Currently viewing the category: "doctors"

CMA Endorses Marijuana Legalization

By On · Add Comment · In California Medical Association (CMA), California Police Chiefs Association, doctors, medical marijuana, pain relief

Another small victory for marijuana proponents, as the California Medical Association (CMA), is calling for cannabis legalization. The state association, which represents more than 35,000 physicians statewide, has taken an official position that despite its questionable medicinal value, marijuana should be made legal and regulated like alcohol or tobacco.  The CMA is the first major medical association to take that stance.


According to Dr. Donald Lyman, the Sacramento physician who wrote the group’s new policy, the change in position stems from frustration over California’s medical marijuana laws. As he explains, doctors are in a difficult position as more patients start to ask about marijuana’s medical benefits, particularly for pain relief, but which is still an illegal substance under federal law. Dr. Lyman believes that the question of whether marijuana has medicinal value can only be determined by legalization and research.

But this latest statement by the CMA has stirred much controversy.  John Lovell, spokesman for the California Police Chiefs Association said, “Given everything that we know about the physiological impacts of marijuana–how it affects young brains, the number of accidents associated with driving under the influence–it’s just an unbelievably irresponsible position.”


Other doctors associations have voiced concerns as well. Dr. Robert DuPont, M.D. and professor of psychiatry at Georgetown Medical School, said the association’s call for legalization showed “a reckless disregard of the public health. I think it’s going to lead to more use, and that, to me, is a public health concern. I’m not sure they’ve thought through what the implications of legalization would be.”


But the rationale from the CMA has merit.  Although they acknowledge some health risks to using marijuana, they believe that the consequences of criminalization outweigh the hazards. Dr. Lyman says current laws have “proven to be a failed public health policy.” He cited increased prison costs, the effect on families when marijuana users are imprisoned and racial inequalities in drug-sentencing cases.

I tend to agree with the CMA, though I think they are taking the politically safe, yet smart, route by doubting benefits of marijuana use and playing up the risks, so as not to encourage recreational drug use, but also by pointing out, and rightly so, that the drug is benign…and it may have greater benefit than we know!  But we’ll never find out if we don’t open that smokey door.

Listen, I’ve said this repeatedly in this blog: There is no doubt that marijuana carries with it side effects (2 am Taco Bell runs for instance) physiological changes, but when compared to alcohol and tobacco–it’s lite-weight. The warnings by police enforcement officials is about as convincing as Reefer Madness. C’mon. Regulate it, tax it, punish driving under the influence, and you’ve got an open revenue source. No way it’ll lead to more chaos than booze…or pharmaceuticals…c’mon.

I am convinced that the ol’ MJ will be legalized in California within ten years, maybe sooner.  And as Cali goes, so goes the nation. That’s what the Heshers say, anyhow.

Doctors Throw Blows in Delivery Room, Endanger Baby

By On · Add Comment · In c-section, cesarean, delivery room, doctors, fistfight, Italian, medical mistakes, public hospital, Sicily, universal health care

The fight over cesareans has gone international…and violent.  Two Italian doctors are being blamed for the botched delivery of a newborn that have led to complications for both the mother and son, after the doctors got into a fistfight in the delivery room.  Medical mistakes UFC-style.

According to reports, the mother Laura Salpietro, 30, had to have her uterus removed and her son, Antonio, suffered heart problems and possible brain damage following his birth last Thursday in a Messina, Sicily public hospital.  The two doctors, one a state hospital employee, the other a private doctor hired by Salpietro as a gynecologist, disagreed on whether the patient should have a C-section.  The disagreement turned to blows.

Sapietro’s husband, Matteo Molonia, said the fight delayed the C-section by over an hour leading to the complications.  This has become a big story in the country, forcing the Italian health minister to traveled to Sicily on Monday to apologize to the woman.

The fiasco is only one of a number of errors plaguing the southern Italian region infamous for its high rate of medical mistakes.  Not lost on me is one significant detail of the Italian health system.  Yep, you guessed it–universal health care.

