HealthBeat News

Category: Medical (Disease) Insurance

  • The Straight Scoop On Quality – In Articles, Supplements, And Medical Care.

    By Nurse Mark

     

    This week I’m going to address a couple of customer / patient comments, and some thoughts that those comments bring to mind.

    While these may be somewhat different issues, they are also related – so bear with me.

    First there was a nasty-gram that accompanied an "unsubscribe" order from last week’s HealthBeat News report on citicoline.

    The writer, from Australia no less, bashed us as being "ugly Americans" for insulting her by discussing in depth a supplement that we also happen to sell. This is not the first time we’ve been taken to task for writing about something that we also sell – I guess the thought that we might make a nickel of profit from by selling a health-giving substance just really upsets some people.

    She then went on to tell us that we had offended her by writing too extensively about citicoline – that we had "talked down" to her somehow by discussing it’s uses and benefits in a lengthy, fully-referenced article. She told us that if we couldn’t "sell" her on something within the first paragraph, then anything more than that simply insulted her.

    Ouch!

    Now I know that recent research  has shown that the average attention span of an American has now reached an astounding low of 8 seconds – fully one second less than a goldfish – but really, I believed better of our Healthbeat News readers which is why we offer you in-depth, fully researched articles and not just flashy sales "puff-pieces."

    Next there were some questions from someone who is considering taking one of the infrequently available spots in Dr. Myatt’s concierge medical practice. As most of our readers know, Dr. Myatt has for a number of years been limiting her practice to around a dozen or so patients at any given time. Most of her private practice patients stay under her intensive care for 6 months to a year or even longer, but when they achieve their health goals and "graduate" to less intensive needs Dr. Myatt can offer an opportunity to work with her to someone new. This is a big, life-changing commitment for most people and it is not unusual for folks to have questions.

    Here are a few of these recent questions, and my answers to them:

    Question: what are your payment plans?

    Many of Dr. Myatt’s patients prefer to make a single payment. Having said that, others may pay quarterly, or monthly, or in some other arrangement.

    Question: Are you able to prescribe medication through a traditional pharmacy?

    Yes, Dr. Myatt is an NMD – a Naturopathic Medical Doctor – and has all the privileges of any other Medical Doctor. That is, she has a DEA number and can prescribe allopathic patent medicines including scheduled (narcotic) drugs if necessary, she can order lab tests and other diagnostic procedures, and even commit surgery. She is in a better position because of her expanded knowledge, skill, and experience to prescribe thyroid and hormone (especially natural thyroid and  bio-identical hormone) therapy than most “conventional” or allopathic doctors. (This patient was especially interested in Dr. Myatt’s thyroid and hormone programs.)

    Question: how long have you been doing concierge medicine?

    Dr. Myatt began sharply limiting her practice about a decade ago and found that it allowed her to provide much better care and obtain better patient outcomes, so she has continued to do so and has found that around a dozen intensive patients at any one time is a perfect number.

    Question: And is any of this billable to insurance?

    Every insurance plan allows for different services to be billed. Many plans allow “discretionary” spending by the insured for non-allopathic medical expenses as do most “Medical Savings Plans.” You would need to enquire of your insurance plan for answers to these questions.

    We do not participate in any insurance plans as we have found that 1.) most insurance plans are interested in covering allopathic medical treatment only, and , 2.) the amount of time and bureaucratic paperwork involved in satisfying insurance billing requirements requires a doctor to rely on a production line – like practice model that does not encourage the kind of intensive and individualized care that Dr. Myatt wishes to provide.

    Dr. Myatt recognizes that medical care is expensive and she will insist that you also maintain a relationship with an allopathic “insurance doctor” so that if / when Dr. Myatt recommends something that can be covered by your insurance plan (diagnostics, tests, prescriptions, etc.) your “insurance doc” can be called upon to order these things for you.

    Question: Are the supplements you suggest purchase through your wellness club or are they something I get on my own?

    We have a broad range of supplements available through The Wellness Club.

