Editorial: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day: A national holiday set apart for giving thanks to God, celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday of November and in Canada on the second Monday of October (The American Heritage Dictionary).

Have you ever thought about the three celebrations at the end of each year? First we have Halloween, next is Thanksgiving, and, finally, Christmas. The progression is from celebration of the harvest and pagan festivities in Halloween, to thankfulness to God for his blessings on our country, and ending with the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

All three celebrations have their roots in "religious" activities, although some have been modified over the years. In all cases, the marketing and economics of these celebrations have distorted their true meaning to the point that many younger people don't really understand their true meaning. They tend to think of parties and trick-or-treating, a big turkey dinner, and Santa Claus and presents.

However, during this time of November and December, it is great to take a few minutes and reflect on the "positives" of our lives today. News media and others emphasize the negative aspects, so it is nice to take a few minutes and just think of what we have and what we are able to do. When I was growing up on our small place in the country, we had some very tall trees. I would often climb to the very top of the tallest tree to use it as a "quiet place" for thinking. Sitting in the top of the tree with the breeze gently blowing the tree top back and forth, it was like being on top of the world; a place where you could reflect and wonder about the future. We didn't have much back then, but we were thankful and very happy for what we did have. In fact, the biggest (and only) Christmas present I got one year was a box of 48 Crayola crayons; but, I thought I was the richest kid in the world!

As we grow up and encounter and overcome many things, we realize it is not necessarily the circumstances that shape you, but how you respond to the circumstances. Today with all that is going on and the "negativism" that seems to permeate our lives, we don't have to let it affect us as we work towards righting many wrongs in our society and profession. Instead, we can be thankful to live in a nation where we can voice our opinion and continue to work towards any wrongs that adversely impact us, our families and friends, and our patients.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving with your family and friends.

Note: The staff of IJPC will be off next Thursday and Friday, so there will not be a Newsletter next week.


Loyd V. Allen, Jr., PhD, RPh
Editor-in-Chief

Editors Note: We really need to watch this one to see if anything on compounding is included!

Senators Kennedy and Baucus Rush to Keep Health Care in Forefront
These two influential Senators are working behind the scenes on legislation that would dramatically alter the way Americans get health care, hoping their early efforts -- including the release today of a position paper -- will push President-elect Barack Obama to move rapidly on the issue and spare the incoming administration some of the missteps that killed Bill Clinton's health reform initiative in 1994.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy has directed aides over the past several months to convene negotiating sessions with a diverse group of stakeholders, including physicians, patient advocates, small-business owners, and insurers. He intends to have legislation drafted by Inauguration Day.

The first promise Obama made as a presidential candidate was to enact a universal healthcare plan by the end of his first term, but since his victory a week ago, he has focused on repairing the economy and they are concerned that Obama's urgency about taking on health care may wane.

President Clinton came in determined to do something significant on healthcare reform "but did not submit a bill until 10 months after taking office. A president's leadership is more influential and effective before he expends much of his political capital." The Senate maneuvering, combined with an unprecedented level of post-election lobbying by outside interest groups, is intended to hold Obama to his pledge.

"We're doing all we can today to unite Congress around a single, unified bill for early action next year," Kennedy said through an aide.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/11/AR2008111102511.html

Multi-Dose Vials on the way out?
The FDA has rejected an appeal from New York State's health commissioner to ban the manufacture of multi-dose vials, saying they are an important option for hospitals.

In January, state Health Commissioner Dr. Richard Daines and New York City's health commissioner, Dr. Thomas Frieden, sent FDA Commissioner Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach a letter calling on the FDA to eliminate the manufacture and distribution of multi-dose vials.

The opponents stated in a letter that despite "numerous guidelines and recommendations," some doctors continue to misuse needles and syringes, leading to contamination of multi-dose vials. Daines said he believed it was better to "engineer out" human error by getting rid of multi-dose vials.

But in a letter dated October 20, von Eschenbach said multi-dose vials "are an important dosage option for hospital pharmacies, are less expensive and require less storage space."

Instead, the commissioner said, the FDA was looking at including warning statements on multi-dose vials and posting instructions on the FDA Website on the vials' correct use.
http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-liheal185931836nov18,0,7632249.story

New Hampshire Prescription Privacy Law Upheld
The constitutionality of New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation law that restricts drug company access to some information about doctors' prescription-writing habits has been upheld. The ruling by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston overturns a lower court decision that said the confidentiality law unconstitutionally infringed on free speech.

Among other things, drug company sales representatives use the information to target particular doctors and tailor their sales pitches. Patients' names are not included in the data. New Hampshire's law blocks those pitches by restricting access to data that identifies doctors and other prescribers.
http://www.therapeuticsdaily.com/news/article.cfm?contentValue=1866785&contentType=sentryarticle&channelID=33

...that Thanksgiving is celebrated in both the U.S. and Canada, but on different days?

Have a Safe Thanksgiving
After your Thanksgiving Dinner, don't let the food set around for hours at room temperature; this allows the growth of bacteria and may result in sickness. Foods like dressing needs to be kept cool in a refrigerator. Turkey, pies, and plain vegetables and fruits may be okay, but anything with creamy sauces, etc., should be kept in a refrigerator and then reheated later. This is especially important if bringing leftovers to the pharmacy the next day.