Dr. Thompson's Blog

Will Scott Pruitt Destroy the Environment and our Health?

Now that Scott Pruitt is director of the Environmental Protection Agency I have great fear about the future of our environment and the health of all of us. As he takes away multiple protections against having clean water and clean air, more and more people are going to suffer and die. The children and adults with asthma and those with respiratory problems will be the first to suffer. Asthma cases are already increasing. By drilling on public lands and polluting the air, more and more people will feel the effect of what he is doing. Trump, too, is to blame because he does not want the words"Climate Change" used in any government papers or on any agency website. Not even the terrible hurricanes and damage they did has apparently penetrated the minds of these two. I hope that in the 2018 election that Americans get rid of the Republicans who support what is going on.

Doctors, parents and grandparents need to start speaking out and insist that Mr. Pruitt stop what he is doing. How anyone could be so blind to science is beyond my understanding. When Los Angeles was  having such a terrible battle with smog, I was a resident at Los Angeles' Children's Hospital. It was very painful to see the little children with asthma come in struggling to breathe. Fortunately, California and Los Angeles put a lot of restrictions on  the polluters and now Los Angles does not have the problems it did then. However, I suspect things will get worse if Mr. Pruitt has his way.

 

TMJ (Temporomandibular) Problems

A friend called the other day and was most unhappy about the $5600 bill she had just received from an ER. She has been under a great deal of stress recently and developed severe pain in one side of her jaw. Instead of seeing her dentist, she decided to go to an ER. Five hours and many tests later she was given some pain medicine and sent home. When I asked about the examination, she said no doctor looked in her mouth or in her ears. I was appalled, but not really surprised. A severe ear infection can cause pain that feels close to the jaw. Looking in the mouth should  have been mandatory because there could have been an abscess or other problem. (My friend said she has had a lot of recent dental problems.) Sinus infections should also be considered. 

I wonder if the doctor took any kind of a history? Did he or she ask about stress? This is often a contributing problem. If a patient grits their teeth with stress or is very tense, the face and jaw can be affected. I also wonder if the doctor said anything about being careful to just eat soft foods for a few days. TMJ problems are quite common and when people are under a lot of stress or leading very hectic, busy lives, this can be a problem. Perhaps if our medical schools taught more about treating common problems, rather than rare ones, patients would be much happier with American medicine. The necessity for such high medical bills would also be less.

Chocolate and Atrial Fibrillation

A friend  told me  her cardiologist said she should not eat chocolate.  She was glad to know an article in the New York Times on 5/30/17 noted that in a "large Danish study, researchers found an association between chocolate consumption and a lowered risk for atrial fibrillation." The study was on 3,346 patients and lasted 14 years, so it was well done. "Those who ate chocolate two to six times a week had a 20% reduced risk." My friend was delighted with the report.

Like all medical studies, we need to look at who has done the research, where it was done and the number of cases in the study. Reports like Dr. Andrew Wakefield's on autism, can cause terrible harm, so any report should be carefully scrutinized. He reported on just a few cases and his report was retracted by the British journal that published it. He also lost his license to practice medicine in England and is now in Austin, Texas trying to re-start his medical career and still sending out erroneous autism information. The meeting he had with Trump in New York City raises questions about what they discussed. A single individual can cause unbelievable harm in the medical world, so we all have to look carefully at where we get our information and who has done the research. There is a great deal of misinformation on the Internet, but also excellent information on sites such as the Mayo Clinic.

 

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How Trump's Health Plan and Budget Will Affect all but the Wealthy

It is hard for me to believe that anyone with Donald Trump's money could be so callous and uncaring. To give 575 billion dollars in tax cuts to the top 2%, while taking 880 billion from Medicaid is beyond my understanding. I guess living inTrump Tower or the White House isolates him and his surrounding millionaires from those without money or medical care.

