There Are 7 Responses So Far. »

1. 

   Comment by David Rogers on 6 July 2008:

   It would be interesting to see if this is a worldwide issue. Certainly drug rep lunches are quite common, and practically every pen I use has a drug rep logo - and I’m someone (an Occupational Therapist) who has no influence over prescribing!
2. 

   Comment by FightCellulite on 7 July 2008:

   I am sure this IS a worldwide issue! I myself try not to go to typical doctors - I go to an Ayurvedic consultant instead. And I already got some simple diseases recovered, so i believe it is the way to go, since the medical science of India is very very old and does not have the negative impact on our health.

   Great article!
3. 

   Comment by Diana L Guerrero on 8 July 2008:

   This is a big issue today. There is a book called the Power of Influence that outlines the reciprocity dynamic that comes from such activities.

   Also, the industries involved with drugs and insurance also tend to dictate treatments instead of diagnosing by looking closely at the patient–more and more doctors are checking off lists.

   I think it is a shame and why people are seeking more alternative health care options.
4. 

   Comment by farmgirl on 9 July 2008:

   I worked for a very large medical corporation for a long time. The practice of drug sellers trying to get docs in bed is nothing new. Patients are caught between a rock and a hard place. I have never been to medical school. When I need care I must seek out someone who has been to med school. I had a nice doc, but he was old and made a lot of mistakes. I paid a HUGE price for his mistakes. I can not say this enough…patient beware. Learn as much as you can. Keep your weight under control. Avoid junk food. Walk away from a job that eats you alive and people who carry “doom and gloom”

   Bruce, I admire you for not getting in bed with the drug companies. I know the gifts can be addictive.
5. 

   Comment by Shulamit Lazarus on 30 July 2008:

   I am totally with you Bruce, When I was a nurse I was one of the few nurses that loved to float from area to area because I love working with variety. One of the departments I worked in was pediatrics. When I first worked there I’d notice that the moms would sign the consent for the kids to get their vaccines then the baby was vaccinated and then they were told what might be the negative side effects. I was astounded. I was also an idealist as I am still today and I felt it was backwards, So I “foolishly” asked the mom if she wanted to have the child vaccinated. She said “my doctor says I have to”. I asked her “do you do all your doctor says just because they say so”. She looked at me puzzled. I told her that she had a choice and that there was reason that she was signing a consent. At the time I was also a homeopath and on the whole homeopaths don’t support vaccination. I asked the nurse of the dept. what would happen if a mom said no. “She would be reported to social services”. I was stunned. I said “you mean if I decide not to vaccinate I am brought to social services regardless of how much I’ve intelligently studied the issue and made my choice?’ She said “Yes”. When I worked in other places after that I handled the whole issue by leaving the patient in the room with the insert from the vaccine box. I told them to make their decision based on what they felt they should do. Not what I felt or the doc felt. I gave them time and then returned for their answer. In that clinic I had some pull since I was one of the only holistic nurses and a homeopath ahd they had an alternative dept. there. Often when I came back the person would decide not to vaccinate. If we knew the truth about things we would do many things differently. Thank god for the net. Everyoen is so much better informed.

   At the same time I was working in this clinic I heard that the polio vaccine was creating polio. I went immediately to my head doc and told her. I expected her to say we would stop using it. Instead she said we would continue to use it until the American pediatrics association told us to stop. I wondered how she could look herself in the mirror knowing that she was continuing to potential hurt so many children.

   I left nursing soon after that.

   The Hippocratic oath says “above all do no harm.”
   What’s’ wrong with this picture.

   If I give you a comment on drugs this would go on for pages!
6. 

   Comment by Bruce Bair on 30 July 2008:

   Though I don’t agree on the whole that immunizations are bad, I understand your point. The timing of immunizations should be individualized but we treat everyone like a number. I really disagree with giving newborns Hep B immunizations unless the Mom is positive for instance. I don’t think many physicians are conflicted about immunizations although they are stuck if they buck the major organizations recommendations. They are on the other hand given perks that are free, including meals and some are paid for their opinion, especially when that opinion is positive. The Drug conflict is a much larger issue.
   On the theme of do no harm, it is your view point that determines that. I do not think immunizations are harmful, but I think they might be if they are timed improperly and too many are given together. The polio vaccine did cause some polio, especially in elderly care takers who had no immunity to one of the polio strains. The Canadians finally did something about it and we finally followed suit. Now polio is given as an injection with no cases caused by the vaccine. I appreciate your comments. Your website appears interesting.
7. 

   Comment by Shulamit Lazarus on 31 July 2008:

   Hi Bruce,

   I’m glad you found my site interesting. I spent much effort writing all the information there to explain things to potentially skeptical individuals. I’m part scientist and I’m also a healer so both facts and intuition are important to me. Knowing the facts and trusting our inner being seem to marry the two disciplines together.

   Timing of vaccinations is important, I’ve seen so many given when child had a cold. What is the reason we strain the immune system when it is still immature. I think that the least that should be done is to wait until a child is well and to space the vaccines more. I waited for 3 years to give my daughter vaccinations since my son became quite ill from a half dose of DPT. At the time I didn’t know we had the right to vary the vaccination schedule. My daughter was an incredibly healthy child until then. They gave her all the vaccinations in one day and she was not well for six months

   When I was a student homeopath we had many visiting homeopaths teaching us. One third generation homeopath was a physician from India. In India Homeopaths and physician are synonymous terms.
   He said something that has always stayed in my mind. He said that he worked in two clinics. One where the rich people take their kids and another where the poor kids go. The poor couldn’t afford to vaccinate their children so instead they were vaccinated with homeopathic remedies. He noticed that the children who were vaccinated western style had febrile seizures more often than the children who had homeopathic vaccinations. I always felt that was striking observation. I’m not against anything without reason. There is a place for everything. But western medical treatment is not individualized as homeopathy is. Homeopaths see each person as an individual with their own constitutional nature. There are some children who respond very negatively to vaccination and some who seem not to be phased. Sadly, In my role as a homeopath, I’ve treated the children who got hurt from vaccines. Parents would bring them to me to try to reverse the adverse symptoms. If we knew that we might hurt some with a preventative therapy, even if a few benefited, we still wouldn’t give it out with out proper screening. I see a major double standard here. When they introduced the chicken pox vaccine and I read one of the the reasons was because of moms lost time from work - I was horrified. Then I found out that they were giving the heb B at birth. I became speechless. Anticipating blood related disease in newborns!

   I am so glad that parents are educating themselves and that they know their rights. If I knew then what I do now, I would have asserted my rights to a different vaccination schedule. But I didn’t know then.
   Regardless of what choice someone makes it should be one that they feel good about. I find it one of the toughest decisions parents make. I support any choice a person makes as long as it’s an educated one.
   One novel way to deal with illness in children was one that our parents used to do. Putting all the kids in the same bed to get them all sick at the same time. That naturally challenges their immune systems and cuts down on moms sick days. Now that’s creative!

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