Before you jump on the bandwagon of buying your medications from Canada, it might be wise to visit the web site of the U. S. Food and Drug Administration.

Seattle Times - In an exciting breakthrough, a new medication derived from sea-snail venom seems to provide relief up to 1,000 times stronger than that of morphine. The new medication, called Prialt, is more effective in treating types of pain that were formerly untreatable, such as neuropathic pain. Moreover, Prialt is regarded as non-narcotic. The chief impediment to the use of is that it must be injected into the spinal column.

It has been the belief of many, including yours truly, that patients may have the ability to postpone their death until a time of their choosing -- at least to some degree. This is most noticeable around the holidays when it seems that people may put off the death until after a significant holiday is over.

The FDA has given approval to begin testing of the street drug Ecstasy for the treatment of anxiety and pain in advanced cancer patients. It is one of a growing number of efforts to offer a broader range of treatment alternatives to the terminally ill, even if those medications have traditionally been taboo.

Spiked-Online.com -- Over on the other side of the pond from us, the assisted suicide debate rages as well, especially as new legislation is apparently in play. The linked article, by an atheist, offers some interesting take on the debate. We found it especially intriguing as the most vocal protestors against assisted suicide are generally people of more fundamantalistic persuasions. We offer it to you, having recently been made aware of it. Read this article to see other relevant links.