Health

Medical Responsibility

by

An interesting article by  Ronald Hamowy titled “Medical Responsibility” appears in the Fall 2012 issue of the The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics. While I don’t agree with the all the points addressed in the article some of the points are worth mentioning.  Ronald says “That we are part of some organic body and that we are interconnected so that we “belong” to and are responsible for each other is basically antithetical to our notion of the sovereignty of the individual. Nothing is more elemental to the nature of man than that he be in control over the decisions that affect him. And no decisions are more central to his existence than the medical care he receives. This extends to being able to determine the type and degree of medical care he opts for and to choose among those … Read more

Unnecessary Medical Care and Over Used Tests: The Choosing Wisely Campaign

by

The Choosing Wisely Campaign is an initiative which I believe I first heard about in late 2010 launched by the ACR (American College of Radiation as the Imaging Wisely Campaign) The Imagely Wisely Campaign was designed to have people aware of the fact that certain medical imaging tests such as CT exams were sometimes over used and did not always have to be used in some instances. It seems that the Choosing Wisely Campaign was launched by the ABIM Foundation which is an organization designed to advance medical professionalism to improve patient care. In April 2012 the Choosing Wisely Campaign released some lists of tests and procedures commonly done in 9 medical professions that should be questioned.  In February 2013 an additional 18 lists of tests or procedures were released. The press release is located at http://www.choosingwisely.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/021513_CW-Phase-II-Press-Release-FINAL.pdf On the website … Read more

Chewing Ability Tied to Dementia Risk

by

 If you are able to bite into an apple, you are more likely to maintain mental abilities according to new research. Research shows several possible contributors such changes, with several studies demonstrating an association between not having teeth and loss of cognitive function and a higher risk of dementia. A potential reason for this could be that few or no teeth makes chewing difficult, which leads to a reduction in the blood flow to the brain. Even so there have been no direct investigation into the significance of chewing ability in a national representative sample of elderly people. Researchers at the Department of Dental Medicine and the Aging Research Center (ARC) at Karolinska Institutet and from Karlstad University in Sweden have looked at tooth loss, chewing ability and cognitive function in a random nationwide sample of 557 people aged 77 … Read more

Should you Stay Out of the Medical Businesses

by

Dr. McDougall, who I have written about before on this blog, see https://blog.teethremoval.com/how-to-protect-yourself-from-abusive-doctors/ and https://blog.teethremoval.com/food-children-and-diet, discussed in August, 2011, an article from Newsweek about the importance of avoiding some medical tests and treatments http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2011nl/aug/110800.htm. The Newsweek article is titled “The One Word that Can Save Your Life: No!,” by Sharon Begley, August 14, 2011. http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/08/14/some-medical-tests-procedures-do-more-harm-than-good.html. Dr. McDougall in response to the article says “You and your family cannot win by being familiar with doctors, drugs, and hospitals. Just like you do not want to be on a first name basis with morticians, lawyers, auto mechanics, and plumbers, you do not want a doctor as a best friend or your calendar littered with appointments to visit these professionals. An undeniable fact is that the more you see doctors, the more likely you are to be tested and treated; for better or … Read more

Food, Children, and Diet

by

I became aware of Dr. McDougall through finding his newsletter in a Google Search where he discussed how to protect yourself from abusive doctors. See https://blog.teethremoval.com/how-to-protect-yourself-from-abusive-doctors/ I also wanted to highlight some of the other articles and discussions that Dr. McDougall writes about. He is a practicing doctor in Florida and in April 2012, wrote a letter to governor Rick Scott of Florida regarding child abuse http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2012nl/apr/abuse.htm. In the article he states “In compliance with Florida state law, I am filing this report about widespread child abuse caused by various food industries working directly with branches of US government. These food organizations are actively involved in acts of commission and omission that result in harm, potential for harm, and/or the threat of harm to children. The health consequences of their various business activities amount to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse … Read more