Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I know another one. Your dentist probably doesn't take insurance. My eye doctor doesn't. Denistry is also more free market oriented due to a dearth of insurance paperwork, and that's why prices are reasonable for procedures. Same with LASIK and plastic surgery. My eye doctor is $30/exam, leaves his office early sometimes to be with his wife, and just does his own thing (wife also works in his office as the medical assistant).
Have you noticed how expensive veterinarians have gotten? We tend to be cheaper up here than in big cities, and it costs $50 just to walk in the door for what they call an exam, which seems to consist of temp and a weighing. Last time we adopted a new dog, we looked into vouchers for low income spaying. Since we aren't on gov't handouts, we were turned down, even tho our income is considered poverty level.
For those that scoff at supplements, they should review this article. The reason we have resistant superbugs is because they over prescribe anti-biotics. You even consume them in your meat.
Quote:
It turns out that, when taken in doses far higher than those recommended by the federal government, vitamin B3 is capable of significantly boosting the body's own natural immune system to the point where many diseases simply cannot survive. According to the study, vitamin B3 is capable of increasing immune capacity by 1,000 times, allowing the body to naturally fight MRSA and other deadly pathogens.
"This could give us a new way to treat staph infections that can be deadly," said Adrian Gombart, an associate professor at LPI, about the dramatic findings. "It's a way to tap into the power of the innate immune system and stimulate it to provide a more powerful and natural immune response."
How do you think that inferior quality medical students and residents will be able to take practice demands? Again, medicine selects not only those that are academically capable, but also those who are strong enough mentally to take the stress. I feel very little, if any stress, despite doing what I do (which is fairly invasive), as I have had good training and quite a bit of experience. It is just another day on the job (although I find what I do very interesting and maintains my attention).
If someone feels they are getting "burned out", they need to take a week of vacation and re-group. I take three weeks of vacation every year and position the times at four month intervals. Many physicians have up to eight weeks of vacation.
Government will force associations to lower standards to meet the seemingly infinite demand, or they will start their own boards to qualify doctors through a revolving door. It will be like glorious Cuba!
Have you noticed how expensive veterinarians have gotten? We tend to be cheaper up here than in big cities, and it costs $50 just to walk in the door for what they call an exam, which seems to consist of temp and a weighing. Last time we adopted a new dog, we looked into vouchers for low income spaying. Since we aren't on gov't handouts, we were turned down, even tho our income is considered poverty level.
For those that scoff at supplements, they should review this article. The reason we have resistant superbugs is because they over prescribe anti-biotics. You even consume them in your meat.
Show me the evidence that this actually works on these superbugs in patients who are infected?
I agree with the overprescription of antibiotics, however this is a byproduct of the market. Doctors need patients to return to them when they feel sick, in order to do that they need to meet patient's expectations. The Infectious disease society of America has been fighting with Big Agricultur for some time trying to reduce routine antibiotic use to make livestock grow quicker. Perhaps if we don't want superbugs we need an educated population that understands that antibiotics aren't necessary and may not be helpful all the time. I had 2 patients today I went around with this very topic . I don't think I'll see one of them again. Too many more of those, I might get fired.
Here's some examples to keep in mind:
American association of pediatrics does not recommend initial antibiotics for middle ear infections in patients above 2 years old
The american medical association recommends supportive care for sinus infections, most resolve on their own in the same time with supportive care
Guidelines from the AMA I believe recommend no antibiotics for cases of bronchitis.......
Yet, because of market and business pressures doctors will give antibiotics for all these to keep their patients happy. When what they (the patients) really need is to be told "lets follow up and make sure this doesn't get worse, but your immune system can take care of this on its own and we should save antibiotics for when you really need them."
If antibiotic resistance is really a concern for you, then market pressures need to be removed from medicine, particularly infectious disease. Patient placation is oftentimes bad for public health.
Oh and your little niacin advertisement. Interesting study it cites. Its based on one study done on blood and mice specimens. Not on real people. Who wants to go for that? I support continued studies that could show uses. From a public health perspective I would love to see some alternatives. Not to mention some dosing guidelines because niacin does have toxicities as well. Funny how the advertisement didn't list the niacin toxicities........
