Don't leave your loved ones alone in the hospital!

I am thankful for Western medicine for acute issues. It is life saving and life prolonging many times. Thankful for everyone who works in a hospital all the way down to the person who cleans the room as this can be just as important as the medicine they get. However, I am not thankful for a system that tries to squeeze blood from a rock. To save the almighty dollar, it seems every hospital is short staffed for the true needs of good patient care. Saving this almighty dollar sets us all up for failure and risk and contributes to the statistic in the JAMA article about western medicine being the third largest killer of patients behind heart disease and cancer.

Due to shortages, a lot of mistakes are made. I hear so many cringe worthy stories from my patients of the wrong medicines being given or the wrong doses given. I have seen a few die due to medical errors. None of us are perfect and it is terrifying to have a medical error or over look an allergy but it happens more when there is precious little time to spend doing things well.

One person I know had her husband die to pure overmedication of medicines that were not even his! He was given double doses of pain patches and triple doses of insulin that he didn't even need. Turns out his nurse had mild dementia that the staff apparently had not noticed but there was a shortage and she came out of retirement to help since they needed nurses so badly. They noticed something was weird but felt uncomfortable questioning the nurse since she was so certain he was getting what he needed. It turned out to be fatal! The wife was hospitalized just a few months later and she questioned everything and found them trying to give her the wrong medicine twice!!

I hear these stories way too often and fortunately most do not end up fatal but we have to empower patients to ask questions. Ask every time a family member is given a medicine. It is ok to question what it is and what it is for. If you feel like it isn't right, have them check with the doctor. If you are still concerned, ask to speak to the doctor. The life of your loved one may depend on it. Medicines are powerful and as life saving as they may be, they can also kill. Even highly qualified people can make mistakes. Ask questions and don't leave your loved one alone if they are not capable of asking the questions themselves.

Comments

Why This Doctor Doesn't Get Her Flu Shot!

Why Smart Doctors Don’t Get Flu Shots Smart doctors don’t get flu shots. Smart patients don’t either. Does that mean you’re not smart if you got a flu shot? No. It means the pharmaceutical industry has you and your wallet right where they want you. It means you believed the hype instead of looking at the science. Smart doctors don’t get flu shots. But I’m a doctor and not only did I get them, I insisted my mom and my siblings get their flu shot too. Once you hear my story, you will see that I can’t judge anyone who gets a flu vaccine. But I do judge an industry that tries to terrify and deceive people into getting a flu vaccine they do not want or need. I made my mom and siblings get the flu vaccine too Growing up, I never had a flu shot and I also never had the flu. But as a young adult thinking about starting a family, I listened to my doctor. I was told getting a flu shot was not only good for me and my family, it was essential. Life-sav...

Natural Alternatives to Tylenol: What to Give Your Kids, What to Take Yourself

Natural Alternatives to Tylenol: What to Give Your Kids, What to Take Yourself We almost crashed our server this summer with our blog about why no doctor should ever recommend acetaminophen or prescribe a Tylenol-containing pain reliever again (colleagues, are you listening? FDA, how ’bout you?). Since then, I’ve fielded hundreds of inquiries from families—especially worried parents—asking WHAT to use instead of Tylenol? Dr. Benton, what do I do for a fever? Dr. Benton, what do I do for a headache? What about for aches and pains? What about for migraines ? Glad you asked. There are safe, effective, natural alternatives to Tylenol that will get your pain in check. How to Treat a Fever Without Tylenol Fever is actually a positive sign that your immune system is paying attention and fighting disease. Fever is one of our body’s natural defenses against infection. Having a fever forces us to stay in bed—which gives our bodies time to heal. Sever...

Why No Doctor Should Ever Recommend Tylenol Again

Last week we were talking about toxins to avoid when you’re trying to conceive . This week we’ve got another toxin on the docket. The toxin is acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol (known as paracetamol in Europe). No doctor should ever recommend Tylenol again. Not to pregnant women. Not to newborns. Not to small children. “But my doctor says Tylenol is safe.” I am a doctor myself and a nice southern girl. I don’t like to criticize other doctors but I’ll be honest with you: your doctor does not know what he does not know. Tylenol has not been shown to be safe for children. If your doctor would spend just half an hour reviewing the peer-reviewed medical literature about Tylenol, your doctor will realize it has not been proven safe. Acetaminophen may very well be a main trigger for certain childhood neurological disorders, including autism, as well as childhood asthma . Just ask a team of research scientists and medical doctors from Duke and Harvard Universities whose...

Search This Blog