The Medical Freedom Channel

It may not be the hottest topic in healthcare news, but it sure caught my eye:

Study: Half of U.S. doctors often prescribe placebos

This story was posted widely across news sources from MSNBC to the New York Times, on a study published Friday in BMU (fka the British Medical Journal). The survey of American physicians revealed something probably not all that surprising: When in doubt as to prescribing a “cure” for an ailment, many doctors just prescribe something they think won’t harm the patient, and hope the body will cure itself, once the patient’s stress and anxieties are allayed. Such things as vitamin supplements, even medical-testing “sugar pills.” are used for this purpose; they won’t harm the patient, and may actually convince their minds to let go and let the body heal itself, as it’s designed to.

Outside of the obvious deception of the patient, this does seem to go along with the Hippocratic Oath: First, do no harm. According to the story, “Half the doctors reported using placebos several times a month, nearly 70 percent of those described the treatment to their patients as ‘a potentially beneficial medicine not typically used for your condition.’ Only 5 percent of doctors explicitly called it a placebo treatment.”
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“One reason why our healthcare system has evolved to its current condition is a series of legislative steps in the post World War II period designed to remove the profit motive from virtually every aspect of medicine. Doctors are trained in nonprofit medical schools. Until recently most hospitals were nonprofit, and the health insurance industry was dominated by nonprofit entities (mainly Blue Cross/Blue Shield) as well. One consequence of the lack of a profit motive is an industry with too few entrepreneurs and too little innovation, at least with respect to cutting costs and meeting patient needs. In those areas in which the profit motive is still the major driving force (for example, the manufacturer of medical equipment and pharmaceuticals) innovation and change are rampant. But in the area of solving patient problems, cost-reducing innovations have been few and far between.” (posted 11/17/08; originally published, 1992)

“As diabetes is rapidly becoming one of the world’s most common diseases, its financial cost is mounting, too, to well over $200 billion a year in the U.S. alone, according to a new study. The study, released Tuesday, puts the total at $218 billion last year — the first comprehensive estimate of the financial toll diabetes takes, according to Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk A/S, which paid for the study. That figure includes direct medical care costs, from insulin and pills for controlling patients’ blood sugar to amputations and hospitalizations, plus indirect costs such as lost productivity, disability and early retirement. The $218 billion amounts to about 10 percent of all U.S. healthcare spending by government and the public, about $2.1 trillion in 2006, and nearly half the $448.5 billion cost of heart disease and stroke.” (11/19/08)

“True or false? Last year’s flu vaccine was a complete failure. False. The truth is, last year’s flu shot was 44 percent effective in preventing the flu in the general population and about 54 percent effective in preventing the flu in healthy people, according to Dr. Anthony Fiore, a medical epidemiologist with the Influenza Division of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. … There are few who would disagree with Fiore’s assessment of the flu shot. Influenza and its related complications hospitalize about 200,000 people and kill some 36,000 people each year in the U.S.” [editor’s note: And for some of us, just taking our vitamins, and noticing when “the season” is around us … works just as well or better — with no other “side-effects” - SAT] (11/19/08)

“Leaders of some large academic medical centers and community hospitals called for Governor Deval Patrick to examine how Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital, and a few other institutions are able to obtain higher prices from health insurers even though there is, especially for the most common procedures, often no demonstrated difference in the quality of the care delivered by those hospitals. Hospital executives and state officials say the practice of insurers paying substantially higher fees to a handful of powerful Boston medical centers is imperiling some rival hospitals and distorting the greater Boston healthcare market.” (11/20/08)

“Two Dartmouth researchers call for greater scrutiny of the relationship between medical journalists and the health care industries they cover. Their study was published online today, Nov. 19, in the British Medical Journal, or BMJ. The BMJ paper outlines three areas where journalists might become entangled in conflict-of-interest issues: 1.) during educational activities that may be drug company sponsored, 2.) when accepting sponsored awards, or 3.) in the day-to-day practice of reporting the news by relying too heavily on industry supplied sources. ‘The media play a role as society’s watchdogs,’ says Steven Woloshin, an author on the paper and an associate professor of medicine and of community and family medicine at Dartmouth Medical School (DMS). ‘Good medical journalism can expose links between doctors and rewards from pharmaceutical companies. But who’s looking to see whether the journalists are being influenced?’” (11/19/08)

“Doctors saved the life of a British toddler by using medical super glue to plug tiny holes in her brain, London’s Daily Mail reported. Ella-Grace Honeyman, 17 months, has vein of Galen malformation, which results in abnormal communications between the arteries and the veins in the blood vessels, according to veinofgalen.co.uk, a Web site promoting awareness of the disease. The vein of Galen malformations lack capillaries, so the blood flows too quickly through the holes, which causes an aneurysm, the Web site said. Patients can end up with congestive heart failure, be developmentally delayed and have hydrocephalus or seizures. Surgeons at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York inserted a hollow tube containing the super glue through Ella-Grace’s groin, letting it reach her brain.” (11/20/08)

“Will 2009 see a surge in health savings account enrollment among federal employees? Premium increases in federal employee health plans, combined with the current economic downturn, seem to point to the answer being ‘yes.’ The most popular offering of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Standard Option, is increasing premium costs to employees by 13.4 percent for families, and by 12.9 percent for singles, next year. Meanwhile, premiums for Aetna’s HSA option have increased by only 7 percent, to $146.75 for families and $67.01 for singles. The Postal Workers Union Health Retirement Account plan premium is unchanged at $189.37 for families and $84.17 for singles.” (11/20/08)

