[KayakerNC]

The biggest problem with medical practice, IMHO, is certain "Snake-Oil" doctors looking to become millionaire celebrities.

Dr. Manny: Celebrity turns a good doctor into a snake oil pitchman | Fox News

[sunnyatlast]

Originally Posted by KayakerNC

The biggest problem with medical practice, IMHO, is certain "Snake-Oil" doctors looking to become millionaire celebrities.

Dr. Manny: Celebrity turns a good doctor into a snake oil pitchman | Fox News

A dr. or other Joe Schmoe can't become a "millionaire celebrity" without millions of gullible, lazy listeners and viewers who'll spend their money once indoctrinated.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by KayakerNC

The biggest problem with medical practice, IMHO, is certain "Snake-Oil" doctors looking to become millionaire celebrities.

Dr. Manny: Celebrity turns a good doctor into a snake oil pitchman | Fox News

And a lot of doctors just want to make millions by writing book about nutrition which they often know nothing about.

[sunnyatlast]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

And a lot of doctors just want to make millions by writing book about nutrition which they often know nothing about.

Dr. won't make millions unless millions of people buy it.

[Nursebarb1]

I am a retired RN and my son-in-law is a practicing anesthesiologist at a teaching hospital, so I like to think I have some insight into the problem. Physicians that are emplyed by a corporation are required to see a certain amount of patients in a specified period of time according to their contract. That does not allow time to chit chat about the grandkids. We are all advised to watch our diet, exercise, not smoke and cut the alcohol, get our required immunizations, mammograms, bone density, colonoscopies and prostate screenings. Beyond that, we are on our own until an abnormality appears in our routine lab work or a problem arises, at which point he/she will order additional testing. I don't expect much more from a physician. Marcus Welby when by the way of the HMO.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by sunnyatlast

A dr. or other Joe Schmoe can't become a "millionaire celebrity" without millions of gullible, lazy listeners and viewers who'll spend their money once indoctrinated.

Enter Dr. Oz. When he "recommends" a product on his television show, the health-food stores immediately sell out of that product.

[jebartle]

PRACTICE...If this doesn't work, try something else...giggle

[OBXNana]

We have a very dear friend that will be retiring from medicine in September. This is an Internist that treats primarily those 40 and above. He has learned technology to keep up with the paperless world. He is old enough to retire, but is still mentally and physically sharp. Plus, his patients love him. The reason he is retiring is the corporate world. In the late 1970's he was still making house calls. His schedule for seeing patients varied on how much time the patient needed. In our area, physicians joined together to form practices and this worked well for multiple reasons. Then physician groups had to join hospitals to remain competitive with malpractice insurance costs, accepting of patient insurance, and simple logistics for the fast moving world.

So why is he feeling the need to retire? The system requires him to see a certain number of patients within the normal day. If Fred needs to talk about his recently departed wife and his anxiety, it needs to happen in the amount of time allotted. Medicine goes beyond the blood test and rests on the physician listening to the patient. He can no longer practice medicine in a time slot of 5 minutes to remain within the standards set by the hospital and in his mind, has fought the battle, and feels he has lost.

A good man will no longer get to practice medicine and many patients are losing an amazing physician. I'm certain this is not an isolated case. As a patient we have to fit into the time slot the corporate world has said must be met in order to make a profit.

[aussiemom]

It is hard to find a doctor that doesn't just keep prescribing pills for this, procedures for that. Many patients are to blame because that is what they insist they want from their doctors. That is an individual's choice and not saying it is right or wrong. For them, that is the right choice. However, if this isn't what you want for your healthcare, then you need to find a doctor who practices modern medicine, but integrates alternative treatments. Who looks at your body as a whole, and not just looking at a symptom and covering it up with meds. More and more doctors are starting to realize this but finding one who actually does this isn't easy, however, it will become more common in the future. But for now you won't find one here in TV, believe me, I have looked. After a lot of looking, I just recently (FINALLY) found a great Internist in Ocala, with a 5 star rating, who does practice integrative medicine. He is not a Dr Oz or Joe Schmoe trying to indoctrinate his patients. All I can say is what a breath of fresh air from my past doctors. Wish there were more around like him.

[Vinny]

When they get it right and stop practicing, I will put more faith into doctors. I change doctors every two years because I do not treat them as gods. I refuse test for things that I have no symptoms of. They always seem to want to test you for the in test of the year. I have a family history of heart attacks and yet no one suggested any tests for my heart. Instead they want the colonoscopy and other test that they make a fortune from, even though no one in my family has had cancer and they all have lived into their late 90's, without going to the doctor regularly. I have not been sick in 15 years, not even a cold and yet they keep pushing their test and when I refuse, they engage me in debate and basically try to bully me into doing what they say.