    Dr. Myatt began the supplement side of The Wellness Club many years ago when she found that often her patients were not getting the results she wanted from her recommendations. It became apparent that many were using sub-standard supplements in terms of potency and purity and because of this the suggested supplements were not effective.

    She began supplying carefully selected supplements to address this problem and immediately noted improved patient outcomes.
    She formulates many of her own supplements, and all of the items she offers are subject to an extremely rigorous Quality Control audit. She is known amongst suppliers and manufacturers (behind her back, they believe) as “The Dragon Lady” because of her unwillingness to compromise on quality.

    As always, Dr. Myatt’s patients (and you, our HealthBeat readers) are welcome to obtain supplements anywhere. We offer a variety of supplements that we have vetted for quality and purity, but we also recognize that you might find something similar at Billy-Bob’s Big Box Bargain Basement And Warehouse Outlet at a lower cost. But please be careful – Did Billy-Bob do an extensive Quality Control Audit on those vitamins like Dr. Myatt, or did he get a really great deal on cargo salvaged from the truck that overturned on the interstate last year and sat in a hot warehouse waiting to be released by the insurance company?

    Don’t laugh, it happens!

    We have written about quality in the supplement industry before: Wasting Money to Save Money? Who’s Watching Your Back?

    We reference the importance of quality often in our articles because it is so important to your health and your pocketbook both. Here is what Dr. Myatt had to say in a recent article "7 mistakes people make when taking supplements"

    "I’ve said this so many times that I feel like a broken record, but still a lot of folks just don’t get it. So I’ll keep saying it.
    The nutritional supplement industry is the Wild West for quality. Although things are improving, it is still a jungle out there. More expensive isn’t always better but also be careful of products that are "bargain basement." Our saying at The Wellness Club is "the most expensive supplement is the one that doesn’t work." If you paid $1.99 for two months’ worth of pixie dust, and it doesn’t do anything for you, then you haven’t saved a bunch of money. You’ve wasted $1.99. "

    So, there you have it – a purely informative HealthBeat News article. No products were offered for sale in the making of this article. Hopefully no feelings were offended.

    But – stay tuned, because we are planning to offer you money for giving us a piece of your mind. Here’s the plan: Since we want to give you, our readers what you want and you know what you want better than we do, we are going to be doing a survey very soon to ask you just exactly what you want from us in HealthBeat News.

    We’ll give you an opportunity to tell us what you want, what you don’t want, and how you want it. And we’re going to pay you for your time. How fair is that?
    Watch for it… coming soon.

     

    http://www.statisticbrain.com/attention-span-statistics

    http://healthbeatnews.com/wasting-money-to-save-money-whos-watching-your-back/

    http://healthbeatnews.com/?s=bargain

  • Insurance: Friend Or Foe?

    By Nurse Mark

     

    Many readers may know that I am a private pilot. I was at the airport the other day chatting with some other pilots about the subject of drugs and drug testing when one fellow (a commercial pilot) observed:

    The problem is that pilots are human, and subject to all the normal problems everyone else goes through. When a pilot gets depressed, they cannot seek help, or they could be grounded for a period that can last for years.

    Why is it OK for police, judges, firemen, doctors, and other jobs with great responsibility to be successfully treated with anti-depressants, but pilots are expected to be superhuman physically and mentally?

    He is quite right – it is really NOT ok for there to be such a double-standard.

    On the other hand, no one is functioning at their best when taking side-effect producing pharmaceuticals.

    In the case of pilots the FAA has the oversight and the clout to do something about it and as a result the list of drugs that pilots are allowed to use while flying is very small. Most other professions do not, and so you find judges making bad decisions that affect peoples lives, cops who put themselves, their partners, and the public at risk with dulled (or hyped-up) reflexes, crane operators making bad decisions with drug-dulled judgment, and so on.

    It is worth remembering however that depression is not caused by a Zoloft or Paxil or Effexor deficiency, anxiety is not caused by a Valium or Xanax deficiency, high blood pressure is not caused by a Beta Blocker deficiency, diabetes is not caused by any drug deficiency… and yet these are common problems that people use judgment and reaction-time dulling drugs for.

