Skeptic's Circle up at Aardvarchaeology

The 57th Skeptic's Circle is now up at Martin Rundkvist's Aardvarchaeology blog -- this installment has several great essays about alternative medicine topics, including an update on dichloroacetate (DCA) for cancer treatment and a discussion of Airborne for preventing the common cold, among other very interesting topics.

New documentary on addiction

On Thursday March 15 from 8:00 - 9:30 Central time (other air times), HBO will be airing a documentary, Addiction, produced in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). It's part of an HBO free preview weekend and also will be streamed on the web and available through "on demand" cable services too.

"The documentary will explore many elements of drug and alcohol addiction, through the eyes of those who are addicted and those of the scientific experts working to better understand and treat this devastating disease....

Bringing together the nation's leading experts with award-winning filmmakers, it consists of nine separate segments, including: "Saturday Night in a Dallas ER," by Jon Alpert; "A Mother's Desperation," by Susan Froemke and Albert Maysles; "The Science of Relapse," by Eugene Jarecki and Susan Froemke; "The Adolescent Addict," by Kate Davis and David Heilbroner; "Brain Imaging," by Liz Garbus and
Rory Kennedy; "Opiate Addiction: A New Medication," by D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus; "Topiramate: A Clinical Trial for Alcoholism," by Alan and Susan Raymond; "Steamfitters Local Union 638," by Barbara Kopple; and "Insurance Woes," by Susan Froemke. ADDICTION is produced by John Hoffman and Susan Froemke; executive produced by Sheila Nevins."

The project also includes a community outreach component, with activities currently scheduled in ~40 cites so far (also includes a PDF viewer's guide to help facilitate discussion).

Related links:
NIH press release
Companion materials from the National Institute on Drug Abuse
Drugs, Brain, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction (booklet)
MedlinePlus: Substance abuse problems