As a result of the entitlement-based system is an explosion of private doctors available to people that can afford them.  I have predicted the same to happen here in the U.S. if nationalization of our system continues to grow.  People that can afford it will hire private doctors to get around the inadequacies of government-run hospitals.  Just a conclusion of deductive reasoning, that’s all.

What has made this particular situation tragic is that the patient decided to have her birth in a public hospital with a private doctor present.  Duh!  I guess she learned the hard way that doctors can be territorial, literally and figuratively, and if she has followed common practice she would have given birth at a private clinic instead. 

This story also highlights the dramatically high C-section rates in Italy in general, and Sicily specifically.  According to reports, approximately 38% of all births in Italy are done by C-section, more than twice the 15% recommended by the World Health Organization. In Sicily rates reach 52%.  In other parts of Italy, Campania–the southern mainland region that includes Naples– for instance, C-section rates have reached 60%.

I have said in several posts, this is a major issue.  C-section are way over-prescribed, and experts believe the trend will continue.  Although many reasons for recommending C-section exist, most thinkers agree it is too high.

So keep your wits about you, America.  Don’t ignore the inevitable problems associated with universal health care.  It ain’t the panacea it’s being sold as.  If you can’t see the flip side from our friends in Europe, then you’ve let your blinders fall too far.  My condolences to the Molonia/Salpietra family–I hope it turns out okay.

Wake Up and Smell the Mirror

By On · Add Comment · In Asia, doctors, drugs, health care reform, medical care, overprescribing, polypharmacy, symptom care

There’s a phenomenon happening in Asian medical care that mirrors our own practices, yet we seem too blind to see it. According to recent reports, doctors in Asian countries from Hong Kong to Indonesia are overprescribing drugs to patients that often don’t need them. And this overmedicating is driven by profits, experts say. You don’t say. Could that be the dirty little reflection staring “too expensive” American medical care back in the face?

“Polypharmacy (overmedication) is very popular [in Asia], it means they use a lot of medicines which are unnecessary, like giving you many types of antibiotics for a cold,” said William Chui, honorary associate professor at the Clinical Trials Center attached to the University of Hong Kong.

Well Dr. Chui, let me wake you up to a harsh reality: It’s not just profits that drive this practice–it’s a faulty paradigm. Health care based on primarily treating illness, while merely paying lip service to healthy behaviors, and shutting out these same practices from insurance reimbursements, maintains this polypharmacy madness. Think about it: Health insurers, which includes the federal government’s Medicare and Medicaid plans, only pay for symptomatic care. This perpetuates the myth that health comes from fighting illnesses.

No doubt, disease care is important; however, it is merely one aspect of human health. Denying all the rest–physical fitness, proper nutrition, regular bodywork, mental health services outside of psychiatry, and so forth–simply says, “It’s not necessary.” Do you think people get confused by this message?

The politicos talk a big game when it comes to health care reform. Wake up and smell the BS, America! Focusing on more of the same “health care”, just subsidized, is insane. Look at Asia if you can’t look at yourself. Put the finger back in its holster, American health care, or point the other four back at yourself; you wrote the book on medical over-consumption. But it’s a heck of a lot easier imagining you see Asia through a window, than recognizing it’s just a reflection in the mirror, now isn’t it?

Quality, NOT Quantity

By On · Add Comment · In Dartmouth Atlas Project, doctors, health care, health care quality, physicians
Listen up health care reformists: When it comes to mainstream health care–more is less. So says a recent study conducted by the Dartmouth Atlas Project which analyzed data from the government, the American Medical Associations, and the American Hospitals Association. The Project’s findings simply prove my position that America’s health is not dependent on “more health care.”