The low income, uneducated, and poor people who voted for him will feel the impact the hardest. As one coal miner said, "I voted for him because he said he would open the coal mines. I don't look beyond my job and my family." How tragic it will be when the man's medical care and job are gone. I was delighted to hear a young highly educated man say the other day that he had never been interested in politics, but now he was doing everything he could to stop the Trump agenda.  Of course, Paul Ryan has to accept a lot of the blame when people have no medical care or help from sources that were formerly part of the safety net for low income people. When Medicare is cut or put on a voucher system, there is going to be a loud outcry from many of the seniors who voted for Trump.

Donald Trump is a great salesman and reality star, but as a politician he has no idea the pain and terrible problems he is creating. I just hope Americans wake up and realize  their way of life is being threatened, as is their health, safety, environment and our country. 

 

 

Will Low Income Individuals Survive the Trump and Paul Ryan Plans?

As I listen to the news and read the New York Times, I am terrified about what will happen to low-income individuals, poor seniors, the sick, and disabled. Many of the people who voted for Trump may be the worse affected. Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act will either be repealed or changed so that most of the benefits will be gone. There are also strong possibilities that Medicare will be cut or put on a voucher system. Medicaid will be changed to block grants for the states which could be a disaster. Social Security benefits will be decreased and food stamps will be eliminated or markedly decreased. Paul Ryan and Trump seem to believe that if you are poor, it is because you are lazy and don't want to work. Having cared for many children of the poor as a pediatrician, I know that is simply not true. Yes, there will always be those who "game the system", but what about the rich who don't pay any taxes or hide their money overseas? 

If you are poor with a limited education, no chance to go to college, or have a disability, the next four years could be a most difficult time. Each day I read or hear about new cuts that may be planned, while Trump wants to increase the defense budget by billions. That makes no sense because it will mean other nations will decide they have to increase their defense spending and an arms race will take place. Of course, money will not be used for Planned Parenthood, the environment, or any other crucial things. Maybe we should all move to Canada or Europe! I fear for our nation's children and our grandchildren.

Will Trump's Plans for the Federal Drug Administration Make Drugs Less Safe?

As the chaos seems to grow daily in Washington D.C. it is extremely worrying that the Trump administration appears to be deciding about lessening regulations on drugs and food. Of course, a lot of the drug companies are delighted about this because with the present system, it takes a long time for a drug to be brought to market. That is because drugs have to be thoroughly tested to be sure they are safe. The regulations were made stricter after so many babies were born with missing arms and or legs when their mothers took thalidomide for sleeping during their pregnancies. 

One former director of the FDA said that we have the most reliable food and drugs in the world because of our regulations. So what will happen if this new chaotic administration decides to turn back regulations to the 1950s? An article in the New York Times on February 6, 2017 by Katie Thomas notes that "ninety percent of drugs that enter clinical development fail the trials" that are now required. 

Rather than cutting the present regulations, it would make more sense to fill the 1000 staff positions now empty. There have been a few recent drugs pushed through quickly because of pressure by parents' groups for children with incurable diseases. These drugs had very few clinical trials and hopefully they will help and not increase the children's problems. Every day seems to bring a change in policy for this administration, so we can just hope the present regulations for  drugs and food stay in place.

 

 

Holiday Safety Tips for Parents and Grandparents

December usually becomes a very busy month for parents and grandparents with entertaining, baking, buying gifts, and trying to follow family traditions. Because the days can get pretty chaotic, it is important to  keep children's safety uppermost in your minds. One thing to be particularly careful about is toys.  Remember that some many toys have detachable pieces which if swallowed can lodge in a child's throat.  I would also check  for sharp edges. Remember, too, that magnets in toys are a problem because they can cause perforations or blockages in the intestines, if they are swallowed.

If you are decorating with Christmas or holiday plants, remember that the poinsettia and some holly and mistletoe plants are  poisonous. Candles can be beautiful, but you want to be sure that they are in a safe location and not near anything inflammable. If you forget and leave a candle burning, big trouble could result. Holiday lights should be checked for safety and turned off when you leave the house. 

