FINALLY

From WebMD Health News

Study Linking Autism to Vaccine Retracted
Daniel J. DeNoon

February 2, 2010 — The venerable British medical journal The Lancet has retracted a 1998 study suggesting a link between autism and childhood vaccination with the measles-mumps-rubella MMR vaccine.

The Lancet tells WebMD that it has retracted "10 or 15" studies in its 186-year history. The retraction follows the finding of the U.K. General Medical Council (GMC) that says study leader Andrew Wakefield, MD, and two colleagues acted "dishonestly" and "irresponsibly" in conducing their research.

The Lancet specifically refers to claims made in the paper that the 12 children in the study were consecutive patients that appeared for treatment, when the GMC found that several had been selected especially for the study. The paper also claimed that the study was approved by the appropriate ethics committee, when the GMC found it had not been.

"We fully retract this paper from the published record," The Lancet editors say in a news release.

The retraction means the study will no longer be considered an official part of the scientific literature.

BMJ, formerly known as the British Medical Journal, has competed with The Lancet since 1840. BMJ editor Fiona Godlee says she welcomes the Lancet retraction.

"This will help to restore faith in this globally important vaccine and in the integrity of the scientific literature," Godlee says in a news release.

In 2004, 10 of Wakefield's 13 co-authors disavowed the findings of the 1998 study. Although the study never claimed to have definitively proven a link between the MMR vaccine and autism, sensational media reports ignited a public panic. MMR vaccinations fell dramatically.

More rigorous studies have found no link between autism and the MMR vaccine. Last year, the U.S. "vaccine court" rejected U.S. lawsuits claiming that there was a plausible link between the vaccine and autism.

Wakefield continues to proclaim his innocence and defends his earlier work. He now resides in Texas, where he is executive director of an alternative medicine center for autism treatment and research.
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All I have to say about this is that it's about DAMN TIME. I can't even tell you how many people I've wanted to smack for not getting their kid vaccinated because the "news says it causes Autism." GUESS WHAT?? This was the ONLY study suggesting that (EVER), and now it's GONE. So go get the shots people, and protect your kids (and the rest of us) from dangerous, unnecessary disease. And for God's sake, stop believing everything you hear on the news.

Cube!!

Today was my first day of Managed Care at Health Plus, and I have my own cubicle! OMG *SQUEE* I've never had my own before!! I felt very important.

My first day went well! In other news, I can't wait to get out of the house.

600th Post!

Apparently I completely over looked the "500th post" mark, but at any rate, I've been rocking it out in this blog for over four years and for 600 posts. Honestly, I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I've got some seriously good stuff going on here. Perhaps my life is only interesting to me (in fact, I'm pretty sure it is), but I get a kick out of myself. Lately not so much, but we all have "dry spells" if you will. I have my entire graduate school career documented in this blog, which I can say now I am so grateful for. Reading back on days which have past makes me truly appreciate how far I've come, how much I've changed, and how glad I am that some of those days are over (and by those days, I mean BioChem, Chemo, and Internal Medicine, just to name a few). The me which created the very first post to this blog is so different from the me that sits here now, and I have to say I'm glad for that. Growing up sometimes is hard and sad, but by the time you do it I think we all feel a little bit of relief.

Aside from that, I finished my rotation with Meijer on Friday, which means I've completed all my required clinical work. I have three electives left, the first of which I begin tomorrow at Health Plus. I have to say, I really enjoyed my Meijer rotation. This is the environment that I've chosen to work in for at least the beginning of my career. I took the position with Target thinking that community pharmacy was where I belonged, and the weeks I spent at Meijer did nothing but reinforce that choice. I don't belong in a hospital, locked up in the pharmacy (usually in the basement with no windows) with no one but doctors, nurses, and other pharmacists to talk to. I belong in the community, as one of the most accessible health care professionals to the patient. I want to be asked questions, to help, to develop relationships with patients who will come back to me again and again because they trust me. That's where I belong, and it would be a horrible waste of my effort, skill set, and personality to place me somewhere else. I know now that I made the right choice.

Three more months until I graduate. Only a few weeks until I need to crack down and study for the pharmacy board exam, NAPLEX. As usual, I feel myself sprinting through the final miles.

And in honor of my 600th post, I think back to that very first, which took place exactly two weeks prior to my applying to Pharm school. Little did I know that it would consume my life, change my life, my relationships, and my choices, for the next four years. And my blog would hear it all--the good, the bad, and the ugly. ;)

Back in the Day

I was reading old blog posts tonight and realized something--I used to be funny! OMG! I used to have witty blog entries with interesting things to read about! I laughed out loud at some of them!

