product – if you eat less calories, and manipulate carbs, you lose weight. Just don’t tell the dietitians.OPA voting timeLike any election, if you don’t vote, don’t bitch.It is human to make mistakesLike deciding to write a blog about a bunch of other blogs. And for those who think it is chintzy and cheap to just borrow a bunch of ideas from other people, I agree.Shy pharmacistsAnd in the column about pharmacist’s self-promotion, Vicki, you asked “Why so shy?” With the above comments about the state of the pharmacy world, expectations, once raised, fall even harder. After all, even when you dress up, you don’t want anyone to see your underwear unless they look really, really nice too.Ken Burns is a pharmacist at the Diabetes Care Centre at Sudbury Regional Hospital.
