Hello, my dear readers! Today, I’d like to do the first installment of something that may or may not be a regular feature on here, depending on how much the opinions of myself anger the internet! Yes, it’s time for….

Nasty E-Mails and Comments!

Rarely do I use profanities in my debates. I’m a firm believer that debate should be utilized as a learning tool, not one to disparage someone personally. However, I received a lovely comment on my blog here from someone who apparently wasn’t content with one of my opinions. That’s completely fine, people will always have conflicting viewpoints and one of the nice things about debate is that you can go back and forth in a respectful way about your opinions. However, when people try to personally insult you as part of their argument, it shows an utter lack of backing to their opinions, and merely reveals that you struck a nerve in them, got them angry, and they can’t defend themselves rationally so they resort to insults. This comment was one such example!

Let the “Eye for an Eye” begin!

“It is interesting how you spend a lot of your time trying to degrade others who have gone into their respective professions (chiropractic, osteopathy, naturopathy etc..) with the expressed intention of helping others, usually because they themselves were helped when allopathic medicine failed to do so. “

Quibble the 1st: My intentions are not to degrade others. My intentions are to provide discourse and information on healthcare practices that are bogus, quackery, and all out devoid of good science in an effort to perhaps strike a chord in those who would otherwise ignore or be oblivious to these goings-on. The 3 professions you have listed are filled with pseudoscience and only serve as a detriment to the public’s understanding of health and biological sciences. I deride these professions not because I have a vendetta, but because I care about patients everywhere and how they are choosing to spend their money or time in the interest of their own health. When these professions decide to cast off their roots of vitalistic nonsense and start to produce real, measurable scientific results, I will be the first to welcome them with open arms into the fold of healing. Until then, no.

Quibble the 2nd: There’s no such thing as “allopathic” medicine. There’s medicine which works and has been proven by science to do so, and there’s everything else. Allopathy was a derogative term for “mainstream” physicians coined by Samuel Hahnemann, the gentleman who invented Homeopathy, a system which disregards basic fundamental sciences on such a huge level, that it is perhaps the worst offender of them all.

I would hope you went into medicine to do the same, and not just for the money. You seem like a little man.

And here we have a lovely ad-hominem attack against me! Bravo! Good to see you can defend your opinions without resorting to insults. Er…wait…

If you’d spend any time reading my website, you’d no doubt see the scads of posts I have  made bemoaning the current medical environment in the United States, and how I am disgusted by my colleagues who are motivated only by money. But then again, that wouldn’t make for a good insult now, would it?

I was drawn to your website because of your reply to an article I read about Sidney Crosby. You state how good the article is, and then in the next line show your ignorance by questioning how it is that chiropractors get “specialties”. Quite bold of you to have such strong opinions without any facts.

Hooray for more reading comprehension! This was inspired by my posting on http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/chiropractic-neurology/ concerning the topic of Chiropractic Neurology, a “specialty” claimed by many Chiropractors across the US. My words on this site were expressed not as a request for this knowledge, but at the sheer-dumbfoundedness I felt in seeing that these unscrupulous individuals claiming to be competent Neurologists after taking 300 HOURS ONLY OF THE TOPIC, WHICH CAN BE DONE ALL ONLINE. By that logic, one elective rotation should fully qualify me in a medical specialty, residency be damned.

Chiropractors do take post graduate courses to get these specialty designations, and you cannot use it in advertising or in any way unless you have earned the designation from one of the accredited colleges. It is regulated, but of course, like in medicine or any other profession, there will be crooks who try to get away with using them without the valid credentials. It takes a couple of years of course work and it does not imply a ‘medical’ specialty, it is a chiropractic specialty.

Years of coursework? Try again: http://www.chirocredit.com/pages/chiro_neurology.php 300 hours is the minimum requirement to sit for their Board exams. That to me, is laughable. An understanding of Neurology as a specialty takes years, and isn’t something one can do sitting at home in the La-Z-Boy  on the laptop or attending Hotel Room Conferences on Sundays.

‘Medicine’ is only one type of healthcare, as is dentistry, optometry etc… Chiropractors do not pretend to be medical doctors, although some lean that way in practice more than others.

