Dear Doctor:
Last week’s ABC News story about talk show host Glenn Beck’s horrendous
experience with the aftermath of a surgical procedure brings many questions to
public light. While he was careful to say that he felt his doctors were not at
fault, Beck had extreme negative reactions to his medications, causing suicidal
depression. In spite of the best efforts of his advisors, his pain was so
excruciating that he had to go to his hospital’s emergency room, where he was
treated… with blatant apathy.
It’s distressing to think that this could ever happen with healing
professionals, who you’d think would be more compassionate and service-oriented.
On top of that, he was taking medications ”eighty times stronger than morphine”
among other medicines in a “drug cocktail” that produced awful side effects. His
choice, as per his doctors, was “more drugs or more pain,” and in his stupor he
acted to reduce his agony, as anyone would. This created such bizarre
hallucinations that he claims if he had a gun he would have ended his own life.
No matter how horrifying the circumstances, there is a cultural bias and
hypnosis that allows barbaric methods like these. Our society has tended toward
such a distorted viewpoint on health and normal function, that the “side
effects” (which aren’t side effects at all, they are effects) are often accepted
as necessary in order to receive the benefits of the drugs. But what is the body
really saying?
I realize that there are times when treatment carries with it a possibility of
unpleasant or even harmful symptoms, and that risk should be weighed to be sure
that patients get the best care possible. But at this weekend’s seminar in
Dallas on Healing and Wellness, David Simon MD, Director of the Chopra Center,
indicated that the intensity of a treatment should be calibrated to properly
address the issue, rather than applying combinations of drugs that are much more
intense than the condition warrants.
Whether or not the surgery would have been avoidable with better lifestyle
choices prior to his condition developing, it’s bad enough that this celebrity
had to endure such shoddy patient care during and after his crisis. Yet, the
good news is that this episode alerted someone with a media voice to the
indignities that many citizens, especially our elderly, our underprivileged and
our ill and injured suffer in the face of adversity – that the only apparent
help for many people in real trouble seems to be disinterested at best and
incompetent at worst, placing many in significant jeopardy.
Even the most ardent detractors of chiropractic have had to begrudgingly admit
that our patients feel we really care about them, something of which we can be
very proud. At this important crossroads in health and wellness care, we must be
willing to care enough to tell them the truth and demonstrate a better way to
live than depending on invasive, potentially dangerous chemicals to make them
feel better after they’ve abused themselves to the point that they require
emergency crisis intervention. Let’s inspire people to make better lifestyle
choices, not only to avoid ending up where Glenn Beck was, but to improve the
quality of their lives, so they can start getting the most out of life right
now.
Dennis Perman DC, for The Masters Circle
PS If you didn’t make it to Dallas, you missed historic presentations by world
class technique masters – but you can still register for the Santa Clara seminar
in March, concentrating on everybody’s favorite topic, attracting more high
quality new patients. Hear experts like Patrick Gentempo and Bill Esteb share
their best new patient techniques, plus the hottest new ideas from the Masters
Circle coaches – to register or for more info, please go to
www.themasterscircle.com or call
800-451-4514.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
