All psychological, psychiatric, and even "placebo effect" has a biological basis. We are biological life forms. Therefore, everything we do, think or feel has a biological process in order to occur. The medical field continues to be very parochial and patriarchal. If we cannot find a cause for your symptoms, then your symptoms do not exist. One must be imaging them. Then the medical culture finds something, anything really, then the grand poobahs officially declare your symptoms do exist.

So now we have fMRI results which may or may not truly reflect a condition thought to be previously imagined. It doesn't really reflect Big Pharma, but the continued attitudes of our culture. There has been anecdotal evidence for years that antidepressants and anticonvulsants help alleviate pain as well as stabilize mood. These drugs have been used for numerous years by practitioners before "Big Pharma" went to the FDA for approval for these alternate uses or decided to do research to get the approval for these "off label" uses. It is the practitioner that initiates these new uses, this information gets into the literature and then Big Pharma does the research. Lyrica is not new. It has FDA approval as an anticonvulsant. However it has been known for a good number of years that anticonvulsants are also effective in treating various chronic pain syndromes. It has also been known for at least thirty years I have been in practice that adding an antipsychotic or Lithium in addition to an antidepressant helps in the treatment of what is known as "treatment resistant depression". Therefore, the new ads on Abilify are just Big Pharma trying to reach out to the consumer to want you to use their drug over others in the alleviation of your symptoms. Zyprexa, Seroquel and Lithium as well as the other ones will also do the same thing. Zyban is the antidepressant Wellbutrin. It had been noted by practitioners that some individuals taking Wellbutrin for depression were also able to stop smoking. Therefore, "Big Pharma" did some research and yes it did help some individuals who were not depressed stop smoking. Therefore, it was renamed Zyban to hide what the drug was actually developed for. It was felt that non-depressed people would not knowingly take an drug for "mental illness" even if had the potential to help them to stop smoking. However, using Mr. Burton's theory the person who smokes must be depressed whether they know it or not, and the person taking Lyrica for chronic pain, must really be having seizures whether they know it or not.

There is a history to this process that is rooted in both culture and profit from the top. Mr. Burton is neither not old enough or experienced enough to understand this. Big Pharma and the medical establishment can't admit they actually don't know how much of the brain works and why these drugs can be effective for seemingly different conditions. Saying it is a "placebo effect" is really a cop out instead of admitting our lack of understanding.

The rage is over Michelle Obama's bare arms and her audacity or great fashion sense to show them, in winter no less. We, as a society, are still more comfortable with these discussions about women. Michelle Obama will never hold a candle to Hillary Clinton. However, that is comparing apples and oranges really. Hillary Clinton was more accomplished and indeed better known than Bill Clinton when they attended law school. Her work after law school was very accomplished. That maybe the comparison to Michelle's "lack of ambition" when compared to Hillary Clinton. However, Hillary Clinton had no bare arms to show off that we know about since or it wasn't in her character to do so. Hillary Clinton was also constantly ridiculed for her "lack of fashion sense". Jackie Kennedy was well known for her great sense of fashion and dumbing herself down to the media in the presence of her powerful husband or men in general. It is something that we still compare these things when it comes to women no matter how accomplished, bright or talented they are. We are still more comfortable with women being objects rather than humans. Hillary Clinton made a speech on the Senate floor regarding medicare spending bill and health care in general. The news only talked about her new hair style and nothing about what she said. We talk about Michelle's bare arms or the clothes of Jackie Kennedy. Michelle Obama is the "new Jackie Kennedy" we wonder?.

To put the discussion in perspective, some "enlightened" journalists want to compare president Obama with FDR. However, the discussion always comes down to policy comparisons and inspiring "confidence". If FDR and Obama were women, the discussion would simply be about the ability to walk.