blog

FRUSTRATION/SADNESS

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:40:45 +0100

My wonderful 86 year old father- in- law, a war hero in a B17 bomber, is fading away before my eyes. Lawyer, wonderful dad, good soul he had a stroke that left him dizzy for a while but left all of his faculties- cognition. Nonetheless, like most of us, he fears death and he has PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) from his war days and now his stroke. The result is that he is depressed, keeps his head down, does not really sleep, is not eating (starving with weight loss each day), complains of pain that migrates and is phantom, cries spontaneously, can barely walk because his muscles are in atrophy from disuse, feet are swelling because he is either recumbent or seated (sort of) and as each day passes he is emotionally more detached- ready for death. As a son in law that loves him dearly I can accept his passing, BUT, I am REALLY having a hard time dealing with how we as a medical profession deal with him. Hospice is great but getting him ready to die. His primary care doctor is arrogant and wants us to be sure that we all understand that he is dying. Psychiatrists have offered little and the medications that he is getting are near useless for his behavioral issues which are what is killing him. Physiologcally he has time left, but his MIND is destroying him and we are dong a LOUSY job of either trying to help him have more time OR helping him so that the time that he does have is worthwhile.By the way, I have tried acupuncture, IV Vitamin C and just about anything that I can think of in conventional care (not my area of expertise) and alternative medicine to no avail. With all the money spent on drug reserach for useless pharmaceuticals that are copies of already existing drugs- duplicate research required by the FDA, wouldn't it be nice if the pharma companies actually developed NEW drugs that could help those who are suffereing with issues the rip apart the quality of their lives and the lives of their families? We all meet end of life issues. I guess its not a big enough market for the pharmaceutical industry!

ACNE SECRETS

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:53:36 +0100

Do NOT use powder makeup that contains TALC. Talc is REALLY bad for your lungs- even if you inhale small amounts and it clogs pores. This adds to any acne problem that you might have. Oh and by the way, while milk produicts SUPPOSEDLY add to acne, low fat or no fat milk products increase acne breakouts. In my home we have NO 2% or low fat milk and, yes, when my kids sleptver in a "no fat" house, their acne did get worse.

Update Cosmetics

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:40:51 +0100

Cosmetics oxidize after you have opened the jar or removed the seal on the dispensng container. They pick up germs and in the end- lose their effectiveness and COULD be the harbinger of infections. I advise all my patients who use my special VITAMIN C CREAM that they use the contents DAILY (so they get their money's worth) and discard the jar after six months because it's efficay will probably start to decrease at that point. Another example would be MASCARA which comes in contact with your eye, skin and lashes frequently. It's a geat place for germs to grow- sort of a culture.LIPSTICK, TONER,even SKIN COLORANTS like ROUGE or powder and liquid EYE SHADOWS are great place for bacteria to grow.
I know that they are expensive, but,applicators like make up brushes deserve to be changed. As frequently as you can afford to. Oh yes, NEVER, loan beauty poducts or their applicators to your friend in a powder room or anyplace else for that matter. You are sharing germs! How do you know what is on your companion's face?

I know that many folks in the entertainment business read this blog locally and I want to warn of the dangers of using shared brushes and make up for stage and TV. Do like I do, I consulted with a cosmetologist regarding what I need for my TV show and I bought what she suggested and I keep it in its own place before filming.

Why I Have Frozen My Practice To NEW Medicare Patients and MAY drop the rest in the near future

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:49:11 +0100

What this means is a DRAMATIC drop in Medicare if rates are fixed for 5 years and inflation in medical costs continue.Add to this horror the notion that the feds COULD cut rates 21%! Keep in mind that the feds SAY they want more preventive care and an emphasis on primary care which saves lives and cuts costs but any of these "fixes"would essentially KILL primary care by cutting the docs that make the LEAST amount of $ from Medicare. The domino effect is already happening throughout AZ. Many primary care docs have dropped Medicare in Phoenix and even more have done so in Northern Arizona.Your health care benefits where it counts the most are and will be DRAMATICALLY cut. Forget the notion that a LEFT or a RIGHT congress and President will fix this. This will come down to a battle of those who have (extremely rich and governemnt employees, the Congress, etc.) and those who will not have (the middle class- even the so called upper middle class and working class and the poor). Don't kid yourself thinking that YOU will escape.

