The Secrets Behind the Counter: Demystifying Drugs
Newsletter 1 : Introduction
What’s the deal with this newsletter?
We have access to so much health information nowadays but it’s so hard to know what is reliable and up-to-date. Do we believe newspapers, magazines, our family members, YouTube, Tiktok, Dr. Oz? We all have busy lives and it’s hard to know what is a reliable source. Also, even some health professionals are scammin’ (looking at you, Dr. Oz).
The amount of information available to the general public has also resulted in immense amounts of misinformation as well. The average person doesn’t know if a source is reliable … it’s easy to be misled.
When I was completing my pharmacy degree I was surprised about the amount of health knowledge I believed that turned out to be false. And even in 2022, where people are “doing their own research” on a global pandemic, I’m continually surprised at the health basics that people get wrong. (No, you don’t need to drink a giant jug of water a day).
Your own personal health professionals may be great, but access to their time and knowledge is limited.
So this newsletter is going to….
I hope to cover a small health topic once a week and give an overview of important information, with an emphasis on drug treatment. I’ll start out with some simpler topics first.
I aim to consider the general scientific consensus on a topic … no fancy cutting-edge journal reviews here.
Who are you, anyways?
I’ve been working as a hospital pharmacist for over 20 years at a university-affiliated teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I’ve always been interested in health information (and disinformation), media, and journalism.
Selfishly, I’m hoping to improve my writing and communication skills through this newsletter.
What’s next?
I am aiming to get this newsletter out once a week. I know it's the end of summer, but the sun is around all year around, so next week we’ll cover sun damage and sunscreens!
Excellent! Looking forward to reading your material.