Category: Iowa

“Life is Beautiful”

We heard the song “Life is Beautiful” by Keb’ Mo’ last night on the Big Mo Blues Show. It was released 20 years ago. Big Mo said it helped him get through a difficult time. We think the song is beautiful and so do hundreds of other people on the YouTube video posted 16 years ago.

Keb’ Mo’ also did a very fine cover of Bill Withers’ song “Lean on Me” a few years ago in tribute to Withers who was his friend and mentor.

It’s not worth debating whether this song is classifiable as Blues—it doesn’t matter. I think it’s notable that of the many songs I heard on the KCCK Big Mo Blues Show last night, the list of the songs he posted early this morning after the broadcast was very short. He posted only a few, and we’re glad he listed this one.

Most would agree that “Life is Beautiful” is a fine example of contemporary acoustic blues. Compared to what we might usually hear in music labeled as the blues you might think it’s the opposite—almost “too happy” and soul-soothing to be the blues. Blues isn’t always about badness in life.

We Heard a Barred Owl Last Night

We both heard a barred owl last night. This was a line of thunderstorms rolled through the area. Sena thought it was in the front yard, but there are no trees out there and it’s more likely it was in the back yard.

I searched my photo files and couldn’t find one of a barred owl, although I remarked on seeing one about 11 years ago. It was on top of a street sign and I found an old blog post about it that I wrote about on the same day. I’ll repost it below.

I found a YouTube of a barred owl making typical calls. It might have been calling for a mate. Most articles will point out that this sounds like “Who cooks for you?”

I did a google search about barred owls. When a barred owl visits you, it could mean you’re in a transition in your life. About the time I saw it in 2015, I was a couple of years away from entering the phased retirement transition of my career as a consultation-liaison psychiatrist at University of Iowa Health Care.

I’ve been retired for six years now. I wonder why a barred owl would be visiting now?

Barred Owl Visit Post 2015:

So, the other day as my wife and I were out driving we saw this owl sitting on top of a street sign on the intersection not far from our house.

He looked straight at me. I remember thinking, “Where were you when the voles were gorging on our lawn?”

I’ve never seen an owl up that close, especially roosting on a street sign at a crossroads.  Of course, it got me to musing on the crossroads in which we often find ourselves at different times in our careers and at pivotal moments in our lives.

There are big and little stages, the minor and major crossroads we navigate every day and at other transitions: childhood, adolescence, college, medical school, residency, graduation, marriage, divorce, and the birth of children, the death of parents, retirement, and our own approaching death.

Recently I got a funny and thought-provoking essay about this from a former resident who is now an attending herself staffing a psychiatry consultation service at a big university hospital in Cleveland. The title of Dr. Jeanne Lackamp’s perspective article is “The Stages of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry.” In it she describes the stages, the crossroads if you will, of the psychiatric resident in a large general hospital from the perspective of an experienced teacher [1].

I was going to say she does it with the wisdom of a wise owl, but then I thought of the owl sitting on the street sign, whose wisdom I doubted. The owl’s eyesight is keen but there was nothing but concrete on the roads leading away from its perch.

There aren’t any voles out there.

Anyway, short excerpts (which I hope are considered fair use) from Dr. Lackamp’s stages are:

Anticipation: “As though hypomanic, you will eagerly accept the CL challenge….” This is it—Your Big Chance.”

Initiation: “Coping with patient death will become real…and will make you feel sad.” You will wonder how you can possibly do multiple months of this.”

Mastery: “Cockiness may backfire…errors still occur.”  “…you feel confident that No One Else could have done better given the circumstances.” “This feeling lasts; until it does not.”

Anger: “Anger will manifest in several ways…” “…it will be tempting to start second-guessing your life choice of going into medicine in general, and Psychiatry in specific.” “Sleep will be rare now too…”

Acceptance: “…you will know what you are doing—but more importantly you will realize that what you know is not everything. “…you will know that you have endured something intense and were changed by it.”

