Prayer request

[TPA]

I went through this with my mother. I still remember the time she went to her doctor about leg pains I think and the doctor tried to push osteoporosis medication on her. I think it was Boniva.

If you think that is bad, I had that prescribed to me when I was 19(!). Even then, I knew enough NOT to take it. I didn't even bother getting it filled. The mechanism and subsequent effects in the body are terrible. I've since had a few doctors praise me for refusing to take it, including my dentist. He showed me x-rays from patients of his who did and are now suffering life-long consequences from it.

These pills are killing us. We need to ban prescription drug commercials yesterday like nearly every other country does.

I'll fess up to helping with cancer drug development in my younger years. I believe a few I had a knack for organic chemistry in a way that true seasoned professionals lacked. Idiot savant, if you will. I couldn't communicate why I thought a reaction would work, but I knew in my mind that it would. It was more of a quasi-mathematical/relational approach rather than chaining memorised reactions.

As you may know, molecules are 3D. You end up with left-handed or right-handed molecules which interact with the body's various receptors. Well, I wanted to filter out the inactive forms, or at least create reactions which favoured the active/therapeutic forms. I was told no, due to cost. That's all I needed to know there, and the end of my work helping them.

I totally agree on banning prescription drug adverts. Although they actually serve a more sinister purpose: Buying influence. When 40-70% of a TV network's advertising coming from pharma, that buys a lot of looking the other way. If one Pharma co pulls their ads, there's a good chance the others would to quietly demonstrate their stance and power.

I question if it's better for my health just not to. I made it this far.

I can certainly make a strong case that more doctoring in the USA causes worse health and worse outcomes. If I did everything the doctors wanted me to do, I would have been dead multiple times over. They've coded me once, which really pissed me off since I told the doctor his idea and treatment plan sounded like a bad idea. Fortunately cardiology took over my case immediately when I coded and they drove the ship from there.

A dentist is the only medical professional I feel comfortable seeing.

Beware of those too.
In college I had a bit of a toothache. Nothing terrible, but definitely something which needed to be addressed.
So I went to a dentist who multiple faculty had recommended. He took a full set of x-rays, did dental molds, etc. Then told me to come back the following day. The following day, the tech brings me back, sits me in the dental chair, then asks me how my credit was. Odd question, I thought. The dentist was late, as he was in the hallway with an interior designer talking about all of the things he wanted to replace in the office. Cabinets, furniture, art, etc. He then lays out everything he wanted to do. $26k in work. Keep in mind, this was 20 years ago! I was stunned.

I had helped a fellow student get into a very prestigious dental school the prior year, so I called him up and he happened to be in clinic. He passed the phone over to the supervising professor. He told me to get the x-rays and proposed treatment plan and send them to him. 3 hours later I get a call back from the professor. "Don't you ever go to that dentist again.", were the first words out of his mouth. One tooth needed a root canal, one filling might need to be replaced in the future, but that was all the work he could find on me. In the 20 years since then, I still haven't spent anywhere near $26k on dental work.

 

[Candleometry]

Not all medical professionals are bad. Not all pharmaceutical companies are bad. Many people get into the profession to help others but, unfortunately, some do to only make a profit. There is nothing wrong with getting a second opinion if something seems off. Only you know you best.

 

[dc38]

Not all medical professionals are bad. Not all pharmaceutical companies are bad. Many people get into the profession to help others but, unfortunately, some do to only make a profit. There is nothing wrong with getting a second opinion if something seems off. Only you know you best.

Any party expecting a handout is bad. For companies, this comes in the form of %margin increases, underpaid workers, fraud, unhonored legitimate warranties, insurance exploitation, etc. For consumers, it's sample hoarders, rich people eating at soup kitchens, people exploiting a generous return policy, insurance fraud, McD coffee, etc.

HOPING for a handout is a completely different story...this may hinge on desperation. Desperate people do desperate things.

 

[Monocrom]

Don't even get me started on this family of weight-loss drugs. Sure, it's good people have an easier way to lose weight but in life there are no shortcuts. You're still healthier losing weight via diet and exercise rather than a pill.

Here's the thing, Ozempic isn't even a weight-loss drug. That's just its major side-effect. People who need it are priced out of getting it because there's far more people who take it to get the "benefits" of its major side-effect.

People are stupid in the most ridiculous ways.
Hey, want to lose weight? Eat lots of boiled cabbage!

Yeah, prisoners in Concentration camps were fed boiled cabbage.
Technically they were fed. But that meal consumes more calories than you take in.
So, the prisoners were actually slowly starved to death; without realizing it.
And some weight-loss gurus recommend a diet consisting of boiled cabbage.