What the heck happened to me?

I'm going to get right on fixing this.

*Thinks witty*

R-E-L-A-X ;)

Debt

I'm boring, I know. I know, okay??

I have one week left of my rotation at Meijer, and consequently, 13 weeks left of P school. Not that I'm counting or....... anything. After three years of undergrad and four of grad, I am now $130K + in debt. I'm surprisingly okay with that. Going through school all these years has taught me at least one important thing--educating yourself is one of the best investments you could possibly make. Now that I know I will become a pharmacist (and that I have a job) I'm not really scared about it anymore. I would say it was more than worth it, and in more ways than one.

Mike and I paid off the honeymoon and are ordering our invitations to be printed in the next two weeks, and next weekend we're meeting with the florist for the first time. I keep counting down the days and checking off the months until our wedding finally reaches us, but as it gets closer I'm starting to realize that eventually I will look at the calendar and think, "Crap! There's not enough time left!!" ;)

I've been able to come home after work this month and actually relax (for the first time 4th year). I've been seeing my friend Beth every Wednesday for Ghost Hunters, but mostly we just talk and play with Nolan, which is even better than Ghost Hunters. This week I'm kitty-sitting for her, which makes me happy. I love her kitties. :)

Ironically, I do have homework to do tonight. So what am I doing? Updating my blog of course.

Typical.

Clinical Seminar: the Last Hurrah

Pharmacy school came back with a vengeance, even with only a week into the new semester. I began my newest rotation (Advanced Community Pharmacy) at Meijer in Bay City, which so far has been going smoothly. They fill a lot of scripts per day at that store, so I'm a little unused to the chaos, but I'm getting the hang of it. Everyone there is extremely friendly and willing to help me out when I have questions (which happens a lot). I've been able to counsel patients quite a bit, check prescriptions, call doctors, and sort out drug interactions. It's weird to have actual responsibility. When we encounter a drug interaction they ask me to take care of it, and they trust that I'll make the right decision. I swear sometimes that everyone has confidence in me but me.

Aside from beginning my rotation, yesterday was also the day I was scheduled to present my Clinical Seminar. Seminar is kind of an enormous deal, making up the "thesis" or research component of the Pharmacy Doctorate. We chose our topics at the beginning of our third year of school and have been working on the research ever since. We're assigned a preceptor (random faculty member interested in our topic) and we communicate with them through email throughout the process of writing the research paper, creating a handout/powerpoint, and giving the presentation. My paper was turned in in early October and ended up passing (to my delight). My 11-page handout was due the week after Christmas, and yesterday was the day I ended up presenting (along with around half of my fellow classmates). I was extremely stressed out about it--in fact, I can't remember being the overwhelmed since Internal Medicine back in Aug/Sept. Luckily I presented in the morning, so I didn't have to sit through everyone's presentations while having an ulcer thinking about mine. To make matters worse, I presented in Kalamazoo on Friday morning, the morning after that lovely snowstorm. I drove from Bay City to Ionia on Thursday night. I think I went about 50 mph at the fastest all the way. Then Friday morning I was out the door by 5:45 AM to make it to Kalamazoo by 8 AM. A drive that normally takes me a little over an hour took me twice that long. Luckily, trying to keep myself from getting killed on the road helped keep my mind off the presentation.

So I presented and several professors/fellow students told me I did really well and they enjoyed it. I eagerly awaited my presentation results until the afternoon session, when I was finally able to track down my preceptor and go over the comments my evaluators had made (I was evaluated by three FSU faculty, in addition to my classmates). I passed!! :D The seminar itself was worth 2 credit hours (even though there is never any time spent in a classroom), so it was a huge relief to not have to worry about failing it and trying to make up the work somehow. I can't really portray in an internet blog how happy it made me to see the end of that project (that 1.5 year beast of a project). I wanted to cry I was so relieved. The other half of my class is presenting in March, and for the first time the March people were jealous of we January people. ;)

Clinical Seminar was the last big hurdle for me. It was the last enormous thing I had to accomplish for this program, so now for the remaining 3.5 months of my higher education, I think I'm going to do a bit of relaxing here and there. I'm going to start to unwind myself and transform back into a normal person. I'm ready for this journey to end and for the next to start, and I'm ready to come home each night and not have any homework to do. I long for spare time, for hobbies, and for Lazy Pirate Days. :D

Advice from the Master

Grandma: You just have to think to yourself, "what if this is the last thing I ever get to say to him?"


Thanks Grandma. :)