Day: 11/22/2016

After a doctor sells out to industry, credibility is lost

http://www.acsh.org/news/2016/11/22/trumps-wall-and-opioid-crisis-10450

My comment:

I’m a believer in science and logic. I’m also a believer in questioning everything, like who is Dr. Josh Bloom of the generically-named American Council of Science and Health? The internet does not have very nice things to say about your group, Dr. Bloom, but I suppose you know that. I figure your group gets funding from industries like Big Pharma, so really anything you say is tainted, even if it’s scientifically sound and logical, like this article.

Google showed me your recent Reddit thread and an article from CBS News in 2014:

“But Dr. Josh Bloom of the American Council of Science and Health says these chemicals have been used in the U.S. for at least 60 years and pose no risk. ‘There are so many hundreds of things more dangerous in everyday life than this that it is not even worth thinking about,’ Bloom said.”

Hmmmm, pesticides are not even worth thinking about? You have an interesting way of looking at this issue, Dr. Bloom. Why worry about something we can’t change? It’s not like chemicals are going anywhere, right? In fact, you’re now talking about opioids, which are also chemicals.

And speaking of the CDC and DEA’s war against opioids, perhaps you should look at their side. They believe that reducing the supply and creating regulations will prevent addiction in the future. This is more important to these agencies than the current grumbling of thousands of pain patients and a few hundred suicides. After all, pain doesn’t kill, right? Drugs can kill immediately, but it takes time for pain to kill you.

The opioid war is not about the treatment of pain — it’s always been about the treatment of addiction. And focusing on the real causes of overdoses doesn’t mean focusing on which drugs are being used. If that was important, then the drug war wouldn’t be such a huge failure and we wouldn’t be in the midst of this so-called opioid epidemic.

It’s nice to see your organization paying attention to the opioid war and the suffering of millions of pain patients, but I wonder how much good it will do. Who will listen to you, Dr. Bloom? Was it worth it to sell your education and knowledge to the highest bidder, as you’ve done in your career? You may be a doctor, but I think you’ve sold out your credibility. But thanks for trying.

Addition on 11/23/2016:

Alex Berezow [Mod] painkills2 • an hour ago
“The internet does not have very nice things to say about your group, Dr. Bloom…”

And like most of the internet, the comments section has no editorial standards, which is why you are uniquely qualified to write for it. After posting 11,871 comments, one would think you would have said something remotely interesting by now.

painkills2 Alex Berezow • 12 minutes ago
The internet is a big place, with both good and bad sources. What kind of source is this website? As a reader, that’s what I have to determine. And as someone who’s suffered from intractable pain for 30 years, I would think you might be interested in my opinion on the opioid war. No? Well, that’s your choice.

I’m sorry, did you have something interesting to say?

Mothers, teach your daughters about sexual abuse

https://mic.com/articles/160121/usa-gymnastics-physician-arrested-charged-with-sexual-assault-of-minor#.eGSMlLtYT

After dozens of people alleged sexual assault against a former physician for the USA Gymnastics team, he has been arrested and charged for his apparently habitual abuse of underage female patients, CNN reported.

Dr. Larry Nassar, 53, worked as a doctor for the Michigan State University gymnastics and crew teams, and for the United States national gymnastics team during four Olympic Games. After his arrest on Monday, he faces three counts of criminal sexual assault against minors under the age of 13.

USA Gymnastics also stands accused of ignoring and even covering up his behavior. Coaches Bela and Marta Karolyi face a lawsuit for having allowed the abuse to continue unchecked…

News of Nassar’s misconduct broke in mid-September, when the Indianapolis Star reported that two women — an Olympic medalist identified in her lawsuit as Jane Doe, and Rachael Denhollander, a former gymnast Nassar treated at Michigan State University — had accused the doctor of having sexually abused them. After the Indianapolis Star published its story, the number of victims who came forward climbed to over 30.

Denhollander told the Indianapolis Star that she began seeing Nassar in 2000 as a 15-year-old. He treated her for lower back pain, his actions becoming more inappropriate over the course of five appointments, she said. He groped her breasts and her genitals, and also digitally penetrated her vagina and anus, according to Denhollander.

According to NBC, Nassar’s lawyers maintain that any vaginal penetration by Nassar was in line with osteopathic practice…

No, no, no. There is no pain treatment that includes vaginal or anal penetration. None. Zero. Zilch.

Mothers, please teach your daughters about inappropriate touching and what constitutes sexual abuse, even from a person in authority, like a doctor. I know my mother never talked to me about this subject, and I sure wish she would have.

Approved by the people, not the FDA

“If you looked at all the studies, what you came to learn was that most of the studies were designed to look for harm, as opposed to designed to look for benefit. 94% of the studies over a 5-year period were actually designed to look for harm as opposed to benefit, so the whole system was sort of looking for that harm as opposed to saying that this could be a legitimate medicine.”  Dr. Sanjay Gupta

“This is the only substance that has been sort of approved by the people, not the FDA.”

Everyone who suffers from chronic pain should have access to cannabis. Affordable and quality cannabis. Dr. Gupta says it’s immoral to deny patients this medicine, but I think it’s just plain cruel.