Is it “Healthcare” or “Health-don’t-care”?

This is Part 8 in a series on Alternative Healthcare.

It has been an interesting year with regard to healthcare. I get a lot of questions on this topic from several platforms as well as just conversation. I write about two folks who have recently experienced a decrease in the quality of their healthcare. These are meant to be reflective examples and the names have been changed to preserve the individuals’ privacy.

Billy Joe Jim Bob went to the hospital with severe abdominal pain. He was given the appropriate tests and CT scan an it revealed acute diverticulitis. The treatment was antibiotics, stool softeners, and pain medication. BACKSTORY: Billy Joe, however has bad kidneys and cannot take the regular over the counter NSAIDs. He had a kidney stone attack four years ago and the only appropriate pain reliever for him should be metabolized by the liver and not the kidneys. The only pain relievers he has had any success with are mild narcotics such as hydrocodone or oxycodone, as they are metabolized in the liver and not harmful to the kidneys. He has spent the past four years avoiding NSAIDs completely, taking potassium citrate for his kidneys, drinks a gallon of water a day, as he does not want kidney stones, as they are super painful. If you haven’t had them, count yourself lucky, as passing them is a beast. So of course his kidneys are going to show “healthy” in the urinalysis, because he has worked to avoid damaging them with these meds. Back to the acute diverticulitis and the trip to the E.R. The doctor had a urine sample done as well as all the above mentioned tests. Billy Joe was discharged with 10 day supply of antibiotics, 10 day supply of stool softener, and a two day supply of pain medication. Diverticulitis attacks usually last two weeks, as the antibiotic has a lot of work to do. Until that happens, the swelling and pain doesn’t go down, which usually happens on day 8.

So, why did the doctor only give Billy Joe a two day supply of pain meds? Are insurance companies dictating treatment? Have medical healthcare providers lost their spines? The doctor/hospital wants another E.R. visit for pain meds so they can double tap the insurance? The doctor doesn’t know how to calculate a ten day supply of pain meds (which is unlikely as he did just fine with the antibiotics and stool softeners)? The doctor doesn’t care? Is incompetent? Some combination of the above? Why is it that folks who need specialized pain medications are given the run-around when they would rather not be at the hospital at all? Why are E.R. prescribers treating all of their patients as if they are addicts? What happened to the “care” in healthcare?

The second occurrence is way more alarming and is borderline malpractice at best. Yosemite Sam was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. He was put on the standard battery of medications (gabapentin, neuroleptics, injection this, pill that) and it made the Parkinson’s symptoms worse. He confounded every rootin-tootin neurologist in his town this side of The Pecos, but, he got no relief from any of them. He went to see a “specialist” who had a track record for dealing with “hard cases” such as Sam. This neurologist has performed neurological assays as well as looked at blood work and nutrition. Most doctors only get 4 hours of nutrition during their whole 8+ years of education, so it’s really not on their radar screen. This doc was different. The neurologist found that Yosemite Sam had a problem with methylation of his B vitamins. The neurologist had started injecting 5 cc’s (which is a lot) of methylcobalamin, a methylated isomer of vitamin B-12, every three days. After about 2 weeks, Yosemite’s tremors and “Parkinson’s Symptoms” had significantly diminished. 6 weeks into the treatment the diagnosis of “Parkinson’s” turned out to be a mis-diagnosis, and it was just a massive methylated B-12 deficiency. Why had the previous doctors failed? Did Yosemite’s previous docs not pay attending to the 4 hours of nutrition? Hippocrates is credited with saying: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Now, there have been arguments as to if Hippocrates really said that, so let’s side-step the history pissing contest and stay on task. Yosemite Sam had a vitamin deficiency that presented as Parkinson’s to the diagnosing physician. Whoops!

I am not suggesting that all natural remedies work 100% of the time. Nor am I suggesting pharmaceutical remedies 100% of the time, work. There is a balance that everyone has in their own biochemistries, as everyone is different to a degree. Taking out the broad brush as a practitioner thinking “one size fits all” is just utter ignorance, sloth, or combination of both. What you have to look at as the patient: are the benefits better than the side-effects? That goes for natural as well as chemical treatments. You are responsible for your health first and foremost, not someone in a white lab coat or colored scrubs. People need to start acting like their health is their responsibility first, rather than blaming someone else, for their personal poor health/food/behavior/whatever choices.

So, if you believe that America is the best country in the world, you live here, and like your life, why does our healthcare system make these unnecessary issues for its patients? This is something you need to stop and think about, as YOU could be the next Billy Joe Jim Bob or Yosemite Sam. Do you want to have to beg for proper pain management or take a litany of pills for a treatment you don’t have? I sure don’t… What is going on, America? Is it healthcare or health-don’t-care? Until next time, chew on that one.