Doctor Shortage Solved
by Albus
In a letter to the editor in the Sept. 23 issue of the Antigo Daily
Journal, Langlade County Board of Health chairman Jerrold Burns
warned the community of a medical talent drain, pointing out
that “three doctors have left, and the fourth is packing to go.”
He then called upon the county’s medical institutions to
“insure ample medical personnel to care for the people of this
community” with plans and programs to fill the vacancies.
A quick check of the phone book and review of the Journal’s
ad pages over the past couple of years shows there’s no need
to panic, Mr. Burns. Antigo’s thriving chiropractic community
stands ready to leap into the healthcare service gap!
The numbers are there. Antigo has more chiropractors than
dentists. It has been suggested that’s because Antigonians have
more vertebrae than teeth, but I don’t have any solid data for that
claim. Antigo has more chiropractors than cops, which suggests
that chiropractors may be under-protected. In fact, Antigo has
more chiropractors than cops and dentists combined! I have no
idea what THAT suggests, but I have my suspicions.
The facilities are there. Chiropractors don’t need big hospitals
and fancy diagnostic equipment and laboratories. For a
chiropractic clinic, all it takes is a simple office suite or store
front, and Antigo has LOTS of those available.
The scheduling is there. With one chiropractor for every 480
Antigonians, there are enough chiropractic appointment slots
for everyone in town to get a five-minute weekly adjustment.
No standing in line, or camping out in waiting rooms to see a
doctor any more!
The requested stability is there. Chiropractic clinics are quite
often run by husband-and-wife chiropractor teams, so you know
they’re going to stay put in in the community. After all, we’re
talking about well-adjusted families here, folks!
Most importantly, the coverage is there. According to ads and
fliers in the Antigo Daily Journal, chiropractors not only treat
back pain, but also treat such ailments as leg pain, arthritis,
carpel tunnel inflammations, migraine, scoliosis, stenosis,
allergies, asthma, obesity, high blood pressure, sleeplessness,
fatigue, behavioral problems like bad attitude, attention-deficit
disorder and attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder, and for the
little kiddies such things as otitis media (middle ear infection),
enuresis (bed-wetting), colic, and something called “birthing
trauma”. And all this WITHOUT using bad-tasting and
hard-to-pronounce drugs!
So, fear not, Mr. Burns. The solution for Langlade County’s
craving for health care is well at hand.
—-
I know alot of people don’t believe in chiropractors. I was a skeptic until all of my other options were exhausted. My son was having issues w/ his bowels and acid reflux. After only 2 appts he was back on track and quit puking and spitting up. I don’t think it works for everyone but it worked for him and I’d do it again in a heartbeat!
It’s wonderful that your son got better! Looks like I’ll have to add irritable bowel and reflux to the list of miracle chiropractic cures, along with some claims of infertility treatment and inversion of breech-birth positioned babies (the “Webster Technique”) that I’ve seen on the internet. It’s amazing what a little vertebra-tweaking is supposed to be able to accomplish. The problem, and the reason a lot of people don’t believe in chiropractors, is that many of the claims deal with self-resolving ailments (85% of back pain resolves in a year even if untreated, ear infections are recommended to be treated with medicines and techniques that non-surgery non-prescribing chiropractors can’t touch anyway, and every mother knows how colic runs its course), so chiropractors can claim credit for cures that would have happened anyway. Maybe your son’s case can trigger a serious research project that would yield some solid supporting data to convince the unbelievers.
Wow, AL. I wonder exactly what your problem with chiropractors is??? Who are you to complain about something that many people have found to work?? Just because it doen’t make complete sense to you, doesn’t mean it’s complete BS.
If you had done any kind of research into chiropractic care, you would know that it has very early beginings and uses similar theories to that of Chinese medicine. As with all natural medicine practices, it’s about finding balance and proper flow in the body. There is numerous research and articles published correlating manipulation of the bone and joints to relief of chronic illness and ailments.
And as far as chiropractors claiming “credit for cures that would have happened anyway”, have you forgotten that it was your MD’s who created something called the “placebo effect”?
Or better yet, the “superbugs” from over-prescribing antibiotics for everything, regardless if it could be treated with it or not.
And you think the chiropractors are the bad guys?????????????
For all of those who found relief, real or imagined, from someone other than your pill-pushing MD….Congratulations!!!
