Opinion response in the New York Times

Gail Collins has written several articles about women's health in the New York Times. I commented in response to her article "The Women’s Health Initiative and the Body Politic" explaining that as a practicing Physician, I saw many drugs, previously regarded as useful, removed from the marketplace. Read my response in full here: Women's Health, Who to Believe?

Does Darvon spell Death?

I've used Darvon as a pain relief medication for my patients ever since it first came out. It has been reported in various news media Darvon and Darvocet have just been removed from the market in November 2010. Little did I expect that a product in use since 1957 would be pulled from the market at such a late date. It has come to light that it has serious side effects including: heart attack, irregular heart rate, & interruption of heart's electrical impulses. I wonder how many of my own patients have been negatively effected by this drug based on the limited information I have had about it until now. As it turns out, it is frighteningly easy to overdose yourself on this medicine

All medicines are Poison, including Darvon. I have always considered that the benefit of its use outweighed its risks and this was backed up by the FDA's own findings. Now we find that the reverse is true and the inherent dangers have caused it to be removed from the market at the FDA's own behest. I will now have to use other drugs that are not reported to have similar consequences, yet relive the discomfort my patients suffer from. Please consult your medical professional about the continued use of this or any medicine before changing dosage on your own.

Melvin H Kirschner, MPH, MD, Family Practice.
Dr. Kirschner recently published a book entitled “All Medicines Are Poison!” It discusses the sorry state of this Country’s health system and suggests how it could be repaired. Buy it here.

Promoting Single Payer health care in California

In California,  single payer health care to cover all Californians is being promoted.   The bill was known as SB 840 (Kuehl). It was passed twice by the legislature and vetoed both times by the Governor with the help of the for-profit health insurance industry.
     Ninety-five percent of California nurses want single payer to pass. As a 50 year member of the CMA and a member of Physicians for a National Health Program, I have promoted “single payer” since it was first discussed, as do most of my colleagues.
     When I was a young physician, most medical insurance was “not-for-profit” and the patient and I were rarely questioned about the necessity or value of my services. Now, I often have my fees reduced or totally denied. Each insurance company has a different set of rules and they keep changing. A single payer will have one set of rules and one payment schedule.
     More than half of my colleagues and I would prefer a single payer system. There will be one set of rules, one insurer to bill and every patient will be covered.
 
Melvin H Kirschner, MPH, MD, Family Practice.
Dr. Kirschner recently published a book entitled “All Medicines Are Poison!” It discusses the sorry state of this Country’s health system and suggests how it could be repaired. Buy it here.

Single Payer health care for all of WHO?

The recent passage of the Federal health care bill is not the wonderful improvement of the country’s health care system that it’s portrayed to be. It’s a tiny concession by the healthcare insurance and pharmaceutical industries. The legislation that was just passed by a thin margin may yet be overturned. Many Senate and Congress members have received “reelection funds” from these industries. Even if recession fails, these small gains will take years to implement.
In contrast to the just passed federal health care bill, the California legislators have passed a single-payer bill three times in recent years. Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill twice. Californians are waiting for the next governor, Mr. Brown, to finally be sign it. California has term limits. That is likely why the industries affected, were unable to prevent its passage. (Thank goodness for term limits.)
The reason California was able to pass the bill three times is the large, very vocal, population in favor of single payer health care. Every major population center in California is represented by chapters of “Health Care for All” (HCA). This organization is the voice of Californians, many of who have been in favor of single payer for years.
The California Physicians Alliance for single payer health care (CaPA) is the voice of more than half of the physicians practicing in California. It’s now a chapter of Physicians for a Nation Health Program (PNHP).
Ninety-five percent of California’s registered nurses are in favor of single-payer health care. Many other health care professionals have added their voices to the drum beat.
People without health care insurance are inundating California’s emergency rooms. Many of these people cannot afford to go to a doctor. Statistics have shown that emergency rooms are the most expensive way to obtain routine medical care. Early, routine medical care minimizes the possibility of an illness progressing to a more serious stage that may require complex treatment or hospitalization.
In our country, many thousands of deaths occur year because of lack of access to medical care. The best and least expensive solution to this dilemma is a single payer health care system.

Probems with medicines and other treatments

May 8 2010

The number of articles in the news media that report problems and withdrawal of medicines has become so frequent that I can hardly keep up. When I wrote my book "All Medicines Are Poison!" there was only an occasional discussion of these issues by the news media. Much of the medical and health care problems were conclusions drawn from my own and my colleagues' experiences. The book was developed from my own experiences and observations. I not only care for my patients, I cared about them. It became obvious to me that some of the treatments and prescriptions I recommended, caused no benefit at all or created more harm than good. My letters to the editor, interviews and lectures pointed that out.
MHK

Last hours of 2009

47 million still without health care coverage.
Still at war!
Country still torn by discontent.
Happy New Year for all.

AllMedicinesArePoison, the press is noticing.

I've already given several lectures regarding the book.So far, I've been interviewed on 7 radio stations in the US and Canada.I may be on the Rachel Raye show early next year. Dr. Harriet Hill has published a detailed review and critic of the book.
I wrote this book because of the sad state of the health care industry in this Country. I believe that my 60 years serving our health care system has provided me with the knowledge of what's broken and how it can be fixed. The alternative medicine advocates are right when they state that all medicines are poison, but those poisons have life-saving usefulness when prescribed by doctors. Doctors are trained to weigh the risks versus the values.
But Medicines are only one part of the health care system. The book discusses many other elements of our health care system. These elements include hospitals, drug research, manufacturing and advertising, insurance coverage, government oversight, the under-insured or uninsured population and why medical care in the U. S. is twice as expensive here, than it is in the rest of the industrialized world.
You don't have to agree, but you should be aware of the issues.

MHK, MPH, MD