    Maybe you can get this stuff "covered" by some health care plan, and maybe it doesn’t affect your employability, and maybe you really don’t care that you are disabled to some degree by side effects… lots of people don’t really care, just as long as their insurance “covers” it.

    But if you’re a pilot, it’s a big concern. Allopathic (conventional) treatment for many illnesses uses conventional drugs that will ground a pilot, resulting in a sudden and severe loss of income – no wonder many attempt to hide their problems. While hypertension or arrhythmias or diabetes will probably be found out on the FAA physical, depression can be hidden with varying degrees of success.

    But it doesn’t need to be that way. Given the financial incentive for a pilot to maintain the ability to fly, it’s worth stepping outside of the "corporate medical insurance plan" box to investigate alternative, non-conventional health care.

    A visit with a naturopathic physician, while still reportable to the FAA, could be legitimately reported simply as "Nutritional and Dietary Counseling" even though the desired effect of that counseling might be to correct imbalances that may be causing, say, neurotransmitter imbalances and resulting feelings of depression. Result: reporting legitimately accomplished and privacy maintained.

    A good Naturopathic Medical Doctor would perform neurotransmitter testing and make dietary and supplement changes to correct out-of-range neurotransmitters, without using reportable drugs. This is not fantasy or psychic woo-woo stuff – we do it successfully, every day here. Though Dr. Myatt is licensed to prescribe drugs she very rarely does – it just isn’t necessary. Drugs are more like Band-Aids – they treat the symptoms not the cause.

    Why not treat the cause? Doing that usually gets much faster and more complete healing than just covering up the symptoms with a drug.

    As a “bonus,” dietary supplements like L-5HTP, SAMe, St. Johns Wort, bromelain, grape seed extract, niacin, etc. are NOT reportable to the FAA or anyone else as "drugs"…

    We are constantly amazed at the medical "problems" that folks drug themselves for that can be corrected without drugs.

    Some examples:

    • Hypertension – easily correctable without drugs,
    • Type 2 diabetes – not just correctable but cured without drugs,
    • Allergies – yep, drugless relief – that means no drowsy-making pills, and probably little or no return of symptoms next season too…
    • High cholesterol – back to healthy ranges without drugs,
    • GERD – a "slam-dunk" drugless cure with no “little purple pill” required,
    • Heart arrhythmias – most respond very nicely to drugless treatment.
      (True Story: We have a lawyer patient who was told after 3 successive EKG’s that he had a permanent and irreversible heart block – and that he was "a ticking time-bomb" who would likely need a pacemaker. After a month of drugless treatment his cardiologist repeated the EKG and shook his head in disbelief saying "If I were a lawyer I would not want to have to go into court to explain this – it’s gone and your heart is fine – and that isn’t supposed to happen!")

    The list goes on and no, but you get the idea – mankind has survived and thrived for millennia without the help of modern drugs – what the heck has changed so in the last century to make us any different?

    It amazes me that folks insure their automobile and don’t expect the insurance company to pay for their tune-ups, oil changes, new tires, or new muffler – but when you suggest to someone that they might part with a few of their hard-earned dollars for a health care consultation or vitamins or supplements they react with horror, expecting that to be "covered by the plan" or they just won’t do it. They maintain their cars better than they do their own bodies…

    It would be like knowingly driving your car on a bald tire, waiting for it to blow out on the road so that you can call road service to come out and put the spare on… and still not bothering to get new tires "because insurance won’t cover it."

    “Well who cares,” you say – “I’m not a pilot, and I don’t worry about the FAA.”

    For everyone there is increasingly a privacy issue: more and more often we hear reports of HMO’s and insurance companies tracking health care usage and even day to day purchases with an eye to “adjusting” premiums or requiring “lifestyle changes.” You bought a candy bar in the checkout line at the grocery store? You might get a call from your insurer suggesting dietary counseling… Do you smoke? Even just an occasional cigar? Brace yourself for higher premiums. Did you mention some recent stress, insomnia, or blue feelings to your doc? Remember, all your medical records are on-line and accessible to your “insurance provider” (and who-knows-who-else) now… And all your prescriptions? There they are, “in the cloud” for all the world to see…

    Or maybe you are a top executive in a company with nervous shareholders – or an employee in a company with a HMO that tells HR who is healthy and who is a “drag” on the company’s health plan…

    So, if you have aviation buddies who are dancing around the FAA trying to avoid reporting ground-able stuff have them call us – I’ll bet we can help keep ‘em flying… and healthier than they’ve ever been… And for anyone else who wants to keep their health and their privacy, well, we can help you too.