Oh, another funny thing, IDSA doesn't recommend antibiotics for your run of the mill MRSA on the skin/soft tissues. Incision and drainage is curative for many of them. Who needs high dose niacin and its side effects? Put a warm compress on it and get the thing drained!! Of course the IDSA must be some evil socialist organization with all their silly guidelines on preventing and treating really nasty infections........
Have you noticed how expensive veterinarians have gotten? We tend to be cheaper up here than in big cities, and it costs $50 just to walk in the door for what they call an exam, which seems to consist of temp and a weighing. Last time we adopted a new dog, we looked into vouchers for low income spaying. Since we aren't on gov't handouts, we were turned down, even tho our income is considered poverty level.
That is why I am pushing my daughter towards a Vet, instead of an MD.
People take better care of their pets, than they do themselves.
No dealing with for profit insurance companies, either.
His angle is for us to take control of our health, and quit relying on this flawed system. He aims to keep people out of the doctors office and hospital, by being informed on how to maintain health. Yes, he studies and recommends products that promote health, nothing wrong with that.
Mercola is a quack.
Quote:
Originally Posted by monkeywrenching
are you kidding, all those people who screamed for UHC think that it is free. it is just costing the rest of us money, just not the deadbeats and those on welfare.
I think everyone knows that good health care is expensive, no matter what the pay source.
The youngsters are sissies. We used to have to work three days without sleep, were punched, and subjected to the most horrific verbal abuse that one can imagine. I tell people about my training and they find it unbelieveable.
It is, however, a part of the process. If you can work and think effectively with someone screaming obscenities at you, you can work calmly and effectively in an emergency. Further, if you can work after not sleeping for a few days, then an overnight call is not that tough.
Today's physicians, when they come out of training, are not prepared for practice, as it is much harder than thier residency/fellowship. For us, practice, while grueling for most, is not a big deal, as it is easier than training. Today there are limits to the number of hours that a resident can work per week and "guarantees" that they will be able to sleep a certain number of hours. Further, the staff abuse is a thing of the past, due to the potential for litigation.
Medicine is a little like military training, in that in addition to information, one must be "toughened up" to be prepared for practice. Modern training is failing in that regard. I have a part time clinic at the VA, in which I used to have residents and med students. They said I was "too mean" to them, such that they no longer rotate through my clinic. I was on stafff at two universities and was considered to be one of the most mild staff members, although that was 20-25 years ago. Things have changed.
If you go into medicine- man up
+1
My surgical ICU rotations were 40 hours on, then 8 hours off, then 40 hours on again for a month at a stretch. We would come in at 4AM and work straight through until 8PM THE NEXT DAY. Then go home for 8 hours only to do the same thing at 4AM the next morning. After that, everything seems easy. After 4 or 5 years of that, you feel you deserve that light at the end of the tunnel. That may have been the problem though. If doctors don't have to go through that, they will not feel entitled. So now our new residents are going through "wussified" programs, where they can only work 16 hours at a stretch. It is becoming more like a regular job. But it's not a regular job. At most jobs, you are not called at 2AM to do an emergency c-section where the mother and baby are in a very real danger of dying, and the decisions you make can be the difference between the life and death of 2 young people. Then you have the occasional nights where these emergency scenarios hit you one after another after another. I don't think today's residents are nearly as well prepared as we are, because they did not go through the military-style training that we went through. It really does change you in ways that only people who go through it can know. I don't think I will ever burn out, because as bad as things get, they are never as bad as during residency. In practice, 24 hours is the longest shift I work, and 10 years after doing those 40 hour shifts, 24 hour shifts are still a cake walk.
+1
My surgical ICU rotations were 40 hours on, then 8 hours off, then 40 hours on again for a month at a stretch. We would come in at 4AM and work straight through until 8PM THE NEXT DAY. Then go home for 8 hours only to do the same thing at 4AM the next morning. After that, everything seems easy. After 4 or 5 years of that, you feel you deserve that light at the end of the tunnel. That may have been the problem though. If doctors don't have to go through that, they will not feel entitled. So now our new residents are going through "wussified" programs, where they can only work 16 hours at a stretch. It is becoming more like a regular job. But it's not a regular job. At most jobs, you are not called at 2AM to do an emergency c-section where the mother and baby are in a very real danger of dying, and the decisions you make can be the difference between the life and death of 2 young people. Then you have the occasional nights where these emergency scenarios hit you one after another after another. I don't think today's residents are nearly as well prepared as we are, because they did not go through the military-style training that we went through. It really does change you in ways that only people who go through it can know. I don't think I will ever burn out, because as bad as things get, they are never as bad as during residency. In practice, 24 hours is the longest shift I work, and 10 years after doing those 40 hour shifts, 24 hour shifts are still a cake walk.
