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Inquirer Staff Writer

Dawn Fallik

Dawn Fallik, 34, covers science and medicine for the Inquirer, from the acoustics of snow to AIDS trends. Previously, she worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Associated Press and The (Troy, N.Y.) Record, winning multiple state and national awards for breaking news, column writing and investigative reporting. She received her graduate degree at the University of Missouri, where she specialized in database analysis, and was co-director of the National Institute of Computer-Assisted Reporting. She has lived in 12 cities, seven states and two countries since the age of 18, and recently purchased a house in South Philly where she is learning the joys of drywall.

Most Recent Questions & Answers

Questions: 1 - 10 of 20

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QIf someone stops taking concerta without medical attention, what are the problems to look out for? Also what can we do to persaude a young adult to attend counselling for their problems when they catergorically refuse to do so?

Anonymous, United kingdom 10/15/06

A Dear anonomyous, I appreciate your question, but I'm not a doctor or a pharmacist. I looked on the Concerta website, and nothing immediately caught my eye about needing to slowly stop the ADHD medication (unlike anti-depressants, where they tell you to slowly come off the drugs.) Here's a contact number for Concerta 1-888-440-7903. Good luck, Dawn

Dawn Fallik 10/18/06

QGood day I am a chronic pain sufferer curious to why a superior narcotic analgesic was discontinued ( anileridine hydrochloride AKA Leritine, white, round flat, tapered 25 mg pill with a cadeceus engraved on one side, produced once by Merck Frosst, USP 2966490 dec 27 1960 John Weijlard and Karl Pfister, CAS 00144-14-9 or 00126-12-5 it really seems there is absolutely no data to be found on the net other than a bare discontinuation notice, nothing on why the termination, yet according to medical journals and I agree, the product is much superior to Meperedine and less toxic and Meperedine is still around. Will this product be ever again available and who owns the rights to the patent, is it expired and for bids?

Roxanne 9/14/06

A Roxanne, I appreciate your question. All I could find immediately was that it was discontinued by the vendor. I don't see anything from the FDA ordering them to discontinue, but I could have missed something due to time restraints. Here's a contact number for Merck Frosst, maybe they can be of more help. Dawn Merck Frosst Canada Ltd. 16711 Trans Canada Highway Kirkland, Quebec H9H 3L1 Telephone: (514) 428-8600, 1-800-567-2594

Dawn Fallik 10/18/06

QHi: Have you ever looked into the problems associated with getting reimbursement information from health insurance companies, and particularly the phone queue nightmares that seem to plague many of them? As a psychologist, I can honestly tell you that dealing with insurers is the most difficult part of my practice. It's next to impossible to reach many of them (you're held on queue for interminable periods of time), and when you do reach them, and believe that you have the required information, you often later find that the representative was in error. We need an investigative report!

Anonymous, PA 1/17/06

A It took me over a year, and four resubmittals, to get reimbursed for out-of-network visits to a specialist. I commend you for taking insurance as part of your practice. Many don't and that leaves those who can't pay $150 an hour without available help. It'd be easy to write an anecdotal story about insurance issues, but what would be really good - and give some teeth to the story - is a study or data that I can use to back up the anecdotes. That's not so easy to find..

Dawn Fallik 6/27/06

QDear Ms. Dawn Fallic: The so-called "ADHD" experts and the NIMH promote the theory that ADHD brains are abnormal to begin with. My son has epilepsy, and also participated in an NIMH study before he took "ADHD" meds. I received an MRI report stating my son's brain was normal -- although his struggle with attention issues has been well documented throughout his education. Unfortunately I succumbed to all the "ADHD" crap and allowed my son to take Concerta for 3 years. After concerns, I pulled my son off Concerta, against his doctor's recommendation. I then expressed concerns to 2 pediatric neurologists about ADHD studies showing brain abnormalities -- most kids in these studies were on long-term treatment with stimulants. Although my son recently received a new MRI, both doctors refused to compare his new MRI with his old ones, while dismissing my concerns. Could you please explain what's going on here?

Lindy, Bedford, Virginia 4/13/06

A Lindy, Let me make it clear again that I'm not a medical doctor, and I'm certainly not an ADHD specialist. You certainly have a right to get your questions answered. The doctors should explain to you why they didn't compare the MRIs, and address your concerns about how the medication could have affected brain development. The basic line is, if you don't like how your doctors are treating you, find new doctors who will answer your questions. You are your best advocate. Dawn