Alexis, it would be interesting to know how you jumped to the conclusion that I haven’t done any kind of research into chiropractic. I can, if you wish ,recite the entire history and philosophy of chiro, from D.D. Palmer’s rise from grocery vendor, through his experiments with phrenology and onwards to “magnetic healing”, to his miraculous cure of a presumably deaf man by manipulating the man’s spine (though, by some reports, including the patient himself, it was by whacking the guy on the side of the head with a bible), to his uneducated theorizing on the source of dis-ease (his hyphenated spelling, because a dis-ease can be “cured” by spinal adjustment, whereas an actual disease can’t), through the establishment of Palmer U., to Stephanson’s elucidation of the 16 Principles (a truly breath-taking concoction of poppycock”, and on, and on, though the hilarious “research” published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research.
Doctors may have defined the placebo effect (he did something noisy, so I must be getting better), but chiropractors developed it into a lucrative art. The refinement of the nocebo effect (as long as you don’t stop treatments, you’ll be healthy) is chiropractic’s crowning touch.
Alexis, lecturing me on how to do research and analysis is a choice fraught with peril and disaster. Better do a little Googling on your own, first. A good short-cut would be to check out the articles and links at http://www.chirobase.org/ for starters. In fact, there’s even one there on placebos and nocebos – http://www.chirobase.org/01General/placebo.html – in case you’d like to get a solid view of the issue as it relates to chiropractic.
While I was pregnant with my two children I had hip issues. My MD prescribed vicadin and sent me to physical therapy all to no avail ( I wouldn’t take the pills) The issue would have self resolved when I gave birth but in the meantime I was walking with a cane. Low and behold the chiropractor worked, it also helped after I had my children. So Al, carry and birth two children and let me know how you feel. I’ll take the chiropractor anyday over pain pills. BTW, I never said my son had irratable bowel syndrome. You sound more like an assuming ass that gets his info from the wrong resources. Maybe you should here it from the horses mouth i.e. the MD’s, chiros, and the ppl it has worked for and why. Do your own “research” instead of piggy-backing from a bunch of quacks’ opinions.
Workedforme, I took this: “My son was having issues w/ his bowels and acid reflux.” to mean that he was having bowel problems. I guess “irritable bowel” is too specific a diagnosis. What did the chiropractor diagnose?
Is it safe to take this: “My MD prescribed vicadin and sent me to physical therapy all to no avail ( I wouldn’t take the pills)….” to mean that you were non-compliant with the treatment plan? I’m not sure it’s fair to complain that treatment waqs “to no avail” when you didn’t follow the recommendations.
Yeah, I actually do a bit of assuming, now and then. For instance, I assume that real data, from real research, should carry more weight for decision-making than anecdotal evidence (“horses mouth”, “I don’t think it works for everyone but it worked for him”, “the ppl it has worked for and why”…..). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anecdotal_evidence for further explanation.
But it is, indeed, “a bunch of quacks’ opinions” that I am questioning. It would be really interesting to get some solid answers from them. I would certainly want to see the evidence before shelling out my hard-earned cash for treatment. I would think that you would want that, too.
I find it very amusing how you write such slanted comments about alternative medicine.
Isn’t your definition of nocebo effect “(as long as you don’t stop treatments, you’ll be healthy)” the exact thing you chastised Worked For ME for?? She didn’t keep taking the pills so therefore she couldn’t be healthy?? Chiros, massage thearapists, naturalapathys, etc all have “treatment plans” to be followed, just like your MD.
And you love to speak negatively about the beginings of chiropractic yet you do not address the beginings of the medical doctors. I’ll admit that hitting someone in the head with a bible to cure deafness doesn’t sound like a good idea but neither does a lot of your so called MD’s original treatments. Or have you forgotten about the first “doctors” selling snake oil…the creation of Coca-Cola(back when it was still made from cocaine) as a elixir…holes drilled in skulls to remedy headaches…the application of leeches for numerous treatments and the scrambling of frontal lobes with ice picks for mental diseases.
Hell, looking back, I’d take a good bible wacking over any of the other options any day!!!!!!!!!
But, I digress. You still have not explained exactly why this bothers you so much. What do you care who I go to for treatment??? What is it to you if I find relief from my ailments in other ways than you do??? If I find something that works, regardless of what it is, who are you to criticize???
Oh, and something else about your MD’s. How exactly are they doing anything smart by prescribing me meds? Sure, antibiotics are great when I have an infection but then why are they prescribed when I have a virus, which they do nothing for. Those pain meds are great but they don’t actually do anything towards fixing the thing that is causing the pain, now do they? They’re just a quick fix to get me back up and functioning instead of dealing with the true cause. Don’t fix the problem, just cure the symptoms. So I can keep coming back for another quick fix, another symptom cover-up, until the underlying problem manifests itself into something that requires serious treatment if there even is one. The whole time ringing up astronomical bills!!!
To me, MD’s have done nothing more than discovered a cash cow while fleecing the public regarding their true intent and chiropractors and the like are truely trying to find a “CURE”, while trying to defend themselves against the likes of you and people like you.