Perhaps in legal terms, but from a science perspective, the realms of Dentistry and Optometry are considering in the realm of Medicine. They utilize good, solid science in their practices. Chiropractors do not.

…and many Chiropractors DO pretend to be Medical Doctors. They are trying in many states to get access as Primary Care Providers, a role which they are woefully inadequate in training to perform in. For a good analysis, see: http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/the-dc-as-pcp/

You and your small minded peers seem to think that chiropractic only involves clicking bones, but the profession is much more diverse than that. Chiropractic Neurology encompasses all non-surgical treatment of neurological conditions, in other words, whatever works, whether it be allopathic or chiropractic, and it attempts to fuse these approaches and apply them appropriately, and with evidence to support it.

Another lovely ad-hominem. Thanks! Really shows your ability to debate rationally and intelligently.

The sad thing about Chiropractic Neurology is that not a single one of its practitioners  has yet to actually demonstrate in a scientific fashion that what they do *works*. They rely mostly on patient anecdotes and stories, as well as simple case reports. The lack of research astounds me.

Funny, in the next part you bring up the “Doctor” treating Sidney Crosby as your example. Here’s a quote from him concerning scientific studies of his “treatments”

“We don’t have enough time to publish studies.” (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1190863/2/index.htm)

So what, lets just do a bunch of stuff that has no basis in the lab and hope it works? If I practiced Medicine that way, I wouldn’t get very far. Nor should I. That’s the kind of attitude that harms people.

The reality is, Sidney Crosby is back on the ice (and looking to move to the KHL since the NHL is in shambles), yet I do not hear any of you eating your words about the apparently successful treatment he received. Your apparent quiet is even more disturbing in light of the fact that the nerologists he did see could not, or would not help him.

We aren’t eating our words because this is one anecdote. We have no idea of knowing what got Mr. Crosby back and playing again. Without further studies, we can’t simply conclude that “Hey, this treatment works. Let’s keep doing this.” The Chiros that champion Mr. Crosby’s case are doing themselves such a disservice by not utilizing even the slightest in critical thinking skills. Again, if I practiced Medicine like this, I’d be in deep, deep trouble. You can’t just treat things with methods you make up, without even knowing if their underlying function has a basis in science. That’s just plain wrong.

BTW, isn’t the Antigua medical program a little bit of a joke? Isn’t that where students go that can’t get into medical school in the US? Stones and Glass houses…

Another lovely ad-hominem! Keep ‘em coming!

Since you don’t know me personally, I’ll let you in on a little secret: I never applied to a United States Medical School. I didn’t want to. I went to Antigua for the express purpose of working in an impoverished country where I could simultaneously learn Medical Science as well as provide outreach to the destitute there who cannot afford to see a doctor.  And not that it really matters, but the University I attend is fully accredited in not only the United States, by also by the World Health Organization. I have completed my classroom studies and am slated to be working in a hospital in my home state soon, which I could not have accomplished if my program was in any-way “a joke”.

It might not be Harvard Med, but at least we aren’t being taught nonsensical fairy tales about how the human body works.

And that, my dear friends, brings us to a close! If you’d like to debate or discuss, I’m always happy to! I will respect your opinions fully as long as you respect mine. But show up with idiotic drivel like the above, and I will deconstruct it for the public to see.

Hope you enjoyed

It was a sweltering sunny afternoon on August 28th, 2010 when I stepped off the plane’s deboarding stairs and onto the hot asphalt of V.C. Bird International Airport. I worriedly looked down the tarmac and around at my surroundings, spotting farm animals and battered utility trucks behind the picket fence that sequestered the airport grounds. The only thought running through my head was “What the hell did I get myself into?”

Hard to believe that was two years ago. Time has passed in an odd way, seeming slow yet fast simultaneously, like I’ve been toying with relativity. Now I sit at my desk back in my cozy home in Ohio, trying with full sincerity to reflect on my time spent living on the island of Antigua. When you think about it, two years really isn’t a lot in the grand scheme of things, but the lessons about life I’ve acquired during that period will last me an absolute lifetime.

