Do-it-yourself medicine

Factual Questions
1

(Note to moderators, please assign this post to the proper forum.)

To medical doctors in these forums and anyone who cares to share opinions with me, what do you think of my way of practicing medicine (no, I am not a doctor, but I claim in all modesty to be an intelligent, informed, and practical person, concerned with savings on medicine and definitely with life and health).

In my home and for my wife and kids, and for myself, but specially for myself, and I also do it for people coming to me: after I receive the doctor’s prescription I look up my books on medicine, surf the Internet if necessary, and substitute the prescribed drugs for cheaper brands or even generics if available, and I buy these substituted ones from my friendly druggist. I monitor also the condition of ‘my’ patients.

For people taking a regimen of maintenance medicines that can cost as much as $200 a day, like for example the office worker downstairs who takes four medicines for her hypertension, two medicines subsequent to her mastectomy, three medicines for her diabetes, two for her constipation, and three for her headaches, pains, and all other discomforts, and two for her cholesterol, all prescribed severally by four doctors (one cardiologist, one cancer specialist, one diabetes specialist, and one ob-gyn), I do the same procedure for her, and get her to buy the medicines from my friendly druggist. I also read the lab diagnosis ordered by her physicians and thus monitor her condition.

I even tell her what medicines not to take or to take less or less times, if I see certainly from my reading and thinking and observation that ‘my’ patient is getting worse and worse if she should adhere faithfully to the doctor’s prescription. Why not ask her to go back to her doctor? More professional fees, that’s why; and loss of time and trouble.

I refer them also to alternative medical practitioners, like my favorite Chinese herbalists, who charge very much lesser and prescribe herbs which are so much more economical than conventional medicines, and in many instances more efficacious and proven to be freed of adverse unintended effects.

I recommend generally proper diet and physical activities and developing a clean conscience and a more rosy outlook on life, even prayer; although I am a postgraduate Catholic. Yes, I also pray for her and with her, to Anyone she prefers. I pray sincerely and devoutly, I assure you. (What a Pharisee. He he he.)

No, I don’t charge her and other coming to me for ‘medical’ service, and I don’t receive any commission from my friendly druggist. No, he does not give me anything on Christmas either. It seems he has some attitude akin to mine. He is a properly licensed pharmacist, owner and manager of his own drugstore. Yes, he’s taking risk with me; but he’s not worried.

No, I don’t have many patients, only people who trust me and they are very few. Ha ha ha.

Susma Rio Sep

2

To moderators here:

Please believe me, I did not send this post twice, as far as I know. But it did take a long time to cross over to its final destination; because, I noticed, the transmission was pending on and on, and there was no message about “thanks for the message…”.

Please remove one copy.

Susma Rio Sep

3

Well, they are right not to trust you. My opinion is that you are playing around in a field you have insufficient experience or knowledge, a field that is almost certainly life-threatening. If you see that “your” patient is getting worse it is almost certainly because you have hurt them in some way.

Bottom line, doctors go through a lot of school to make them qualified to diagnose conditions and prescribe medicine, and for you to consider yourself to be better qualified is the most arrogant, conceited, egotistical, and more importantly dangerous thing I have encountered in a long time. Stop your interference immediately, and perhaps you may avoid the pain of a murder on your conscience.

4

Dear Phage:

Please understand my text below as referring to the compliance with the doctor’s prescription that’s making the patient’s condition worse and worse.

Yes, I have to be careful in life-threatening situations. But a lot of life-threatening situations are brought about by doctor’s prescriptions being followed faithfully to death by patients.

In one instance, someone was being dehydrated to death with faithful compliance in overdosage of diuretics.

But I as a very strict rule don’t presume to practice in life-threatening situations. I refer people to hospitals and even help them to call an ambulance.

If we have to be very cautious of government by spin, of which I think is the one of Bush and company; I think doctors themselves and we ourselves as consumers of medicines and clients of the medical concerns and interests must be on extra guard about medicine by spin from the drug and medical equipment establishments.

Thanks for the advisory, though.

Susma Rio Sep

5

IANAMD, nor am I a lawyer, but my humble opinion is that you’re placing yourself in some fairly serious legal jeopardy. As is your “friendly druggist.”

What you do for yourself as far as deciding to take prescription medicines other than what your doctor prescribes matters not. When you take a prescription written by a doctor for someone else and have your pharmacist substitute another drug (other than a generic) you are practicing medicine without a license. You are likely to go to prison if you are caught. Your pharmacist is also breaking the law by dispensing prescription drugs without a prescription and if caught will likely go to prison and will definitely lose his license.

If one of your “patients” dies because he or she took a medication that you “prescribed” and your pharmacist dispensed without a prescription, there is a good case to be made that you have committed murder.

IMHO there is nothing wrong with researching medications on your own or giving your research to friends who are interested. But what you’re doing has crossed the legal line. Is it really that hard for you or your friends to go back to your doctor with your research and get a different prescription?

I urge you as have others to stop what you’re doing, but it seems clear that you have no intention of doing so, so I will have to content myself with saying that what you are doing is stupid and dangerous in the extreme.

6

I am not a physician, but have studied medicinal herbs and Chinese, Indian, and Tibetan medical systems for many years. Susma, you are scaring me with this post. First off, you consider yourself as practicing medicine. That takes a lot of “practice”, under those with a great deal of experience under their belt. In every medical system I’ve encountered, Western or Eastern, it is a requirement that a physician apprentice under a qualified practitioner, after many years of schooling. There is a good reason for this: helping people with ailments requires a great deal of training; learning the anatomy and biological systems, and then learning how to apply that knowledge. Any medical system worth it’s salt has that rigorous training. In my study of Tibetan medicine, the training for Doctors is more rigorous than the Western system. And quite rational, with adjustments for their paradigm to the Western mode of thought.

What you are doing can be dangerous. People are thirsting for alternatives to the US medical system, and I understand that. But alternative does not mean not trained. I am knowledgeable about the herbalist community, and there are many good practitioners. Again, practice always involves years of training under an experienced mentor. People’s health is at stake, and requires proper education.

You may be able to wade through lots of information, and intellegently discern what is prescribed for a problem, and resd a lab diagnosis, but that does not give you the right to entrusting another’s health. If you want to practice medicine, be it MD, ND, or OMD, go to school.

As far as referring people to a Chinese herbalist; are you referring them to a Chinese Doctor as well? To honor that tradition, which has a great deal to offer, it requires a physician trained in that method, who can appropriately diagnose and recommend herbs. There is no mumbo-jumbo about this. It may be outside the Western paradigm, but is quite rational and consistent within it’s own. Therefore, it needs a qualified doctor to administer, and monitor, it to best effect.

Perhaps you have qualifications that you haven’t said, but what you have said worries me.

7

Practicing medicine without a license is illegal. There is no right forum for discussing your illegal activities. Do not make the same mistake again. This thread is closed.

bibliophage
moderator GQ