From Medscape Medical News

Senate Sets Stage for SGR Fix to Freeze Medicare Pay for 5 Years, Followed by Massive Cut

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February 1, 2010 — Physicians who were hoping for a permanent solution to the notorious sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula for setting Medicare rates may have to settle for another temporary fix that would freeze their pay for 5 years at 2009 levels and then cut it by 25% to 30% in 2015.

This possible scenario emerged from legislation that the Senate passed last week to raise the federal debt ceiling from $12.4 trillion to $14.3 trillion, as well as requiring Congress to make spending and tax cut proposals budget-neutral. The latter provision, called the pay-as-you-go — or pay-go — rule, would force lawmakers to finance new outlays by cutting the budget elsewhere or raising taxes. Likewise, any move that decreases federal revenue would have to be offset with spending cuts or tax hikes.

The legislation came as organized medicine and lawmakers scrambled to avert a 21.2% reduction in Medicare reimbursement that is scheduled to take effect March 1. Physicians warn that such a draconian decrease, which is triggered by the SGR formula, would force them to stop seeing Medicare patients.

The Senate bill calls for exempting a 5-year Medicare rate freeze — which would replace the scheduled rate cut — from the pay-go rule, meaning that lawmakers could finance the freeze through deficit spending. The cost of freezing Medicare rates for 5 years instead of cutting them comes to $82 billion, according to the American Medical Association (AMA).

The debt ceiling legislation that the Senate passed last week only makes this SGR fix possible — a second bill is needed to actually avert the March pay cut and freeze rates for 5 years. Plus, the House would have to concur, noted Neil Kirschner, PhD, a senior associate in regulatory and insurer affairs for the American College of Physicians. "The House is expected to go along with it."

The Senate plan differs greatly from a bill that the House passed last fall that would scrap the SGR formula entirely and institute a new one with the promise of Medicare pay hikes. That bill would add $210 billion to the deficit, according to the Congressional Budget Office. However, the Senate has already indicated that it is not willing to go into the hole that much. Last fall, a Senate version of the House SGR bill that would have cost $247 billion was defeated in a procedural vote.

"Short-Term Fix Is Not Acceptable"

The move toward a more frugal solution to the SGR crisis, although understandable in the current debate about deficit spending, has alarmed leaders of organized medicine. "Such a short-term fix is not acceptable," William Jessee, MD, president and chief executive officer of the Medical Group Management Association, told Medscape Medical News. "Failure to address this issue at this time will surely lead to far more serious patient access problems."

Lori Heim, MD, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said that a 5-year freeze was better than a 21.2% pay cut, but that Congress shouldn't stop there. "I appreciate that we have to control deficit spending, but the Senate bill is short-sighted," Dr. Heim told Medscape Medical News. Failing to permanently fix the SGR problem now, she said, will only make it more expensive to do so in the future.

Created by Congress to control Medicare costs, the SGR formula sets an annual target for expenditures on physician services based on growth of the gross domestic product. If expenditures overshoot the target, Medicare cuts physician pay the following year to recoup the difference. Organized medicine considers the formula flawed because the cost of operating a medical practice typically grows faster than gross domestic product.

The SGR formula has triggered rate decreases going back to 2003, but each time Congress has postponed them with a 1-year "patch." However, the difference between targeted and actual spending on physician services accumulates from year to year, making the next year's pay cut even bigger.

That same math would play out with the proposed 5-year freeze of Medicare rates beginning this year. In 2015, the SGR formula would trigger a rate decrease of roughly 25%, according to Dr. Kirschner. The AMA puts the pay cut at roughly 30%.

By scrapping the SGR formula, Congress would not only avert the deep pay cut but also retire years of SGR "debt." However, the longer Congress waits to do so, the more debt there is to retire. Earlier this month, internist Nancy Nielsen, MD, the AMA's immediate past president, stated that if Congress had eliminated the SGR in 2005, it would have cost only $49 billion, as opposed to more than $200 billion in 2010.

