Doctors
I went and saw my doctor today. Paid that man $70 because i suffer pain sometimes, and I've read on this hear interweb that many people who suffer similar pain find great relief through oxygen therapy - that is, they keep an oxygen tank and mask in their room, and when a nasty headache hits, they put on the mask and breathe it in for 10-20 minutes. For lots of people, this is very very successful at completely relieving their headaches.
But my doctor, he didn't feel oxygen therapy was right for me. Too expensive, he said, and although I do experience cluster headache-like symptoms, I don't fit the classic symptomology - therefor he didn't write me a prescription. And in America you can buy many things without consulting a doctor: cigarettes, a big mac, Everclear - you don't need a note from the doctor telling you that it would be healthy for you to use these items. Oxygen, however, is widely considered to be slightly more hazardous than over the counter items such as cigarettes and chainsaws, and for that reason I cannot purchase oxygen (for inhalation) for personal use without my doctor's OK.
I was surprised when I returned home and discussed this with my parents that my mother was not the least bit surprised that the doctor had refused to write me that prescription. 'It just seems very extreme' she told me. And I think that highlights a sort of folly in the way we look at medicine.
See, I've mentioned this oxygen therapy to a few people - I'm pretty sure it always comes across as an extreme measure. Buying an oxygen tank and an oxygen mask to keep in your room does seem pretty extreme, not to mention a little bit strange. But to my mind, it's a great step down in seriousness from the other medications I'm taking.
See, right now I take a medication called Topamax on a daily basis - also used to treat bi-polar disorder, epilepsy, and post-traumatic stress disorder. A quick trip to webMD lists 96 potential side effects of Topamax, including suicide. When I consider the effect that might have on my body, oxygen doesn't seem so extreme. And really, I don't think the long term health effects of many modern drugs such as Topamax are well understood - I don't think there's anyone on the planet who was using it 15 years ago. And just recently some migraine medications were pulled from the market due to their long-term effect on the heart. As it happens, since the heart attack, my mother is also forbidden to use any migraine medications period.
Oxygen, by contrast, has some good longitudinal studies behind it. Oxygen out-dates the FDA, and inhalation of pure oxygen probably has some side effects, but WebMD doesn't bother listing them.
I'm deflated here, folks. I used to think of doctors as heroes - and I still do. I mean their job is to make us feel better, be healthier, and live longer, right? Doctors save lives, and when they're not saving lives they're enhancing lives - and that's all their job is. To make lives better. A few months ago, doctors probably saved my mother's life, went home, and forgot her face - because it probably wasn't even a memorable day. So why is it that I just want to beat my doctor until my $70 comes back out?
But my doctor, he didn't feel oxygen therapy was right for me. Too expensive, he said, and although I do experience cluster headache-like symptoms, I don't fit the classic symptomology - therefor he didn't write me a prescription. And in America you can buy many things without consulting a doctor: cigarettes, a big mac, Everclear - you don't need a note from the doctor telling you that it would be healthy for you to use these items. Oxygen, however, is widely considered to be slightly more hazardous than over the counter items such as cigarettes and chainsaws, and for that reason I cannot purchase oxygen (for inhalation) for personal use without my doctor's OK.
I was surprised when I returned home and discussed this with my parents that my mother was not the least bit surprised that the doctor had refused to write me that prescription. 'It just seems very extreme' she told me. And I think that highlights a sort of folly in the way we look at medicine.
See, I've mentioned this oxygen therapy to a few people - I'm pretty sure it always comes across as an extreme measure. Buying an oxygen tank and an oxygen mask to keep in your room does seem pretty extreme, not to mention a little bit strange. But to my mind, it's a great step down in seriousness from the other medications I'm taking.
See, right now I take a medication called Topamax on a daily basis - also used to treat bi-polar disorder, epilepsy, and post-traumatic stress disorder. A quick trip to webMD lists 96 potential side effects of Topamax, including suicide. When I consider the effect that might have on my body, oxygen doesn't seem so extreme. And really, I don't think the long term health effects of many modern drugs such as Topamax are well understood - I don't think there's anyone on the planet who was using it 15 years ago. And just recently some migraine medications were pulled from the market due to their long-term effect on the heart. As it happens, since the heart attack, my mother is also forbidden to use any migraine medications period.
Oxygen, by contrast, has some good longitudinal studies behind it. Oxygen out-dates the FDA, and inhalation of pure oxygen probably has some side effects, but WebMD doesn't bother listing them.
I'm deflated here, folks. I used to think of doctors as heroes - and I still do. I mean their job is to make us feel better, be healthier, and live longer, right? Doctors save lives, and when they're not saving lives they're enhancing lives - and that's all their job is. To make lives better. A few months ago, doctors probably saved my mother's life, went home, and forgot her face - because it probably wasn't even a memorable day. So why is it that I just want to beat my doctor until my $70 comes back out?