My father was a hardy soul. He was born in the small town of Nekoma, North Dakota back in 1927; one of 12 children, only 10 of which made it into adulthood. The son of a blacksmith in a family of meager means, he grew up in a two-bedroom house with no indoor plumbing. This would have a lasting effect on his attitude toward money—always pinching pennies, up to the very end. Did this contribute to what would become his demise? Perhaps so, but that does not remove guilt from the doctors and nurses who ultimately would drug him into the grave.
Sure, my father lived to a ripe old age of 89, just six months shy of his 90th birthday. Not bad, you might say. He had worked hard and had owned and operated a number of small businesses throughout his years—a grocery store, a bar and restaurant, a hardware store. He put himself through drafting school, and he and his brothers learned carpentry, plumbing, electrical wiring, painting, welding; he had a tool shed that would make Tim “the tool man” Taylor jealous. In 1987, he and our mom bought a small parcel of land down in a small town in the Panhandle of Florida, which he would level and then dig a well and build his family’s 2,000 sq. foot home from the bottom up. He did the drafting and planning, all of the electrical wiring, the plumbing, the roofing, the painting, built all of the cabinets and put in the carpeting, flooring and a backyard garden… all with his own two hands (and some help from family).
In short, the amount of skill, strength, and know-how this man possessed was humbling. I wish I’d paid more attention.
My father and mother, Genevieve, had a happy marriage of 39 years, until our mom (13 years his junior) passed away in 2009 of a brain tumor, likely brought on by the vaccines she’d received over the years, and the root canals, and the mercury fillings, and the nutrient-depleted food that she (like most Americans) had ingested over the years… So, following the passing of our mom, Dad lived alone in the house that he’d built, up until the age of 89.
The doctors were always amazed at how healthy he was and how young he looked. His mind was sharp; he had a quick wit and an impressive memory. He drove himself to the store to do his shopping, to the bank and post office, and to the church on Sundays. He did his own cooking (another area he excelled at, having been a bachelor for 42 years before finally deciding to settle down), his cleaning and laundry. Although his cleaning was rather lackluster, and my sister and I always gave the place a good once-over when we went to visit.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of the times in which we live, we three kids didn’t make it to visit but once a year or so, and that’s if we were lucky. My older sister, an officer in the Air Force, gets moved around from station to station with little to no say in the matter. And my brother, being a Sagittarius with their stereotypical lust for adventure, moved from place to place: from San Diego, to Uruguay and then up to Ecuador, where he was at the time of Dad’s passing (or what I would call murder). I, the middle of us three, had just completed my PhD in Naturopathic Medicine as I continued to teach English at a university in South Korea, where I have been living now for over 16 years. I was planning on flying home in the summer of 2017 to celebrate our father’s 90th birthday, but now I will be flying home for his burial and funeral instead.
So what happened? How did such a healthy, strong, mentally astute, 89 year old man go from this…
to this…
in just 3 weeks’ time?
All the credit must go to the ‘wonderful’ Western medical establishment and ‘great’ folks at the hospital in Crestview, Florida; who, were it up to me, would be trading in their white coats and stethoscopes for orange jumpsuits… but let’s continue, shall we?
Dad had decided to move to an assisted living facility in North Dakota, close to where he’d grown up, while he waited for there to be an opening in the home where his sister had been before she passed several years back, and where he had a number of old friends and cousins, etc. After a month in the home Dad decided that it wasn’t for him, as he wanted to fix his own food and enjoy his freedom and privacy as he had his whole life. He also just hated paying out so much money, several thousand a month, for such limited care. To go from living freely in his own home to paying the exorbitant amount charged by senior care facilities was unbearable for him.
So, after just one month, he moved out on his own into a one-bedroom apartment. While he did have a good support network there—several cousins of ours from our mom’s side who brought him fresh fruit and vegetables and drove him to the hospital when needed—the weather was growing colder, and he was still paying out money on an apartment that to him seemed wasteful when he could just be living in his own home in a much more agreeable climate. So, roughly six months later, he and our cousin Vince made the long drive back down to Florida.
This was November, 2016, just two months before he would be killed off by Big Pharma and the medical establishment. Here is a picture of my dad during the long road trip down to Florida, at a stop-over visit with my aunt and cousins in Illinois.
Upon his return home, he continued seeing ‘his’ doctors. He had his general practitioner, his eye doctor, his cardiologist, his dermatologist, his oncologist (for minor skin cancer follow-ups and to monitor the mild case of leukemia he’d had for several years). And they all, for the most part, said he was fine, except for his eyesight which prevented him from driving at night or for long distances.
However, at his next visit with his primary care physician, he was finally talked into getting on a blood pressure medication, Lisinopril, against my warnings to the contrary after reviewing the long list of common side effects associated with it. Also, having knowledge of the fact that a rise in blood pressure is expected and is normal as we age, and that the very rigid ‘normal blood pressure’ range used by doctors for all their patients was concocted by the pharmaceutical industry to pimp (oops! I mean sell, market, distribute) more of their toxic drugs (which, by the way, kill more people per year than all illegal drugs combined), I strongly urged against his taking it.
Unfortunately, he chose to listen to his Big Pharma-educated (aka thoroughly indoctrinated) MD over his daughter’s advice (I wasn’t wearing a white coat, after all!). And that’s where his downward spiral began.
Over the next few weeks, Dad’s health precipitously declined. He started complaining of headaches, lightheadedness, water retention and weight gain, insomnia, abdominal problems, weakness and lethargy, worsening vision, and a terrible psoriatic skin condition; all of which are side effects of Lisinopril—listed right there, online, in black and white, for anyone wanting to do their due diligence to see! His doctors are/were not included in this group of individuals, unfortunately, and his symptoms were merely written off as “normal signs of aging.” Actually, NO, Doc. Sorry. ‘Aging’ is not a disease, and it is a failure of medical science for declining health to be expected and accepted as ‘normal.’ And furthermore, DOC, my father had none of those symptoms (or ‘signs’ as you like to call it) until he took your blasted medication!
More prescriptions were to follow, which my father refused (except for the steroid cream for his lobster-red, flaking, painful skin, brought on by the Lisinopril). Then, on the night of December 28, 2016, Dad asked his good friend and neighbor, Al, to take him to the emergency room. As it was very late at night, and Al being roughly the same age as my dad, Al went home after dropping Dad off there in Emergency, leaving my 89-year-old dad alone, with no family or friends to watch over him or to advocate for him. He was a lone sheep among a pack of wolves—a Medicare-holding ATM for the medical mafia to rape and plunder.
Failing to cross-reference his medical records, not knowing that his skin condition was a side effect of a drug he’d been given, not knowing of his long history with non-life-threatening leukemia, they took his elevated white blood cell counts as an indication of infection and pumped him full of IV antibiotics. When the nurses tried to give him other medications, my father refused. They accused him of being “combative” and “uncooperative,” and they injected him with the highly toxic, incredibly dangerous, mind-bending antipsychotic HALDOL.
Haldol has a long history and is known to cause psychosis in patients, in addition to a long list of horrific side effects, many of which my father instantly exhibited: muscle spasms, inability to urinate (he had to be catheterized two days later), trouble speaking (he became completely incomprehensible), uncontrollable trembling of the hands, weakness and loss of balance (he was unable to walk the very next day), mask-like facial expression, hallucinations, skin rash, uncontrolled movements of the arms and legs, irregular heartbeat, confusion…
My sister up in Ohio, I in South Korea, and my brother down in Ecuador were all notified that our dad was being held in the hospital in Florida, tied down, hands placed in boxing mitts “for his safety,” and that he would not be released unless one of us went there, in person, to collect him, or gave our written consent to have him released into full-time senior care. He would not be eligible for Medicaid, of course, until he was left penniless and until he’d been stripped of all his assets; including the house had built with his own two hands and had transferred, legally, to us kids. That didn’t matter to the State. The house and all assets going seven years back were legally still considered his assets, and had to be liquidated before any State aid would be given.
My sister took time off from work and flew down on New Year’s Day, 2017. She expressed her dismay at the irresponsible and criminal actions of the medical doctors and nurses there, as did I by phone, requesting that he not be given further doses of Haldol, with which they complied. However, when Dad again refused further drugging by the nurses, at 2:00 in the morning (!!!) on January 2, 2017, he was again accused of “belligerence” and “being combative.” This time he was given—without his or our consent—an injection of the ‘anti-anxiety’ drug Ativan (lorazepam), a drug not approved for use in the elderly!
The side effects of Ativan are no better than those of Haldol. This set Dad back even further.
My sister and I pleaded with the doctors, and God bless my sister, she was a real thorn in their side—she made certain he was given no more drugs aside from cream for his skin. Finally, on January 5th, she was able to gain his release from the medical mafia who’d been holding him against his will for nearly two weeks. Unfortunately, Dad was still unable to walk, unable to speak to where it was comprehensible (though he did try, God love him), and was more or less an invalid. This, after just 10 days under the ‘care’ of these fine specimens of Western medical science.
My sister was unable to care for Dad, obviously, but there were no good nursing home options there locally, and so her husband found a very nice facility up in Ohio, just minutes from their home. She only had to get Dad up to Ohio. Since she had a wheelchair that would fit in the trunk, she decided it would be better for them to make the drive up to Ohio (just one full day’s drive) than to go through the headache of flying.
Almost to her home, Dad became someone she’d never known him to be. He grabbed the steering wheel and tried to take over the wheel. He accused her of stealing his money. He refused to eat, accusing her and her husband of trying to poison him. That night, neither my sister nor her husband got a wink of sleep, fearing what he might do. He crawled out of bed and tried to open the door to ‘escape.’ He said he was being chased by dogs. They awoke to find him beating the radiator with his walker, ‘trying to escape.’ He broke down and cried, and he prayed to God to just take him, that he no longer wanted to live.
Soon thereafter, he would lose consciousness and never awake. He died in hospice two weeks later, at 8:21 p.m. on January 21, 2017.
I tell his and our story not for pity, but as a warning to the elderly, and to all who have elderly parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles, or anyone you hold dear. Make sure they never go to the emergency room or hospital without someone there to monitor and to advocate for them. Make sure they are not injected with drugs before you know what they are and what the potential (or likely) side effects of those man-made chemicals are. Research natural alternatives. Don’t give your power away to people who deem themselves all-knowing simply by merit of their white coat and a medical duh-gree. Educate yourself so that you can be your own best health advocate, and that for those whom you cherish and love.
I love you, Dad. Forgive me.
I have suffered the same effects of Haldol as your father. I’m sorry for your loss.
That the drug gets to be called a “medicine” is criminal. In time , people can recover from the drugs.
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Dear Suzanne,
I’m very sorry to hear about your father.
This Link below describes Professor Richard Bentalls personal experience of Haldol (driving him mad):-
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/27908636/richard-bentall-goes-mad-dr-david-healy
It’s nearly as if we would be better off without “medicine”.
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Markps2 and Fiachra: Thank you for taking the time to read my dad’s story, and for your words of condolence. Mark, I’m so sorry for what you have gone through at the hands of the medical establishment, and I’m thankful that you were able to overcome. Criminal indeed! And yes, it would more appropriately be spelled ‘mediSIN’ as far as I’m concerned. There is no ail that nature cannot cure. Thanks again for reading.
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Same happened to my dad I have video and pictures
We lost him December 15th 2017
I’ll help in anyway
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A sad story worth sharing – thanks for writing it so clearly and well Suzanne.
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Thank you so much, Matt, for your kind words and for taking the time to read it. That in and of itself means so much.
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I’m absolutely sure this is a more common circumstance than people would like to admit. Iatrogenic injury and death is a very frequent occurrence among the elderly under supposedly medical supervision. The more people who expose this kind of thing the better. I don’t imagine the situation is going to get any better after congress does away with the Affordable Care Act, but I am also aware that such “care” can very much be a contributing factor, too. Thank you for your story. I would hope that someday such recounting may lead to the changes our medical system needs so badly. As you say, this should be a object lesson for folks, educate yourselves, and maybe you can prevent your loved ones from being so atrociously mistreated by a medical establishment in the thrall of Big Pharma.
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The above sort of scenario is one of my major fears regarding aging.
I am also aware that such “care” can very much be a contributing factor, too.
When Obamacare started there were a number of holistic practitioners who predicted an increase in some sorts of disease due to the iatrogenic factor and more people being exposed to medical treatments. I went to the ER recently on the weekend, for what I knew was either a nasty stomach bug or food poisoning, and they tried to scare me into a chest x-ray and EKG, which I guess works on most people, but I walked out. Should have known better.
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Hi, Oldhead.
ABSOLUTELY! Universal ‘health care’ sounds great, but then you come to find out it’s not at all about health and their ‘care’ is only treatment with drugs, surgeries, and radiation, that cause more harm than good, and often result in an early demise! Bravo to you for not letting them have their way with you and for not allowing them to force unnecessary (and harmful) medical procedures on you! You’re wiser than most!
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As an addendum, I would note that “treatment” is often nothing more than symptom suppression. Generally the opposite of what your body needs, as this can drive the problem deeper.
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AB-so-LUTEly!!! Bravo to you! 100%! Allopathic ‘care’ only attempts to cover up the problem without ever looking to see what is the root CAUSE of said problem. Western medical docs and nurses are no more than glorified and legalized drug pushers, of the most dangerous kind.
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Here’s an idea. I can’t say that it’s correct. We do find cognitive impairment after years of benzo-use. Does this happen with use or after withdrawal? Can we say that the impairment is caused by benzo-use ? Does it ocur after withdrawal or concurrently with withdrawal?
Might cognitive impairment be caused by the mode of withdrawal? A major HMO discontinues benzos by calling for a 50% reduction weekly. Does this cause or exacerbate mental decline?
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Yes, Benzo drugs increase the risk of Alzheimers. Additionally, many patients who are prescribed Benzo drugs are also prescribed other psychiatric drugs such as antidepressant and other mind altering drugs that do, in fact cause dementia. In the case of antidepressant drugs, up to 20 years before an Alzheimers diagnosis….https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180813100252.htm
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Frank Blankenship! Thank you for taking the time to read my dad’s story and for your sincere condolences. From all of the comments I’ve read, yes, you are absolutely right in that, sadly, my father’s story is not unique. The tying down and forced medication of the elderly with psychotropic and ‘anti-psychotic’ drugs is done quite commonly, unfortunately, always with horrific results. Those who are fortunate enough to survive are never the same–unable to speak, to sit up, to feed themselves… It’s truly diabolical and I really cannot comprehend how a human being (a doctor or nurse who supposedly entered their profession to HELP people) can treat the most frail and vulnerable among us with such heartless and ruthless mal-intent and lack of compassion. Anyway,… Karma will not be pleasant for them.
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Everything goes downhill after the blood pressure medicine…that has been my observation and experience as a (former) RN. When I encounter folks who have just been prescribed, I do my best to educate them. Often I’m vilified.
“Modern Medicine ™” is barbaric and should only be engaged with eyes open.
I’m sorry for your loss, Suzanne, and thanks for writing down and submitting your story for others to consider.