I thought of this as I listened to one of our current senior residents talk about her approaching crossroads. She’ll be a consulting psychiatrist at a private hospital.

She’s excited about it and also wanted to know that her old teacher (which is me, the wise old owl) will be available for collaboration if she needs it.

I suddenly have this craving for voles.

Reference:

  1. Lackamp, J. M. (2015). “The stages of consultation-liaison psychiatry.” Acad Psychiatry 39(2): 217-219.

Current Kratom and Psilocybin Legislative Action in Iowa

I just saw an excellent post from Dr. George Dawson, MD, DFAPA on Kratom. His emphasis that the risk for harm from this substance should be “…remembered at every policy debate.” I agree. This reminds me of what happened in the Iowa Legislature this term at the second funnel regarding substances with the potential for harms to users. Two drugs survived the second funnel: the Kratom bill House File 2133 and the Psilocybin bill House File 978, copied from the Iowa Capital Dispatch story published by Robin Opsahl, Brooklyn Draisey, and Cami Koons on March 20, 2026:

“Kratom:House File 2133 would designate kratom products – a substance currently legal for sale and possession in Iowa which produces a stimulant effect at low doses, and acts as a sedative at high doses – as a Schedule I hallucinogenic substance. People found in possession of kratom would be subject to a serious misdemeanor charge for their first offense, an aggravated misdemeanor for their second and a Class D felony charge for subsequent offenses. The bill passed the House and was placed on the unfinished business calendar in the Senate.

Psilocybin: The Senate Health and Human Services Committee amended and passed House File 978  Thursday, a bill that would allow for the legal, medical use of psilocybin in clinical environments with psychiatric support that have been approved by the state. Products with psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in “magic mushrooms,” and operators providing treatment involving psilocybin, would be regulated by the state through the Medical Cannabidiol Advisory Board, which would be expanded to include four members with expertise in psilocybin treatment. The program created through this legislation would be limited to individuals seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, but the board could seek legislative approval for using psilocybin in treatment for other mental health issues as more research becomes available.

I don’t know exactly what “unfinished business” means with respect to the Kratom bill. All I know at this stage is that it has not yet been signed into law by Governor Reynolds. I’ll have a couple of remarks about the Psilocybin bill later.

Kratom is currently legal in Iowa. A couple of years ago while we were driving on Highway 1 through Iowa City, I saw a big sign on a small store saying it was for sale. As of 12/02/2025, the FDA has issued an opinion:

“There are no prescription or over-the-counter drug products containing kratom or its known alkaloids that are legally on the market in the U.S. If a new drug application (NDA) is submitted for kratom (or one of its components) to treat a specific medical condition, FDA will review the scientific data to determine if a drug product containing kratom (or its components) is safe and effective to treat that specific medical condition. Consistent with FDA’s practice with unapproved substances, until the agency scientists can evaluate the safety and effectiveness of kratom (or its components) in the treatment of any medical conditions, FDA will continue to warn the public against the use of kratom for medical treatment. The agency will also continue to monitor emerging data trends to better understand the substance and its components.”

The web articles I found on Kratom indicate that it’s not controlled under the Controlled Substances Act, but the DEA says it’s a “drug of concern” and warns against its use according to a web article posted on March 11, 2026 by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

When I posted on my blog about Kratom after I saw the road sign advertising its sale at what appeared to be what we used to call a “head shop.” I tried to find more information about the substance. At that time, I found an article that saying when the DEA tried to place it on Schedule I in 2016, the American Kratom Association prevented it simply by protesting it (which may or may not be true). An historical overview of Kratom’s legal status in Iowa is here.

Kratom: Summary of State Laws

Kratom 101: What You Need to Know

As for the Iowa bill on Psilocybin, this post is getting a little long and I’ll try to keep my remarks brief. There was a news story about the bill which identified psilocybin as also being known as “magic mushrooms.” It also mentioned that it might be helpful for some people who struggle with PTSD and that last year, Governor Reynolds vetoed a bill that would have allowed distribution of the drug.

