Where do your drugs come from?
The recent outbreak of fungal meningitis has many people asking questions about the safety of compounding pharmacies and the origins of many of the medicines we put into our systems everyday. Something that many may not realize is just how hard it can be to track down the source of the drugs that you take on a daily basis.
So far the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that the fungal meningitis outbreak has made 185 people sick in 12 states and caused 14 deaths. The outbreak was linked to a batch of injectable steroids that have since been recalled by the New England Compounding Center, a compounding pharmacy in Massachusetts. The facility has announced that as many as 14,000 patients have been treated with the steroids and may be at risk.
The recent outbreak of fungal meningitis has many in the medical community desperate to get to the bottom of the cause. Possibilities abound and everyone appears to have a theory. Could it have been some moldy ceiling tiles? What about the dirty shoes of a careless employee? How about a contaminated ingredient?
There are many ways the fungus could have gotten inside the New England Compounding Center, a pharmacy in Massachusetts that has been blamed for the outbreak. The steroid injections made by the compounding pharmacy have already been recalled after leading to the death of 14 people and sickness in nearly 200 more. 
Chalk this up to one bizarre series of unfortunate events. News reports reveal that a man from Cullman County, Alabama has filed suit against his brother after losing the lion's share of his index finger in a Huntsville accident involving a spooked horse.
The man who lost the finger, Timothy Upton from Joppa, AL, filed the lawsuit last week in the Madison County Circuit Court against his brother, Bobby Upton. The suit relates to an accident which took place back in June of this year.
Accidents involving 
Those who suffer from chronic pain often turn to steroid shots to help ease their discomfort. Normally, this is treatment is seen as safe and effective. Sadly, that perception has now changed due to the 105 people sickened across nine states and the eight who have died from fungal meningitis. Now, reports indicate that as many as 13,000 patients may have been exposed to fungal meningitis - a fungus that attacks the brain and central nervous system - from tainted spinal steroid injections.
A recent article regarding important estate-planning tips for attorneys to consider mentioned the importance of a powerful estate-planning vehicle with a funny acronym. The article discussed how a QTIP trust could serve as an important piece of an overall Alabama estate plan.
First things first, let's be clear that we aren't talking about a little stick that's meant for your ear. QTIP stands for "qualified terminal interest property" trust. Qualified means it's property that is qualified for the marital deduction. Terminal means the surviving spouse gets the income interest during his or her lifetime, but that interest terminates at his or her death.