Greetings Endodontists,

Endodontics is the most exciting specialty in the health care industry today. Aside from the professional experience, it is the business experience which also offers fantastic frontier challenges. This article focuses on just one of the business oriented intrigues; purchasing cost effective asset equipment acquisitions.

As a purchaser, Endodontists will predominantly base their medical equipment asset acquisitions upon: quality, price or a combination of price and quality. As a medical equipment expert for 29 years and as a purchaser, I always want to purchase the Highest quality medical equipment at the Lowest price. My ‘old school’ philosophy demands I receive the most for my money, this is successful business economics. Most people understand the higher the quality the higher the price and the lower the quality the lower the price. But, let me repeat myself, when comparing apples to apples or like-quality to like-quality, I always want to purchase the highest quality at the lowest price.

World economic realities have created great profits as well as great opportunities for the purchaser. Today, the world is your pearl when it comes to purchasing a Surgery Microscope. To be most successful you must dispel old myths about over estimating manufacturers name appeal while understanding quality is number one. Believe me, there is equivalent quality in existence. Technology is shared and quality is not reserved for those whom have cashed in on that notion for years. Therefore, let it now be known with absolute certainty , although shockingly to some, you now can compare the very best Surgery Microscope to another of like quality but at a fantastically lower price.

World competition in the market place has leveled the playing field;

Global economy has Zeiss manufacturing product(s) in China.

World wide production is the International world-hub for manufacturing product.

Global economies, world wide competition and quality control manufacturing has resulted in fantastic lower prices.

Taking this article’s information under advisement will not reduce the level of quality expectation for the purchaser whom bases their purchases upon quality. And the purchaser whom is purchasing based upon price shall be amazed their narrow budget can purchase the best or the equivalent thereof. And the purchaser whom usually compares endlessly for a compromise between quality and price, will be amazed to find no reason to continue their endless pursuit when the best and/or equivalent thereof can be purchased at the lowest price imaginable, now.

Coke said it, Starbucks is saying it and now MFI Medical Equipment is exclaiming it… “Take the comparison test”. For example, if you believe as most that the Zeiss Pico is the best Surgery Microscope, then let us help you compare the HSD Endodontic Alpha Scope. With equivalent comparisons and no meaningful differences, you become the benefactor saving thousands of dollars on your next Microscope purchase.

N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) is an inexpensive and highly absorbable form of the amino acid cysteine which has numerous health benefits. It can be used as a preventative measure against the common cold, to help prevent liver damage from Tylenol and to detoxify your body of the mercury in dental fillings, predatory fish and high fructose corn syrup.

There is now clinical trial evidence that it can be used to treat trichotillomania, an impulse control disorder involving pulling the hair out of one’s head, eyelashes, eyebrows, or elsewhere on the body. This disorder affects somewhere between 1% and 5% of the world’s population and is strongly female predominant. Estimates are that 70% to 93% of trichotillomania patients are female. There is a belief that the disorder may have genetic origin, but so far the related genes found don’t explain all cases of the disorder.

People who suffer from trichotillomania say they often keep it a secret. When others discover their secret, the first reaction is often “why don’t you just stop pulling your hair?” But the urge to pull hair is so strong that they can’t stop and often may not be fully aware of what they are doing.

In September 2008, a study conducted by the University of Minnesota involving attempts to treat trichotillomania with NAC was completed. The study was structured as a double-blind study with some patients taking NAC and others taking placebo tablets. The results published in July 2009 show that during the course of 12 weeks of treatment with between 1200mg and 2400mg of NAC per day, 56% percent of patients experience a significant reduction in hair pulling versus only 16% taking a placebo. Improvements were generally evident starting about 9 weeks after the start of NAC treatment.

The theory on how NAC works to reduce trichotillomania behaviors is that it balances levels of excitatory neurotransmitters such as glutamic acid that are involved in anxiety and compulsive behaviors.

Other medical treatments for treating trichotillomania which include clomipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant, have proved to be ineffective. Along with its dangerous side-effects it has actually made the condition worse for some people. NAC is a far safer substance than clomipramine, as it is a variant of L-cysteine, an amino acid commonly found in the body.

Because they CAN. Over forty years ago when prescription drug coverage by insurance companies began, drugs were fairly cheap. There were few chain drug stores and most drug stores were owned by one or two pharmacists. Pharmacies bought drugs directly from the manufactures, not wholesale companies like today. A few years after the prescription drug plans came into existence the drug manufactures came to the realization that what ever they charged for a drug, the insurance companies would pay. The law of pricing what the market would bear was nullified. The people who had prescription drug coverage did not care about the price because the insurance company was paying and all they had to pay was a small copay.

And so socialized medicine began, but it was privatized. At about the same time generic drugs came on the scene. Before generic drugs the name brand drugs would enjoy many years on the market with little competition and good profits. When a company developed a new drug they got a patent for a period of time, but even when the patent ran out they would often make lots of money for many years later. But when generics came along, the high profits would disappear at the end of the patent period. Before generics the name brand companies would structure their pricing to recover their development cost over a period of a few years. Today most name brand companies structure their pricing to recover their cost in the first year.

From a business point of few this is only logical because when the patent runs out so will the sales and ultimately the profits. So now with development cost being fairly high and most drug prices not ruled by free enterprise the name brand drug companies are getting huge prices for new drugs.

There are some changes occurring that are starting to challenge the name brand companies. First with the down turn in the economy and hard economic times many companies are reducing their prescription drug benefits and with high unemployment many families are losing their insurance drug coverage. So the laws of free enterprise are starting to take over the prescription drug pricing. People are refusing to fill prescriptions for drugs that are priced beyond their means.

Also laws have changed on how the name brand drug companies can sell their new drugs. In the past the drug companies sent out teams of well trained drug salespersons. They would give the doctors all kinds of trinkets, toys and paraphernalia with the name of the new drug on it to help keep the name of the drug in front of the doctor. They gave out pens, note pads, and every conceivable advertising item to keep the name of the new drug in the doctors face. This is no longer allowed. It has been suggested that the drug companies were actually behind the new laws on drug advertising because they can now direct these moneys to TV advertising, which has proven to be extremely successful.