I found one of my old blog posts (“Maybe We Need a Dose of Humor) which was partly about psilocybin. I mentioned Dr. Henry Nasrallah’s article on how it might reduce the “visceral hatred” that is prominent in American politics:

In the current political zeitgeist, could psychedelics such as psilocybin reduce or even eliminate political extremism and visceral hatred on all sides? It would be remarkable research to carry out to heal a politically divided populace. The dogma of untreatable personality disorders or hopelessly entrenched political extremism is on the chopping block, and psychedelics offer hope to splinter those beliefs by concurrently remodeling brain tissue (neuroplasticity) and rectifying the mindset (psychoplasticity); September issue of Current Psychiatry, by the journal’s editor, Henry A. Nasrallah, MD (From neuroplasticity to psychoplasticity: Psilocybin may reverse personality disorders and political fanaticism. Current Psychiatry. 2022 September, 21(9): 4-6 | doi: 10.12788/cp.0283).

I found another one of my blog posts about psychedelic-assisted therapy from a couple of years ago.

The remarks from a former colleague were politely negative about the quality of the research in question in the Lykos study mentioned in my post which cited the Psychiatric Times article about the study. Dr. Jess G. Fiedorowicz, MD, PhD formerly was formerly on staff at University of Iowa Health Care. He’s now the Chief of Mental Health at The Ottawa Hospital where he’s also Professor and Senior Research Chair in Adult Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa, Ontario. His remarks in the transcript are typical for his erudition and expertise as a clinician scientist.

And that segues into the University of Iowa Dept. of Psychiatry study on psilocybin for alcohol use disorder. There’s a podcast that mentions it with a link to an article. The department is currently recruiting according to clinicaltrials.gov:

“Psilocybin vs Ketamine for Alcohol Use Disorder: This study will collect data that measures the effects of a psychedelic intervention on patients struggling with alcohol use disorder (AUD). The study design will be a double blind, randomized, active-comparator trial with two study arms. Subjects randomized to Arm 1 (n=40) will receive individual psychotherapy sessions plus a 30 mg dose of psilocybin. Arm 2 subjects (n=40) will receive individual psychotherapy sessions and a 0.75 mg/kg dose of ketamine.”

However, the Iowa legislature’s bill supporting psilocybin is, for now, geared toward treatment of PTSD.

I think the Kratom bill goes in the right direction and I’m not so sure about the psilocybin bill.

Saw What Might Be a Red-tail Hawk in Our Back Yard

We saw some kind of raptor today in our back yard and I couldn’t tell for sure if it was a Red-tail hawk or not. I got the video with an old Canon point-and-shoot through a window at 7:45 in the morning and she sky was overcast. It had a dark spot below its eye, mostly white breast feathers. The back feathers looked mostly brownish. It didn’t look like it had been banded.

It looked like its left foot might have been injured. It looked almost black. It held its left leg up most of the time while perched in a tree, but lowered it so it could scratch its face with the right foot. It’s blurry but you can see its left foot starting at the about 44:15 mark in the video.

I checked a couple of websites with photos of common Iowa raptors, but this bird doesn’t seem to closely resemble any of them.

Notable Song “Magnolia Road” on Big Mo Blues Show Last Night

The Big Mo Blues Show was recorded last night. I’ve got a shout-out for a song I’ve heard a couple of times now in the last few weeks. It’s “Magnolia Road” by the Allman Betts Band. I have a couple of interesting observations about it. I don’t know anything really about the Allman brothers, except what I quickly read through on Wikipedia. I know that sounds incredible. But I like this song.

The song is on an album called The Allman Betts Band: Bless Your Heart. It was released in 2020. Although I’m prone to mondegreens, I can understand most of the lyrics. I wish I could find the lyrics, but I can’t find them on the web. What comes up is a song with the same title but it’s by a different artist and, which I can find lyrics for that song, it doesn’t match the lyrics I hear by the Allman Betts Band.