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Wow! Thank you so much for reading my dad’s story and for your honest and forthright reply! As a former RN, your words carry their weight IN GOLD! I’m so very grateful for people like you, who despite all the years of ‘education’ (or indoctrination) into ‘modern medicine’, you’re still able to think critically and see it for what it is– a big racket. Thank you for your sincere condolences, and keep on speaking and spreading truth! Peace and blessings to you always.~~~
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Infuriating to read this. I’m so sorry for your loss, and for what you all have been put through.
“Research natural alternatives. Don’t give your power away to people who deem themselves all-knowing simply by merit of their white coat and a medical duh-gree. Educate yourself so that you can be your own best health advocate, and that for those whom you cherish and love.”
We definitely need to keep highlighting avenues of healing way above and beyond what is so glibly, and often so seemingly randomly and blindly, offered by “prestigious” mainstream western medicine. There are so many sound and natural remedies for everything, including multiple perspectives from which to consider what is happening in the body.
Although of all the words in the above passage, I’d recommend simply, “Don’t give your power away.” I think when we do, that’s really the start of compromised well-being.
Kind of a toss up as to what has most degenerated in our society–competence, empathy, human decency, common sense, heart intelligence, et al. Any or all, you name it. Thank you for sharing this so that others know the dangers of modern western mainstream health care. I’m so sorry you found out the hard way. I did too, almost lost my life–and for a while, my heart, mind, and spirit–to pharmacology and grossly incompetent care, came very close, but I was fortunate to have survived. My entire perspective on life has changed since then, that was an awakening for me, regarding to where our society has sunk, on the whole. It was a slap-in-the-face wake up call, and it got my attention but good.
My very best wishes to you and your family.
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THANK YOU, Alex, for taking the time to read my dad’s story and for your most sincere condolences. Yes, I would have to agree with you in that our society as a whole has degenerated in multiple ways, in a variety of aspects, which is why I have chosen to live overseas for the past 16 years. Unfortunately, I then was unable to be there for my dad, when he needed me the most.:( I will carry this sense of guilt for a long time. Thank you for sharing your story with me as to the terrible ordeal you went through, almost losing your LIFE at the hands of our ‘modern’ medical cartel (oops! I mean, establishment). Thank God you survived and are now more knowledgeable and empowered as a result! Thanks again for your comments and for showing that you care. Blessings to you and yours always.~~~
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Haldol is evil; young woman describes forced Haldol after going to hospital https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5SLnwgWlKQ
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Evil indeed…. and deadly. Thanks for sharing.
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This is awful. I am so sorry. His severe paranoia may have been from starting then stopping haldol.
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It saddens me to hear what happened to your father.
As a former hospital and nursing home chaplain I can say that this kind of experience is much more common than most people realize.
Older people who don’t have anyone to stay with and speak for them in the hospital are up for grabs. It is imperative that someone be there at all times to make sure that everything is done properly for your loved one’s care. And by all means always be willing to question anything that doesn’t look or sound right to you. Yes, most of the time the staff get bent out of shape but that’s just fine, go ahead and question, question, question.
Haldol is the drug of choice for most staff in dealing with older patients who are considered to be “difficult and noncompliant”, both in hospitals and nursing homes, but especially in nursing homes. Doctors are to blame for this since no medicines or drugs can be given to a person without a doctor’s order. This is true for both hospitals and nursing homes. Nursing home staff may push the doctor to write an order for a feisty nursing home patient or they get kind of a general blanket permission order for “just in case”. If a person is outspoken, especially about what they see as inadequate care for themselves, or if they won’t be immediately compliant with the wishes of staff, or if they talk back when told to do something, they will end up on Haldol pronto.
Then, if the family doesn’t question such an order the person ends up locked in a geriatrics chair; a big chair that reclines and which has a fold over table top that locks in place, keeping the person prisoner in the chair often for hours at a time. The person goes from being a vibrant and life-filled person to someone who drools on themselves and notices very little of what is going on around them. The problem here when you go to complain about the condition of your loved one is that the nursing home will state that your family member was dangerous to themselves or others because of their behavior and if you don’t go along with the “treatment” you will have to find another place for them to live.
The reality is that antipsychotics are not to be given to geriatric patients, period, because it causes all kind of problems starting with the increased possibility of falls, not to mention all the other adverse effects of these damned drugs. They can even cause psychosis in the elderly, especially in the elderly who already may have some large challenges when it comes to being in consensus reality.
Again, I’m saddened about what happened to your father. I suspect that he was very independent and this most likely placed him in conflict with staff, especially staff who like to control people. Staff demand compliance because they can shirk their job duties and not do what they are supposed to do, especially on the night shift.
I wish I could say that this experience is uncommon but unfortunately this is becoming the common experience over and over again.
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Sadness should be augmented by rage, as we’re talking murder here.
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I completely agree, oldhead. This IS murder! Unfortunately, it’s government-sanctioned murder, which should enrage and scare us all. Thanks for reading, and for your righteous anger. Blessings to you always~~
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Agreed. This is why I quit working as a nursing home chaplain.
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Haldol is especially likely to cause neuroleptic malignant syndrome and/or kill in people with dementia with Lewy bodies. In a cruel irony, DLB is characterized by the onset of delusions and hallucinations relatively early, compared with Alzheimer’s, but is often, probably most of the time, mistaken for Alzheimer’s. Some experts say DLB is the real issue in as many as a third of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
What others have experienced and warned against on this page happened to my healthy, competent, self-controlled mother last year, and indeed, humanbeing, it started with a mis-prescribed, hideously over-dosed beta blocker. She survived as a shadow of her former self, with some gradual recovery.
A study of 39,000 people in Japan found that regardless of severity of hypertension, those treated for it died young than did those not treated. They don’t deny that hypertension precedes cardiovascular events. It’s just the treating it, according to their findings, is worse than leaving it alone.
“Treated participants had significantly higher risk for cardiovascular mortality, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and stroke compared with untreated people. Among untreated participants, the risks increased linearly with an increment of blood pressure category. The risk increments per blood pressure category were higher in young participants (<60 years) than those in old people (≥60 years)"
"The risks of cardiovascular mortality were ≈1.5-fold high in participants under antihypertensive medication."
Not to mention the cognitive impairment, falls, head injuries and broken hips.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24637661
I’m sad and disgusted to read about the author’s father’s tragic experiences and his death. I strongly endorse the device that no elderly person be left alone with the murderous fools in white coats.
I can only assume it’s a mass conspiracy between gov and medicine to get people off the Medicare rolls and into the ground, probably achieved with just a few winks and elbow nudges.
If it weren’t, wouldn’t it have stopped by now?
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BetterLife! THANK YOU for taking the time to read my father’s story and for your incredible and insightful reply. “The murderous fools in white coats” Haaa! I love it! Will have to steal that and use it in future writings. And yes, I completely agree with you, that… while most of the doctors and nurses themselves may not be knowing participants in it…I believe this IS part of a larger conspiracy to depopulate, starting with the elderly and the poor and the most vulnerable. Sounds crazy, but if we look around at what’s happening, it would be hard to deny!
As for the science SHOWING that people undergoing TREATMENT for high blood pressure die earlier than those who have high blood pressure and do NOTHING. This is fact! And if our medical doctors had even a CLUE as to how the human body works, they would know that the body is an intelligent, SELF-REGULATING system, and that it causes your blood pressure to go up when it is in need of more oxygen, nutrients, and other things to quell an underlying stress or inflammatory response. Without sufficient oxygen and nutrients getting to the cells of the heart, the brain, the liver, the kidneys, the adrenals, etc., the cells DIE, and YOU DIE!!! It’s not rocket science! But, these simple things are not taught in medical school. They only learn what drug to prescribe to address which symptoms. A really good explanation (and much better explanation) of the above process is given by Dr. John Bergman, whom I love and respect greatly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXe2xldWxtY&t=12s
Anyway, thank you for reading, for caring, and for sharing your knowledge with us. I’m sorry for what your mother had to endure (no) thanks to BigPharma’s poisons as well.:( Be well and be blessed!~~
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Stephen Gilbert!!! I apologize for my VERY late reply! I am trying to reply to everyone but, somehow I missed your comment! First of all, thank you for taking the time to read my father’s story AND for your heart-felt condolences and sympathy. Yes, unfortunately, from all of the comments I’ve read thus far, it appears this is an all-too-common occurrence in American society, but it doesn’t make it any less criminal. It saddens me to hear how very common this type of inhumane and barbaric treatment is of our elderly…our most vulnerable…frail…trusting… It’s infuriating to no end. Thank you, though, for sharing your personal insight and first-hand account of the matter as a former nursing home chaplain. You give very wise and sound advice: Don’t be afraid to question, question, and question some more! Somehow, we need to find a way to hold these doctors and nurses accountable for their actions. This kind of medical abuse cannot continue!!! Peace and blessings to you always.~~~
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Haldol causes psychosis? That confirms my experience as a young woman of 20. I was recovering from a reaction to Anafranil which kept me awake for 21 days straight and caused hallucinations. I had never been psychotic before.
Terrified of insanity I checked into a psych ward and gladly allowed them to inject me with mega-doses of Haldol, understanding it would bring my thinking back to normal. How could I know?
Instead I began seizing, sometimes 6 times a day and grew more out of touch with reality than ever. The doctor denied that this ever happened. (Come to think of it, the staff under him said it happened all the time. I guess he hadn’t fed them the proper narrative.)
I’m truly sorry for your father. Not just that he might have made 100 without those meddling quacks, but that he suffered so horribly (and needlessly) before the end.
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Dear FeelinDiscouraged:
Oh my goodness! What a HORRIFIC experience you had! I’m so sorry! Thank God you survived that horrific ordeal! Well, you have made amazing strides since that terrible time, as evidenced by your biting wit and your nicely and clearly-worded remarks. Yes, I totally agree with you. I think my dad would have nicely made it well into his 90s, at least, had it not been for the ignorant, uncaring medical doctors and the poisons they pedal. Thank you for taking the time to read my dad’s story and for your sincere words of condolence. It warms my heart to know people such as yourself are out there. Peace and love~~
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I am very sorry about your father. I am curious-was your father not eligible for Medicare? You mention Medicaid and spending down (N.Dakota has Expanded Medicaid, btw, until Obamacare is revoked) but was he not eligible for Medicare?
What a horrible experience for your family. Consult a med-mal attorney to have a look at your father’s health records.
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Medicare doesn’t pay for nursing homes, just hospitals and doctors and drugs (if you have a drug plan)
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Thank you both for taking the time to read my story, and for your sincere condolences. Yes, as mentioned in the article, my father WAS on Medicare, which was part of the problem. The doctors use people on Medicare as ATMs, basically. Dad was constantly running to this doctor, to that doctor… almost always being given a clean bill of health and told that they’d see him for his next appointment on such -and-such a date. His meds were covered pretty much, outside of a small co-pay (or whatever it’s termed). However, as BetterLife pointed out, Medicare ONLY pays for Western medical doctor visits (no natural health care, of course, which would actually be beneficial, nothing ‘alternative’, quote-unquote) plus their toxic medicines. Nursing home care is not covered, only by Medicaid, once you’re destitute and homeless. ‘Lovely’. The corruption that pervades every single American entity (corporate, legal, governmental, medical, educational, ‘scientific’, etc. etc.) is the reason I have lived overseas for the past 16 years and have no desire to ever return. I can’t support such a system. Godspeed, and blessings to you both.
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For those of us Americans willing and able to become expatriots are there any countries you would recommend? The “worse” and less developed the “mental health” system the better. 😉
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Hey, FeelinDiscouraged.
Well, I’ve been living as an expat over here in South Korea for 16 years now, teaching English at a university here, and I absolutely love it. You have to have at least a Master’s degree to teach at a uni here, and it’s becoming more and more competitive. If you have at least a bachelor’s degree in ANY field, however, you can get a job over here teaching English at private English institutes, which are EVERYWHERE. Its’ a big industry here, AND in China, Thailand, and all over Asia, really, though I fell in love with Korea, and I find the pay here is better than in other parts of Asia. Thailand is very beautiful, though, with wonderful people, healthy food… I find all my teaching jobs on Dave’s ESL Cafe (www.eslcafe.com). Good luck!:)
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Any objective observer ( and I also lost my dad due to the AMA Medical Hoax, followed by the Nursing Home Hoax, both fortified by the Psychiatric Hoax, topped off by the Hospice Hoax, all supported by the Pharmaceutical Hoax) would have to conclude rapid robbery ,ATM style while time release murder proceeds in a poorly disguised Eugenic continuation .
They know families are disbursed and are very unlikely to organize home care that provides a team of people to help someone . The nursing homes are at first verbally friendly but since your family member once signed up, has now become in effect their property (from their real point of view.) They will use that ATM machine as they please in a manner convenient to themselves, any inconvenience will be Tranquilized to obtain compliance to the point of unconsciousness.
Many answers lie within Traditional Naturopathy and the willingness of people to organize, team up, and care for each other . The” merciful symbol of modern medicine” the staff coiled by a snake really must mean the “staff”, the human being , Squeezed to death by coils of the anaconda snake. (after being robbed of course.) Sorry, it is what it is but people need to be warned.
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Thank you, Fred, and no apologies required. I share your strong sentiments with regard to ‘modern medicine’ and all of the facilities who claim to provide ‘senior care.’ All of these nursing homes charge upwards of $6,000/ month (and that’s at the lower end!), and for what? To be shot up with mind-bending, heart-stopping medications and left to sit alone in a shoebox-sized room and fed GMO-tainted, dead, processed, irradiated food that’ll kill you almost as fast as the medications will. Of course, some nursing homes fair better than others but, this tends to be the most common case.:( It’s downright criminal!!! And yes, as a student of Naturopathy myself, I know very well that Nature holds an answer to all of life’s ailments. Unfortunately, the bulk of humanity has chosen man’s mediSIN over God’s or Nature’s medicine; and we suffer because of it.
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My condolences on the loss/murder of your father. I do appreciate your mentioning this, “Haldol has a long history and is known to cause psychosis in patients,” since the doctors who force “medicate” people with Haldol call it an “antipsychotic,” and claim to be ignorant of this fact. Your father’s “mask-like facial expression, hallucinations, skin rash, uncontrolled movements of the arms and legs, irregular heartbeat, confusion…” are all symptoms of neuroleptic induced anticholinergic toxidrome poisoning, I’m pretty certain.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxidrome
So, indeed, your father was poisoned by ‘his’ doctors. And, of course, his odd behavior after being taken off the neuroleptic was likely due to a neuroleptic withdrawal induced super sensitivity manic psychosis.
I will say my father, too, was killed via iatrogenesis, but not in the same way, and not because I wasn’t there, so sometimes even being there isn’t enough to prevent medical mistakes. But, absolutely I agree, it is unwise in our current society for anyone to be in a hospital without a family member or friend with them double checking absolutely everything, which is a sad commentary on our current greed inspired medical establishment. But it is also a shame today’s mainstream medical community has turned itself into the third leading cause of death in this country.
One has to wonder how long it will take for the doctors to realize the pharmaceutical industry and it’s lies have turned a lot of the doctors into unrepentant murderers. If there is a God, as I personally believe, I do not believe unrepentant murderers, especially ones who are financially raping our entire country so they may have malpractice insurance, will be getting free forgiveness without first reconciling with those they’ve harmed.
