I don't write notes very often but after waking up early 3:00 A.M. this morning and such a calm outside I feel a little inspiration to write out a few thoughts.With the arrival of hurricane Irene here in my little town watching the extreme edge of a hurricane 1,000 miles away and how much some people are feeling it much more than just a cloudy day for me. The outer edge is impressive to watch just in the last couple of hours how it has moved on the internet. I don't need to watch CNN or TV to view what has happened. I know!! TV sometimes is in the 1930's.
After watching a week of Jack Layton's celebration of life of what this man stood for and the messages, quotes, news reports, and what has taken place this past week writing out my thoughts.
A registry of diseases independent of the charities that we know are run by people waiting to take their retirement making 6 figures + who have only achieved their positions by their previous involvement or who they know in this world. An example of this is Jack Layton's children. Sarah and her brother have their current positions Sarah as a head of an AIDS charity branch for Ontario and Michael (think is his name) now a city councilor for Toronto.
I think charities who are run by these people waiting for their pensions are killing Canadian health care as we know it. They are not up to the times of technology whether it be by an MRI machine or various computer applications. A vary basic one we all know is Facebook and YouTube otherwise known as Social Media. We have seen CCSVI advance at lightning speed due to this involvement from NOT Dr's and Professionals but by patients and Health news reporters that can see and view what "the patient is communicating."
A huge aspect to show how far behind the times our charities and health organizations are still in 1992 is the CMSS is using the Census numbers from 2006.How many times have we heard the number 75,000 people in Canada have MS. With the government revoking the long form census in 2011 is that 75,000 number going to be the same in 2016? We have seen an increase in people stricken with MS as to why we still don't know why but that 75,000 number and the 2,5 million worldwide HAS to be fixed as this idea of it in 2016 and having MS will still be 2.5 million, I think not.
Our so called research community is not at all interested in changing the way we look at the numbers of certain diseases, except for a very few most are happy with the status quoWhat about Cancer, Diabetes, Alzheimer's, ALS, Stroke, Heart Disease, AIDS, Down Syndrome, Celiac, Graves, I can go on and on. Most Dr's and researchers are very happy being employed to use Millions and sometimes Billions of dollars to be gainfully employed for life thanks to the people who have used their resources and efforts to raise $ for this so called research. Research has turned into a corporate cash grab as viewed in last month's Ontario MS newsletter. The most exciting treatment ever for MS and no news of CCSVI was included in this newsletter. More news and advertisements for companies like Rona, CIBC, A&W were visible.
Viewing the A&W on this past Thursday all decked out with the propaganda to "Let's End MS" can be viewed in many ways. If a cure for MS was found tomorrow how many people making 6+ figures would be now unemployed and no longer needed. Do you think these people making these salaries really seriously want to lose their job? I think not !!!! This charities so called President has not been seen or heard much since he was ambushed in a live radio interview by 2 patients and others on a call-in show. He very abruptly left this interview.
After this performance he has seen an increase of salary whereas in the Public sector he would have been FIRED for his actions on this day in July 2010.In my opinion the CMSS and others are in a Private Sector. Dr's are now in the Private Sector. The so called College of Physicians has become the "Watchdog" of the medical industry and are there to back anyone working in the Medical field. After being told this past week that my GP could not help me and I would now have to go through the College of Physicians to request a test that I know I require has put me to wonder what life has become and if warranted to even be a part of.
It's kinda like a statement I remember from childhood when I would ask my father if I could go out to a party. His reply was always "check with your mother" Now asking a question to a Dr. has become "you have to write the College of Physicians to find out why I can't do this test for you"
I have a so called specialist that is supposed to handle my MS but his group of Mother's have spoken.
Why our GP population has dropped so significantly in Canada is due to them leaving for specific areas of Medicine. We all know there is more money if you align yourself with a disease such as MS. The pharmaceutical industry is proof of this. 1 day in 2011 there were more Sales representatives sitting in the waiting room waiting to see my specialist than actual patients. What is wrong with that picture????!!!!
Why can't our GP's access data bases of potential treatments for diseases their patients contract. I will use Dr. Zamboni as the example.
A study of 65 patients in Italy having MS is done after this Dr. saw improvements in his wife. After performing the same procedure in 65 people a great number have seen the improvements his wife did. 1 stating "I forget what it is like to have MS." His procedure done in 2008.Is that patients story and improvements located somewhere for my GP to do his own research on and look into possibly helping his patient that just told him "last week I can't balance on my hockey skates I have been on since I was the age of 2. Why?"
Off to the specialist you go and the rest is history we all have faced. The endless circle will never stop ! How many other diseases that I mentioned earlier is this vicious circle happening????!!!!!
If there was a registry for every disease that a GP can discuss with their patient they both can access this information. Whether it is anecdotal or not bottom line the patient gets to make the decision what type of treatment for them to take. Not one ultimately that has been sold to them by a salesperson in a doctor's office or by a group of former Dr's waiting for their pension and retirement.
To a person with a diagnosis of a disease that will change their life forever what is the first thing you do? You run to your computer to research your new disease and all and anything you can find out about it is printed out shared with your family, friends, work colleagues and Internet chat groups. When these so called Dr's waiting for their pensions have they ever seen this? Absolutely not !!!! 40 years ago our parents would take the information that their Dr's learned from Teachers who researched in University in the 1930's is how they handled a diagnosis. Today my specialist from people that learned in the 1930's how to do things. When preparing a report these then students spent how much time Proofreading their reports they would hand in to their Professors. Today in 2011 these students press "spell check" and it's done in 5 minutes. Not the 30 minutes they would have spent looking up the spelling of ".........."
Dr. Schelling in Austria showed this point beautifully in W5's report. "Now I get my son to Google" information.
This is Medical science today in the year 2011. There ultimately is no more need to wait for a specialist up to sometimes 6 months to a year to see and ask questions concerning your disease you have contracted, and why you can't balance on your skates. If you Google this you can probably find out in a couple of hours why you are having balance issues at the age of 36 and it's not how much alcohol you have taken in.
Rather it's MS.
For a GP to go home and research on his own for his customer as with Health care we ultimately are a customer paying with our taxes in the various databases of each disease held securely by each charity would be something to return with some printed information for his patient. Instead it's the patient walking in with the printouts and Discs of information to view.
Today as it stands we have seen close to 20,000 patients go through this same journey and have been treated of a disease called MS.The GP can only advise their patient to contact such charity that hasn't changed in how many years. "Status quo" Today are we sending our children back to school with a dictionary or thesaurus.
No we're sending them back with laptops and other technological devices to aid in achieving knowledge.The patient must have the right to choose. Our Parents, Sister's, Brother's didn't have access or the opportunity to the wealth of information currently available. If they did maybe they would still be with us today in 2011.
Now I must get my Sunday going as the wind (breeze) has picked up from Hurricane Irene but the edge of the storm still has yet to move with a clear blue sky edge defining this storm affecting millions in North America. What this view must be like. Many suffering with a disease feel the same way.
Jamie Chalmers - Sunday August 28 2011
PS: 1 Politician did have access to this piece of technology that would have helped so many Canadians, but his time ran out for him to use it.
R.I.P. Jack