One of the songs with the same name is by Ben Haggard. He’s the son of Merle Haggard. The lyrics don’t match at all, of course.

I like the feeling I get from the song. It reminds me of the 1960s-1970s era, the time of outdoor rock concerts, and being laid back. The official music video gives you a sense of that.

Maybe I’ll just ask Big Mo about how to find the lyrics.

Iowa Ivermectin Bill is Funnel Proof and Apparently is Still Alive and Other Anti-Vaccination Bills (Updated 5:45 PM today)

According to a Des Moines Register story today “Which bills in the Iowa Legislature lived and died after 2nd funnel?” by Steven Gruber-Miller and Marissa Payne March 20, 2026:

“Other bills remain in play, including legislation restricting the governor’s emergency powers, allowing Iowans to buy ivermectin over the counter without a prescription and limiting tuition increases at Iowa’s public universities.”

Apparently, the ivermectin over-the-counter (OTC) bill is funnel proof and is still alive as part of HF 2676 (the Senate passed its version, SF 2367). I was not able to read the entire Des Moines Register story because I don’t have a subscription. However, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) also reported this morning (AI pops up whether I want it to or not and puts its 2 cents in) that the ivermectin bill is still alive. The 2026 legislative session is still active through April 21, 2026. My apologies. I must have misunderstood the Bleeding Heartland story I posted about on March 14, 2026.

I’m pretty sure I read the KCCI news story correctly about what bills survived the 2nd funnel or not in a story published yesterday, which pointed out that the bill to “eliminate school vaccine requirements” did not survive the second funnel.

I couldn’t find out anything about the bill on vaccine exemptions for certain students in clinical rotations and modifying eligibility for Iowa tuition grants for postsecondary schools. A committee report approving this bill was filed on February 23, 2026, and it was subsequently renumbered as SF 2424. Unfortunately, all I can gather about it comes from an AI summary:

  • “Key Provisions:
    • Requires postsecondary schools to identify, upon request, a rotation placement where students are exempt from vaccination requirements.
    • Defines “postsecondary school” and “facility” for these purposes.
    • Institutions failing to comply may lose eligibility for Iowa tuition grants and face a $5,000 civil penalty.
  • Status/Funnel Position: As of Feb 23, 2026, the bill was on the Senate calendar and passed by the Senate Education Committee. In the context of the second funnel deadline (March 20, 2026), which requires policy bills to have passed out of a committee in the opposite chamber, this bill (formerly SF 2095) is moving through the process, but as of the initial 2026 reports, its exact final position relative to the March 20 deadline is subject to final Legislative Service Agency tracking.
  • Context: The bill was introduced by the Senate Education Committee.”

This legislative process is confusing to me and I may need to correct this later today.

UPDATED:

Addendum per Iowa Capital Dispatch today:

What survived:

“Governor’s ‘MAHA’ bill: House File 2676 was proposed by Reynolds to codify restrictions on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program eligible food items, make ivermectin accessible over the counter and prohibit food dyes in school meals. The bill passed from the House with several amendments, including one to limit screen time in elementary schools, another asking to waive school lunch nutrition guidelines to instead include more regional foods like beef, pork and dairy and another that sets extracurricular requirements in schools. The bill was attached to Senate File 2367 and placed on unfinished business.”

What died:

Immunization requirements: K-12 immunization requirements for attending school would have been removed under House File 2171, which passed the House Education Committee but was not taken up for floor debate.

Vaccinations: Senate File 2424, amended and passed by the Iowa Senate Education Committee Feb. 18, would require private colleges and universities with clinical rotation programs to identify placements where students are exempt from any vaccination requirements put in place by the host of their rotation placement. The legislation failed to see Senate debate. 

Hydroxychloroquine: The governor’s “MAHA” bill, which survived the funnel, included a provision allowing over-the-counter dispensing of ivermectin. But a separate measure, House File 2056, allowing dispensing of both ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, a prescription medication typically used in treating malaria which is also promoted by non-verified sources as a means to manage or treat symptoms of COVID-19, died during the first funnel.”