“23Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”
I believe God will judge all fairly for who they actually are, not who they pretend to be.
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Someone Else! Wow. First of all, THANK YOU, for taking the time to read my father’s story, for your sincere condolences, and then for your very insightful and informative reply. You must have some sort of medical or biochemistry-related background, or else, like me, you just have a very curious mind and do your research. At any rate, I am very sorry to hear of your father’s death at the hands of the criminal medical establishment as well.:( Yes, even after my sister arrived from Ohio, it took her 5 days to finally get him released from their ‘care’, and even after demanding that he NOT be given any more psychoactive drugs, he was given Ativan once or twice more, for being ‘combative’. ‘Right.’ My father never lifted a finger against ANYone in all of his 89 years. Anyway, I too believe in a Creator, and I also believe we will be judged on our actions (or inactions) during our time here on Earth so, I do not envy them their fate (referring to the ‘wonderful’ medical practitioners you so rightly refer to as ‘unrepentant murderers.’). Thanks again for your kind words and informative and eloquent comments. Blessings to you and yours always.~~~
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I had a very similar – almost identical – experience last year; and my heart breaks for you.
My father passed on 12/27/16 after a struggle with dementia. It bothered me, but I did not protest too much, when his doctor put him on Ativan. He was aggressive and delusional and had placed his own life in danger so many times. He was also terrified to death – in his lucid moments – and we were beyond the point of no return. The Ativan at least kept him from muttering “I don’t wanna die” repeatedly as his memories erased – everything he did never happened – everyone he knew became a stranger – and the house was always on fire or under attack. He was back in Korea.
What’s your location? I am two clicks away.
I discovered that shortly thereafter he was also placed on Haldol (with morphine as needed) – and I told my mother – you understand this is not treatment. It’s slow euthanasia. I predicted he would pass within three weeks…and he did. I do not blame my mom – she was following her doctor’s recommendations and had a very difficult, double-edge sword decision to make. It was an exhausting five-year ordeal for her as the primary caretaker. It is the doctor’s job to know better – that is why we hire any specialist, because they are supposed to have a level of expertise greater than ours. Yet the medical profession (and psychiatrists in particular) are beyond reproach in the judicial system.
It’s very hard to violate a standard of care that does not exist.
Legally, they cannot make mistakes. Not in these situations.
If you do want a shred of justice, your best bet is to file a complaint with you state medical review board, but be prepared for a fight. In my situation, my hospital has so far declined to honor three legal subpoenas in one year for my complete medical records from the state regulatory agency, after my 40-page complaint passed the initial threshold and was assigned to an official investigator. I have now filed two HIPAA complaints with DHHS and they promise to handle the situation “unofficially” through “technical assistance.” I wrote grants for 25 years – I can read between the lines.
But we must continue to fight.
In my father’s case, what disturbs me is that the hospice staff did not put him even on a saline drip during his three last weeks. On the Haldol, he could not even eat a Popsicle without gagging on the drool. The complete loss of motor control did not help with basic needs either. Within three weeks, starved and dehydrated, he contracted pneumonia and passed two days after Christmas. His passing was inevitable at that point…but Haldol? And no attempt to hydrate him while dying of pneumonia?
It’s been 26 years and at least 100 billion dollars in funding since the human genome project and the renaissance in neuroscience was supposed to lead to better treatments….and both our fathers were put one of the so-called “liquid lobotomies” (Haldol) developed during the nineteen-fifties to replace surgical lobotomies. Yes, that’s how far we have come. No better medications in – and thus no better options for our doctors – thus no greater responsibility on their part – in 60 years.
In 2000, we were told that thanks to the genome project, the known etiologies of mental illness, neurological diseases and cancer – to name a few – would lead to much better treatments if not cures. My father’s decline was not as fast as your dear fathers, but it escalated dramatically with the combined benzos and Haldol, within weeks. It is legal euthanasia. In the end, I gave his doctor hell when his staff called one week after he died to schedule his follow-up appointment.
Certainly, he knew that this “cocktail” would lead to a rapid demise. If he did not, then what does that say for the medical professional in general?
P.S. You do not mention whether you father smoked. I am certain my father’s “Alzheimer’s” was caused by decades of smoking, though he quit less than two decades before he passed. We do an excellent job of communicating the risks of smoking on the lungs, but not to the brain. I did my homework on this topic. While it’s true that not everyone who smokes gets dementia, there is a definite and undeniable correlation, plus a common-sense medical rationale. It is also true that it takes the brain longer to heal from smoking than – to the extent of my personal research – psych drugs and alcohol. Of course it breaks down at the individual level – but I believe we need to promote this message.
Thank you for allowing me to share, and my condolences to you and your family.
Please forgive the times I digress into my personal troubles and soap boxes. Your story brought up a lot of emotions based on recent experiences.
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Hi, Robert.
No need to apologize, and THANK YOU for sharing your dad’s story as well. My gosh! It brings tears to my eyes, in addition to a bit of internal rage as well. Your father too passed not too long ago, also after being placed on Haldol and Ativan. Incredible. I agree with you. This IS a form of genocide, and it’s been made legal by our government (non-) ‘regulatory’ agencies! It’s demonic! These people lack humanity! However, as I pointed out in my article, my dad had NO signs of dementia (ZERO!!!) until he went on that blood pressure medication, and then the HALDOL REALLY did him in! It broke my heart when I tried speaking to him on the phone from his hospital bed. He was TRYING to speak, but the poor man’s brain was just FRIED! God… I really pray there is such a thing as Karma. These ‘people’ deserve theirs. God bless you, and I’m sorry for what you AND your father were made to endure at the hands of Big Pharma and the medical establishment (a.k.a. ‘the Untouchables’). Oh! And, no, he didn’t smoke. While, he DID smoke for a few years in his younger days, he hadn’t touched anything tobacco-related for over 50 years.
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Wow- no symptoms, then blood pressure medication, straight to Haldol and benzos?
It does make me think you might have a malpractice case if you want to endure that gauntlet. I decided against it for various reasons. Regardless, the egregious error is that your father’s doctor could not connect the obvious dots. He could not make the common-sense association between his sudden decline and the potential effects of the blood pressure medication, so his assumption was that your father’s illness -despite being asymptomatic previous to this drug – indicated an underlying worsening condition and not an adverse reaction to a recent prescription.
This is how the poly-drugging cycle starts. As the iatrogenic damage compounded, they simply misdiagnosed me with a worsening condition – and put me on even more pills. I was to stupidly naive to refute medical “science.”
It never crosses their minds that the medications could be the problem and not the solution because they have no other solutions or training – not in nutrition, physical exercise, meditation or supplements. Its that corrupt and strictly allopathetic mindset that has shredded western medicine of its ethics and its competence.
My story is far too long and complicated, but the following Boston Globe article from 2014 explains exactly what I mean. I went through (and continue to endure) the same experience to a lesser extent now. I would attach the link but it’s archived.
This young woman out of college was too shy for her first job, so they put her on Ativan, to squeeze her personality into the wrong position when what she really needed was career counseling. She started to have horrible panic attacks…and her doctor’s response? He wanted to put her on more medications, but her father stepped in and said no.
She spent two months in the previously inconceivable mental anguish of benzo withdrawal that I am all too familiar with, unfortunately. In her case, she had a wiser parental figure who stopped the cycle before it created too much damage. If only I had someone at that tender age who told the doctors they were downright wrong. And I was working at Harvard at the time! I received my services from supposedly the best medical school and training hospital in the nation – if not the world.
BOSTON GLOBE ARTICLE
When Withdrawal is The Hardest Part
Boston Globe – Boston, Mass.
Author: Fox, Jeremy C
Date: Sep 8, 2014
Section: Lifestyle
John Zielin realized his daughter was in trouble when she called him unexpectedly, saying, “You’ve got to come and get me. Something’s wrong.”
Alison Page was catering a Waltham wedding in the summer of 2012 when she began feeling ill. “At sunset, I just got really dizzy,” said Page, 29. “I go outside, and I’m sitting down, and everything’s spinning. I felt like a wild animal that was being preyed upon. It was petrifying.”
Zielin, 66, arrived to find Page in a parking lot, her eyes filled with fear and confusion. In the car on the way to their Andover home, she experienced her first panic attack. “I’ve seen people like that, but they usually have a long history of it,” said Zielin, a retired social worker. “This stuff is showing up out of nowhere.”
The family later learned that Page was experiencing withdrawal between doses of Ativan, a drug often prescribed for anxiety or insomnia. After taking a dose that night, Page felt fine – for the moment. But her struggle to recover continues more than two years later.
While rampant abuse of heroin and prescription opiates dominates public attention, dependency on benzodiazepines — a group of tranquilizers that includes drugs such as Ativan, Klonopin, and Xanax — remains less widely acknowledged or understood.
Doctors say benzodiazepines are effective for short-term stress, as in the days following the death of a loved one or another emotionally difficult event. But problems can arise when use continues for more than a few weeks.
The federal Food and Drug Administration requires warning labels that describe dependency risks – the Ativan label lists 35 reported withdrawal symptoms, including anxiety, depression, hallucinations, panic attacks, and seizures. But doctors and patients say physicians often prescribe benzodiazepines with no discussion of the dangers and the drugs’ declining effectiveness over time.
“People get used to prescribing these drugs and they forget what they’re dealing with,” said John Kelly, associate director of the Center for Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Representatives for the pharmaceutical companies Roche, maker of Klonopin, and Pfizer, maker of Xanax, issued statements saying that physicians prescribing the drugs should study the safety information provided in the drugs’ labels and discuss the benefits and risks with their patients.
A spokeswoman for Valeant Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Ativan, did not respond to requests for comment. Kelly said patients can feel a false sense of security when taking any drugs prescribed by their doctors. “With benzos and stimulants and opiates, because they’re prescribed, people do have this perception that they’re safe, or much safer than illicit drugs you’d obtain on the street,” he said.
Kelly said many abuse benzodiazepines in combination with substances like opiates, cocaine, and alcohol. But for Page and many others, dependency can develop under a doctor’s care. Page was prescribed Ativan by a psychiatrist in 2009, she said, as she adjusted to working as a receptionist after graduating from Northeastern University.
As a shy person, she found the front-and-center role a tough fit, she said. Page moved on to work as a mental health counselor and entered nursing school, taking the drug periodically and sparingly, as her psychiatrist advised, she said, but her health began to decline.
“My anxiety was getting worse; I was getting dizzy spells; I was getting sick more often, and my capacity to deal with stress was less,” Page said. “I thought I had a worsening anxiety disorder.”
Over time, these symptoms worsened while new ones arose, and despite good grades, she had to leave nursing school, she said. When her psychiatrist suggested additional medications, her father said no.
Page said she was switched to another benzodiazepine and tapered off the drug over three weeks, she said, but afterward her withdrawal symptoms seemed to worsen.
“I didn’t sleep for two months,” she said. “I would be in fear states for maybe four, five, six hours a day. . . . It was almost like this primal feeling that you’re about to be attacked by a lion; you’re about to be killed.”
Calls to Page’s psychiatrist were referred to a spokeswoman for Steward Health Care System, owner of the hospital where he practices, who said she could not comment because of federal patient privacy laws. But the spokeswoman said that the company’s medical personnel “are careful when prescribing medications to patients.”
Dr. James Berry of the Mercy Recovery Center in Westbrook, Maine, estimated that a third of those who are prescribed benzodiazepines experience dependency and painful withdrawal, but there is no sure way to predict who will have those reactions, though the dangers increase with prolonged use.
“Generally, withdrawal symptoms . . . are the opposite of what a drug does,” he said. “If a drug relieves anxiety, the drug causes anxiety” during withdrawal.
Berry recommends that those who have become dependent reduce their doses gradually over a six-month period before they cease using the medication, but some doctors advise patients to stop taking the drugs over just a few weeks, he said.
Even a six-month tapering process isn’t sufficient for some, according to Berry. For a small percentage, it can take years for withdrawal symptoms to recede.
Benzodiazepines have been used widely since the 1960s, and concerns about them are long established. Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy convened a congressional hearing in 1979 to raise awareness, saying benzodiazepines like Valium and Lithium had brought relief to many, but that, “For others, these drugs have produced a nightmare of dependence and addiction, both very difficult to treat and to recover from,” the Associated Press reported.
The risks, though, remain little discussed, some patients say. Page finally understood her symptoms when she found the online support group Benzo Buddies, she said. Founded a decade ago, the group has about 16,000 members around the world. Cofounder Colin Moran said the online forum was created because there was almost no real-world support at the time.
In Britain, where Moran lives, benzodiazepines have been discussed in Parliament, and the British Medical Association is reviewing use and prescribing habits, but there has been little movement toward reducing use or increasing warnings, he said.
Moran and Berry both said doctors in the United States have been even slower to address concerns. “We still hear from members [in the United States] that their doctors claim there is no potential for dependency or addiction with this class of drug,” Moran said in an e-mail. “Some doctors even sometimes ‘cold turkey’ their patients off large doses of benzodiazepines, even after protracted use. This is extremely dangerous.”
Zielin said Benzo Buddies saved his daughter’s life. “The importance of having a supportive network around people going through this is just critical,” he said. “I don’t know how people can go through this alone.” Medford resident Karen Psaledakis was prescribed Ativan to treat panic attacks after her father’s 2006 death. Her psychiatrist offered “zero” warnings, she said.
“I never received one wary comment or anything that would suggest I should look into it more,” she said. Psaledakis, 44, said she took the drug as directed, but within three months began experiencing muscle and nerve pain, gastrointestinal problems, and other physical issues. After an unsuccessful stay in a holistic treatment center that tried to help her taper off the drug too quickly, and two stints in a psychiatric hospital, Psaledakis was able to stop taking the drug in early 2012, with support from Benzo Buddies, she said.
Psaledakis’s physical symptoms disappeared last fall, but she said she still experiences depression and states of intense fear that she believes are withdrawal symptoms. “I have to make an effort to think about the things that have gotten better, but I know that they have,” she said. “Some things have gotten worse, but that is just sort of the nature of this beast.”
For Page, recovery has been “like a roller coaster ride,” she said, with symptoms disappearing and recurring, usually less intense with each bout. She thinks total healing could take two or three years more. “It’s just back and forth, back and forth, but overall the trajectory is toward healing,” she said.
Credit: By Jeremy C. Fox Globe Correspondent
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Wow. Another terrible tale of needless suffering at the hands of Big Pharma and the white coats. Saddening, maddening, and sickening, really. It is my contention that 99% of ‘mental health issues’ can be successfully and fully addressed (and solved) using nutritional therapy, diet modification, exercise, lifestyle modifications, and meditation. I’m sorry you didn’t have anyone there to stand up to the pharmaceutical-pimping docs like this girl in the article did, but I’m relieved that you were able to find your own way back…
While I did contemplate legal action, and I did contact some medical malpractice attorneys there in Florida, I was told that the state of Florida makes it very difficult to near impossible to press charges against a doctor or nurse or any hospital; and that my efforts would be better directed trying to get legislation passed to hold doctors and nurses responsible for harm caused by their ‘treatment.’ So, I am not going to pursue any legal action. Legislative is foreseeable, however.