 

[Monocrom]

Beware of those too.
In college I had a bit of a toothache. Nothing terrible, but definitely something which needed to be addressed.
So I went to a dentist who multiple faculty had recommended. He took a full set of x-rays, did dental molds, etc. Then told me to come back the following day. The following day, the tech brings me back, sits me in the dental chair, then asks me how my credit was. Odd question, I thought. The dentist was late, as he was in the hallway with an interior designer talking about all of the things he wanted to replace in the office. Cabinets, furniture, art, etc. He then lays out everything he wanted to do. $26k in work. Keep in mind, this was 20 years ago! I was stunned.

I had helped a fellow student get into a very prestigious dental school the prior year, so I called him up and he happened to be in clinic. He passed the phone over to the supervising professor. He told me to get the x-rays and proposed treatment plan and send them to him. 3 hours later I get a call back from the professor. "Don't you ever go to that dentist again.", were the first words out of his mouth. One tooth needed a root canal, one filling might need to be replaced in the future, but that was all the work he could find on me. In the 20 years since then, I still haven't spent anywhere near $26k on dental work.

Quite a few years back, my false tooth popped out. I somehow tracked down a dental office in a part of Long Island that wasn't part of my old stomping grounds. I got a reasonable-sounding quote. Went there. Dentist was a woman who clearly had some mental issues. As I'm getting ready to pay, a young, obnoxious jerk walks out of his office and starts a conversation with me. The receptionist looks uncomfortable. He starts aggressively talking to me about $24,000 to fix everything wrong with my teeth. I simply came in for a cleaning, and to get my false tooth re-attached.

Anyway, he keeps going on and on about how he's giving me a great deal on the price. Honestly, I was far too polite with him in constantly saying "No." Finally, I turn to the receptionist, hand her my credit card. Tell her to ONLY charge me for the cleaning and false tooth re-attachment. I told her, in front of the jerk, that those were the only two charges I'm authorizing. If I see anything else added on, I'm going to contact my Credit Card provider and do a credit card charge-back. Out the corner of my eye, I notice the jerk slowly slinking back into his office. Needless to say, I never went back there ever again.

Funny thing is, my cabbie who picked me up? I told him what just took place. He's apparently had extensive work done on his teeth.... Then mentions his brother is a dentist. So, he got the very generous (unofficial) family rate plan.

 

[leeholaaho]

Our family doctor finally retired in 2024. I knew her since I was a child.
She never prescribed certain drugs due to their ridiculously toxic side-effects.
She was no shill for Big Pharma. Our new general practioner is a young passive-aggressive, inexperienced excuse for a doctor. The other doctor I'm seeing? She's a young shill for Ozempic. Thinks it's a wonder drug. Yeah, I haven't visited her this year, yet. Might just keep it that way.

Unless you have a health problem that makes very difficult to lose weight folks should stay far away from it. Some will use it as an easy out and regret it later.

 

[leeholaaho]

They got ads on the tele where you get a doc to approve you for a fee.

 

[Candleometry]

Unless you have a health problem that makes very difficult to lose weight folks should stay far away from it. Some will use it as an easy out and regret it later.

There are a lot of potential side effects even from bariatric surgery. I had a friend quite a few years ago who died within a year. Unfortunately many of us want a quick fix and it can lead to unwanted results.

 

[Monocrom]

Unless you have a health problem that makes very difficult to lose weight folks should stay far away from it. Some will use it as an easy out and regret it later.

I'm sorry but again, it was never made for weight loss at all. That just happens to be its major, negative, side-effect. People who are morbidly obese would be better off with gastric bypass surgery. Everyone else trying to loss weight would be better off with diet and exercise. Especially since Ozempic abuse can cause your stomach to stop functioning properly at all. Imagine eating, and very soon afterwards vomiting up the contents in your stomach. Oh, and it literally happens all the time. You wanted weight-loss? Congratulations! Wish granted.

 

[Candleometry]

I'm sorry but again, it was never made for weight loss at all. That just happens to be its major, negative, side-effect. People who are morbidly obese would be better off with gastric bypass surgery. Everyone else trying to loss weight would be better off with diet and exercise. Especially since Ozempic abuse can cause your stomach to stop functioning properly at all. Imagine eating, and very soon afterwards vomiting up the contents in your stomach. Oh, and it literally happens all the time. You wanted weight-loss? Congratulations! Wish granted.

This happens quite often. A medication used for reason A, once released, is discovered to also do B. Most medications don’t have the ability to be so specific that they don’t affect other organs or systems in our bodies. Then mix them and you have an entirely different soup.

I’m lucky that I only take one medication for cholesterol. I have no side effects from it. I eat very well and they believe it is hereditary so I feel it’s a net gain. Some people are not so lucky and the decisions they make can have a huge effect on their overall health.