    No, your “insurance” is not your friend – good health, achieved without drugs, is.

  • Patients Lied To About Cancer Diagnosis, Doctor Arrested For Fraud

    By Nurse Mark

     

    When is it wise to get a “second opinion” ?

     

    Almost Always!

     

    No matter how “trusted” the doctor may be, no matter how “nice” and “caring” the doctor may seem, if there is a serious diagnosis involved, or an extended course of treatment, or multiple “scans,” or “tests,” or other “diagnostics,” there is a chance that a doctor might be wrong.

    There is also a good chance that money might be playing a role in a doctor’s advice.

    Many medical conditions involve incredibly expensive diagnosis and treatment – and much of that expense is in the form of profits paid to the doctors performing the diagnosing and treating. In many cases those profits reach to the millions of dollars.

    Do you see any potential for problems here?

    Insurance fraud, Medicare fraud, Medicaid fraud, and a medical billing system that hides the true costs of medical care from patients all conspire to attract the greedy and unscrupulous.

    If it were simple greed, if it were simple fraud, it would be bad enough – but it is often more than that. It is often people who are made to suffer for the enrichment of the fraudster. People like you and me. People who have suffered enough already.

    Doctors have been known to tell lies.

    Consider the case of oncologist (cancer doctor) Farid Fata, MD, who was arrested in Michigan on August 6 and charged with Medicare fraud in a federal investigation that, if the charges are true, is a sickening example of medical greed.

    In this federal case investigators allege that Fata bilked patients and insurance companies including Medicare of some $35 million dollars over just two years, “treating” people unnecessarily for cancer.

    That’s right, 35 million dollars! In just two years!

    How could this happen? Federal investigators charge that Fata would see anywhere from 30 to 70 patients a day, and that almost every patient was found to “need” expensive, extended courses of chemotherapy – purchased from the pharmacy that Fata also owns. And of course those patients also needed expensive positive emission tomography (P.E.T.) scans, performed by the imaging company that Fata also conveniently happens to own.

    Further, having established himself as a cancer “expert” Fata felt safe in bestowing false diagnoses of cancer on healthy patients – after all, who would doubt the word of such a respected “expert”? One of Fata’s Nurses told federal agents that “Dr. Fata falsified cancer diagnoses to justify cancer treatment” The Nurse explained that blood cancers were easy to falsely diagnose because Fata could “interpret” blood tests. In other words, he lied to patients to fill his pockets.

    Further, once diagnosed with cancer, Fata would tell patients that they must take chemotherapy drugs “for life” – even if they were in remission or if their cancer was so advanced that they would get no benefit from the toxic drugs.

    But surely this must be an aberration? Certainly this must be an isolated case of a doctor having become consumed with greed and lust for money right?

    Nope.

    In another case, two executives of a hospital in Chicago as well as 3 physicians and a podiatrist were arrested by federal agents in April in a case involving illegal kickbacks for referring Medicare and Medicaid patients and other fraud schemes.

    The worst scam in this case? It seems that the pulmonologist involved would perform an intubation (a procedure where a temporary breathing tube is placed into a patient during surgery) and would then drug the patient so heavily that it would become impossible for them to breathe on their own after the surgery. This would require another surgery to insert a tracheostomy tube through the front of the patient’s neck and of course an extended stay in the intensive care unit on a mechanical ventilator.

    One of the individuals arrested was the president and chief executive officer of Sacred Heart Hospital. He was secretly recorded saying that tracheotomies were their “biggest money maker” and that the hospital could make $160,000 for the procedure if the patient stayed 27 days.