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Did you know that in the 60s, there were a group of Physicians, I refer to as Masters of Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction perfected the treatments for myofascial pain and dysfunctions?
This means that there are vetted, valid and grounded in reality treatment protocols which will benefit somatic and physical pain complaints!
This means that no one has to live another minute being miserable and tormented by pain and misery!
The problem is that 60 years ago another group of physicians broke faith with humanity and ignored all of this evidence and made up one that does nothing for somatic and physical pain complaints.
These surgeons who went against all of this valuable and credible evidence changed the entire paradigm.
Their corrupted paradigm, “pain is skeletal, bone, joint, meniscus, vertebral discs, cartilage, spinal nerves, peripheral nerves, blood, and inflammatory which requires surgery and drugs.
Everyone knows that back surgery, knee replacement surgery, and most all other standards of care are not working to benefit the patient’s well-being.
All of the evidence is crystal clear that the federally mandated, joint commission, board-certified standards of care are not working to benefit society.
We know this absolutely. Yet the answers have always been under our nose and at our fingertips.
Pain – the plain and simple:
A. Physical therapy is the treatment for physical pain.
B. Medications are the treatment for infectious disease and cancer pain.
C. Surgery is reserved for extreme circumstances unrelated to physical pain.
Here are the three most important tools of PT;
1. Hands-on elbow grease modalities can be viewed along a spectrum of corrective therapies; massage, spray and stretch, active tissue release, chiropractic and osteopathic services, traction, infrared heat, and cold laser.
a. Please do not prejudice yourself towards chiropractors and osteopathic providers.
1. Thin filament Intramuscular stimulation with acupuncture needles i.e., dry needling as per C. Chan Gunn, MD..
a. Please do not prejudice yourself to the word “acupuncture.”
2. Hypodermic Intramuscular and periarticular stimulation with hypodermic needles a.k.a. Janet G Travell, MD, and Edward Rachlin, MD trigger, tender point stimulating injections, Stewart Hackett, MD tendon and ligament stimulating injections.
a. Pleased do not prejudice yourself to the words, myofascial, trigger point, myofascial release, Janet Travell, prolotherapy and the like.
Be aware: The prejudiced, close minded, biases may alter your learning.
Did you know that the human minded inventions called joint replacement, steroid injections, steroid joint injections, epidural steroid injections, minimally invasive surgery, spinal fusion, facet joint injections, rhizotomies, arthroscopic surgery, corrective scoliosis surgeries with rods, brackets, and screws are ALL made up for profits?
Did you know using radiologic evidence such as MRIs, CT scans, x-rays, and myelograms is worthless evidence to discover, uncover the pathology of somatic and physical pain complaints?
Did you know the formalized standards of care have been corrupted which impossible human minded idea of treating pain with joint replacements and spinal fusions were made up for profits?
If you wondered why 22 wounded warriors commit suicide per day?? This is the most critical point of all the reasons.
If you’ve ever wondered why the top 10 causes of death are spiraling out of control? This is the most critical point of all the reasons.
The top 10 causes of death in the United States are most all related to lifestyles in our corrupted, for-profit, greedy healthcare system which is turned physicians into silent, obedient, loyal, close minded puppets and patients into victims.
What are somatic and physical pain problems:
All acute physical and somatic pain related to the stresses and strains of life and living.
All short or long-term physical and somatic concerns such as aches, pains, stiffness, overactivity, over-exercising, over-training, sports injuries, sprains, strains, slip and falls, work injuries, motor vehicle accidents and even job-related mental.
These are all have
Achilles Tendonitis/Tendonosis, Ankle Sprain or Tear, Arthritis, Back Pain
Butt Pain, Barre-Lieou Syndrome, Bunion and Toe Pain, Bruxism
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Coccyx Pain, Contractures, Degenerative Disc Disease, Degenerative Joint Disease, Disc Herniation or protrusions, Dupuytren’s Contractures, Epicondylitis and Elbow Pain, Finger and Thumb
DeQuurvains, painful thumb syndrome.
Pain, Fibromyalgia, Foot Pain, Frozen Shoulder, GERD, Golfer’s Elbow
Groin or Pelvis Pain, Headache, Heel Spurs
High Hamstring Tendinopathy, Hip Pain
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I have benefited greatly from chiropractic treatment. Since early adolescence I suffered from severe scoliosis due to a leg length discrepancy. Around this time I had bouts of bad anxiety and sometimes “paranoia.” In my thirties I visited a chiropractor who x-rayed me and found the mouth-of-god or opening in the base of my skull was pressing against my brain stem. After a few months of adjustment, my anxiety improved greatly. Unfortunately I still thought the drugs were magical medicines. 🙁
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FD,
While I am glad you were helped by a chiropractor, I know someone whose ankle was permanently damaged by going to one. The same precautions still apply whether you go to conventional or alternative medical professionals.
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Yeah, a chiropractor fucked me up once, but I found a better one who not only helped me completely recover from that but has since helped me become healthier than I’d been for years. It’s partly the individual, partly the technique they use (of which there are many).
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At least once you figure out a chiropractor is making your back or joint worse, they won’t drag you in handcuffed and forcibly “treat” you. That’s why we have an anti-psychiatry group and not an anti-chiropractor one.
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It’s impossible for massage, stretching, range of motion exercises, kneading, pushing, pulling, stretching, chiropractic and osteopathic services, acupuncture, dry needling or wet needling to do any harm – whatsoever. Massage can hurt, yes. Stretching can hurt, yes. Playing football can hurt, yes. => Just like nature intended moving is suppose to be. It’s impossible to be harmed permanently because the human body is miraculous and heals all wounds completely. One caveat: muscles demand daily doses of stretching. I call this daily ritual TLC. The lack of stretching a.k.a. TLC will result in your muscles becoming deficient in TLC and will hurt when you push or move them. This is not harmful this is just the way it is. The longer you delay and applying therapeutic doses of TLC the more miserable your muscles will become. The more miserable your muscles will become the more miserable you will become. Love you muscles and they will love you back. Neglect your muscles and they will constrict like a boa constrictor and squeeze the life out of you. All you have to do is stretch.
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First, Dr. Rodriguez! THANK YOU for your long, informative, and passionate response to my article, and moreover, for taking yyour time to read it. That means so much. And reading through your comments just did my heart good.:) You and I are singing the same tune! Very refreshing. I absolutely love chiropractic and acupuncture. I had a miraculous recovery in my ankles (following my first half-marathon) after just one treatment by an EXCELLENT acupuncturist/chiropractor here in Korea, whom I went to as a ‘last resort’ after 6 weeks of alopathic ‘care’ did absolutely NO good. That was 13 years ago, and I’ve been an avid researcher of natural therapies ever since. I still visit that same chiropractor and acupuncturist too whenever i have any sort of pain, and he never fails to deliver instant results. I absolutely agree with you, Dr. Rodriguez: “Be aware: The prejudiced, close minded, biases may alter your learning.” Indeed. I like the expression: “A mind is like a parachute. It works best when it is open.” 🙂
FeelinDiscouraged and Oldhead: I’m glad you were open-minded enough to give chiropractic a try and that you found relief. Peace and longevity to you both~~
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I like to parachute analogy. People will crash and burn if they step out of an airplane and refuse to open their parachutes to learn. Believing only what you believe will cause your crash and burn.
A frightening realization is that 90% of physicians believe what the scientific medical community had instructed them. They’ve also been told that they believe anything other than what they have been tested on, they will get punished.
That’s exactly how cults, gangs, thugs, criminal organizations operate, strict loyalty and mind controls with a carrot and sticks.
Most physicians fear thinking out-of-the-box. I used to fear to leave the box until I realized that I was being programmed to kill. One of my patients always makes the statement; “Doctor Rodrigues uses no doctors have licenses to kill?”
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Dr. Rodrigez, I respect members of your profession at least as much as any other medical practitioners. Instead of just covering symptoms, chiropractors treat the causes. You certainly do less harm than conventional doctors.
I will never see a psychiatrist of my own free will again, but they aren’t true doctors or scientists. They regularly lie to their patients and the public, so they are unworthy of trust.
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Wow Dr. Rodrigues,
You sound like the conventional doctors who think their treatments never cause any harm. So if one your patients ends up complaining about a problem, you just blow them off and say it can’t happen? Wow!
What happened to that person I mentioned is real and she has suffered a permanent injury. That doesn’t mind I think all chiropractors are bad as I had a former co-worker who greatly benefitted from one. And obviously, people on this site have also.
But this attitude of thinking that all alternative remedies are harmless is just as bad as doctors who think depression is responsible for everything known to human kind.
AA
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Let’s look at the study done on Chiropractic injury, which pales in comparison to the over 440,000 deaths each year due to preventable medical harm in US hospitals with no accountability…..https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17906581
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People should be aware that the AMA hs conducted a ruthless and fraudulent smear campaign and worse against chiropractic since its inception, as they have against any practice that affects or threatens to affect their botom line.
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Suzanne, I am so very sorry for the loss of your Father in this egregious manner, may he rest in peace and may you always be a voice for him! I am painfully aware of the outrage and grief you are going through. I’m reminded of how dangerous Haldol is every time I visit my Mother’s grave! My petite, 82 year old Mother (with a heart condition) sprained her back in December of 2012. The hospital recommended a week of physical therapy rehab for the back sprain. I had heard about predatory healthcare workers drugging the elderly with antipsychotic drugs and as my Mother’s Medical Durable Power Of Attorney, I told executive staff at the facility that no antipsychotic drugs were to be given to my Mother for any reason or under any circumstances and they assured me they wouldn’t. My Mother and I had no idea we were being lied to and mislead. My Mother had no mental illness and no dementia. She died in an irreversible vegetative state just days after being forcibly injected with Haldol, against her will and against MY orders as her Durable and Medical Durable Power Of Attorney-In-Fact by unscrupulous healthcare workers at Shlomo Rechnitz’s Roseville Point Health and Wellness Center outside of Sacramento, CA. I have had National and Local television and media exposure on what happened to my Mother. You can view this ABC News10 Sacramento expose’ on the drugging of the elderly where my Mother is the featured victim in the story. Please click on the smaller video screen below the thumbnail pic of my husband and I standing at my Mother’s grave with the ABC News Crew (for some reason the larger video does not load). The pharmaceutical rape of our beloved elderly by predatory healthcare workers who penetrate their victims with a hypodermic needle is Felony Elder Abuse in the United States and we won’t see positive change until these medical miscreants start doing time in prison for this heinous crime!…..http://www.abc10.com/news/investigations/chemical-restraints-anti-psychotic-meds-given-to-elderly-despite-warnings/181919144
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This is horrible. It is all so nightmarish.
I fear for us all.
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But all of it is absolutely true. Don’t go to hospitals unless you absolutely have to do so, and then take someone with you who can question the staff if you’re not able to do so. Do not go to nursing homes, even the good ones are not as good as they seem to be.
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I agree Stephen, but as in my Mother’s and my case, many families are solicited “rehab” care by hospitals who contract with nursing facilities. I had my Mother wait in the ER while I went to Roseville Point Health and Wellness Center outside of Sacramento, CA. It was the facility that Kaiser Permanente contracted with, and Kaiser recommended a week of physical therapy rehab for her back sprain. Advocating for and acting as my Mother’s Medical Durable Power Of Attorney-In-Fact as appointed in her active, up-to-date and notarized Advance Healthcare Directive and per her request, I told executive staff at Roseville Point that NO antipsychotic drugs were to be given to my Mother for any reason or under any circumstances and they assured me they wouldn’t. Having that assurance was what influenced my Mother and I to cautiously agree to the rehab care. We were lied to and mislead.
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Justice4GenineZizzo! Oh my gosh! Your mom’s story is almost identical to my dad’s! How terrible! I’m SO so sorry! Your story brings tears to my eyes and an ache to my heart.:( I can feel and totally resonate with your just anger. Your words are very powerful and well-chosen: ‘pharmaceutical rape…with hypodermic needles’ by ‘medical miscreants’. ABSOLUTELY! That is EXACTLY what it is…rape AND murder, and it’s apparently LEGAL! I’m glad you received at least SOME media exposure and shed some public light on this issue. Awareness is key. Although, you WERE aware, and you even TOLD the staff NOT to, under any circumstances, administer an antipsychotic to your mother, and they went ahead and did it anyway. We seriously need to get some sort of national legislation going on this issue, to hold the doctors and nurses responsible and culpable for their actions. This, unfortunately, seems to be an all-too-common occurrence, nation-wide.:(
Thank you for taking the time to read my father’s story and for your sincere condolences, and please accept mine as well. My heart breaks for you and your poor mother.:(
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Thank you so much for your condolences and understanding of this heinous crime. In honor and in memory of my Mother, my focus is to create public awareness and work with other elder abuse advocates in educating Law Enforcement that this crime must be aggressively prosecuted criminally in front of a jury where it belongs. The laws are already on the books and this type of abuse is defined in the Federal and State Criminal Elder Abuse Statues. District Attorneys can also add other felonies such as assault with a deadly weapon and great bodily harm to the felony elder abuse penal code and when the victim is over 70 years of age, the prison sentences can be lengthened like they are in child abuse cases. Elderly under Federal and State Law are considered “protected persons” and predators who dare abuse them can face very serious charges. Law Enforcement is being educated on how to successfully prosecute medical elder abusers and the tide is turning. In this case, former RN and convicted Felony Elder Abuser Gwen Hughes thought she was above the law when she pharmaceutically raped her elderly victims with Chemical Restraints but her luck ran out. Too bad the CA Attorney General’s Office didn’t stop her before she racked up 23 victims, three of whom died. This was the first case of its kind in California and Law Enforcement are starting to use the Penal Codes in place to prosecute these predators. Hopefully, we’ll see more cases like this one, where medical predators will go to prison for their crimes. Only then, will we see positive change…..http://www.bakersfield.com/news/former-nursing-director-sentenced-to-years-for-inappropriately-medicating-patients/article_ce583533-5757-5f4c-8c0b-36db29cca62b.html
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Thank you, Justice4Genine… for this great information and for all your activism on this issue. I HAD only looked into a possible medical malpractice suit, and I had contacted a few FL law firms and attorneys, relating my father’s story, and while they were very sympathetic, they did not seem hopeful that the case would gain any traction in the courts, at least not a medical malpractice suit. Here is one reply I received:
“Unfortunately, based on the information you have given us, I do not recommend a medical malpractice claim. That is because Florida has a very unfair Medical Malpractice Wrongful Death Act. When a person dies as a result of medical negligence there is no compensation for that person’s shortened life or their pain and suffering prior to death. The only things their estate can recover for are the funeral bills, and lost wages and medical expenses from the date of the malpractice to the date of death. These are usually relatively smalls sums and are generally not sufficient on their own to outweigh the tremendous costs and risks associated with pursuing the lawsuit. Additionally, the only people who are allowed to recover for the loss of a loved one due to medical malpractice are his or her spouse and any children s/he had who were 25 years old or younger at the time of death. It does not sound as though your father had any survivors who fit into these narrow criteria and therefore there is no one who would legally be able to recover for the grief and pain caused by his loss. It is a grossly unfair law, I realize. My only suggestion is that you contact your state legislators and demand that ALL wrongdoers be held accountable for their actions.”