“Scientists continue to study the secrets to living a long life. While many may have their own ideas, it’s clear that there’s no silver bullet. For 94-year-old Marion Downs, it comes down to attitude. Her advice: ‘Shut up and live!’ (That also happens to be the title of her book.) To hear her explain it, after 60 years of age all sorts of things happen, and complaining about it doesn’t make it go away. She speaks from experience. At 89, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It turned out to be benign, but after surgery she really found her lust for life. Downs, who took her first ski lesson at 50, said she recalls that she was whining to the ski instructor, ‘I can’t do this.’ … ‘Shut up and ski,’ the instructor replied.” (11/20/08)

“During medical school, I went to see a doctor who came highly recommended from a classmate. … My friend was rapturous with praise about how human this doctor was … and she urged me to give the doctor a try. But my visit was not how I had imagined it would be. The doctor did help me medically, but along the way I learned about her training, her kids and her health problems. I even learned about a brewing personal issue when she let me in on some of the details before leaving the exam room to take a personal phone call. While she might have let her guard down more than usual because I was a budding physician, I wasn’t so sure she had focused on me during the exam and I felt overwhelmed by all the information she had shared. It was, as they say, ‘T.M.I. — too much information.” (11/20/08)

“There is a buffet of bad information in the news today about what causes obesity. … Take a deep breath, folks: The truth hasn’t changed with the news cycle. Weight loss, gain and maintenance have always been about the balance between ‘calories in’ and ‘calories out.’ Unfortunately, simple addition and subtraction haven’t stopped some of the generals in today’s food wars from trying to convince you otherwise.” (11/20/08)

“The Alexander Technique applies heightened self-awareness of posture to change the way one moves and sits. It is taught in a series of lessons, usually private, during which the teacher watches how you stand, walk, sit, and move your body to see where you unconsciously hold muscle tension, said Jill Geiger, a certified practitioner in Newton. The teacher also places his or her hands on your body to detect areas of tension and guides you, with words and gentle hands, to realign your body to achieve better posture and relieve tension. The lessons cost about $70 each and may or may not be reimbursed by insurance. The technique was developed a century ago by F.M. Alexander, who used it to aid his career as an actor and orator. New data suggest the Alexander Technique can ease back pain for at least a year.” (11/17/08)

The Integrative Healthcare Symposium is a gathering of the most influential and inspiring practitioners and healthcare professionals providing attendees with access to the most relevant evidence-based research, cutting edge content and peer-to peer networking. The roster of speakers are among the most sought after, accomplished leaders in the industry Keynoter & Conference Chair, Woodson C. Merrell, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and the M. Anthony Fisher Director of Integrative Medicine, Continuum Center for Health & Healing (CCHH) in New York City. Featured speakers include: Jeffrey S. Bland, PhD, FACN, CN; Frank Lipman, MD; Larry Dossey, MD; Mark Hyman, MD; Barbara Dossey, PhD, RN; and Gabrielle Roth. New York City, February 19-21, 2009. Details at:

“The Wake Forest University Translational Science Institute … will host a national conference to assess best current practices as well as future directions of electronic health records (EHRs). … The adoption of EHRs is emerging as an issue of national importance. A June report in the New England Journal of Medicine, as reported by the New York Times, ‘found that doctors who use electronic health records say overwhelmingly that such records have helped improve the quality and timeliness of care. Yet fewer than one in five of the nation’s doctors has started using such records.’ The conference will be held Oct. 1-3, 2008, at the Graylyn International Conference Center, Winston-Salem, NC. For further information, see the website.” (posted 09/23/08)

The Consumer-Driven Healthcare Workshop is aimed at small business owners and employee representatives of mid-sized companies. The idea is to get everyone to feel more comfortable with the whole idea of consumer-driven healthcare, an exciting new approach that puts consumers in the driver’s seat of their own healthcare. Your host for the workshop will be Greg Scandlen, director of Consumers for Health Care Choices at The Heartland Institute. He will be joined by Doug Andrews, principal of the Argus Financial Group, Lisle; Glenn Stokes, central region vice president, HSA Bank; Robert Hamilton, MD, FACS, of Godfrey; and Doug O’Brien, chair of the Health Care Council of the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce, Chicago. The workshop will address how to buy health insurance, how to manage your HSA or HRA, and how to shop for medical services. You’ll also get an update on the legislative/regulatory environment for healthcare policy. Wed, Oct 01, 2008 at 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm CST
Chicago, Illinois, Tickets $25.00. RSVP to Robin Knox at 312/377-4000 or rknox@heartland.org.

The American Association for Health Freedom (AAHF) is leading a campaign to reform the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We ask you to join with us in signing the Reform FDA Petition presented below. This petition will be delivered to Congress. Late last year, the US government released a 60 page report entitled: FDA Science and Mission at Risk. A more honest title would have been: FDA Science and Mission in Shambles. (See link to sign petition.)

Free seminar with Dr. Justin Tossing on “Unlocking “THE SECRET” of your Subconscious Power”: * Find the key to using “the law of attraction”‘ * Overcome unhealthy emotions, cravings and desires; * learn fail-aafe kinesiology; * reconnect with your true spiritual power & purpose; * discover your Subconscious Attraction Technique. Thursday, August 21, 6:30-9:00 p.m., 4319 Saundersville Road, Old Hickory, TN 37138.