I recently had a conversation with an ideologue who claimed that what society needs is more health care to serve the people who lack accessibility. I argued, as I do in my book, The Six Keys To Optimal Health, that what we need is less quantity and more quality when it comes to medical care. You’ve heard me say it again and again in this blog that people do have accessibility to health care in this country. Laws exist which prohibit turning patients away, many hospitals have charity plans, and free clinics are readily available (there is a very busy one just two blocks away from my office near Cedars Sinai hospital in Los Angeles). I also argued that no profession will make itself obsolete–a plumber will find leaks, a business consultant will find flaws, a doctor will find…well, doctor stuff. So obviously, more doctors, more sick people.

Here’s what the study showed: Doctors tend to settle in prosperous cities near medical schools where they studied–think San Francisco, Chicago, New York. San Francisco has 117 primary care doctors per 100,000 residents while less affluent El Paso, Texas has 47.2. At the same time, the availability of hospital beds goes down in more affluent communities. Why? Just like I said, more doctors, more medical care, period. That is not the same as need, understand that; in fact, according to Dr. David Goodman, director at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice in New Hampshire,

“While high hospital and physician capacity drives costs upwards, there are many regions that do well with many fewer beds and physicians per capita. Health systems in these lower capacity regions show that efficiency is a partner, not a competitor, of quality.”

So I reiterate, more health care isn’t what this country needs. What would be more appropriate is efficient, high-quality health care, where doctors aren’t hospitalizing people simply because that’s what they do, but instead where they treat illnesses with scrutiny, efficiency, and great care. Perhaps they might start by minimizing antibiotic prescriptions for viral infections, hm? Now that would be efficient.

Ban Online Medical Reviews?

By On · Add Comment · In consumers, doctors, medical, online reviews, unsatisfied, waiver
Should you have the opportunity to rate and review doctors online? This is a current topic of controversy, as some doctors’ groups are seeking gag orders to prevent patients’ reviews.

What do you think? Do value reviews posted from previous or current clients? Or should they be for non-medical businesses only? According to Dr. Jeffrey Segal, a North Carolina neurosurgeon who has made a business of helping doctors monitor and prevent online criticism, “Consumers and patients are hungry for good information” about doctors, but Internet reviews provide just the opposite. Dr. Segal believes that online reviews are not constructive in helping medical practices improve, and that sniping comments can unfairly ruin a doctor’s practice.

Several online rating sites exist. RateMDs.com and Angie’s List are just two sites that provide reviews of MDs. Satisfied customers can post on their doctors, just as I did for the OB who delivered our eldest daughter Delilah (mine is dated 3/7/09). But disgruntled patients can also post, and likely more of these post than happy customers. Just call it the law of “bad press.” Happy customers might be satisfied (or more) with their care, but they usually just go about their lives not sharing it with anyone. Disgruntled, unsatisfied customers, however, want to tell everyone how they feel. That’s just they way it goes.

Dr. Segal is of the opinion that online reviews should, but rarely do, say anything about a doctor’s medical skills, expertise or knowledge–the factors that matter the most. He believes that bedside manner, punctuality and other non-technical factors shouldn’t make or break a practice; but that’s what people review, and that can dangerous to doctors. Hmmmm.

So here’s what they want to do: His company, Medical Justice, based in Greensboro, N.C. provides doctors (for a fee) with a standardized waiver agreement. Patients who sign the waiver agree not to post online comments about the doctor, “his expertise and/or treatment.” Segal’s company advises doctors to have all patients sign the agreements. If a new patient refuses, the doctor might suggest finding another doctor.

Nice, huh? Sign the waiver saying you won’t review me, otherwise, go somewhere else. Patient care in exchange for a guarantee that you won’t tell the world what you think. Unbelievable. As if doctoring should be above what all other businesses are subject to. Perhaps this is one of the major problems with the health care system in general right now–it’s held above the natural laws of consumerism. You can’t shop around for knee surgery based on price (go ahead, try), only on a doctor’s reputation. And now they want to take that right away from you. You can tell your neighbor what you think about the doc by word of mouth, but not online. Gimme a break.