However, I should look at the Felony Elder Abuse laws or statutes for the state of Florida! Thanks for the tip! Keep up the great work, and thank you for your passionate activism!
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I’m highly aware of how corrupt the State of Florida is. Debbie McGraw Sowden shares her Dad’s horrific story that happened in Florida and it is a chilling tale where she watched her Father bleed to death….from his RECTUM! This poor man died a horrible death and to make matters even more strange, the medical examiner’s office issued is death certificate as a “John Doe” with the social security number of 999-99-9999 and there is a man she doesn’t even know, listed as “next of kin”! Her Father isn’t even buried yet! Like you, she can’t sue because her Mother as her Dad’s spouse is also deceased and Debbie is over 25…..https://www.facebook.com/debbie.mcgrawbarger/videos/10208591242797912/?autoplay_reason=user_settings&video_container_type=4&video_creator_product_type=0&app_id=350685531728&live_video_guests=0
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Something screams to me “federal civil rights suit” — is this a possibility?
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Suzanne, Justice 4, and anyone else I missed in this thread who lost elderly parents to chemical rape, I am so sorry for what happened. Words absolutely fail me.
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Thank you, AA, for taking the time to read my father’s story and for your sincere condolences. Chemical rape is a good and proper term I would say. Legally-sanctioned rape, abuse, and murder of our elderly. As I said to another reader, I truly pray that there is such a thing as Karma, because these sad specimen of humanity (the doctors and nurses masquerading as ‘health care workers’) surely deserve theirs. Peace and blessings to you and yours…~~
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Thank you for your condolences. We must be a voice for our vulnerable and beloved elderly. If we don’t speak up, create public awareness and fight for justice, no one else will. “The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a duty of the living to do so for them” – Lois McMaster Bujold
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This deserves a new thread:
I can only assume it’s a mass conspiracy between gov and medicine to get people off the Medicare rolls and into the ground, probably achieved with just a few winks and elbow nudges.
If it weren’t, wouldn’t it have stopped by now?
Remember in the early days of Obamacare when “Repug” leaders were accusing the “Democrites” of this? — I’m forgetting the term they used, but it involved the govt. deciding who would & wouldn’t die when people got too old for it to be worthwhile keeping them alive. Anyway, this sort of practice — clearly criminal and likely genocidal — makes it seem like not so crazy a charge after all.
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The term was Death Panels – one of Palin’s favorite sound bytes.
As for Obamacare, consider me the poster child. Before I could get on disability and Medicare, after twenty years of poly-drugging especially on Klonopin, I also suffered from two torn meniscus joints, misdiagnosed, when I worked and had insurance, as “plyca syndrome.” No one would operate, both Emory doctors said, on someone as physically active who could manage the pain.
Fast forward two years and I had no job and no insurance. I operated a small business that allowed me to barely qualify for Obamacare in a state where the governor rejected Medicaid expansion. Thanks Governor Haley – I hope you’re having fun at the United Nations – we don’t miss you here. I understand you’re “taking names” for the -ugh – new administration. Good luck with that.
Both knees were fixed in 2013, after I ballooned up to 240 pounds and could not walk my dog around the block, without someone on call. By 2015, I was down to 182 pounds – and running 8 to 10 miles every other day. Never would have happened without Obamacare. I understand it did not work for everyone, but for me? All that taxpaying for 35 years finally paid off – it saved my life.
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That’s the term, “death panels.”
Sounds like you were screwed by your employer way back when.
Actually I wasn’t commenting on “Obamacare” per se, but the confusion of “treatment” with “care.”
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Oldhead,
Your right wing rhetoric is total bullshit and extremely harmful.
Right now, I have a medical issue that is going to require seeing a doctor today. Without Obamacare, I would be up shit’s creek. God help me and everyone else who depends on this insurance if it is taken away by the Republicans whose solution to health care is that people die off quickly.
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Oldhead is the furthest thing from ‘right wing’.
Obamacare is a joke when your deductible is 5 grand and your co-pay is prohibitive.
Single payer NOW!
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HB,
I totally agree with you that Single Payer is the best option which unfortunately, is never going to see the light of day. But having Obama Care is better than not having any insurance at all.
Well, saying the Government is conspiring with medicare to kill seniors is definitely a right wing talking point.
Fortunately, my medical issue turned out not to be a crisis and it looks like I can wait until Tuesday to see my PCP. But if I had needed emergency care, as I said previously, I would have been in big trouble without health insurance.
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Well, saying the Government is conspiring with medicare to kill seniors is definitely a right wing talking point.
I would say they’re simpatico at least. Focus on whether or not it’s accurate, not whose spin it supports. (Democrats and Republicans are BOTH right-wing btw.)
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Single payer NOW!
This^^^
We will never get it by asking for it. We must demand it.
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Okay,… I really don’t wish for this comment section to deteriorate into a false left-right paradigm political bout. Oldhead and Humanbeing, I’m going to have side with you, however. Obamacare has been a horror story for patients and doctors alike, and as oldhead pointed out, it is corporate-controlled medical ‘care’; it is monopolistic and fascistic (government married with corporate) medical ‘care’, and the ‘care’ is sub-par at best, and in my dad’s case, criminal and deadly. Oh! But his Haldol and Ativan WERE covered by our wonderful ‘health care’ system so, I guess I shouldn’t complain! (sarcasm noted) Anyway,… please… no more political discussion? Thanks, all, for your passion and comments…
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I agree. Antipsychotic drugs are not approved by the FDA for off-label use in the elderly and the FDA has a Black Box Warning of the increased risk of death in the elderly and yet, Chemical Restraints continue to be a rampant problem in healthcare facilities. Medicare is not supposed to pay for these drugs in this manner, but they do indeed pay. In other words, taxpayers are paying for elder abuse! This is not a GOP vs DEM issue because both sides are equally guilty; The Center For Responsive Politics has complied a comprehensive data base for people to view. In 2016 the Pharmaceutical and Insurance industries were the leaders of the pack in “lobbyists” to our bought-and-paid-for Government, spending a whopping $244M and $146M; in 2015, they spent over $241M and $157M. Follow the money. The Hippocratic Oath should really read “First Do No Harm….to shareholders”!…https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/top.php?showYear=2016&indexType=i
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Anyway,… please… no more political discussion?
Maybe it’s a matter of definition, but…politics is basically the science of power (organized and otherwise) so I’m afraid this is a hard request to fulfill. But if you mean democrats vs. republicans, I agree we need to be looking at things on a deeper level.
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Suzanne,
If my medical situation requires surgery or expensive tests, having Obamacare will be a big time life saver. I understand where you are coming from regarding your father but for people like me who are in similar situations, I would be up shits creek without it.
I am actually more scared of losing my coverage or seeing it turn into something alot worse vs. the possibility of experiencing the worst possible outcome of my situation.
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AA: Just remember… You are what you eat. Detoxify on a regular basis. Eat God’s (Nature’s) food over man’s food. If it’s in a can, box, bag, or requires radiating DON’T BUY IT. Get plenty of rest. Learn how to handle stress. Exercise. Get sun. Supplement (if you can afford it). Then, you don’t have to live in fear of falling ill or needing surgery (outside of accidents). TAKE BACK YOUR POWER!
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AA, was just trying to give some sound health advice. There was not judgement in my words. Read what you want into it, as you have. Bottom line, I am opposed to monopolized health care and corporate-controlled healthcare run by greed. I advocate for FREE MARKET health care, where all doctors of ALL GENRES are allowed to practice FREELY, on EQUAL footing. Period, end of story. And here is a good alternative for doctors and patients that is a good start, in my opinion. https://www.medibid.com
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/like-priceline-for-patients-doctors-compete-for-business-via-online-bids-for-surgery/2014/08/01/030d3576-f7e4-11e3-a606-946fd632f9f1_story.html?utm_term=.f604d5193563
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Not a damn thing about this is “right wing.” Corporate medical “care” is about as right-wing — and totalitarian — as you can get.
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Profiteering off the sickness of others is barbarism.
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Suzanne,
I know someone whose baby was born with haemophilia who will be royally screwed if he loses his Obama Care Coverage. Please explain how your advice would be applicable to his situation. And by the way, he and his wife eat a great diet that is strictly organic in case you wanted to claim their lifestyle had something to do with his condition.
There are also people who do everything right and still get sick. A perfect example are skinny type 2 diabetics who keep their blood sugar under control for years thanks to diet but still find it isn’t enough.
People with type 1 diabetes can greatly lessen their need for insulin with a high fat, low carb diet. See, http://www.lowcarbrn.com. But unfortunately, they still need it and if they didn’t have insurance, they would be up shits creek with the skyrocketing causes of insulin.
Suzanne, I understand your anger towards “conventional” medicine due to your father being killed. But is it really fair to make broad generalizations about people and their health that you would resent if the tables were reversed?
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Justice4GenineZizzo! Yes, that’s a great website (opensecrets.org) to see who the largest political contributors and takers are! Thanks for that. As one comedian stated (I forget which and cannot give proper credit, unfortunately): Politicians should be required to wear jackets or jerseys sporting the corporate logos of all of their financial backers and contributors. Would love to see that!
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I am associated with the local Hospice, and elders are *purposely* neglected or drugged for convenience. The quality of care for old people without family support or high-end insurance is dismal indeed — death panels by any other name.
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HB,
Wouldn’t the quality of care in the hospital usually be bad for anyone who can’t advocate for themselves or doesn’t have a family member to intercede? Have there been studies done about who is more vulnerable?
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What is that supposed to demonstrate, other than that hospital care under capitalism sucks in general?
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That’s exactly what it demonstrates!
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Oldhead,
I thought the question was important because it seems that anyone who goes into a hospital who can’t advocate for themselves is vulnerable. I saw how that could happen when I was hospitalised after surgery in 2015.
I am not sure what you mean about hospital care sucking under capitalism. All health care whether it be mainstream or alternative is practiced under it.
The issue is that many conventional doctors think that drugs are the answer to everything and are incapable of thinking outside the box. The horrendous nightmare with Suzanne’s father started with a blood pressure med because of that attitude.
Several years ago, when my mother was alive, she picked up a C-difficule infection and kept getting antibiotics that weren’t helping. No one thought to do some serious analysis of the situation a forward thinking infection disease specialist added probiotics to her regime. She finally recovered.
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Back in the very old days our local, city hospital was called the Pest House. It was called that because once you went in you usually never came out or if you did survive you were usually compromised with infection. Samelwise sp? was a medical person who realized the concept of infection but it took twenty years for other medical folk to believe him. So when people did need medical care they would delay and then in the delaying if it could have been cured it was too late. This happened to a relative. There are cycles that different systems go through reform -corruption- reform -corruption. Some cycle faster than others. Unfortunately , we are lucky to be living in massive corruption. If only we can be lava for the reformed part!
If you talk to old time nurses they will say there are big time issues with nursing care as it is done now. With a gray haired nod that it wasn’t perfect in any way shape or form back then.
Even in ICU’s there is more professional stuff time at the computer monitor than patient care and talk time.
And even the you are trying to do the 24/7 family caring – it is extremely difficult, draining, and very uncomfortable.
And mistakes and problems still are present. Just getting an IV put in can be fraught and wrought. When they have to cal the Air Flight team to put in an IV tube for a young girl and you are on the phone to the primary doctor’s office and can never ever to talk him directly almost crying because the third attempt was a botch and the Child Life worker is looking at you like this is sh—
So this isn’t just an elderly problem this is a crime against humanity. We are in the modern era and our medical care system is back in the 1890’s!! Thanks so much folks who brought this mess into our lives.I would blame the docs and other medical professionals who didn’t speak up loud or strongly, the government and the huge multilayered – multi factored medical corporate industrial complex that put greed ahead of every human life it touched.
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Hi, AA. Wow. Thank God your mother recovered from her infection. So many people die after getting C-diff or Staff, or some other infection (often while in the hospital) because the Western medical model doesn’t know how to address it. Again,…drugs are all they know, and they all have side effects. Anyone given an antibiotic of any kind NEEDS to supplement with a multi-strain, high-count PRObiotic and the B vitamins as well! 80% of our immune system is IN OUR DIGESTIVE TRACT, and the microbiome (our gut bacteria) play an incredibly important part in that! Anyway,… I’m glad your mother found an out-of-the-box thinker before it was too late. <3
Ya, I don't blame capitalism for our deplorable healthcare. I blame corporate-controlled healthcare. If we had a TRULY free market, TRUE capitalism, where every kind of doctor is able to provide care and is on equal footing, without the Western medical model (the failed model) being given priority; where Naturopaths, and chiropractors, and Ayurvedic practitioners, and Functional Medicine doctors, and acupuncturists, AND western medical docs were all allowed to offer their services at the prices of their own choosing; THAT would be a TRUE free market; and then those that provide good service and get good RESULTS would do very well; and the doctors that kill their patients and get NO results or make their patients WORSE, would be out of business right quick! THAT is true free-market capitalism–something we DO NOT HAVE and probably never will (in my lifetime). Sad but true.
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Thanks Suzanne.
You make some great points about true capitalism. How do you see that working regarding hospitals, particularly since costs are so high?
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Hi, AA. Hmmm… I’ve not really thought it through that far but,… I guess the government could set a MAXIMUM allowable charge, and then hospitals could set their fees accordingly and compete amongst themselves? I’m not sure how we would work it in terms of hospital care, emergency surgeries, and the like; but for all other types of care, where the patient has time to ‘shop around’, doctors could compete amongst themselves. For instance, after receiving a cancer diagnosis, instead of being given only chemo and radiation and surgery as your only options; you could go to a holistic clinic; or to a place like the Gerson clinic, or an Ayurvedic clinic, or just use CBD oil or other natural cure of your CHOOSING, and those type clinics will compete to provide the best service and best results at the most reasonable cost! Again,…I’ve not thought the whole paradigm through 100% but,… it’s a work in progress…
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Sorry, no. There is no “true” capitalism which is different from that which actually exists. This is similar to saying that there is a “true” fascism that isn’t as bad as the Mussolini/Nazi variety.
The function of capitalism is to shift the world’s wealth into the hands of tyrants, something it’s doing very effectively at the moment.
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Sounds like what you are opposed to is not truly capitalism but crony-capitalism or corporatopcracies.
No political or economic system will work where selfishness is the norm and the weak and vulnerable are ignored or exploited. A society’s true worth can be measured by how they treat their weaker members.
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Selfishness as the norm and exploitation of the people is essentially the definition of capitalism.
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I do not like Ayn Rand, by the way. After reading her writings, my Cousin Bob turned into a selfish jerk.
I think the best economic society is probably the one outlined by Moses in the levitical law. But it would require a bit of modifying because we’re no longer an agrarian based society. Becoming more agrarian than we are would be a step in the right direction though….
