Tag: medicine

When cancer isn’t; rethinking the diagnosis of cancer to avoid unnecessary treatment and psychological trauma.

When cancer isn’t; rethinking the diagnosis of cancer to avoid unnecessary treatment and psychological trauma. For a while, there has been talk within the medical profession regarding many of the normal variants that have been called cancer.   For most people, a diagnosis of cancer conjures up images of a life-threatening battle to stay alive, surgeries, and treatments that make you ill, cost a fortune, and can disfigure you. In the past, the suspicion of cancer required constant monitoring, tests, and treatments for the disease were not usually curative.   The constant fear of the unknown is ever-present after a cancer diagnosis Read More »

Too many specialists for your painful joints often fail to solve anything. Here’s what to do instead.

Too many specialists for your painful joints often fail to solve anything. Here’s what to do instead. A patient recently visited with neck pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, knee pain, and wrist pain.   She has recently been seen by a rheumatologist for inflammation, an orthopedic for her back and hip pain, and a therapist for her shoulders, neck, and arms.   Months later, with thousands of dollars in MRIs, blood tests, and therapy she visited us hoping we had a better answer for why she was in pain, unwilling to stay on the medication that did little to relieve her pain.  Read More »

Ridiculous hospital bills and mergers; when will this insanity end?

Ridiculous hospital bills and mergers; when will this insanity end? As a healthcare provider who works hard to do the right thing, insurers have been predatory on hospitals and healthcare providers for years.  The result has been hitting consumers in the pocketbook. Smaller practices that care and offer patient-centered care continue to be starved of revenue. At the same time, they evaluate the possibility of working for corporate medical practices where nobody knows who you are. Welcome to conveyor belt medicine where the hospital model is 15 minutes of primary care as you enter a system of visiting doctor after Read More »

Why corporate healthcare is stealing the soul of medicine and the ethics of healing.

Why corporate healthcare is stealing the soul of medicine and the ethics of healing. Anyone who has visited a doctor lately has noticed the entire framework has changed.  While there are still a few independent groups of doctors who wish to care for people and help them with their problems, many of us have found that our favorite doctor now works for a large conglomerate hospital system or other entity. You no longer know the staff; your doctor is now practicing one size fits all medicine. Beginning at the primary care level, the new game is to make a diagnosis Read More »

According to USA Today, food as medicine; scientists are researching the idea.

According to USA Today, food as medicine; scientists are researching the idea. I have previously discussed this idea in this blog and has also been reported by the NY Times and other reliable sources.   We are what we eat.   If we eat poorly and have meals that are high in calories but low in actual nutrition, we are more likely to have health problems the medical system attempts to manage but cannot solve. It is no accident that people are getting fatter, living longer but not necessarily with a great quality of life.  Genetics plays a part in this equation Read More »