The doctors in TV are so used to compliant patients who will do whatever they say that they expect all their patients to be like that. The other issue I have is that I am not on Medicare and yet they try to push tests that they know Medicare pays for but I have a big deductible on my private policy that must be satisfied before my insurance kicks in. It is amazing how they push something and once you tell them that it is not covered by insurance, it is not important anymore.

I do not like to be bullied by doctors. They are not gods and their egos often prevent them from sending you to someone more qualified. I have high blood pressure that previous doctors told me is drug resistant. When I told my doctor that, he dismissed it as he did my suggestion that I see a specialist. He pooh poohed that idea stating that he knows more. Then he proceeded to prescribe the same exact drugs that I had been put on before with no success and lots of side effects with the same negative results. I left him and will try doctor number 5 in the last 4 years here.

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by courtyard

It was the same with my thyroid: I stopped using iodized salt because I thought Real Salt would be healthier. Real Salt is a non-processed salt that is available in health food stores and has no added iodine. Little did I realize that I might be subject to an iodine deficiency and proper thyroid function requires a supply of iodine. When I got tested for the first time for thyroid function, my TSH was above 8 which indicates that I was hypothyroid. He said there would be one more test in 3 months to make sure it wasn't a lab error. If the next test had the same result he would start prescribing medication that I would have to take for the rest of my life.

When I asked my doctor if there was anything I could do to get my thyroid function back to normal, he said, "No, it's just something that happens as we get older."
But when I got some library books on the subject of thyroid, I soon learned there were some things I could do. So I made some changes in my diet and on my next blood test my TSH was cut in half, a little over four.

I'VE BEEN USING "REAL SALT" FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, ALSO. WHAT THINGS DID YOU DO TO CUT YOUR TSH IN HALF.

1) Probably the most important thing I did was to start using some iodized salt again.

2) From my reading I learned that certain vegetables, especially when eaten raw, will block the absorption of iodine. There's a long list of items that I don't have handy at this time. But the list includes vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. These vegetables should be cooked.

If you want to do a search, these vegetables are called goitrogens

3) I started eating 3 jumbo size eggs (Egglands Best) per week because I figured they were a good source of iodine. I have since discontinued eating the eggs in favor of taking half a kelp tablet every other day.

4) I'm taking half of a kelp tablet every other day but I'm not sure how much I really need. The next time I get a blood test for thyroid function I might be better able to tell. I figure with half a tablet every other day, I'm playing it safe because too much iodine can be as bad a not getting enough.

Of course everyone is different so what works for me may not work for you. Proceed with caution. Good luck.

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by tippyclubb

I would also like to know what changes you made for your tsh. According to my doctor over 4 is high and keeps my level between 1-3. 1 being ideal, which is where I am now. How did you feel when your tsh was 8?

Good question. This is really strange; when my TSH was over 8 I felt perfectly fine. In one of my thyroid books I read a long list of symptoms pertaining to hyperthyroid. I had none of the symptoms. For example, not only was I not overweight, I was at my ideal weight with a BMI of 18. I wasn't cold all the time and I didn't lack energy etc.

Yes, over 4 is considered high but I found some information online that recommends we should go by how we feel. I don't have that information handy at this time.

From memory it goes something like this: If you restrict calories by not eating high-calorie processed foods, your metabolism will slow down considerably. And when your metabolism slows down your thyroid function does the same. It may have some implications for longevity: When they tested a large group of centenarians, they all had slow thyroids.

Admittedly, it's a bit complicated so I'm not completely settled on what my TSH should be. Should I try for a lower TSH? The accepted TSH number is based on averages taken from a large population of people. Should I try to be like everyone else? Is there a downside to not getting it lower?

In the mean time I feel well so I'm not going to worry about it.

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by NYGUY

Waiting for and treating symptoms is the way medicine is taught and practiced in the U.S. It is my understanding that in Europe, medicine is pro-actively practiced (i.e. doing certain tests at certain times of an individuals life cycle). The European approach makes more sense to me.

Here's something you might find interesting. A lot of high school foreign exchange students came to the Villages from Germany, Italy and one other country, I think it was France. They all showed up at Lake Sumter Town Square for a rally. There was music and they were trying their luck at line dancing. (I don't go to the square very often but that night I happened to be there to buy a new wrist watch.)

Anyway, to get to the point, out of a large group of about 100 kids, none of them were overweight. They were all lean and I would estimate their average BMI to be about 18. That's fantastic, how do they do it? Is it due to the European pro-active approach?

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

And a lot of doctors just want to make millions by writing book about nutrition which they often know nothing about.

Especially books that may be funded by industry. Any industry can hire a doctor to write a book or give a doctor grant money under the table.

[pbkmaine]

My husband worked for European companies for more than 40 years. What he and I have observed: Europeans move more than Americans. They ride bikes and they walk everywhere. Their cities grew up before the age of the auto, so are more accessible than ours. Europeans also linger over meals, eating a wide range of foods over a long period of time. I think both customs help.