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Right, FeelinDiscouraged. I am opposed to CRONY-capitalism and corporatism. But, I agree with you. No economic system will work in a morally corrupt society, which America has become. Again,…why I choose to live abroad. It’s nice to live among people who respect one another and take care of one another. America has lost its way.
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Hi, Robert. Thanks for sharing your story. My gosh! The doctors and Big Pharma sure put you on a not so fun roller coaster ride too, sounds like. I’m glad that you were able to find and afford good care finally and now are back on track. Thank God! Blessings to you, and thanks for reading my dad’s story.
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hi, suzanne.
Of course they killed him- it’s what they do best.
so sorry for your loss- your dad sounds like a really awesome guy. just hold on to the memories of how he was before the villains got their hands on him,
thanks for sharing your story. my family has a story of devastation at the hands of dr/big pharma, and i truly believe that by telling our story over and over, i am saving lives.
in addition, i write letters all the time to mainstream publications and journalists. they almost never print the excellent, true letters i write, but i know that if i’ve given them pause, or if my letter has passed the desk of someone struggling with this topic, i might just have saved a life.
keep on being a truth teller. all the very best,
-erin
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Hi, Erin, and yes, my dad truly was a pretty awesome guy. I was very fortunate to have had him in my life for as long as I did. I wish I’d been a better, more attentive daughter.:( But, his spirit and his memory still live on. Thank you for taking the time to read my dad’s story, and for your kind words. Though you did not go into detail, I am very sorry for what you and your family have endured at the hands of the medical-pharmaceutical mafia as well. I will forever be a truth-seeker and a truth-teller, and I am glad there are people like you out there doing the same. Blessings and Godspeed!~~
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hi again. an ugly, long story that i’ve told in pieces here and there on this site. began with my husband and father to my kids and a bottle of xanax prescribed for no reason, and me begging him not to take it- and continued with him practically homeless and a family in ruin. a boring, common story of prescribed pill after pill with no admission by drs that they were creating a monster. today he is knowing of all truths and all drug free for nearly two years ( after at least ten). we both advocate, lobby, write, confer and preach about the worst epidemic of our time- the collusion of big pharma, psychiatry and other medical “professionals”. i like how you write without flinching. a lot of the problems are black and white and too many otherwise advocates make exceptions. but if a problem is not chemical or biological the solution can never ever be. that’s the bottom line. blessings and hugs. keep on fighting
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My wife saved her dad from a similar fate. I wrote a blog about it a while back. He was put on Risperdal and became rigid and tense and unable to sit up or talk. After she got him off, in three days he was chatting and laughing and trying to feed himself. And yet somehow, none of the staff seem to have noticed that the drugs had almost completely disabled him. Or more likely, they considered it a “successful treatment.” Honestly, it would be kinder to kill the people outright, but I guess they couldn’t collect insurance for them if they were dead.
The normal psych world is dark enough, but what they do to senior without even the pretense of something actually medically wrong with them is downright evil.
— Steve
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Steve! Thank you so much for your very kind and sincere words of condolence as well as your very powerful and rightly expressed words of disgust and indignation as to how our seniors–once some of the bravest, most innovative, intelligent, honest, and hard-working of our nation–are mistreated. It IS downright evil! I really don’t understand how anyone (let alone a doctor or nurse who supposedly went into their profession to ALLEVIATE human pain and suffering) can do obvious harm to another living being, who came to you for HELP and in TRUST! Anyway, thank God your wife was able to be there for her dad and to save him from similar or worse fate. I wish him (and you) a long and fulfilling life. Peace and blessings to you always.~~
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Steve
You ought to go and visit a geripsych unit somewhere. I would liken it to the old asylum system of bedlam. It’s unbelievable to say the least and very disturbing if you truly care about the elderly. The unit I visited had everyone locked in those damned geri-chairs and people were screaming and yelling and the staff just acted like nothing was amiss. When I was the nursing home chaplain I visited our residents who were in the hospital. We sent one of our ladies, who was known to be quite loud and very out of touch with her surroundings, to this geripsych unit and it was traumatizing for her. I felt so badly leaving her there in the middle of all that chaos and confusion. From then on I always advocated against sending anyone to one of these units.
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Thank you for this. So sorry for your loss. 🙁
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Dear Suzanne, My deepest sympathy and prayers during your grief for you and your family as you grieve the loss of your father. He sounded like a wonderful person with a loving family.
Was the healthcare proxy invoked? Was the hospital contacting family about his care? Haldol and Ativan? That is terrible first line “treatment”, really Behavior control. Seroquel and risperdal as PRNs maybe if sundowning in dementia patients with violent outbursts. But hospital should be talking to HCP and family about any such treatment. Elders certainly are very vulnerable in this healthcare system. Families are often not close by and sometimes estranged. I see a lot of elders being neglected and alone. Other families I have are needing to take FMLA and quit their jobs trying to care for their parents.
Good hospital staff should be trained to serve patients who are “acting out”. It takes patience. You never take it personally even when sworn at and hit which has happened many times to me. Patients are often just scared, helpless and confused. How horrible to be in a place you did not choose and with people you do not know and facing death.
My advice is to have healthcare proxy completed and discuss end of life decisions when one is healthy. Appoint a healthcare proxy and alternate whom you know will carry out your wishes. Family meetings by phone and in person should be happening at the hospital. If not ask for them. ” Honoring Choices” is a great resource for this. If have more than $2,000 in the bank consult an elder attorney or at least understand elder law.
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Dear KnowledgeIsPower: (Indeed! Wonderful screen name!)
Thanks for your kind and sincere words of condolence and for all of the great advice and info for myself and other readers. My sister up in Ohio (Dad was down in FL) DID have healthcare proxy, and Dad HAD made out a living will several years prior, which my sister also had and was privy to. Unfortunately, neither I nor my sister was contacted by anyone until after he’d been in the hospital for several days and given the IV antibiotics followed by the Haldol. Dad was abused and taken advantage of from the moment he set foot in that God-forsaken hospital masquerading as a ‘health care facility.’ He had no one there to advocate for him, and for that, I will forever carry a heavy burden of guilt that weighs heavily on my heart.
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Suzanne,
When my mother was alive, every time she had an adverse reaction to a med, she would add it to a list which got to be so huge, it scared the sh-t out of doctors in hospitals. I have always felt that saved her big time from being over-drugged.
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Smart lady! Unfortunately, the blood pressure medication was the first medication Dad had been on, other than the synthroid for his thyroid, and so that was the first adverse reaction he’d ever experienced! First and second-to-last. ‘Great’ medical care.:(
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My mother got to start the blood pressure med “fun” earlier in her life. So she had time to benefit from her reactions. Of course, I am being facetious which is sad.
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Regarding capitalism and healthcare, I need to make this one quick, but my advanced degree is in international business, with a concentration in economics and finance.
To understand how this mess started in modern terms, we have to return to the Emergency Room Care Act, which President Reagan signed in 1986. It required hospitals to provide medical care to anyone regardless of ability to pay or citizenship status. It was the closest system we ever had that compares to a single-payer system, but it was still a far cry from ones like Hawaii and those that work in European-style capitalist countries. Ironically, it was a very liberal position for this Republican icon to take.
However, the long-term disaster stemmed from the fact that these services were not “free,” meaning low to moderate income people were still billed for medical services they could not afford in the first place or they would not have taken advantage of this law. That no one foresaw the catastrophic, inevitable consequences eludes me.
As the debt mounted, with compounded interest and penalties, more and more people filed bankruptcy.
It would have been so much better to fund more free clinics than to expect for-profit hospitals (and that includes state and nonprofit hospitals that still have to pay their bills) not to take a defensive action. Unfortunately, their bottom line is far more important to them than your health or longevity. And the mindset that drives these detached business decisions is rooted in the antiquated idea that untethered free-market forces will reach a “natural” balance and price point that produces the greatest net benefit to society. How many times do we have to learn that is not true? It does not work that way because of greed – a far more powerful driver than free-market forces. After 2008, even an abashed Alan Greenspan admitted this much in congressional testimony. He assumed that the banks would place their stakeholder interests above their own personal wealth.
Not when your CEO has a $30 million golden parachute!
In general, this cycle created by the Emergency Room Act resulted in two very serious problems from a macroeconomic perspective: 1) healthcare debt became a major driver of our national deficit, and 2) the hospitals and insurance companies passed this bad debt to clients who could pay, which resulted in escalated healthcare costs and insurance premiums, compounding and already escalating deficit.
Hopefully, you can see how these two interconnected variables reinforced a disastrous cycle that further derailed the economics of our healthcare system over three plus decades.
What we call Obamacare – originally an idea proposed by The Heritage Foundation (the most conservative think-tank in the nation) – and rolled out by a Republican governor Mitt Romney in Massachusetts – was a macroeconomic attempt to slow down or reverse the INFLATION RATE of health care costs – not the amount that people spent on healthcare or medications – by creating a way for more people to purchase healthcare insurance, thus shouldering their share of the costs.
From a capitalist perspective, more spending is not necessarily bad – the more people who invest in a particular market, the greater the demand for services, which in turn should generate greater competition. In theory, it should reach a price equilibrium – but healthcare is a basic need, not a fashionable accessory. It does not respond to the same economic dynamics as – say – personal electronics and designer clothing. This is not strictly my opinion. It is the opinion of MODERATE Nobel-Laureate economists.
By its very nature, Obamacare was designed to increase the amount that the populace in general spent on healthcare, not an attempt to improve the quality of healthcare, nor reduced premiums per se. The more people with access to healthcare insurance, the more money people would spend on doctors and prescription medications – that one is a no-brainer. And it could not have passed the congress and received endorsements from the insurance companies, the pharmaceutical companies and the American Medical Association unless they expected it to increase net profits. To expect these major corporate influences, which have hijacked congress thanks to Citizens United, to sacrifice even 1% of their net profits for the greater good compares to asking a tiger to go vegetarian. Corporate trustees rarely behave as ethical or moral individuals. They exempt themselves from personal responsibility through group-think and complex statistical and business-decision-making paradigms under the guise of “objectivity.”
They do not care who lives or dies. The healthcare system profits from disease. It feeds on the sick and the elderly, much like any apex predator. That is the bottom line….and their only concern is myopic quarterly earnings reports and stock price fluctuations – they don’t even care about the long-term stability of their companies and the healthcare sector in general. The average CEO is concerned with his next quarterly Board meeting and little else, with rare exception.
I had very mixed feelings about the idea that Obamacare included access to mental healthcare. Great! More people with access to 15-minute med checks at prescriptions mills? Bad medications that enhance the chances of them ending up on disability?
If you are not a subscriber to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, you may not be able to access this editorial about the current administration’s plans to further streamline FDA procedures and guidelines. As argued by the former President of Pfizer International – he makes it very clear these plans will benefit pharmaceutical companies but will impede longitudinal studies of the impact of new pharmaceuticals on the bio-markers of all medical illnesses on large populations.
http://www.sciencemagazinedigital.org/sciencemagazine/24_february_2017_Main?sub_id=2cN5K8gDwYDY&u1=41599237&folio=777&pg=9#pg9
With the exception of plagues, this approach is critical to understanding whether or not medications that demonstrate short-term promise stand the test of time and do not backfire. Specifically, he refers to recently introduced Alzheimer’s medications that showed short-term positive impact on amyloid deposits, but long-term have proven useless at best. We wasted tons of money on these new medications for my father that simply do not work. So I think a single-payer system is the solution, but not without more stringent regulations on how and when these drugs go to market.
it’s called ethics – and it’s dead.
As much as I admire Obama, his last appointment to head the FDA was indicted on $125 million dollars in racketeering charges. Her husband posed as an “artificial intelligence” engineer, while he secretly ran a hedge fund that invested in pharmaceutical companies.
Their net worth increased from $10 million to $125 million in about three years. You really have to have your head up your ass (pardon the justified explicative) not to expect some prosecutor to see a flapping red flag when a federal appointee generates that much personal wealth in such a short period of time. It does not happen without insider trading, and she was uniquely positioned to violate those laws in a high-profile position. This link takes you to the article about the indictment:
https://www.federalcharges.com/news/2016-04-25-former-fda-commissioner-named-in-massive-conspiracy-and-rackeetering-lawsuit/
The last time I checked, Obamacare worked in the sense that it reduced the healthcare inflation rate (not the total amount spent or premiums) to its lowest rates in 50 years. But it was SCOTUS and not the President, or even a Republican Congress, that threw a huge monkey wrench into the original legislation by allowing governors to reject Medicare expansion, which would have covered those most in need.
In doing so the poorest states – which also tend to be the most conservative (Hello from SC!) – not only threw the most vulnerable populations under the bus, but denied a guaranteed nine-fold return on the investment in the program, denying this state’s healthcare sector an infusion of tens of millions of dollars that would have otherwise generated competition and helped to drive down healthcare costs in theory. As with all major economic paradigm shifts, you never really know the impact until at least five years after the fact. I still consider it a step in the right direction, but hardly a perfect leap.
The harbinger of turbulence was always healthcare premium spikes and that has happened as insurance companies that cannot profit in states where the governor rejected Medicaid expansion closed their doors and hiked rates to protect their net profits in other states. That is how major corporation behave – they cut their losses and try to protect shareholder value by making up the difference elsewhere.
This is a non-partisan analysis. While I loved this last President for a variety of good reasons, we do not live in a democratic system where the President has that enough authority to implement sweeping reform without compromise. In this case, that comprise – thanks to SCOTUS – threw the original intent of the legislation out of balance. And the future does NOT look good, regardless of your political leanings. We live in a boom and bust culture, driven by greed – he United States economy has imploded 16 times in the last 150 years and four times during my 50 years on this planet.
In comparison, how many times has the Canadian government gone bust?
Never….not once.
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Robert
Thank you very much. You have just provided a very educational exposure of how screwed up and oppressive our current healthcare system is, and how intimately it is connected to the inherent whims (inner logic) of the role of “capital” within a profit based capitalist system.
This healthcare crisis will only worsen in the coming years for exactly the reasons you have outlined. This will not (and cannot) get fixed WITHOUT major systemic changes that move us out of, and beyond, a capitalist based profit system.
The same could be said for saving the planet from environmental destruction and overturning and dismantling the oppressive nature of our so-called “mental health” system.
In all of these current oppressive institutions (Psychiatry, Big Pharma, and the Energy Industrial Complex etc.) profit and power rule the roost and guide their every move and decision. Until the masses of people seize control of these institutions, and the overall reigns of government, and install a more EQUALITARIAN NONPROFIT BASED ECONOMIC SYSTEM, all these problems we face will only get worse.
And finally, Psychiatry has now become a very useful way to control some of the more volatile sections of the masses – those who are most likely to become radical political activists and threaten the status quo. They will either drug you or incarcerate you (in their jails euphemistically called “hospitals”) and/or do both.
I am now of the belief that Psychiatry (and their paradigm of so-called “treatment”) will not, and cannot, be put into a museum where they belong with other historically oppressive institutions, unless and until we end capitalism.
Richard
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Thanks for your comments.
Tragically, I cannot foresee democracy “trumping” (pardon another vulgar word) unbridled capitalism ever – not after this election. We flushed our manifest destiny right down the drain.