 

[leeholaaho]

My wife struggled trying to lose weight. She is type 1. Did all the right things and the right foods and meal planning did not work. She has a top notch endo, so I did not pretest. Lost 30 lbs, stopped when side problems started. Kept it off. They hand it out for free if no insurance and make less than 70k a year.

 

[TPA]

Not all medical professionals are bad. Not all pharmaceutical companies are bad. Many people get into the profession to help others but, unfortunately, some do to only make a profit. There is nothing wrong with getting a second opinion if something seems off. Only you know you best.

Not all, but these days most are. We had lunch one weekend with our primary doctor and had this discussion. Actually, he was the one who led the discussion and pessimism. That was when he said we were going to Mayo.

This discussion came right after her "new" nephrologist put her in hospital for a week for an outpatient procedure, which was performed on the very last day she was there. The nephro billed 60 minutes every single day she was in, along with a surgeon friend of his who contributed nothing to her care. There wasn't even any surgeries scheduled which he could do, yet he billed every single day she was in.

This happens quite often. A medication used for reason A, once released, is discovered to also do B. Most medications don’t have the ability to be so specific that they don’t affect other organs or systems in our bodies. Then mix them and you have an entirely different soup.

Yep, Viagra was supposed to improve breathing function. During the tests they discovered that the amusing side effect was very marketable and profitable.

I’m lucky that I only take one medication for cholesterol. I have no side effects from it. I eat very well and they believe it is hereditary so I feel it’s a net gain. Some people are not so lucky and the decisions they make can have a huge effect on their overall health.

I don't know what you take, nor is it my business, however, if it's a statin, I strongly urge you to look into the real facts on statins. Our primary has never written a single script for a statin drug. Likewise, most of the knowledge I've developed them was from a NASA doctor 20+ years ago when he was put on one and started having side effects with it. That's when he did a deep dive on it. It was early in my medical education, so I was very attuned to what he was telling me.

FWIW, low to normal cholesterol has a higher mortality rate than normal to elevated/mildly high.

 

[Candleometry]

I don't know what you take, nor is it my business, however, if it's a statin, I strongly urge you to look into the real facts on statins. Our primary has never written a single script for a statin drug. Likewise, most of the knowledge I've developed them was from a NASA doctor 20+ years ago when he was put on one and started having side effects with it. That's when he did a deep dive on it. It was early in my medical education, so I was very attuned to what he was telling me.

FWIW, low to normal cholesterol has a higher mortality rate than normal to elevated/mildly high.

I’m taking Crestor 10mg which is the lowest dose. I have no side effects and it has lowered my cholesterol quite nicely. Having worked in healthcare for 30 years and spoken to many cardiologists I trust I feel quite comfortable with this. It’s the only medication I take and we monitor my labs yearly. Everyone must make what they feel is the best decision for themselves and their clinical situation. I respect that.

 

[dc38]

I'll be the bloviating soapboxer and make the obvious and offensive indictment: The overwhelming majority of the scientific community will focus on symptoms rather than root cause, because addressing the root cause hurts future earnings.

Newsflash, WE HAVE HAD THE CURE FOR CANCER FOR DECADES. The conspiracy theorists WERE RIGHT AGAIN.

That said, an elevated cholesterol is a SYMPTOMATIC RESPONSE to some other underlying issue, but like with physics and spacetime, these tiny minded overeducated self indulgent fools who claim to be scientists only see the illusion of chaos, WILLFULLY conflated a symptom as a full blown disease, and said "apparently good enough", let's "treat" that.

The body is a complex system of checks and balances. Modern medicine typically seeks to SUPPRESS the balancing mechanics to nominal levels, rather than doing research to having the body self regulate to nominal levels. Yes, there is a difference.

 

[Candleometry]

I'll be the bloviating soapboxer and make the obvious and offensive indictment: The overwhelming majority of the scientific community will focus on symptoms rather than root cause, because addressing the root cause hurts future earnings.

Newsflash, WE HAVE HAD THE CURE FOR CANCER FOR DECADES. The conspiracy theorists WERE RIGHT AGAIN.

That said, an elevated cholesterol is a SYMPTOMATIC RESPONSE to some other underlying issue, but like with physics and spacetime, these tiny minded overeducated self indulgent fools who claim to be scientists only see the illusion of chaos, WILLFULLY conflated a symptom as a full blown disease, and said "apparently good enough", let's "treat" that.

The body is a complex system of checks and balances. Modern medicine typically seeks to SUPPRESS the balancing mechanics to nominal levels, rather than doing research to having the body self regulate to nominal levels. Yes, there is a difference.

I don’t mind having a conversation or a debate with someone with a different viewpoint, and I mean no disrespect, but this is too far over the top.