    If that isn’t evil enough, it seems that this particular hospital had a hard time keeping those tracheostomy patients alive – the death rate for the tracheostomy patients of the surgeon involved was 3 times as high as other Illinois hospitals over a three year period.

    Those involved in the arrests are also accused of unnecessary emergency department and hospital admissions, and were paid “kickbacks” for those.

    Does all this sound like the plot for some sort of a medical horror movie? I wish that were so – but it isn’t – it is happening all across America because Big Medicine and Big Pharma are such obscenely profitable industries.

    So, how can you protect yourself or your loved one?

    Easy – insist on a second, and even a third opinion.

    Don’t allow yourself to be pressured or stampeded or panicked into a decision about a course of treatment. In cancer treatment the words “there’s not a moment to lose” or “we must start chemo immediately” are almost always a clear warning that there is something fishy going on.

    Certainly there are conditions where “there’s not a moment to lose” – an acute abdomen or ruptured appendix, a closed head injury, a stroke, a heart attack, an embolism, severe trauma… all of these require urgent and skilled care. But cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, “bone-on-bone” joints, and other similar conditions are what we call “chronic” meaning that they have developed over time – often a long time – and rarely do they need to be treated so quickly that there is no time for a second opinion.

    Even if a doctor is able to convince you that “there’s not a moment to lose” and persuades you to start a treatment regimen immediately, you can still get a second opinion. It’s not “against the rules” to be receiving treatment from one doctor and seek the advice of another doctor about that same issue. And it’s not against the rules to confront one doctor with the conflicting opinion of another doctor.

    Beware of being pressured to undergo scans and tests and biopsies – these are often moneymakers for both the doctors and the hospitals. A sober second opinion from someone with no connection to the first doctor or hospital could end up saving you expensive, unnecessary, and possibly hazardous “diagnostic workups.”

    An additional benefit of a “second opinion,” especially one from an holistic doctor (such as Dr. Myatt) is that an experienced holistic doctor can not only offer alternatives to conventional treatment, but if conventional treatment is truly indicated a good holistic doctor can find ways to make that treatment more effective and less toxic or harmful. And, in the case of a scamming doctor like Fata, having an holistic doctor like Dr. Myatt review the case would quickly expose any fraud and save the patient from unnecessary and harmful treatments.

    Finally, having an holistic doctor (like Dr. Myatt) reviewing and overseeing your care can help to keep your specialists “honest” and can save you grief by helping you to coordinate care among different doctors, who often seem to never communicate with each other.

    Learn more about Holistic Health Consultations.

     

    Resources:

    Feds accused Dr. Farid Fata of fraud, prolonging chemo for cancer patients

    Medicare Kickback Bust in Chicago Hinged on Wired Colleagues

  • Wyeth Drugs Takes A Hit – And So Will You!

    Will Big Pharma Be Forced To Offer Less Toxic Drugs?

    Opinion by Nurse Mark

    Here is an interesting piece of news that is just out this morning, found in Reuters Business News: (why is this kind of thing Business News and not Medical News or general interest news?)

    U.S. top court rules against Wyeth in liability case: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090304/bs_nm/us_drugs_wyeth_court

    It seems that The Drug Companies will no longer be able to hide behind the skirts of the mighty FDA by claiming immunity from responsibility for the ill effects of their patented poisons because they have complied with the rules and printed the FDA mandated "Black Box" warnings on their toxic offerings. Up to now these "fine-print" warnings about the potential harm of a drug have kept the drug companies safe: "We informed consumers, with the FDA-Approved warning, of the danger – so we’re not responsible!" has been their defense.

    Well, according to the Supreme Court, this cop-out won’t cut it any longer – Big Pharma is now to be held responsible for the ill effects of it’s offerings, no matter what "warnings" are printed on the package.

    So, this is  a good thing, right?

    I don’t know… I foresee some unintended consequences here folks…

    This will certainly be a good thing for those individuals who are harmed by these toxins – the person involved in this case, a guitarist, lost her arm and presumably her income and musical career to the toxic effect of a drug, and was awarded a multi-million dollar settlement – that is nevertheless just a tiny drop in the billion-dollar profit bucket of Big Pharma.