In the absence of a political revolution, our best bet is a public relations strategy, similar to the one that brought big tobacco to its knees. Even so, tobacco companies continue to rake in billions in profits each year, but the public is much better educated about the risks, and fewer people smoke. It’s become socially unacceptable – that is our best hope right now. I hope we can convince fewer people to trust prescription medications, but where is the money?
I just lost a cousin to smoking-related dementia (like my father and grandfather) who was hooked back when even doctors suggested smoking was healthy. I also recently read that my personal nemesis, Ayn Rand, who I believe is responsible for the current mindset that there is no social contract – vehemently denounced the link between smoking and lung disease, even after she came down with lung cancer.
Guess what she did?
The icon of Darwinian capitalism started to accept social security and Medicare as she lay dying from a disease she denied publicly for decades, suckling off the “socialist” government she also denounced for decades. In his memoir, Greenspan was a meditating hippie before he met her. And Paul “Its the law of the jungle” Ryan is also a big fan.
As a nod to Darwin, he wrote a letter late in life lamenting that “survival of the fittest” had evolved into the false premise for corporate morality, much like Einstein lamented moral “relativism.”
The one institution right now with enough money to launch a massive PR campaign against psychiatry and its medications is the Church of Scientology. I perceive that most people, myself included (after I watched a recent documentary) hold this institution with less respect than psychiatry. In fact, I see eerie parallels in the way they collect private information and turn it against you until you conform to their unique mindset, and sip the cool aid.
Again, my apologies. I hope this makes sense. I am finishing the revisions on my second novel which is about a famous and perverse psychiatrist, confronted by the vengeful spirits of the patients he addicted and seduced, very very loosely based on the Paul Lazano case. I mean that I have researched these issues now for more than three years, and written a 190,000 word brain dump, so I am not manic. This information is entangled in my head. When I am in a hurry, it tends to unravel in my writing style.
Take care.
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In the absence of a political revolution…
Good — glad to see you acknowledge the need for a “political revolution” (though I don’t know of any sort of revolution which would not be political).
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I agree. I would love to see a political revolution and there is no other kind – but I have lost hope after this election. I would emigrate in a heartbeat, but the poor and disabled cannot leave the country.
I have not watched regular television since election night. American voters unfortunately have no world view. We are provincial. We do not travel or work outside the states. We never learn a second language, but we labor under the delusion of American exceptionalism, when most have no idea what’s happening on the global stage.
Who recognizes that China has increased its consumption of natural resources 18 times over in the last 20 years? Yet too many blamed gas price hikes on Obama – stupid. Oil futures and international cartels control gas prices, not a single American President. Yet we cannot force Exxon to invest in renewable energy sources.
Oh but wait! Exxon receives billions in government subsidies to develop fuel cells and renewable sources of energy, but what have they accomplished? Nothing and no politician is going to hold their feet to the fire.
Moody’s Analytics, not a liberal institution, predicted a “flight to safety” among foreign investors if a certain candidate was elected. It also predicted a minimum two-year extension of the recession, which is really a depression, but no politician would use the d-word.
These foreign investments equal about $4 trillion of our $14 trillion GDP – that’s roughly 30% of our economy – 30% of jobs, research, training, bonds and t-bills hanging in the balance.
I am no fan of Wall Street – that’s an understatement – but if Wall Street fears a certain Republican candidate, we all have sound reasons to fear for our economic future. It will go bust again, sooner than later, so save your pennies folks. The best way to predict the future is to examine historical patterns, and we have entered another cycle.
It happens roughly every ten years.
The Clintons are not exempt. He spent seven years revising and repealing Glass-Steagall and other financial regulations that de-regulated the housing and financial markets. As a result, he received too much credit for generating a short-term surplus, destined to end with yet another economic crash.
In the words of Arthur Stieglitz, the “roaring nineties” was just another crashing wave, fueled by Clinton de-regulation (worsened by Bush-Chaney) and the dot.com bubble, which also crashed right after Clinton left office. He was lucky – he caught a wave, when venture capitalists were throwing billions of dollars at doomed internet start ups. His policies were an economic sleight of hand.
As far as capitalism is concerned, I side with the moderates, like Jack Klugman. We cannot abdicate capitalism entirely, or we lose our global competitive edge. People have traded goods and services for profit since the advent of civilization, since we started to specialize in certain professions, based on the law of competitive advantage.
It does work to our mutual advantage. I have no problem with that, within given ethical constraints that tragically no longer exist.
I know the daughter of the founder of a major grocery store chain. He recently passed away at 95 without ever exercising a stock option. He split his stock more than 14,000 times. He treated his employees with dignity. He succeeded by figuring out how to drive prices down through greater efficiencies – that’s the upside of capitalism.
He also invested through strategic philanthropy in the communities in which they worked and lived. Regrettably, his passing marks the end of the “ethical capitalist,” but I worked in fundraising for 25 years. I knew too many millionaires and a couple of billionaires who were good people – on both sides of the political aisle.
But they are the exception and not the rule. I like the way President Obama expressed the need for more regulation at the top and a stronger safety net at the bottom. He said it’s not about economic regulation labeled inherently good or bad. It’s about the right regulations that prevent corporations from exploiting the consumer, without throwing the proverbial baby out with the bathwater.
As for Klugman, he believes as I do – in a hybrid system. Capitalism does a good job of distributing luxury items, like smart phones and -to quote a ridiculous preacher – fancy Lincoln Continentals 🙂
However, American capitalism cannot produce the right or humane outcomes in sectors like healthcare, education and prison reform.
The French, Canadians, Germans, Swiss, Japanese, etc…these are capitalist societies, but they have not forfeited their social contract, because they have a common cultural bond and are not a loose association of 50 states with a weak federal government. In addition, they were never infected by Ayn Rand – that hack, third-rate novelist, turned “economist,” whose primary contribution was feeding Richard Nixon’s ego-maniacal and paranoid agenda, with no true grasp of economics.
Now we are way out on a broken limb.
It’s just a matter of time.
If you made it this far, thanks for listening.
Few people do. Good night to y’all.
Sincerely,
Treading Water in the Red Sea.
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I would love to see a political revolution and there is no other kind – but I have lost hope after this election.
But revolutions don’t happen via elections, so that’s not a reason to lose hope; in fact until people abandon false hopes — such as that the system will provide the means to transform itself into one which meets people’s needs and eschews profit as a goal — no true change will occur.
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Wow, Robert, you have a lot to say. I’m pleased to read much of it, but some of it… not so much.
I have not watched regular television since election night. American voters unfortunately have no world view. We are provincial. We do not travel or work outside the states. We never learn a second language, but we labor under the delusion of American exceptionalism, when most have no idea what’s happening on the global stage.
Only the word “we” keeps this from being completely elitist. To the extent that any of it is true, why do you think that is? How did this situation arise, and who benefits from it? It’s like you are blaming other poor people for not having had the same opportunities that you may have had.
As far as capitalism is concerned, I side with the moderates, like Jack Klugman. We cannot abdicate capitalism entirely, or we lose our global competitive edge. People have traded goods and services for profit since the advent of civilization, since we started to specialize in certain professions, based on the law of competitive advantage.
It does work to our mutual advantage. I have no problem with that, within given ethical constraints that tragically no longer exist.
How come 8 human beings have as much wealth as half of the planet’s population? How come over half of the citizens of the richest country that the world has ever known live in poverty? Why do we have higher inequality than we did in the Gilded Age? How come scores of places in the US have water pipes contaminated with lead and no one is fixing them? How come there are more houses sitting empty in the US – often times rotting, as it benefits the landlord – than there are homeless people, who continue to go without assistance? How come one in thirty American children are homeless? I could come up with questions like these all day, but I think you get the idea… This is not the result of a lack of ethical restraints; this is what capitalism is designed to do.
I know the daughter of the founder of a major grocery store chain. He recently passed away at 95 without ever exercising a stock option. He split his stock more than 14,000 times. He treated his employees with dignity. He succeeded by figuring out how to drive prices down through greater efficiencies – that’s the upside of capitalism.
Okay, well, it’s obviously better to be under the control of a benevolent dictator than it is to be under the control of a tyrant, but the former is a dictator none the less. Liberals always always focus on the “free market” when they talk about capitalism, but they rarely mention the relationship between the employer and the employee. That relationship is inherently exploitative. That fact may not be as obvious to well-educated people who are fortunate enough to do meaningful work with some autonomy, or who are lucky enough to work for themselves.
I’m sure there must be some millionaires and billionaires who are decent people, but they are the pampered beneficiaries of a system that destroys the lives of countless other human beings (not to mention all the other forms of life; the Great Barrier Reef is now dead, for fuck’s sake) and will likely cause our planet to become uninhabitable.
President Obama was/is full of shit about most things, as is the entire political class in this country. What you are advocating for is called social democracy (the attempt to use regulated capitalism as an engine to meet social needs), and the Democratic Party has proven time and again that they are 100% against it. They proved it by undermining Sanders in the primary, and they just proved it again by “electing” Obama-ite/Clintonite neoliberal Tom Perez as DNC chair. The Democratic Party has nothing but utter contempt for social democracy. They are a fully neoliberal party now.
The problem with social democracy is that it only arises when the 1% is forced to compromise with workers or risk losing everything. Globalization has undercut worker power in all the industrialized nations that were formerly called “The First World,” even in the social democracies of Europe, and that is why we see a rightward trend there politically as well, as faith in the old arrangement deteriorates and opportunistic politicians use the opportunity to blame workers from other countries for the problem rather than the economic system itself.
(edited, as I had misread a sentence initially.)
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Uprising, interesting comments, esp. about the nature of social democracy. The equation of democracy with capitalism is what stands out about the term for me, i.e. the implication that it is a combination of socialism and “democracy.” True socialism is the most democratic system yet devised, though short-lived in most cases so far.
I also have a problem with the word “we” as used here by R. Pfaff, as the interests of corporate profiteers are not “our” interests, nor should they be of concern to us.
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Yes, there is an inherent contradiction even in the term “social democracy.” We had a lite version of social democracy in the US, beginning with FDR’s New Deal, but as soon as they could, the 1% rolled it all back. This is the central problem of social democracy: The workers’ relationship to the means of production is not changed. The 1% retains control and eventually uses that control to dismantle social democracy. That’s what happened here to our watered-down version, and that’s what is happening elsewhere. Another problem with it is that it has been predicated on (neo-)colonialism and/or fossil fuels extraction.
Furthermore, the 1% formerly had a good reason to invest in infrastructure in places like the US, because so much production was happening here. Now it is not, and they don’t want to pay for the infrastructure. They will now only do it for direct profit, which is why we see the proliferation of toll roads. And we can expect to see even more under Trump.
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The Church of Scientology was born one evening at a drunken card game held by science fiction writers. Hubbard was a mediocre, at least that’s my humble opinion, science fiction writer who stated that night that he was going to start a new religion. Everyone there laughed their behinds off and jeered him unmercifully. And then, years later, they had to acknowledge the existence of this group.
It’s really galling to me that this group is the only one that is really doing anything to fight psychiatry at all. They peg things pretty accurately in thier “documentaries” that they put out against the specialty of medicine that practices quackery.
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Richard and Robert! Wow! I read your posts from start to finish, and while I don’t agree with you 100% on all of the issues you touched on, I enjoy hearing different points of view, and I found both of your commentaries to be very informative, entertaining, and thought-provoking. You made a lot of very good points. Thanks for all the time you put into your writings and for opening my mind to new ideas. Blessings to you both.~~
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I will attempt to respond to the questions and criticisms above in a civil manner, and then I need to bow out. The major reason I deactivated my Face Book account back in October and never went back is the falsely impersonal barrier online that allows perfect strangers to trade insults like playground bullies.
It literally rots the brain, producing stress hormones associated with hippocampus damage, one major precursor to dementia. And I am convinced that social media drove the sheer lunacy behind the past election cycle. I guess I needed to learn this lesson twice. This experience quickly became an unhealthy one. I am once again reminded how easily people misinterpret each other online, and it always degenerates into into a nasty contest about whose right….and no one ever wins he debate.
Now I know this is not a safe space, and I accept responsibility for going off topic and sometimes not articulating what I mean in the clearest terms. I do not see where we disagree with each other to an extent that justifies the vitriol. I honestly cannot tell where some of your criticism is coming from – but I don’t attribute that to ignorance on your part. It’s yet another online communication hurdle. In particular, the comment about liberals focusing on free market theory is lost on me. Not because you are wrong or ignorant – I just don’t see the context. An example would help.
1. I think my 25 year track-record working on behalf of the poor and social justice issues speaks volumes. I have raised tens of millions of dollars for related causes and often as a volunteer. The idea that I am elitist in any way belies that you just do not know me, so I do take umbrage on that point. I do not blame poor people for our nation’s problems – it blows my mind that anyone would say that.
I spend my career improving the lives of people with HIV/AIDS, the homeless, food banks, abused children, unwanted animals, the environment, public education, etc…with a brief and unfortunate stint in the financial sector. I was not a good fit in that industry, because I am not driven by greed. I am driven by values. My only problem with the “poor” – is that they rarely vote and when they do, they often vote against their own economic interests – this is especially true in the south, where conservative religious values often override economic self interests.
Rather, I believe the American myopia referenced above stems from our geographic isolation relative to European countries, our historical status as the world’s superpower, meaning there is a tradition in our culture that every other country must follow our lead. I used to say that the rest of the world is obsessed with Americans, while Americans are obsessed with themselves. This issue is reflected in our educational system, which has failed to emphasize the importance of world history, cultural diversity and yes – second languages, depending on the state. I believe that an enhanced understanding of other cultural perspectives by immersing myself in that cultural and language enriched my mind more than any other academic undertaking.
I saw this dynamic in France where I WORKED there – not on scholarship or because I am affluent…that’s laughable. I busted my behind for that opportunity, and I immersed myself in a second language. I am on disability with a crippled nervous system thanks to Klonopin. Still, I have coordinated two major FR events that support LGBT rights especially those affecting youth in the south and I have written to damn good novels. Though I find the French very civil, they were frustrated that they had to learn American English to climb the corporate ladder – that was my frame of reference.
It had nothing to do with the poor in this country.
2. On the second point. For the most part, I think I agree with you? I only meant that in its simplest form, trading goods and services for an honest profit is not inherently evil or corrupt and even if it is – it’s here to stay, especially on the global stage. And we did that – we as Americans promoted capitalism and global free trade, beggars to our demise. I do not see a global communist revolution on the horizon, and I don’t think it would change human nature. To quote John Kenneth Galbraith:
“Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it’s just the opposite.”
There is no system where some people will not exploit others. George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” is an excellent allegory that makes the same point. The best solution is compromise – and if that means democratic socialism, I have long recognized my affinity for such a system. But it’s harder to achieve in the U.S. because we are not a small, homogeneous population, but an unwieldy association of 50 diverse states, with a weak federal government. I am fine with revamping the Constitution to expand the federal government, so that we can implement a more equitable system of wealth distribution, but I do not think it will happen….ever.
So perhaps that makes me a cynic, but it hardly makes me an asshole.