 

[dc38]

I don’t mind having a conversation or a debate with someone with a different viewpoint, and I mean no disrespect, but this is too far over the top.

What about it is over top? This part below?

these tiny minded overeducated self indulgent fools who claim to be scientists only see the illusion of chaos, WILLFULLY conflated a symptom as a full blown disease, and said "apparently good enough", let's "treat" that.

Ozempic? Wegovy? Need I say more?

 

[Monocrom]

As far as Viagra, yes; originally created to help women with breathing issues. Someone said, "Let's see how well it works on men."

Yeah, the rest is history. They even redeveloped Viagra to be more potent, for men.

What they don't mention is a little side-effect called gangrene at the crotch for some men who take Viagra. Oops!

 

[dc38]

As far as Viagra, yes; originally created to help women with breathing issues. Someone said, "Let's see how well it works on men."

Yeah, the rest is history. They even redeveloped Viagra to be more potent, for men.

What they don't mention is a little side-effect called gangrene at the crotch for some men who take Viagra. Oops!

That's what I'm saying! Not only does big pharma have NO effing clue what these drugs actually do before testing, they're LITERALLY doing what the quacks used to do with snake oil, narcotics, and "magic dirt".

 

[TPA]

I'll be the bloviating soapboxer and make the obvious and offensive indictment: The overwhelming majority of the scientific community will focus on symptoms rather than root cause, because addressing the root cause hurts future earnings.

I completely agree that doctors, at least the ones in the USA, are too focused on symptoms rather than root causes. I've hit this issue numerous times with my own health, my dad's health, and now my fiancée's health. My poor fiancée is looking at 4th thoracentesis (draining fluid from around the lung) in 7 months later this month. NOT ONE of the doctors we've seen up until Mayo was asking 1)What is the fluid, 2) How is it getting there, 3) why isn't it draining. 4 pulmonologists, 3 nephrologists. NOT ONE. Even when we asked.

And yes, profit is a problem. When Barry Marshall and Robin Warren presented that stomach ulcers were caused by bacteria, thus could be cured with antibiotics and not surgery, they were ridiculed and run out of town. If their research was true (and it was), this meant an entire industry within medicine was going to be put out of business. Given that GI surgeons' bread & butter was now defunct, they looked elsewhere...introducing colonoscopies as "screening". They had a steady gravy train again. I'll note that routine colonoscopies is a uniquely American phenomenon. You don't see it in other countries. There are much better, less invasive, less dangerous tests which are far more sensitive and specific to colon cancers than colonoscopies. I say this, having GI as one of my rotations, and had plenty of honest conversations with the GI docs.

"A patient cured is a customer lost." I've heard that expression many times over the years, both inside and outside of the medical community. I remember shadowing an Allergist and he told me, "I can't cure 'em, but I won't kill 'em either. So they'll keep coming back every 3 months."

The body is a complex system of checks and balances. Modern medicine typically seeks to SUPPRESS the balancing mechanics to nominal levels, rather than doing research to having the body self regulate to nominal levels. Yes, there is a difference.

I've found Sir William Osler's books to be of great importance in understanding the human body, and in curing myself. He was one of the founding physicians of Johns Hopkins, and totally changed how medical education was practiced, as well as medicine. My copy of his Principles and Practice of Medicine dates to 1909, 6th edition. The amount of knowledge and wisdom contained therein amazes me given how long ago it was and how primitive the field and technology was.

Technology has improved, techniques have improved since 1909. While I've never been put under, if I ever needed it, I'd rather it be in 2026 than 1909. That said, I have no doubt that the treatments elucidated in the book were successful. Perhaps not as successful as today, and I'd certainly skip the arsenic treatments over modern equivalents. BUT, it's actually quite useful to understand why arsenic worked and how it worked. In understanding the old, you can better use the pool of modern knowledge to develop new solutions and cures. It's also interesting to see the changes in mindset behind treatment protocols of back then and today. In some areas, I'd say we've gone astray.

I've discovered new syndromes, researched how they work, and come up with viable treatments for them, all based on the foundation of what we knew 100+ years ago, with my modern additions. Some of the protocols I developed are in use today. The VA even did a randomised control trial on one of my protocols (without telling me) and it achieved 99% success on the first pass. Sadly, despite being highly effective, the VA is the only place my protocol is used. My cures were just using natural elements straight off the periodic table, along with a precise dosage and time schedule. Nothing patentable. No profits to be made. Other than the VA, no one else was interested. I've taken my research to many doctors, institutions, publications and no one was interested. Even after the VA trial.

I personally have treated over 50 patients with these over the past 16 years and we are also seeing 100% success. Most recently was someone at the dialysis center last month.

 

[Candleometry]

This is a very interesting conversation to follow. The variety of beliefs, experiences and knowledge.