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Ticks Among Us
I was struck by how much ticks and tick-borne illness is in the news lately, although it shouldn’t be surprising as it’s that time of year for people to be outside in the garden or the woods. There’s a great podcast on Rounding@IOWA on tick borne illness that I thought was pretty interesting. I was…
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Shout Out to Dr. Fawad Taj for Psychiatric Times Article on Cannabis and Psychosis Risk
I rarely see an article that impresses me as much as the Psychiatric Times piece on psychosis risk and cannabis by Dr. Fawad Taj, MD. It makes sense that he is also a consultation-liaison psychiatrist. He’s on staff in the Dept. of psychiatry at University Hospitals of Cleveland. There is a highly esteemed scholar special…
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Mental Health Affirmations for May 6, 2026
Today is May 6, 2026 and the Mental Health Awareness affirmation for today (from the Mental Health Awareness calendar) is about Affirmations: “Affirmations can improve people’s overall well-being, help them feel better about themselves, and reduce anxiety. Pick a supportive phrase and repeat it today.” I picked one from the list of suggested affirmations: “I…
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May is Mental Health Month!
May is Mental Health Month and I’ve been going through my blog to find posts on psychotherapy. One of the reasons I did this is because I read the commentary by Dr. Allen Frances on psychotherapy and Artificial Intelligence (AI chatbots) the other day, “Psychotherapies Can No Longer Afford to Compete With Each Other.” Dr.…
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NAMI Walk in Johnson County May 2nd 2026!
Hey, there’s a scheduled NAMI walk upcoming on Saturday, May 2, 2026 at Terry Trueblood Recreation Area!
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Iowa Bill HF2676 Which Would Allow OTC Ivermectin in Iowa On its Way to Governor Reynolds Desk
Late yesterday, there was a story published in the Iowa Capital Dispatch announcing that the MAHA bill HF2676 is on its way to Governor Reynolds for her signature. A part of that bill “…also would allow ivermectin, a drug used to treat parasitic infections that some have claimed can be used in preventing or treating…
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Cannabis Rescheduled from Schedule I to Schedule III Today
As of today, the US Dept. of Justice moved “…the classifications of products containing marijuana that are covered by the Food and Drug Administration or that have received a state medical-marijuana licence” from Schedule I to Schedule III. This is not exactly the same as reclassifying all marijuana, although it looks like that is being…
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Is Cannabis Reclassification Imminent?
I saw a couple of brief news alerts indicating that progress toward reclassification of marijuana from Schedule I to III could be happening as soon as today according to a Reuters report. I think that means we should pay attention to other stories and reports of cannabis use being associated with higher rates of psychosis…
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Sena’s Out in the Garden on Earth Day!
Today is Earth Day and Sena is out in the garden working. She’s doing it not just because it’s Earth Day. She’s doing it because she cares a lot about the garden and not just that. She’s often way out in the outlot beyond our back yard. We got a message in our mailbox from…
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The Question of Ethical Principles Regarding the Ivermectin Portion of Governor Reynolds MAHA Bill HF 2676
I think the Iowa legislature bill HF 2676 (Governor Reynolds’ MAHA bill) has just been sent back to the Senate, maybe based on fiscal issues, according to the most recent information I could find on the web. The ivermectin piece probably isn’t in a section that bears heavily on fiscal matters, so if the Senate…
Go Retire Psychiatrist 