    But I predict it will not be a good thing for anyone who must buy the offerings of Big Pharma, because they will not take this lightly – there are profits and bonuses and stockholders to consider. No, this will simply be factored into the obscenely inflated prices already demanded for these patented poisons, and you, the consumer, will pay for this settlement and all others like it in the end. You really didn’t think that the Wyeth executives would pay for this out of their annual bonus and profit-sharing did you?

    On the other hand, maybe, just maybe Big Pharma will begin looking for some less-toxic, safer formulas to patent and profit from, since they know that killing and maiming people can now cost them regardless of "FDA Approval" and "Black Box Warnings".

    Dare we hope?

    Nah…

  • Antibiotics For Everything! A pill For Every Ill!

    How "Drug Resistant" Superbugs Are Born…

    Commentary by Nurse Mark

    Here is an interesting series of correspondence, and one that shows just how well the drug companies have conditioned us to believe that the only answer for any malady is a prescription drug, and just how casual conventional medicine practitioners have become about prescribing powerful drugs. This woman recently wrote in with the following question:

    Dr. Myatt:
    I Hope all is well with you and your family.  Fortunately for me, all I have is blood in my urine, burning sensation when urinating and bubbles (clouds) in my urine.  I don’t think this is serious yet.  But if it goes untreated, it can be deadly.  I do not have any medical insurance and due to the economy, my business is not bringing in income.  I cannot find a job. Q = Is there an antibiotic that I can take, without seeking a physician?
    Thanks!
    N

    Well, times are tough and a lot of Americans are not doing well financially – but being without "disease insurance" is not necessarily a bad thing…

    And it is true that if left untreated a urinary tract infection can be serious – indeed, alarming headlines have been filled recently with the tragic death of the South American  model who developed a septicemia – reportedly from a bladder infection.

    The short answer to N’s question is No.

    Prescription drugs are called that because they must be prescribed by a licensed health care professional – usually a doctor with prescribing privileges – and all patented antibiotics that I know of are controlled substances, available by prescription only.

    So, Dr. Myatt took the time to send N a brief reply pointing her in the direction of effective self-care:

    Dear N,
    This page tells you exactly what to do. More than 90% of people with a UTI (urinary tract infection) do NOT need, and shouldn’t take an antibiotic. Here’s what to do instead: http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/UrinaryTractInfections.htm

    In Health,
    Dr. Myatt

    Well, it seems that in the meantime N was able to get together the money to go and seek a prescription – she wrote:

    Hi,
    …Your web-site stated "Antibiotics not only kill bacteria in the urinary tract, but they can kill a lot of "friendly bacteria" in the gut as well." I don’t want to destroy the good bacteria in my body.  I was prescribed the medication below.  I was instructed to take 1 tablet twice a day for 7 days. Are you saying that I shouldn’t take it?

    SMZ/TMP DS 800-160 TAB INTERPHARM substituted for BACTRIM DS

    Can I find this D-mannose in the stores?

    I have been reading up on your diet information. It’s makes a lot of sense.  Some of these things I have known for years.  I am from the old school where mom used bushes, weeds, roots, etc to heal our illnesses.  I am a descendant of Africans who were captured and made into slaves in the 1700-1800’s.  I am the 5th generation.

    Since Dr. Myatt was up to her eyebrows in patient reports I took a few minutes to answer N this time – since I wanted a little more information about how this popular and powerful antibiotic was prescribed so quickly.

    Hi N,
    You may be able to find D-Mannose in local health-food stores. Be careful to obtain a high-quality product – not all supplements are created the same!

    D-Mannose can also be found on our website: http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/DMannose.htm – this is a pharmaceutical grade product and we can vouch for it’s purity, potency, and quality.

    As Dr. Myatt mentioned, it is impossible for us to advise you regarding the use of the antibiotic that was prescribed to you – we do not have benefit of the information that the person who prescribed it has: your history, symptoms, and laboratory report of the culture and sensitivity of your urine which tells whether there is a bacteria present in your urine, what variety of bacteria that is, and whether that bacteria is sensitive to (will be killed by) the antibiotic that was prescribed. The person who prescribed the antibiotic ~DID~ have a urinalysis culture and sensitivity performed, right?