Waiting for the Second Funnel in Iowa Legislature on Anti Vaccination Bills 2026

I’ve been trying to track the two anti-vaccination bills heading into the 2nd funnel in Iowa and I guess I’ll just have to wait until tomorrow’s news reports.

One of them is HF 2171 which would eliminate Iowa’s requirement that children in grades K-12 receive vaccines before they can attend school. The other is SF 2095 (replaced by SF 2424, I believe) which would require postsecondary private schools to find clinical rotation training facilities for students in health care fields which would allow them to be exempt from any vaccine requirements.

I don’t expect either to survive the funnel, but I’m surprised that these bills were introduced at all given the risks of reducing the protection against communicable diseases as set by current public health policy.

I found a research paper on anti-vaccination legislation in mid-western states in which one of the authors, Filip Viskupič is a scholar who represents Iowa State University.

Reference:

Filip Viskupič, David L. Wiltse, Zachary Liebl, Tobias Kinslow,

The prevalence and nature of anti-vaccination legislation in ten midwestern states: Implications for public health and policy,

Vaccine,

Volume 79,

2026,

128452,

ISSN 0264-410X,

(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X26002604)

Abstract: Legislative proposals that could lower vaccination rates pose a threat to public health in the United States. We tracked and analyzed anti-vaccination bills proposed in the legislatures of ten Midwestern states from 2013 to 2024. We used the LegiScan database to search for bills, and three researchers independently classified each identified bill. We classified 374 bills as anti-vaccination bills. The legislative sessions during 2021–2022 saw 222 anti-vaccination bills proposed, mostly concerning COVID-19 vaccination. During 2023–2024, 101 bills were proposed; however, these bills were broader in scope, covering vaccines beyond COVID-19. Most anti-vaccination bills were introduced by Republican lawmakers and only 9 had Democratic sponsorship or co-sponsorship, and only 22 were signed into law. Scholars should continue systematically tracking and analyzing anti-vaccination proposals and other bills impacting public health.

Keywords: Vaccine policy; Anti-vaccine; Health Policy; Health Politics

Iowa Blizzard Update!

The blizzard started yesterday evening. I put out the garbage this morning and scraped out a path to our doorstep in case we get the cribbage boards delivered today from Canada. I’m not expecting it.

It’s still blowing snow around. The stuff is freezing on the driveway and the sidewalks. I’m surprised the garbage can is still upright. It won’t be a good day for using the electric snow shovel. The blades might not stand up to the thick icy crust. I’ll make do with the shovel. The plow just went by.

Looks like Bigfoot survived it.

Bigfoot balancing act
I don’t always drink beer in a blizzard, but when I do I look blurry. Stay blurry, my friends.

Ivermectin Bill Looks Like It’s Dead-For Now

This is a quick followup on the progress of Governor Reynolds MAHA bill which included a piece endorsing making Ivermectin available over-the-counter in Iowa. I just read a story about what looks like the disappearance of the ivermectin from Reynold’s bill. The story, written by Laura Belin, comes from a webpage called Bleeding Heartland: An independent website about Iowa politics.

I don’t follow politics avidly (putting it mildly), but I think I understand a short paragraph from Ms. Belin’s article”:

“The Senate didn’t advance the governor’s bill. Instead, Senate Health and Human Services Committee chair Kara Warme introduced her own “health-related matters” bill, which got through committee and is eligible for floor debate. That legislation (Senate File 2367) incorporated the governor’s proposals on nutrition education, certificates of need for health care facilities, federal food assistance, and food dyes in schools, but left the ivermectin language on the cutting room floor.”

It looks like another anti-vaccine bill bit the dust—for now. I would cheer, but I know better. I expect somebody will resurrect it at some time in the future. I hope Dr. Austin Baeth is still around when it happens.