When I first arrived in Antigua, I was the same nervous little boy I had been for the past several years. Incapable of taking care of myself, used to the status quo, and certainly not educated about the finer points of life (especially living it!). I spent those first few weeks in seclusion, trapped up in my dingy apartment and worrying about myself and my situation. Worrying about feeding myself, worried about school, worried about planning and most of all, worried about the future. I spent so much time worrying that I think I actually worried myself out. But slowly, Antigua worked at me, chipping away at me piece by piece. She’d get in eventually.

It happened slowly. My walks to the beach at sunset. Driving to and from the Epicurean to get myself groceries (and driving on the left side of the road, no less!) as well as haggling with the locals at the market for the best prices. All these little moments worked on me, transforming me into something more. I wasn’t aware of it at the time, and sometimes it seems funny to think about now.

Little by little, I got to see things on that island that I would never get to experience back home. Perhaps the most awe inspiring was the raw beauty of nature, everywhere I’d look. I’d spend my evenings gazing out over the waves, thinking about how vast the oceans are and by proxy, the world. Being there showed me how to appreciate myself, and my life. How to love life. Living in every moment, because you never know what the future brings. I set my worries aside and enveloped myself in the island. In the people, the culture, and the beauty.

I learned to be humble. Helped those less fortunate than myself. I learned how the human body works. I learned how to fix it when it breaks. I learned how to study, how to find beauty in little things, how to dissect a human being. I learned how to communicate with excellent professors, colleagues, and friends. I found Grace and I learned how to love. How to open my heart to someone else. I learned how to look to the clouds and see the whole world laying out before you. I learned how to look to the night sky and see every infinitesimal pinpoint of starry beauty, unspoiled by light pollution. Laying out the entire history of the cosmos in a symphony of light, the sound of gently swaying palm leaves in the breeze, and the smell of saltwater. I learned that sometimes things don’t go your way, but you need to keep trying if you ever want to succeed. I learned victory. I learned defeat. I laughed. I cried. I vomited. I thought. I pondered. I won. I failed. I was ME.

I met wonderful people. Kenny whom rented me my car and took care of me when it broke down. Lorena and Daniela who rented me my apartment and took care of me when I hit financial woes. I met wonderful professors, each with a story to share.

In the end, that scared little boy who stepped off the plane on August 28th, 2010 died. And he was laid to rest by a man. A man who finally came of age and learned how to take care of himself and the ones he loves. A man who finally determined how to accept responsibility and how to live a fulfilling life.

The evening before I left Antigua for the last time, I walked the beaches of Half Moon Bay with Grace. At that moment, my heart was so filled with love and happiness that I don’t think anything in this world can replicate it. The setting sun, her hand in mine, a smile on her face, the sand beneath my feet, the salt on the breeze, shells in my pockets and the gentle crash of the sea against our ankles. All of it. I’ve enshrined it in my memory forever. Nothing can replace it.

I made a promise to myself and to Grace that I’ll come back. Someday.

I promise.

This is a topic I’ve been meaning to write about for some time, and I finally just got a little free time away from school to do so. Thanks for bearing with me, readers!

SCAM-mers (SCAM = Supplements, Complementary and Alternative Medicine) are funny folks. Their grievances with the institution of Medicine are fought utilizing tired, easily debunked tirades appealing to mass hysteria to swing well-meaning patients to their cause. Instead of utilizing science and research to prove their points, they rely on slander, fear, and anecdotal evidence (It worked this way for ME!!) to justify their position. Today, I’ll look at one of the most common arguments they make.

“Doctors don’t treat the cause. They only treat the symptoms!”

How many times have you heard that from friends, family, neighbors, or just the good old quacks on the internet? It’s a common phrase, tossed around quite frequently. But is there any truth to it? Let’s try to shed some light on it.