    An analogy could be that all snakes can bite – but some snake bites are much more serious than others. Knowing which kind of snake has bitten is pretty important!

    If the urine C&S (med-speak for culture and sensitivity) showed that there was a bacteria present and that bacteria is sensitive to the antibiotic that was prescribed, then you should probably take the antibiotic as directed. Using the D-Mannose along with the antibiotic will help it to do it’s job better.

    Some harm to the normal flora (bacteria) of the gut is unavoidable with almost any antibiotic use, but can be corrected with the use of  probiotics (friendly gut bacteria) to replace the bacteria harmed by the antibiotics. More information, and an excellent product for this purpose can be found here: http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/supremadophilus.htm

    N, as you know we often use the questions and comments of folks who write us in our HealthBeat Newsletter when we feel that they can be helpful to others. Some form of this back-and-forth will likely appear in an upcoming article as these are questions that we hear often. Can you tell me please, did the person who prescribed the antibiotic for you perform the laboratory test for culture and sensitivity on a sample of your urine, or was the antibiotic prescribed to you just based on your symptoms?

    Cheers,
    Nurse Mark

    N wrote back once more to say:

    Hi Nurse Mark,
    Thank you for commenting on my questions. I went to one of the local hospitals. I gave a urine sample. The nurse said that I have a urinary tract infection. He said that there were white blood cells, bacteria and something else in the urine     [Nurse Mark notes: probably protein]. Another nurse brought me a prescription along with home care instructions and sent me on my way.

    Mark, thank you and Dr. Myatt for all of your help.

    Well, there you have it – as I suspected, a urine sample was collected. It was certainly "dipped" – a test done in a few seconds using a dipstick that will demonstrate the quick results that N described. It may have been sent on to be cultured – a more expensive and time consuming test requiring 48 hours or more for meaningful results – but I doubt it. No, the antibiotic was prescribed presumptively – based on N’s reported symptoms and the results of the "dip".

    You see, it is very common in conventional medicine to prescribe powerful antibiotics "presumptively", and here’s how it works: the patient complains of a symptom, and the doctor (or in this case the nurse) presumes that this symptom is the result of something common and therefore no further testing is necessary before prescribing a drug. Further, in this case, SMZ/TMP (Bactrim) is considered a "broad spectrum" antibiotic, meaning that accuracy in diagnosis is even less important – it’ll kill a wide variety of bacteria and so it is easy to prescribe. It’s easy, "cookbook" medicine.

    Is this a good thing? Well, if used carefully it certainly is – broad spectrum antibiotics can be life-saving in the case of an overwhelming infection. They can be used to begin a patient on antibiotic therapy while a careful doctor awaits the results of the Culture and Sensitivity lab test that will t
    ell him if he guessed correctly at what the causative bacteria was, and what that bacteria would be sensitive to. If the results of the C&S show that a different bacteria is present or is sensitive to a different antibiotic, then the antibiotic can always be changed – but only if a C&S was done, and only if the doctor was made aware of the results in a timely manner.

    My guess is that none of that will happen and that N was prescribed her powerful antibiotic based on presumption and a "standing order". Standing Orders allow people who otherwise are not allowed to prescribe drugs to do so based on a set of defined conditions – the doctor just comes along and "signs off" on the order later. This saves time, gets more people seen, and sells more prescription drugs to people.

    And that’s just the way the big drug companies like it.

    Unfortunately this willy-nilly prescribing of powerful antibiotics at the drop of a hat (or the dip of a test stick) is giving us a frighteningly powerful crop of drug-resistant bacteria that scoff at our current antibiotics – these are the "superbugs" that we hear about ever more often in the news.

    Superbugs that will need to be battled with yet-to-be-developed Super Antibiotics that can be patented and offered to a frightened and desperate public at "Super" prices.

    And that’s just the way the big drug companies like it.