If you want to post the bad about alternative care providers than you should also post the negative about your MD’s. There are good and bad to both sides and both should be addressed before you ride in on your high horse denouncing one or the other. Maybe you should have some personal experience with both instead of just what you read on the internet. I’m sure we could go back and forth forever listing links and studies about everything from both sides. That’s why medical care is a personal choice. If you don’t like chiropractors, don’t go to one. If my chiroprator can help me than let me exercise my choice and go to one. It’s truely none of your business!!!!
Regarding origins, one difference between medicine and chiropractic is that medicine, being evidence-based, has changed and developed as evidence accumulated, whereas chiropractic, being based on ‘a priori’ assertions, has not. The original chiropractic premise, that spinal “adjustments” to correct “subluxations” will cure a long list of ailments, is still propounded as the basis of chiropractic treatment in spite of evidence to the contrary.
Alexis, I don’t see where I said you shouldn’t go to chiropractors. In fact, I can pretty much guarantee that I never said such a thing — I don’t tell people what to do for their “personal choices”. I merely offer options. I think such decisions should be informed choices, don’t you?
You’ve made up your mind based on your beliefs, and you will stick to your beliefs regardless of what I, or anyone else, would say. That’s the nature of belief — it won’t be challenged by external evidence, and simply rejects it. But people who make their decisions based on evidence regard contrary evidence as interesting and worth exploring. That’s the nature of science – it considers and weighs the evidence.
First, I never said that you told me or anyone else not to go to a chiropractor. Why so defensive???
Second, you want personal choices to be informed choices?? Great, I’m all for that. How about informed choices based on information AND experiences rather than just studies on the net. Have you ever been to a alternative health care provider of any kind for any reason???
Third, “You’ve made up your mind based on your beliefs, and you will stick to your beliefs regardless of what I, or anyone else, would say.”
Once again, you have taken YOUR “beliefs” and turned them into fact.
My mind is made up by information, experiences and results, personal results, that have nothing to do with “beliefs”.
Lastly, you have still not answered what your personal agenda is here. What’s your problem with chiroprators?? It can’t be as simple as their lack of historical documentation. And if it’s simply to inform the public, as you implied in your last post, than maybe you can explain how painting a common and accepted pratice negatively and with sarcasm is informative??
Alexis, you have rejected my offered evidence because it conflicts with your opinion. You offer nothing in rebuttal, except personal assertions — no data. If you’re going to reject information solely on the basis of its lack of conformity to your opinions, there’s not much room for discussion or progress, is there? As for what you refer to as my “problem with chiropractors”, it’s simply that they, too, reject evidence that conflicts with their opinions. That’s unscientific. I’ll put my money on science, over magical thinking, any day.
I’m with Alexis. In fact I’d take a witch doctor over the morons at Langlade Memorial Hospital!
ddddd, I have to confess that I recently side-stepped Langlade Memorial Hospital to get appropriate medical treatment for a family member, and went all the way to Madison to do it. It could very well be that even chiropractors might serve up health care at least as well as Langlade Memorial does. That’s one of the reasons I offered them up as a possible solution to the doctor shortage!
I agree, What do these morons here at langlade hospital know? They are a band aid stand, and if you want good care, i would urge any one to go else where. Antigo hospital has proven time and time again to me, friends, and family members to be absolutely useless. I’d better stop now, because the amount of anger, and hatred for that place that I have would never end. Put it this way….. To leave a family member sitting in a room, who was delivered from the nursing home having severe complications, and to leave her for five hours while not attending to her critical condition, and further more, having a list of the family members names and contact numbers on hand, and failing to contact some one from that list for a mtter of ten hours. And my hatred goes also for east view medical and rehab. What a useless bunch of crappy employees.
PLACES LIKE THESE NEED TO BE SHUT DOWN PERMANANTLY!!
It shouldn’t be their job to call family members. They are supposed to be health care providers. And if you disagree with my opinion, due to the liberals and their concerns over patient confidentiality they can no longer call someone without written permission from the patient.
It is only going to get worse after the election.
bignewsjunky- I’m so sorry you have been through all of this. My feelings about the hospital are very similar! What a joke that place is. And I know for fact that patients have a contact list of people to call in case of emergency. When you are a younger person, it is probably your parents or your spouse, but when you are elderly, the list is usually all of your children and close relatives. Surely, your family member who was residing at Eastview had such a list. It does not surprise me at all that the hospital workers didn’t call. They seem like a bunch of robots there that simply don’t care. It’s like they have no human emotion and no thought to do anything exra for anyone. From what I’ve heard about Eastview, it sounds like more of the same. Everyone I know that has a relative in there is frantically searching for an alternative. Oh yes, ignorant people suck – I so agree with you on the liberals and the election. Lord help us! I hope the RIGHT guy wins!
