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February 13, 2012
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Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Pill that boosts productivity gaining favor, raising concerns among medical ethicists
By
Steve Johnson
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
In a place like Silicon Valley, where career prospects often hinge on a person's intelligence and ability to work hellishly long hours, "brain doping" probably was inevitable.
The expression refers to a growing national trend that troubles some medical ethicists, in which pills designed to treat sleep and mood disorders are being popped by healthy people to help keep them mentally sharp and boost their productivity.
In April, the prestigious journal Nature reported that one-fourth of the 1,400 people responding to an informal survey admitted they had taken drugs for nonmedical reasons to improve their concentration or memory. The medicines included Ritalin, a stimulant for treating attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; Provigil, for sleep disorders; and so-called beta blockers for cardiac arrhythmia.
The practice appears to have gotten at least a foothold in Silicon Valley, especially with Provigil, a prescription medicine approved for narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea and shift-work sleep disorder. Although local police and drug counselors say they've had no experience with it, Provigil seems to be gaining favor among workers here, according to TechCrunch founder and influential Internet commentator Michael Arrington,
In a blog posting titled "How many Silicon Valley startup executives are hopped up on Provigil?" Arrington declared in July that "I've spoken with one executive who says he uses it regularly to work 20-hour days, and the buzz lately is that it's the 'entrepreneur's drug of choice' around Silicon Valley."
Arrington couldn't be reached for comment. But his blog triggered a spirited and contentious outpouring from its worldwide readership. Of the 150 or so responses it generated, about 20 reported having used Provigil, also known generically as modafinil.
Some denounced the idea of using prescription medicines for nonmedical purposes and blasted Arrington for writing about the topic, saying it would encourage people to try the drug. But others described the medicine's effects glowingly.
"I use Provigil when we have a large amount of work that needs to be done," Nick wrote. "Sure beats caffeine."
"You can stay up pretty much as long as you want, then hit the sack and sleep like normal," added Murphy.
Hank Greely, a law professor and director of Stanford University's Center for Biomedical Ethics, said he also knows some academics and doctors who have tried Provigil and who apparently didn't have sleep disorders. He added that some of them may have had prescriptions for it, however, which muddies the issue of how appropriate it was for them to use the drug.
Doctors can legally prescribe a medicine for off-label uses, purposes not specifically approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. But Casey McEnry, spokeswoman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's San Francisco office, said it is illegal to sell Provigil or give it away, as well as to buy or use it, without a prescription.
Using the drug without a prescription also can be hazardous.
Cephalon, Provigil's Pennsylvania manufacturer, says in its literature that the drug "is structurally distinct from amphetamines" and "promotes wakefulness without causing generalized stimulation in the brain." But it also notes that Provigil, approved for sale in the United States in 1998, "may cause you to have a serious rash or a serious allergic reaction that may result in hospitalization or be life-threatening."
In addition, Cephalon warns, Provigil can lead to dependence and cause such side effects as headaches, nausea, nervousness, diarrhea, back pain, anxiety, dizziness and upset stomach - not to mention trouble sleeping.
Oakland native Kelli White lost the two track gold medals she won at the 2003 world championships after testing positive for using the drug. And last year, a container ship piloted by Capt. John Cota, who had a sleep disorder he was treating with a Provigil prescription, slammed into the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, causing a major oil spill. Investigators are trying to determine whether the drug contributed to the accident.
McEnry said the DEA officials she checked with in several Northern California offices were unaware of anyone being arrested for illegally selling or using Provigil. Sgt. Dave Moody of the San Jose Police Department's narcotics unit similarly hadn't heard of arrests in that city related to Provigil or attention-deficit drugs such as Ritalin.
The clinical directors contacted at three Silicon Valley drug-treatment centers also said they could think of no one they had treated specifically for brain-doping Provigil.
One Bay Area professional who asked not to be identified said he tried Provigil in hopes it would help him stay awake on a red-eye airplane flight.
"I was very alert," he said, adding that he obtained the drug from someone with a prescription for it. "I worked productively on the flight."
Nonetheless, the idea of taking such drugs to improve performance could have mixed consequences, some ethicists say.
"If, in fact, drugs are able to make people smarter and more effective in their work, that could produce net benefits to society," said Stanford's Greely. But he expressed concern that the poor might not have equal access to the drugs and that bosses might coerce employees to take them to increase the work they do.
Those fears are shared by Anjan Chatterjee, a University of Pennsylvania neurology professor who has written about the subject and believes brain doping will increase.
"I think there is this kind of worship of progress or productivity" in society today, he said. "I am worried about it."
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© 2008, The Philadelphia Inquirer. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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