My Quora Answer to "Parents, what did your doctor do that pissed you off?"

My wife had just given birth to our third child, our first boy. We had decided not to have him circumcised. This was at a time when the medical (read more) 

establishment scared parents into getting them because it is a quick buck for the docs and hospitals. Despite newer evidence against routine use of the procedure, they still try to push it, although rather less forcefully or as in our case, less deceitfully.

After delivery and while she was still sedated (it was a C-section), and while I was in the nursery with my new pride and joy, a nurse or other staff person convinced my wife to sign the consent forms. And they KNEW of our stance beforehand! They mutilated our baby against our wishes. And the insurance company paid them for it!

Comments

Phoenix Andrews: Slightly off topic but I’m curious as to why you wouldn’t want to circumcise your son. I’m not a mom nor do I have a penis so I personal don’t have an experience with it in that sense. From what I know it’s better for your hygiene not to have it. Not judging you I’m just curious.

My Reply

Not off topic. I wrote my Answer hoping someone would ask.

It's a form of genital mutilation invented in the Bronze Age to set a certain group of men apart from those who didn't belong to their society. We are aghast at female genital mutilation yet look askance when it happens to baby boys. Note too, that it was forced upon the male slaves of the Patriarchs who, like infants, had no say in the matter.

While this happened to my oldest in my first marriage, my second wife and I prevented it happening to our two sons. With vigilent hygiene which we taught them, they had a total of maybe 3 yeast infections (smegma) in childhood. The worst case was in Benny, (of “earbuds in nostrils" fame) and that was very short-lived.

The other scare tactic was telling us that there is an increased risk of penile cancer in uncut men. More recent long-term studies have debunked this.

I believe that if you belong to a religion that still mandates circumcision, that it can certainly wait until the day of reckoning, which is 13-years old in the Jewish tradition. It also seems more in line with how it was done in ancient Canaan. After all, both Abraham and Ishmael were at least that old!

Magnesium Threonate

Magnesium Threonate

This is an amazing new find courtesy of my good friend Leroy Skalstad. Ever since my psychotic episode 14 months ago, I've had debilitating short-term memory loss problems, and the more anxious I get, the worse the memory loss. My long-term memory is still almost photographic, although I admit sometimes I forget to load the film. But it's still very, very accurate and precise for events, especially those involving personal interactions.

When I mentioned that I am hypomagnasemic, Leroy humbly suggested Magnesium threonate because he noticed that his memory improved by taking it. He thought maybe it was due to a placebo effect, but having started it myself, I guarantee it's not just placebo. This stuff actually works. It is the only form of Magnesium that actually crosses the blood-brain barrier. When I received mine in the mail, I took two instead of the recommended one three times a day. I then took two before bedtime and again two more in the morning. By noon the next day after starting it, I noticed an improvement in my short-term memory. 

This neuropsychiatric defect usually results in stuttering, the physical manifestation of word- searching. My stuttering went away but Itt will come back when I need another dose. I routinely take one capsule three times a day, but when I'm out and about and forget to take a capsule with me, the stuttering will return, albeit not as severely as before.

I am adding Magnesium threonate to my "highly recommended" list, whether you have memory problems or not because it is also neuroprotective. Do not take if you have renal failure or any condition that contraindicates its use.

https://www.neurohacker.com/magnesium-threonate

When a Doctor is a Patient

As a doctor, what is it like when you have to see a doctor?

Michael Mangold, M.D. Medicine and Healthcare & Psychiatric Treatment, Rosalind Franklin University of Health Sciences (1990)

I don't tell them, unless the info is critical for the specific encounter.

It is really um, “interesting” to do this. I have had a couple of visits where large parts of the exam were never done, yet the provider documented that they did.

My biggest issues are two-fold. First, when someone on the medical staff treats me like crap. That changes immediately when I inform them that I am a physician. Which really sucks when you consider how many patients are NOT docs.

The second is when I get sub-par service from Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants. One recent episode illustrates both issues.

I tripped and broke my left arm near the shoulder while running for a bus to Chicago. When I got there, I went to an Immediate Care clinic in Park Ridge, IL. I think because of my reactions to the intense pain, the PA who saw me thought I was putting on an act in order to obtain narcotics. He manhandled my arm and his attitude was confrontational until he saw the X-rays. Then his tune changed.

What's this for to do with your Question? Well, the complaint letter I sent to administration DOES state that I am a physician!

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Marilyn Hubbard

People are documenting things they don’t do, yep, in the point and click medical record

The PA should have held their judgement for the X Ray. Not sure if the same thing might not happen with a physician