First of all, How many of us think:
Our Doctors are holding back information?
Not sharing their true opinions?
Not giving us access to our own data?
Not informing us of alternative treatments?
Not informing us of dangers in the accepted treatments?
Not treating their own friends and families the same as their paying customers?
I think yes, to all of the above. I went through about 6 or 7 doctors before I found my current one that I trust. He is willing to look at my
research and he is willing to let me be the final decision maker on my treatments and on my children's treatments!
So, Why was it so hard to find an "honest" doctor?
Because they are paranoid of liability. If they follow accepted protocol at all times, they are shielded from litigation, but if they go out on a
limb just a little bit, then they are entirely on their own when something goes wrong! The decisions they make are "business decisions" and not
treatments. I don't blame them. People love to sue. Sometimes things go wrong and grieving families look for a scapegoat. It is a flawed
system.
So, why start this thread?
I think I have a solution, and I want the input from our qualified ATSers! (Especially our Health Professionals and Attorneys.)
There is probably profit potential in the idea, and if somebody wants to run with it from that angle, just remember to cut me in somehow.
We need a "Hold Harmless" Agreement to take to our Doctors.
A sort of contract between an informed patient and an honest doctor. The patient would agree to hold the doctor harmless from litigation in the case
of a treatment gone bad, and in return the doctor would agree to provide all manners of information, test results, treatment options, and opinions
openly and honestly without fear of retribution.
The "informed patient" would be free to provide research and experiments from around the globe and holistic medicines and rumors and conspiracies to
the Doctor, and the doctor would agree to read through, evaluate and comment on their risks vs. benefits.
The "doctor" would be free to provide opinions about the silliness, ineffectiveness, or dangers in alternative treatments, and the doctor would also
be free to provide opinions based in logic and experience and fact as to why certain unapproved treatments actually make sense. Doctors may suggest
diets and herbs and massage and acupuncture over pain medications and anti-depressants. Doctors are far more educated and versed in the pros and cons
of these treatments, and many of them partake in alternative therapies for their own families, but not for their paying customers.
I believe that if a Doctor were approached with this idea, that they would be skeptical, but given time to review the form, maybe have an attorney
look it over, they would come around, and Average Doctors could be come Excellent Doctors!
(A little history of my experience and how my opinion came about.)
I had a son born over 3 months prematurely. He was 2lbs, 0 ounces. He languished in what was supposed to be a very good hospital for 3 months
without gaining weight and without adequate lung development. The Doctors would take him on and off of Oxygen because they were afraid of damaging
his eyes. While he was off the Oxygen his saturation would drop below 80% and I was concerned with brain damage. I had to literally accost nurses
and doctors and become a nuisance and sometimes even a danger to their operations to get them to talk to me. I had the police called on me more than
once. Eventually I found a Doctor, and a Surgeon, and I arranged a transfer of the Baby to Shands Hospital in Gainesville, but it still required a
Doctor to sign and fax a release. After waiting another 48 hours with no release, I had to barge into an office, force open a door, slam down a
telephone with a nurse dialing the police, physically move a doctor into an office with a fax machine, stand by with threats of violence while they
signed and faxed the release, and then explain my actions to the police department. My baby was life-flighted the next morning, surgery the next
afternoon, full recovery within 2 days, and was at home for the first time within a week! All due to my wife and I's actions and negotiable doctors.
Shands is a research hospital, the surgeon flew in for several surgeries that day, and then flew back to the West Coast. Unfortunately, they lost
one of the babies that he operated on that day, but there was no fear of litigation because of the different requirements for a research hospital, and
all the different paperwok that was signed. My baby immediately became a baby. First smile, first cuddling, first time at home with his momma!
Then 5 months later!
My baby developed "Infantile Spasms" (Google it, there are no good prognoses)
It was likely due to a combination of low oxygen, delayed brain development, combined with several strong antacids given in the original hospital
against protocol, and was then aggravated and the direct result of 4 shots given simultaneously by the Pediatrician's office into a 5 lb baby! Too
many vaccines, in too small of a baby, plus they were from "multi-dose" vials which DO CONTAIN mercury derivatives as preservatives. Everyone says
the "vaccines" don't contain this stuff, and that is correct, but the bottles that contain the multiple doses of the vaccines do contain the
preservatives! (Demand "single-dose" vials if you get your kids vaccinated.)*******Same old local hospital didn't diagnose correctly for 3 weeks.
Luckily a young ER doc did get it right after watching a video my wife had taken. Local Neurologist started 2 medicines and scheduled us to see him
again in 6 months. (Seems not so bad, but wait til you see what a "real" doctor prescribed!)
Now, with my previous experience I was more prepared this time. Thank You Internet. Within days we had the top Neurologist in the country (Dr.
Carney) willing to see the Baby for a second opinion. Made the trip back to Shands. Dr. Carney ordered the dosages of medicines dropped to a bare
minimum. He ordered weekly follow ups with EEG's every Monday, and a follow up with him every week! He ordered Physical Therapy, and Occupational
Therapy twice per week to stimulate the baby's development between his brain and his peripheral nervous system. He ordered NO MORE VACCINES without
his approval. He ordered specific baby formula that was free of certain chemicals. He personally visited with us every single visit, and he called
us himself (not a nurse) with the results of every single EEG! Once we could not get an appointment to get the EEG and bloodwork done the same day as
his visit, and he got on my wife's cell phone, told the lab that this baby had infantile spasms, it was a priority, and it was going to get done
today, AND IT DID!
I am happy to say that my now 2 and 1/2 year old is running, talking, and has no learning disabilities, and has been 1 1/2 years with clean EEG's and
no seizures. Basically a 100% full recovery! (Sadly, a couple of parents we know from contacts at the differen offices did not seek out Dr. Carney,
and they are having many, many complications, and even one death.)
Long story short:
Informed care, due diligence, and the correct doctors that are willing to attack an ailment from all directions with all of their arsenal are the key
to making full recoveries! I won't hypothesize at all the conspiracies that surround the motivations for not treating people as well as they could,
but I will sugget that maybe this "Hold Harmless" agreement, along with better-informed patients, and Doctors that truly want to do a good job, may
be the secret to Good Healthcare!
[edit on 1-7-2010 by getreadyalready]
[edit on 1-7-2010 by getreadyalready]
[edit on 1-7-2010 by getreadyalready]