Your Hospital May Be Unsafe

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:24:06 +0100

Check these sites:

http://www.consumerreports.org/health/doctors-hospitals/hospitals/hospital-ratings/scottsdale-healthcare-shea-6860395-general-information.htm

http://www.leapfroggroup.org/cp

http://www.healthgrades.com/

Teas I Like and Suggest To Patients- Calming/Healthy

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 07:16:02 +0100

Sencha Green Tea

Genmalcha

Earl Grey

Sur le Nil

Vanilla rooibos

Honey phoenix oolong

Wood Dragon oolong

Cassis

High mountain oolong

Genmaicha

MY Favorite Plants

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 07:12:34 +0100

English Ivy- absorbs volatile organic compounds and air pollutants

Lemon Balm- scent improves moods

Peppermint- enhance alertness and improves memory. MIGHT suppress appetite

Gardenia- antidepressant effectively

Golden Pothos- decreases ozone

Areca Palm- filters airborne particles

From My Last Show on 12/5/09

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:39:32 +0100

ALWAYS discuss what I say with your doctor! I am NOT trying to treat or diagnose- just give you information that you may have missed or I did not have time to educate you during my show.

NO data to support weight loss with Acai

Vit D3 for back pain - talk to your doc but up to 3,000IU is safe. So many in my practice are Vut D deficient. Your doc should check your levels. It's a simple blood test!

I use High dose Vit C (IV), my Vit C cream and acupuncture for facial rejuvenation and the IV Vit C really gives people energy safely.

Butterbur or Feverfew for migraines

Natto Kinase MAY be an option instead of aspirin. No risk ( so far) of GI bleeds as with aspirin.

Coumadin may soon be replaced by Pradaxa (Dabigatran). Much easier to use. less danger of unwanted bleeds. No monthly INR checks and had been used for years in Europe.

EVERYONE- men, women, kids, pregnant women should be on fish oilEat asparagus when you drink to cut riosk of hangovers.

Dark chocolate (grter than 70% cacao) dilates blood vessels and is good for you IN MODERATION.

Try evening primrose oil for thinning hair- that's Andrew Weil's pick.

Cough for palpitations and to stop a possible heart attack. It's worth a try!

Learn the new CPR developed in AZ. Don't breathe for victim who has arrested. Instaed pump their heart quickly. DO NOT TRY THIS WITHOUT TRAINING!!!!!!!!!

Women and Urinary Tract Infections- What You Ought to KNow

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:07:11 +0100

A urinary tract infection (UTI) occurs when certain bacteria invade the urinary tract. Symptoms may include itching, burning, and painful urination.Women are most susceptible to these infections because of how they are "plumbed". Diagnosis of a UTI can be performed quickly and easily in a doctor's office or medical laboratory using a specimen of the patient's urine Here are some reasons women might get these infections:

Wiping from back to front after a bowel movement.
Having sex.
Wearing panties that do not have cotton crotches to absorb sweat and other bodily fluids
Holding urine for too long.
Being diabetic.
Having a kidney stone or other factor that makes it difficult to urinate.
Producing less estrogen, such as after menopause.
Having recently had a catheter inserted.

While treatment with antibiotics is the gold standard when you acquire an infection, you might find taking PURE cranberrry juice (not cocktail) or cranberry capsules an effective way to prevent or at least decrease the frequency of UTI's.

Side Effects of Seasonal Flu Vaccines

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:53:07 +0100

Below is a listing of seasonal (influenza A and B) flu vaccines.Did your doctor discuss these with you? Did you consider these possible adverse reactions and the actual (proven) benefits of the vaccine? Did your doctor give you a WRITTEN sheet with the PROVEN benefits of the vaccine? I truly doubt it, because very little has been PROVEN. If this is true of a vaccine that has been around a long time, how much do you think the feds REALLY know about the H1N1 vaccine?

Flu Vaccine FluMist

Influenza Virus Vaccine Live, Intranasal

by Medimmune Vaccines, Inc.

Ingredients*: Chick Kidney Cells, Egg Protein, Gentamicin Sulfate, Monosodium Glutamate, Sucrose Phosphate Glutamate Buffer.