Dawn Fallik 4/17/06

QDEAR ALL I HAVE JUST READ AN ARTICLE UNDER THE TITLE "DRUG PATCH SAFETY TRIGGERS AN FDA PROBE" PUBLISHED ON SUNDAY, MAR. 05, 2006. IN THE THIRD PARAGRAPH IT IS WRITTEN THAT "FDA SAID ON THURSDAY THAT IT WAS LAUNCHING AN EXHAUSTIVE REVIEW etc. etc. I TRIED TO FIND THE FDA's PUBLICATION WITHIN THE FDA SITE AND I FAILED. MAY I HAVE Dr.'s DAWN FALLIK HELP ON THAT? BEST REGARDS sfotinos@lavipharm.com

S.A.Fotinos, E. WINDSOR , N.J. 3/13/06

A Just to make it clear, I'm not a medical doctor. At all. I'm a reporter who writes about health, science and medical issues. As far as an FDA publication, I'm not sure what you were expecting to find. The FDA announced that it was going to review the safety of the transdermal patches. The agency is not going to publish anything until it is finished with the review, which could take years.

Dawn Fallik 4/17/06

QRadon is the #1 cause of lung cancer in Non-smokers. (Dana Reeve was a Non-smokers)For our children, should we reguire our schools, daycare centers, and more of our homes to be tested.

Tom d'Arcy, Newtown,Pa. 3/08/06

AThere are some states that require radon testing, I believe. I know that DEP Secretary Katie McGinty is a firm believer in it, but I don't believe it's required.

Dawn Fallik 4/17/06

QI am looking for a good plastic surgeon (I'm looking to get breast augmentation and maybe a tummy tuck)in the Pittsburgh area, and I have been searching the web. Problem is, all of these Dr's sites are ads- I need to hear what REAL patients think, who they recommend,etc. Does anyone know of a website or alternative? To consult with 10 doctors without knowing anything about their reputation will get expensive, as most charge a minimum of $100 to come in, and then give you a hard sell.

M.S., Pittsburgh, PA 1/11/06

AI'm sorry for the delay in responding, this just popped up. The best thing might be to go on some women's listservs or website in your area and simply ask. The best recommendation is word of mouth - I don't know if you'd need to consult with 10 doctors. You could do some research, see where they got their degrees, how much training they have and what their specialties are. When you do the consult, don't forget to ask if they do the surgery themselves, or if they watch while someone else does the surgery. If it's a teaching hospital, that is sometimes part of the deal, so keep that in mind.

Dawn Fallik 4/17/06

QAbout the article "Explaining the yawn: Bored? Weary? Empathetic?" my girl scout troop did a study on yawning and found that people who are likely to yawn are also likely to respond to laughter. We did a trial where some of the girls were in another room while a yawning subject was being tested for yawnability and the hidden group started laughing and the test subject would sometimes laugh, even tho it was not part of the interview. Those who did not yawn did not laugh or smile, in fact they seemed annoyed. The yawners tended to smile and laugh when the girls did. We KNOW this means a lot, but not exactly what. Who would know?

Jenny Anchor, age 14, Irvine California 1/16/06

A Jenny, How cool that you saw my story in California. Actually, Robert Provine, the University of Maryland researcher I mentioned, studies both yawning and laughter. So clearly, you're onto something. Hopefully there's some sort of research badge you can get for your work. You can find Robert Provine at UM-Baltimore County with a simple Google search, best of luck. Dawn

Dawn Fallik 1/18/06

QI'm a doctor who was laid off from a job in Pittsburgh. There are few jobs in the Philly area (where I grew up and would like to work), which attract scores of qualified applicants; one recruiter in the area told me bluntly to get out. My girlfriend used to be a specialist in diabetes, got sick of the medical climate, and quit to go to business school. The salaries are higher in other parts of the country and the malpractice premiums are much lower. The overhead in the Philly area is high as well. I agree it's hard to quantify the loss of physicians (it was worse 1997-2003, I think) in the state but I know of at least 7 docs who left, either because they couldn't afford to stay or they couldn't find a suitable position

DocKennywood, Atlanta, Ga. 12/27/05

A Dear Doc - From what I understand, malpractice in other states is slowly climbing as well, but it is high in Philadelphia. I think the salary depends on what kind of doctor you are, no? A neurologist makes more than a dermatologist who makes more than a family doctor. I'm not sure if there's a question here, but I thought what you wrote was interesting, so I added it on. What are you going to do, workwise in Georgia? Dawn

Dawn Fallik 12/27/05

QWhy are we not reading more about the shortage of flu vacinations this year since there is apparently a repeat of last year. Our HMO claims they can not obtain shots and the building where I work scheduled a shot clinc and then had to cancel it for lack of vacine.

Anonymous 11/17/05

A Thank you for your email. The Inquirer has done several stories about the trouble doctors are having regarding flu vaccines. My understanding from the latest story is that most places believed they would be able to receive their doses by Christmas. Let me know if that's not true... Here's the latest story we did: http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/13247067.htm

Dawn Fallik 12/22/05