You know, if you’re a doctor and you can’t stand by what people think about your service, then perhaps you need to take a long, hard look at the way you’re doing things. Everybody other than cops, DMV employees, postal workers and bus drivers have to give a hoot about how they treat people. Only when doctors become government employees will they stop having to care about bedside manner. Oops, I guess that should be any day now. Well, until then, exercise your right to review online. Power to the people!

Barack Obama Supports Chiropractic

By On · Add Comment · In Barack Obama, chiropractic, chiropractors, doctors, health care, insurance, Medicare, preventive care, quacks, Uniformed Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, wellness
Earlier in the year I wrote a post titled, Are Chiropractors Real Doctors? It has been, by far, my most popular post. The responses were overwhelmingly negative. Aside from the “quack” comments, much was written that I couldn’t keep up–it was nasty, vulgar, insulting, and worst of all, posted entirely by Mr. and Ms. “Anonymous”. That led me to write this post. I, frankly, would have been happy to leave up the nasty comments, and would have loved to respond to them had any author claimed them with a name; but I wasn’t going to get into a debate with a hidden identity–not interested in that.

So what was all the hullabaloo about? The main gist was that chiropractors are NOT real doctors! “Quacks, that’s all,” according to one poster. Well, I think I made my points rather concisely in the blog post, and especially in the concurrent podcast [The Dr. Nick Show (Episode 5)]. But to put a little more weight behind my argument, why not listen to what President-elect Barack Obama has to say on the subject.

In his position statement to the chiropractic profession, he stated:

  • As you know, chiropractic care is low-cost, drug-free, noninvasive, and has been shown to have a positive impact on patients’ health.
  • I believe steps should be taken to acknowledge the important care chiropractors provide, and knock down unreasonable barriers of access and discriminatory insurance coverage that stand between so many patients and the care they need.
  • I have a plan to support doctors of chiropractic. I support expanding the range of chiropractic services covered by Medicare.
  • I support commissioning doctors of chiropractic as officers in the Uniformed Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service…to deliver the nation’s public health promotion and disease prevention programs and advancing public health science.
  • My health care plan also prioritizes preventive care, and chiropractors play a significant role in this effort. As we shift our health care delivery system towards a culture of wellness and disease prevention, I believe that chiropractors must play an integral role in expanding access to preventive care and strengthening our public health system.

Booyah! There you have it…from the President-elect. To honor this great health-promoting statement by what’s promising to be a great leader, I will leave all comments up on this one, so fire away, Anonymous.

Technicians vs. Healers

By On · Add Comment · In cancer, doctors, empathy, healers, healing, sympathy, technicians

What makes a better doctor, one who knows about your illness with unequaled expertise, and who can ramble off all signs and symptoms as well as treatment options like he wrote the book on them, or one who listens to you intently, sympathizes with your condition, and brings hope and encouragement? Hard to say, really. It would be nice to have both, but as you probably know, that’s not always the case.

But we really are finding out how important sensitivity and warmth are to the healing process. It’s not just about physiology, symptoms and disease, but about the mental, emotional, and spiritual too. Are all doctors aware of this? Not yet.

According to a recent study, when patients commented to their doctors about their struggles with cancer–the diagnosis or treatment–or the health care system in general, doctors responded with empathy only 10% of the time. 389 doctors visits were recorded (both doctor and patient were aware of the taping) where these concerns or emotions were expressed, and doctors responded with empathy in just 39 of these instances.

You know, there are healers and then there are technicians. Technicians know all the book stuff–how to differentiate between diagnoses and what drug or treatment goes with what. But healers bring calm, warmth and empathy to their practices. They have a way of stirring-up the unseen energetic forces of healing in others. Healers come in all disciplines–medical doctors, chiropractors, acupuncturist, physical therapists–as do technicians. You know the difference. If you are looking for a healer but find yourself in the office of a technician, then say thank you and move on. You’ll find what your looking for if you don’t give up.

Copyright © 2013 Dr. Nick Campos - All Rights Reserved.