I agree. If you went to a residency before the time restrictions went into place, you were worked to death. Practice is easy in comparison. In the first ten years of my practice after fellowship, we were on call every third night and usually worked all night. There was no "day off" after call- you just had to work and hope for the end of the day. "Regular days" usually started at 0600 and went to 1900 or 2000. That was tough, but not as hard as residency.
I finished residency 25 years ago and fellowship 23 years ago. A lot has changed (in my opinion for the worse). Keep in mind that with all these restrictions of work hours, residents are being exposed to far less "hands on" experience than they should have. If they are going to cut the hours, then extend the number of years in residency.
The younger docs coming out now are not as well trained as a result and have a hard time adjusting to a "normal" medical work schedule.
+1
My surgical ICU rotations were 40 hours on, then 8 hours off, then 40 hours on again for a month at a stretch. We would come in at 4AM and work straight through until 8PM THE NEXT DAY. Then go home for 8 hours only to do the same thing at 4AM the next morning. After that, everything seems easy. After 4 or 5 years of that, you feel you deserve that light at the end of the tunnel. That may have been the problem though. If doctors don't have to go through that, they will not feel entitled. So now our new residents are going through "wussified" programs, where they can only work 16 hours at a stretch. It is becoming more like a regular job. But it's not a regular job. At most jobs, you are not called at 2AM to do an emergency c-section where the mother and baby are in a very real danger of dying, and the decisions you make can be the difference between the life and death of 2 young people. Then you have the occasional nights where these emergency scenarios hit you one after another after another. I don't think today's residents are nearly as well prepared as we are, because they did not go through the military-style training that we went through. It really does change you in ways that only people who go through it can know. I don't think I will ever burn out, because as bad as things get, they are never as bad as during residency. In practice, 24 hours is the longest shift I work, and 10 years after doing those 40 hour shifts, 24 hour shifts are still a cake walk.
These ego posts make me laugh.
I'd like to know how many patients you had in your years of iron man shifts would agree that you are as fully functional as you think you are when you're sleep deprived. Do you think theyll all say "oh I didn't know that doctor was sleep deprived, he didn't mess up anything"
I hear about botched or screwed up operations all the time from patients and old doctors from these "glory days" making mistakes all the time. I see it happen, I'm far from perfect, I'm a lowly mid level, but I've never had a supervising doc that has been perfect either, and most of them are old enough to collect social security.
Providers make mistakes, mistakenly prescribe drugs that have potentially bad interactions, and they can make mistakes in procedures. The only difference between you and these weakling residents you want to bash is that your brain is probably far more capable at this point of performing mental gymnastics to forget about the cases you screwed up when you were sleep deprived.
Drop the ego and focus on the patient well being, not your egotistical boot camp that sacrifices patient well being for doctor
training.
To be fair, I do agree, lengthen a residency out to give more experience but the exhausting hours aren't a learning experience. The only way someone remembers something when they've gone 40 hours without sleep is if they screw something up and the adrenaline rush of fear burns it into their brain.
I agree. If you went to a residency before the time restrictions went into place, you were worked to death. Practice is easy in comparison. In the first ten years of my practice after fellowship, we were on call every third night and usually worked all night. There was no "day off" after call- you just had to work and hope for the end of the day. "Regular days" usually started at 0600 and went to 1900 or 2000. That was tough, but not as hard as residency.
I finished residency 25 years ago and fellowship 23 years ago. A lot has changed (in my opinion for the worse). Keep in mind that with all these restrictions of work hours, residents are being exposed to far less "hands on" experience than they should have. If they are going to cut the hours, then extend the number of years in residency.
The younger docs coming out now are not as well trained as a result and have a hard time adjusting to a "normal" medical work schedule.
My first job out of residency was like that. We worked the day after a 24 hour shift. We could make more money that way because that is one less doc we would have to hire. In my current practice, we make a little less, but it is really nice going home at 7AM.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