3. The relationship between employer and employee is inherently exploitative? Yes – some less than others, but the employer cannot profit, so the company cannot survive, unless the worker produces more value than he or she is paid in return, but it’s gotten out of hand. My sister was selling about $1 million in Hondas a year and making little better than minimum wage. That boggles my mind. It is usurious. You can better regulate compensation, but what do you propose to replace the employer-employee relationship? If you mean communism, it has not demonstrated a better track record for preserving civil rights and individual freedoms. It always turns into tyranny and it always fails as an economic model.
4. I supported Bernie Sanders in the primaries! I must not have communicated well that I fully grasp the forty-year growth in economic disparity and how it will inevitably lead to crash after crash, until we drive off a precipice. Your point about pampered beneficiaries is well taken. When I worked at Harvard – I took free classes but I never a student – I had a friend who worked as a researcher in the business school. He compiled lists of the ridiculous, entitled things the B-school students said. It was very clear that those most likely to become major business leaders had little understanding of what it meant to struggle…at all. For the most part, the campus was populated by “legacy students” and not geniuses.
But they were not evil people.
In business school, I heard classmates say things like – “Well, so Exxon is refusing to make their legally binding payments to the environmental groups cleaning up Prince William Sound. It’s their job to protect shareholder value, so that’s justified, right? I mean, she went on to say, “that’s their priority not the environment, and if they can manipulate the judicial system to protect their bottom line, then kudos to them, even when they are court-mandated and agreed to do so!”
I agree the mindset is beyond tragic.
Another gem? Someone else stated that the children working in Nike sweatshops were better off because otherwise they would become child prostitutes. So I am well aware of how business school does not teach people to create anything of economic value. Much like law school teaches how to win a case, but does not teach justice. And B-school certainly does not teach students to think beyond the bottom line…at all. It teaches them the science of making money for money’s sake. Humanitarian values are dead even in philanthropy – and I mourn that.
5. As for Obama, he is the one and only President whose policies had a direct, positive impact on my life. I love him for that, BUT I found his economic boasts disingenuous. Two immediate examples spring to mind. He boasted about creating more than 10,000,000 jobs – but what kind of jobs? In what sectors? What is the average salary? Creating 10,000,000 low-paying jobs in the retail and fast-food sectors is not an achievement. It only perpetuates economic disparity.
The other sleight of hand was his tendency to correlate stock market growth with domestic prosperity. Its a classic example of mistaken correlation versus causality. From the American investor’s perspective, the “stock market” is a 110 trillion-dollar dimension, with a mind of its own. I once wrote a humorous short story about exotic derivatives, which are based in quantum physics, developing into sentient beings. Actually, they evolved into drag queens with six-foot bouffants and AK-47s, who returned to earth to save the “gods” who created them from their own destruction. But back to business: American companies comprise about 25% of investment opportunities from the investor’s perspective. So you cannot correlate stock-market growth with domestic prosperity.
Even if the investor is buying Disney or Coke or Microsoft – these companies are American brands, but they not American companies. They are multinational conglomerates. Their chief interest is not the domestic economy or the American worker. They are their own nations and their chief interests are global free trade. If you but Coke stock, it probably does not benefit the domestic economy.
Obama did take a lot of false credit when the stock market rebounded. At the time, most American investors were not investing in the domestic economy. They were investing in emerging economies where the yields were much higher. The so-called B.R.I.C. countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China.
I could go on – but I think that’s enough and I have learned my lesson. I will not comment on the MIA or any other blog again. Yes, I write a lot because I am a writer. But these exchanges always degenerate – and this thread is full of examples that have nothing to do with me.
It seems like the nature of the beast.
Good night to you all and peace.
Forever and out.
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Hey Robert,
My internet time is running out for today, unfortunately, but I want to say this before I have to go: Believe it or not, I have nothing but respect for you. I didn’t intend anything I wrote as any kind of personal criticism. When I said that one blurb struck me as elitist, it was mostly because it sounded like a Democratic talking point as to why they lost the election. I didn’t like it and I still don’t, and I do disagree with you on several other points (though there are also many points of agreement), but that doesn’t mean that I dislike you or question your integrity in any way. I hope you will change your mind about commenting in the future. Seriously, I’d like to talk with you more, and I feel like your comments really add a lot to the discussion. Sorry that I gave you the wrong impression.
Sincerely,
another person who is trapped on disability because of psych drug damage (including from Klonopin)
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I saw no “vitriol” or personal attacks of any sort, so I don’t think apologies should be necessary. I really don’t know what that was all about. To disagree with someone is to risk giving them brain damage? That sure came out of nowhere. I didn’t expect such from Mr. Pfaff and I don’t think you should accept the guilt trip. Very odd.
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Yeah, I don’t see anything harsh in uprising’s response to you, Robert. Please do reconsider your decision about not commenting in the future…I don’t agree with some of your views, either, but your participation is most welcome.
Mountains can be made out of molehills thanks to super-sensitivity via iatrogenic damage? Only sayin’ that since I get that way, too.
Fellow Benzo-damaged person
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Robert
I would have to agree with everything you stated about health care. I once worked in a hospital owned and run by an order of Catholic sisters. They truly attempted to reach out to any and all who needed care, even if one couldn’t pay. Then, the hospital became too much of a drain on their economy what with the fewer number of sisters in the order to keep things going.
They sold their hospital to a large Catholic health conglomerate; it went around buying up smaller Catholic hospitals. Now, it’s a fancy hospital that charges an arm and a leg for everything and woe are you if you’re poor because you won’t be treated in their organization. The love and respect that the sisters showed to all is nowhere to be found. The dollar bill has replaced ministering to the health of all people in the community. And when you can’t pay they go after you with a vengeance.
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To me, the scary thing about all these Catholic hospital buys (6 in 10 hospital beds in the US!) is the fact that the healthcare you will receive can go directly against your own values because it is the Bishops’ Directives making the choices. There’s lots of talk about sex (contraception, abortion) but what about death? Advance directives don’t mean shit to the bishops making your decisions once you are in their beds.
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Interesting point. Only three percent of the patients in the hospital I’m talking about are Catholic’ they reflect the Catholic makeup of the state itself which isn’t heavily Catholic. Many of the doctors are not Catholic who practice there. I suspect that what happens to you depends heavily on the doctor that you have. What I’ve found in my own experience is that doctors in general have a difficult time letting a patient die with dignity and will try all kinds of things to not invoke the advanced directive. I sat with family members when doctors came in to find out what they wanted to do about making the decision to take their loved one off of life support. They chose their words in a way that often was not really honest about the situation and which gently nudged the family member to decide to not take the person off life support. It’s difficult to explain but I experienced it time after time. It was the rare doctor who came in and explained the facts clearly and then asked what the family member wanted to do. Often I would sit there with this perplexed look on my face when the doctor did this because the doctor and I both knew the patient’s situation wasn’t gong to end in their surviving and yet here the doctor was, not really being honest with the family member. It may be better now because this was when advanced directives were first introduced; perhaps things are better now.
However, you are right in that bishops are pushing all kinds of backward looking things in health care these days. The Roman Catholic Church took a turn for the worse, in my humble opinion, with the papacies of the Polish guy and Benedict. Francis is trying to pull things back into the modern world but many American cardinals appointed by John-Paul II and Benedict are reacting against him, as well as the backward Curia staffed by so many Italians who want to control the papacy for themselves.
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Lavendarsage, are you concerned that devout Catholics will euthenize the elderly and others? Or perhaps the opposite: extending heroic measures when ordered not to?
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The tendency from my experience in working in two medical hospitals is that they extend the heroic measures when ordered not to.
Roman Catholics are not about euthanizing the elderly and others. If anything they hold on to people. And as I stated before, what happens is very much determined by what doctor you have.
Doctors have their own issues, whether they’re honest about it or not. Every once in a while I ran across a doctor who was honest with people and didn’t try to move them subtly towards doing more heroic efforts when it wasn’t going to change the outcome. Some doctors cannot stand having a patient die in their care, for many reasons. The reasons vary as much as the doctors you’re dealing with.
A wise old nun once told me something that’s worth considering and understanding. In some cases, death is what brings healing to the person who is suffering.
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Personally, I just find it appalling that it is anyone other than the PATIENT making their OWN life-and-death decisions based on their OWN values, regardless of which way that pendulum swings. That anybody would ever feel so entitled to impose their own ethical values on another’s Most Fundamental Choice (to live or to die) just offends me to the core!
I am very different from the mainstream, in many fundamental ways, and I never want anybody assuming anything about what it is I want. They’d almost always get it wrong. If you assume I’d want mustard on my sandwich or peppers on my pizza, I live with a temporary condition of discomfort: I go without a meal, I get hungry, maybe grumpy. No big deal in the long run. But if you assume that I’d want to fight through terrible pain/trauma/debilitation and keep on living, you’d be Dead Wrong, but I’d be the one stuck with the consequences. If you assume I’d be okay sacrificing my ability to sing in order to keep on breathing (or breathing via machine, for even one minute), you’d be Dead Wrong. If you assume I’d accept a transfusion of someone else’s blood in my veins for any reason, you’d be Dead Wrong.
Now, turn the tables: think about how you would feel if I were an MD and felt entitled to decide YOUR care based upon MY personal values. Really sit with that scenario.
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I discovered that psychiatric drugs are really the same as street drugs and I can no longer continue taking them in good conscience. I’m sure no psychiatrist will respect my religious decision to remain drug-free if I fall into their talons again. (Telling them God wants me free from mind-altering drugs would make it even worse–if possible.)
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Stephen,
On a related note, this big local healthcare system keeps sending advertisements for expensive testing for strokes and related issues. So one day, I asked if it had ever occurred to them to promote screening for sleep apnea since studies have shown that the condition can lead to strokes. And if people were treated, it would be alot cheaper.
It was like I was speaking a foreign language. Unfortunately, I didn’t follow up with the name of a person I was given for some reason.
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Yes, I’ve seen those looks on their faces when you ask a question that they don’t want to deal with, especially if it doesn’t fit in with their agenda of expansion and raising prices.
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Dear Suzanne, So sorry for your loss. It’s like an octopus- the systems we have to live in – so many corrupt tentacles that reach out and reel us in yelling or not.
Yes medical malpractice help is hard to obtain and even when you do I am thinking there are gag rules and confidentiality agreements that make it. difficult for the word to get out to help and advocate for others.
Haldol has been used for decades to manage patients. It find it appalling its presence is still around to hurt and hider human lives. There was a so called “geriatric dose” in the early eighties when I was working in a urban centered hospital. Trouble was many of the residents and interns didn’t know about it and wrote out full dosages.
Sundowning is an issue. I wonder now if it has any ties to medicine side affects. Way back some of the nursing staff did try to mange folks without resorting to chemicals. It depended on the affect given by the patients. If you were humorous or easy – no problem.
Improv is supposed to help with folks. I highly doubt hospital and Nursing Home staff are trained in this type of technique in any way shape or form.
In our area there was a Elderly Facility Ombudsman which helped families with all the stages of pre admission and then on. There actually was a book written – “Tender, Loving Greed” by a woman who went through something similar to your awful story.
In some states, private for profit nursing home facilities were used to take on the flow from closed down state institutions – so much for true and real deinstitutionalization.
I have found some of the newer for profit hospice outfits appalling. Hospice was started with St. Christopher ‘s in London England. I do not think Elizabeth Kubler Ross envisioned the corruption that has taken place in our health related society.
And yes every person in a hospital bed should be allowed to have family and friend 24/7 support. That this is not allowed in psychiatric facilities is beyond the beyond.
I would hope some day we can if possible a national day of mourning for those killed by medical incompetence. Maybe a wall? as in a wailing wall not a border wall!
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Thank you, CatNight, for your kind and consoling words, and for making me smile. “…a wailing wall, not a border wall!” Haaa! Funny. It’s good to laugh now and again. Yes, both my mother and father now died in hospice. Well, my mom was at home, but hospice visited 3 times a week to bathe and change her. She died of a brain tumor back in 2009. Thankfully (?), Dad’s suffering was much shorter-lived than that of my poor Mum.:( Anyway, thank you for your thoughtful comments, from someone who knows and has seen it from the inside. Thanks for reading and for caring. Oh! And I’ll have to look up that book “Tender, Loving Greed”. Thanks for the tip! Be well always! Hugs and blessings~~
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That wailing wall with all the names on it of people tortured, maimed, or/and killed by coercive quackery under the guise of “medical care” (today it’s Rockefeller Medicine) , would probably extend 100 times longer in length then the Great Wall Of China and longer than that if names of the casualties of wars engineered by the oligarch’s were included . Truth be known not many names could be excluded from that wall . Vaccinations to the newborn, the initiation ceremony to the “wonderful” world of medical quackery , rising coercion ,realize that before you can even speak they claim the right to inject poisons into your bloodstream.
And yet there exists Traditional Naturopathy , nature , and maybe the possible escape into the wilderness.
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Everyone who reads this should be scared, because don’t think because your are a little younger you are safe from this kind of treatment.
Hospitals, and doctors in them, do what they like to you, whether its good medicine or not is beside the point. Your opinion, and your family’s opinion, or anyone else for that matter doesn’t mean very much to them.
They have a long list of, standard treatment options for you, depending on your age, and they make lots of money on you on each one of them, regardless of your need.
Remember always that medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in this country, and you could be one of them quite easily, and if that’s the case, there will be no consequences to your killers.
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I realize this was written years ago, but I felt the need to respond because your story is in a way my story…
First, I am so sorry for the loss of your father. I understand. Completely.
Our stories are similar in many ways. My father was an active 87 year-old. He was relatively healthy outside of arthritis and a mild heart arrhythmia which was under control. He could walk. He could drive. Heck, he could even still dance. His mind was very sharp.
But that all changed one day when his doctor concerned about his blood pressure doubled his dose of Lisinopril. On a lower dose of Lisinopril, my father complained of dizziness, but could still function. When the dose was doubled, he became weak and lethargic…and a little confused. He was tired all of the time which was very out of character for him. He was nodding off and napping more and more. We would later learn that the drug lowered his heart rate to dangerously low levels while he slept.
A fainting episode led to a 911 call and a trip to the hospital where they pumped him full of the drug Atropine to increase his heart rate. Later, I would learn that Atropine is dangerous for the elderly and there were safer drugs that could have been used. The doctors brought his heart rate back up to normal. The cost? My father had tremors and was now unable to talk, unable to swallow and unable to walk…side effects of the drug. The doctors never even considered the drug and blew off most of his new symptoms as “aging.” They finally gave up trying to figure out what was wrong with him and sent him home. My father would never regain his abilities (even though he tried) and suffered for 3 months until he died.
The difference in our stories is that I was the one who made the mistake of calling 911, and I WAS at the hospital all day every day from morning until late at night for the three days he was there. I was constantly questioning nurses and doctors and had to fight to get my father things he needed. The care my father received at the hospital was absolutely POOR. Even with me being there, I could not stop the horrors that happened. I could not get the nurses or doctors to listen to me. I could not stop what I had started with that 911 call. I could not save my father from the doctors and Big Pharma.
Health care in this country is death care. Especially for the elderly.
I’m so sorry, Dad. I should never have called 911. 🙁
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