Thalidomide was approved in Germany because of a g
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Posted On: 03/21/2019 9:53:58 PM
Thalidomide was approved in Germany because of a gross error in science -- for anyone who thinks they can blithely trust what a doctor tells them, just check out this quote from the Wikipedia article:
And of course another recent example of how scientists can be dead wrong is the recent finding that low-dose aspirin is not a good strategy to prevent heart attacks and strokes in most people -- it can cause more harm than good because of the possibility of intestinal bleeding, etc., unless someone has a documented history that would make that risk worthwhile. There are plenty of other examples of things that were widely believed by doctors and then proven to be untrue.
This is why you should ALWAYS do your own research when a doctor suggests something to you for anything that isn't routine, like an infection or other common problems.
Anyway if you read the rest of the Wikipedia article, you'll see that thalidomide is an effective drug for some conditions, like multiple myeloma, as long as people make sure that it's not given to women of child-bearing age. And it still can have significant serious side effects.
I do get tired of the god complex that so many doctors have. Our knowledge of medicine is still very primitive, and when you see so many examples of incorrect use of drugs and other therapies, it does make you reluctant to just take a doctor's word for it without researching any recommended course of treatment yourself.
Quote:
At the time of the drug's development, scientists did not believe any drug taken by a pregnant woman could pass across the placental barrier and harm the developing fetus,[6] even though the effect of alcohol on fetal development had been documented by case studies on alcoholic mothers since at least 1957.[30]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalidomide
And of course another recent example of how scientists can be dead wrong is the recent finding that low-dose aspirin is not a good strategy to prevent heart attacks and strokes in most people -- it can cause more harm than good because of the possibility of intestinal bleeding, etc., unless someone has a documented history that would make that risk worthwhile. There are plenty of other examples of things that were widely believed by doctors and then proven to be untrue.
This is why you should ALWAYS do your own research when a doctor suggests something to you for anything that isn't routine, like an infection or other common problems.
Anyway if you read the rest of the Wikipedia article, you'll see that thalidomide is an effective drug for some conditions, like multiple myeloma, as long as people make sure that it's not given to women of child-bearing age. And it still can have significant serious side effects.
I do get tired of the god complex that so many doctors have. Our knowledge of medicine is still very primitive, and when you see so many examples of incorrect use of drugs and other therapies, it does make you reluctant to just take a doctor's word for it without researching any recommended course of treatment yourself.
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