Contrary to what most peddlers of nonsense wish for you to believe, I’ll go so far as to show my bias and proclaim that the academic training of physicians is rather rigorous. Despite the way some people may wish to paint us, we don’t sit in class and learn how to “toss drugs at a memorized list of diseases”, nor are we “glorified mechanics”. Our training begins at the molecular level, and we are taught how, why and when the human body works. We spend agonizing hours in the lab and the classroom learning how the body controls itself, as well as how it can be damaged. The very nature of medicine as a profession is to understand how human nutrition, environment, genetics and physical activity affect us as a species. And what’s more, the claim is slung around that we have “little to no understanding of these topics.”

Every physician’s first line of treatment is prevention. That’s what we are taught, and that’s the philosophy of medicine. We WANT our patients to exercise, eat healthy and live enriched lives. We encourage our patients to do these things. Preventative Medicine paves the way for lower healthcare costs, less morbidity and mortality, and an over-all healthy populace. However, we need to view this issue from both sides, not just one.

Take the average American. Studies show us he’s middle aged, overweight, probably Diabetic, sedentary, and lives on a diet of fast food. What’s worse, he may even smoke or drink (too much). When this patient visits us in the clinic, we will advise lifestyle changes. The average patient might take this to heart, and begin these changes. But statistics show this trend won’t last, and the patient more often than not “falls off the wagon”. And this is a best case scenario with patients who WANT to live the “preventative” lifestyle! What of those who are non-compliant? Those who don’t care to change? When these patients return to the clinic with uncontrolled hypertension or blood sugar, I need to do something. I cannot hold a gun to their head and force them to change. My only option now is the counsel them further and then prescribe a drug.  It is in this action that the quacks shout the loudest “You’re only applying a band aid! I TREAT THE WHOLE PERSON!”

We must also remember that there are also conditions that we cannot treat the root cause of. Diabetes is a good example. Yes, there are experimental drugs and treatments, but at the time of this writing the only thing we can do chemically IS treat the symptoms. That is the best that ANYONE can do. Prevention can help in the beginning, but eventually with most disease, pharmaceuticals are required. And these are administered as a last resort, and follow careful monitoring of the patient’s blood and other physical changes.

If there existed a magic, natural cure for diabetes, we’d already be using it. Countless websites claim to have the answer. “Use this supplement! It’s ALL NATURAL”. Forgiving the fact that “natural” products have just as many side-effects and complications as pharmaceuticals, and even forgiving the fact that most pharmaceuticals are simply the purified form of those aforementioned “natural” products, the fact that something is “natural” doesn’t automatically make it safer or better. If you’d like to eat Willow Bark for your headaches, be my guest. I however, will take Aspirin, the same “natural” cure purified of all the impurities and possibly toxic substances nature left in it. And I will know the exact dose I’m getting, along with a statistical knowledge of the likely side-effects. And I get the assurance that my medicine is clean and safer than what Mother Nature first started it as.

It’s hard to do, but we have to fight the fear mongering. I’m not saying that there aren’t problems in medicine. There are tons. But it’s the best we have, and quite simply, we aren’t using “alternatives” because they are either unproven, dangerous, or ineffective. As writer Tim Minchin says: “Do you know what they call Alternative Medicine that’s been proven to work? Medicine.”

And right he is. There truly is no such thing as “Eastern” or “Western”, or “Allopathic” medicine. We have what science has shown to work, and the rest is left to the realm of speculation or abandonment when it was shown to be ineffective or dangerous.

So in closing, don’t let people sway you from seeking medical care because your MD “Only treats the symptoms!” Honestly, I don’t profit from your misery in any way, nor do I make more money if I prescribe you drugs. If I can find an easy way to alleviate your pain or fix your underlying problem, I will use it. Otherwise, my only options are to help you feel and live the best possible way you can. And barring a few hucksters, that’s the motto of most doctors. We’re here to serve YOU, the patient. Not the other way around.

So take steps to make your life better. Exercise, eat healthy, stop smoking and drinking, and don’t use illicit drugs. But if there comes a time when that fails, don’t be scared to seek out medicine. We’ll give you the best shot that humanity has, and you’ll walk away from that knowing you can get information about any drawbacks, side effects, or complications. Every treatment is a doubled-edged sword, “natural” or otherwise. The benefit you get with us VS the “natural” is that we give you that information. Mother Nature doesn’t.

As always, stay healthy and stay skeptical folks.