Published data** (including side effects, adverse effects, potential adverse effects, reactions, reports, experiences, observations or occurrences after vaccination and post marketing experience from Manufacturer Prescribing Information):

Wheezing, significant respiratory symptoms, hypersensitivity, including anaphylactic reaction, hospitalizations ("Most hospitalizations observed were gastrointestinal and respiratory tract infections and occurred more than 6 weeks post-vaccination." p.2 pp.17), runny nose, nasal congestion, decreased appetite, irritability, decreased activity (lethargy), sore throat, headache, muscle aches, chills, fever, sneezing, tiredness/weakness, cough, chills, sinusitis, exacerbation of symptoms of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy (Leigh syndrome), nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, anaphylactic reaction, facial edema and urticaria, Guillain-Barré syndrome, Bell's palsy, epistaxis, rash, herpes zoster [shingles].

Other Highlights: From the Manufacturer Prescribing Information***:

"Do not administer FluMist to children <24 months of age because of increased risk of hospitalization and wheezing observed in clinical trials. (p.1 pp.6)
"FluMist should not be administered to any individuals with asthma or children <5 years of age with recurrent wheezing because of the potential for increased risk of wheezing post-vaccination." (p.1 pp.6)
FluMist has not been evaluated for its carcinogenic [cancer causing] or mutagenic [DNA altering] potential or its potential to impair fertility." (p.3 pp.16)

Flu Vaccine, FLUVIRIN®

(Flu) Influenza Virus Vaccine

by Chiron Vaccines Ltd. / Novartis

Ingredients*: Thimerosal [a preservative that is approximately 50% mercury by weight] (single dose and multidose), Beta-Propiolactone, Egg Protein, Neomycin, Polymyxin b, Polyoxyethylene 9-10 nonyl phenol (Triton N-101, Octoxynol 9).

Soreness, body aches, local pain and swelling, fever, malaise, myalgia, fever, irritability, Guillain-Barré syndrome, insomnia, seizure, erthema. [NOTE: There were no post-marketing adverse events offered on the prescribing instructions. However, there ere many safety statements that referred to a CDC/ACIP document with suggested guidelines for use – which is not the same as specific studies about this vaccine.]

Other Highlights: From the Manufacturer Prescribing Information***:

“Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with FLUVIRIN®. It is also not known whether FLUVIRIN® can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity." (p.3 pp.13).
"The safety and immunogenicity of FLUVIRIN® have not been established in children <4 years of age." (p.3 pp.14)
“Influenza virus is propagated in eggs for the preparation of influenza virus vaccine, thus, this vaccine should not be administered to anyone with a history of hypersensitivity [allergy] to chicken eggs, chicken, chicken feathers or chicken dander." (p.3 pp.8)

Flu Vaccine FLUZONE®

Influenza Virus Vaccine

by Sanofi Pasteur Inc.

Ingredients*: Thimerosal [a preservative that is approximately 50% mercury by weight], egg protein, formaldehyde or formalin, gelatin, octoxinol-9 (Triton X-100).

Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), thrombocytopenia, lymphadenopathy, anaphylaxis, urticaria, angioedema, convulsions, myelitis (including encephalomyelitis and transverse myelitis), facial palsy (Bell's palsy), optic neuritis/neuropathy, brachial neuritis, syncope, (shortly after vaccination), dizziness, paresthesia, vasculitis, vasodilatation/flushing, dyspnea, pharyngitis, rhinitis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, fever, pain, prurtis, asthenia/fatigue, pain in extremities, (related to egg allergy) chest pain, hives, angioedema, allergic asthma, systemic anaphylaxis. Neurological disorders temporally associated with influenza vaccination such as encephalopathy, optic neuritis/neuropathy, partial facial paralysis, and brachial plexus neuropathy have been reported.

Other Highlights: From the Manufacturer Prescribing Information***:

"FLUZONE® vaccine has not been evaluated for carcinogenic [cancer causing] or mutagenic [DNA altering] potential, or for impairment of fertility." (p3. pp27.)
Pediatric use: "The immune response and safety of FLUZONE vaccine was evaluated in 31 children between the ages of 6-26 months." (p.4 pp16.)