Children need plenty of rest and routines, especially during the holidays. This is particularly true of those who fit into the autism spectrum. Hiring a baby sitter to help when you are stressed or overworked could make the difference in your life and your child's or grandchild's. A meltdown in the middle of shopping or entertaining can ruin things for everyone. Planning ahead for some extra help or trading childcare with a friend can help greatly.

If you have questions about the safety of toys or other gifts you are buying for children, the Consumer Product Safety Website can be checked at  www.cpsc.gov. Also, it is wise to always have the 800 number for the Poison Control Center posted. It is 1-800-222-1222. There is also a Web site at www.poisonprevention,org.

Happy Holidays!

Drug Companies and Their Outrageous Charges

Drug companies, such as Mylan, try to explain their outrageous prices by saying they have to charge so much for their drugs because of all the research and development they do. The truth is that European drug companies do just as much research and development but their charges are much less. Also, unlike our government, the governments control the prices drug companies can charge. European companies are not allowed to have the drug ads that we see in the U.S. and the U.S. and New Zealand are the only countries that allow drug ads on TV or radio. 

One statistic is that 4.8 billion dollars are spent annually by U.S. drug companies on advertising. That is just wrong and should not be allowed. In addition, drug companies pay millions of dollars to lobbyists and on mailings to doctors' offices. 

There just has to be a way for the new Congress to do something about companies like Mylan that makes Epipens for allergic people, but I am not optimistic anything will be done. However, if the American public starts protesting, perhaps a miracle could happen. Many people have to decide whether to pay for medicine or food. In this wealthy country that is just wrong. 

Medical Errors in Popular Novels

I have always enjoyed reading and find a good novel to be relaxing. However,recently I am finding more and more medical errors in books published by major publishing companies. I am puzzled why the editors don't have someone with a medical background check that the details are correct when a medical problem plays a major role in a novel. Not only are these errors annoying, but I think they can also cause problems. Recently, I started reading a novel where one of the children had been diagnosed as having Asperger's Syndrome. Not only was the syndrome misspelled throughout the book, but many of the details were incorrect. The child was put on a gluten-free diet, not at a doctor's recommendation,, but from a source on the Internet. There has not been any acceptable medical research finding that this diet can help. Instead, it can cause harm because some necessary nutrients will be missing from the diet. If a child has Celiac disease, a gluten-free diet is needed, but not otherwise. 

Another novel was even more upsetting, because the author had a boy in a wheelchair at age eight with the diagnosis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. She also called it a disease and made several statements that were totally inaccurate. No boy with this disorder should ever be in a wheelchair at age eight. I have been the physician for countless youths with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and with appropriate physical therapy, night braces, stretching,orthopedic surgery and prednisone have kept many of the boys walking into their teens. I cannot imagine being the parent of a boy with this type of muscular dystrophy and reading all the inaccurate statements in this novel. That would be very upsetting. 

Constipation in Older Individuals

A friend, who is in his late sixties, called me the other day saying he was having problems with constipation and did I have any ideas. He was away from his home and was unable or unwilling to reach his regular doctor. I told him that as people get older the movement or motility or the bowel slows down. Then as seniors get less exercise and often gain weight that can cause addition problems. The problem got so bad that the man went to an Urgent Care place near where he was staying. The young woman doctor neither did a rectal examination or ask him about his diet. Both of these are unacceptable and just bad medicine.I wonder if medical schools are even teaching their students to do rectal examinations these days. I have picked up quite a few unusual problems by insisting on doing a rectal examination when I did a regular physical examination or if there was a bowel problem. The young doctor suggested that the man eat flax seeds and something else I had never heard of. Obviously, her interest was in holistic or alternative medicine. I went over the man's diet with him and suggested adding prunes, more fiber, a stool softener, and if necessary a mild laxative, such as Puralax. (This also goes by other names.) Some people find Metamucil works, but I have not found this to be helpful for patients. I suggested the man drink lots of water and get more exercise. Also, I reminded him that bananas and apples are constipating, as is rice. Sadly, few doctors discuss diet with patients, I have found, so if you have an elderly family member in trouble with constipation, do ask what the individual is eating