You gotta watch out for those liberals, that’s for sure. If they get in, they’re likely to get us into a couple of wars at the same time, turn a healthy federal surplus into the biggest deficit in history, bring corruption to Wall Street and Washington DC, put their inept buddies into high-level sensitive government positions, tax the wrong segment of the population, and drag the world into the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression!
Oh, wait…. That was the CONSERVATIVES in office for the last eight years that did all that, not the liberals. All right, then, that’s different….. Never mind….
I hope that if those ripping LMH apart are in need of emergency care that they refuse to treat you at the door. If you cut your arm with a chainsaw, its going to be a long drive to Madiosn or Wausau, but you don’t deserve access to local health care if you do not respect its purpose. LMH does not claim to be Mayo clinic, but they have made progress in the past years to bring them up to speed with the area. St. Joe’s brings in specialists to Antigo from clinics all over the state. I guess that you folks wouldn’t know this driving by your way to the same Aspirus network in Wausau…
I agree John. While I definetly would rather go to a different hospital with more experience or better specialists for a surgery or something specific, we have a great hospital for general things when you think of the size of our town. No, it’s definetly not my first choice for brain or open-heart surgery, but for appointments, walk-in, or emergency room visits we’re very fortunate to at least have something.
I agree and you know how rumors get started and spiral over the years about the nightmare health care. It happens everywhere and at every hospital and clinic, bad and good. You know what they always say…the grass is greener on the other side…and that holds true in this situation, too. I am greatful to have the walk-in here in Antigo for emergencies, we need it simply for the many people who cannot drive to Wausau or Rhinelander for their health care needs. Count your blessings, people!
Just an observation…Albus, you appear very well read & I love your wit!You’re my kind of girl/guy!
Guy.
I’m pretty sad this entry turned into a rant about how awful Langlade Hospital is. I reserve bias on the basis that I am employed there, but I must admit that I love my job. I am not directly involved in patient care but at some point I see every patient that comes through the hospital while I’m on duty. Errors are made often, as with any organization. We’re all human, and at the end of the day we all go home with the weight of those errors on our shoulders.
If you have ever had terrible treatment there, I personally apologize. I am certainly not a robot who doesn’t care, and I know a lot of other people there who aren’t either. Even a “band aid” station like our hospital is not without its value. We do have a limited capacity and it is difficult to attract good physicians to a place like Antigo, yet in spite of that we save lives.
Over the course of my employment and my residence in Antigo I’ve heard a lot of things about Langlade Hospital, good and bad. Not every bad experience is without it’s merits, but in such emotionally charged experiences not all things are taken into consideration by all parties involved either.
I’ll continue to work hard at what I do, and no doubt love what I do for a long time, even knowing that what I do will almost always go without positive recognition or that many people will be inclined to make rash negative generalizations regarding my emotional involvement in my work.
Good for you, Jennifer…not many people can say these days that they enjoy their jobs but you do and that is to be commended. I will personally ask for “Jennifer” the next time I have a bad experience at Langlade Hospital and you can make me feel better (just kidding). People reading this should also keep in mind that we very seldom hear the “success” stories that happen, most often only the bad ones.
I agree with you, and Jennifer. It was never my intent to sponsor a rant against Langlade Memorial.
Sherry said, “People reading this should also keep in mind that we very seldom hear the “success” stories that happen, most often only the bad ones.” Almost true, Sherry. We often hear about chiropractic “success” stories. Problem is, they are too often either lacking in evidence, or irrelevant, or simply fabricated.
The truth should not be as hard to get at, as it seems it often is.
Since 2007 I have had 5 yes 5 surgical procedures at Langlade Hospital.
The first was a knee scoping with Dr. Starinski. He did a wonderful job and while not perfect my knee is much much better. Just a few months later I was diagnosed with colon cancer stage 3. Surgery was done by Dr. Anna Gilbertson. She was kind, caring and very good to me. A few weeks later she surgically implanted the port thru which my chemo therapy would be delivered every other week for 6 months. Dr.s Gautam and Peterson are wonderful men and Doctors and the reason I’m still alive and currently cancer free!! Dr. Gilbertson removed the port in June and was then when I needed her in August for a hernia repair! I had that surgery on Friday and was back to work on Monday with only lifting restrictions. Each time the Day Surgery Staff were wonderful and Josh B. and Bob S the nurse anestithists had me pain free.
So all of you who want to travel for medical care go ahead….but I for one will stay where I trust and appreciate the care I’ve had for the past year!!!
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