The History of Medicine

So, in my entry of calling-out Shawn Vuong, who is now claiming not to be the individual posting inappropriate comments on this web-blog (sorry, but we have multiple MAC and IP addresses that link you to the comments ... and someone in your class gave you up), this individual claims that he is just ignorant in many of his postings and thought ideas. Well, I am sorry, but this excuse just does not work for me. Maybe, we should forgive the atrocities of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party, because they were just learning and ignorant. The most appalling statement comes from Shawn's rationalization of his statements: that he is young and a first year medical student and that he is just asking people to teach him other ways. Sorry, this excuse is just bullshit (sorry for the language, but it fits that circumstance)!

The purpose of this weblog was simply to make change in a system that has compounding examples of unqualified individuals making serious decisions that ultimately affect the Citizens of South Dakota. Anyone was welcome to post a comment in response to a blog entry, however, Shawn abused this policy (going as far as cloning my name - Gerry Gilbertson, MD, JD) and then went as far as making beligerant posts.

Shawn is confident that his posts on this website (South Dakota's Medicine) will not result in academic harm to his position within the USD School of Medicine ... I would not be so sure of that Shawn. We are exposing your website and there is no need to go back and erase past postings and comments as we have already imaged your entire weblog (again, it is so nice to have friends and colleagues at the senior management level at Google). We are certain that the NPs and the RNs within greater SD are going to be so glad when they get to work with you. My predicition ... you drop out of medical school by third year!

Just one of many stupid statements (blog entries) by Shawn Vuong:

Are people really this stupid? Most people believe in their little voodoo medicines for a while. Magnet therapies, acupuncture, homeopathy, naturopathy, therapeutic touch, or even chiropractic care will have it's placebo effects work out for a while. But there comes a time in every sick person's life that they realize "hey, this crap isn't really physiologically based and I need to see a real doctor." But obviously these parents were just too...(brainwashed, dumb, gullible) I don't even know what the word is, but it makes me sick.

Shawn, maybe it is time for you to learn that people have the legal right to choose what is best for them in terms of health care management. As a physician, we have the obligation to present what we think is the best course of action for an individual, but at no time do we have the legal right to impose a course of treatment. Patients have the right to obtain as many medical opinions as they so choose and in most cases there is physician-to-physician disagreement. I do not consider medical practices such as acupuncture, chiropractic therapy, homeoptahy (etc...) as "voodoo medicines." In fact, western medicine has become too dependent on chemically synthesized medicines. As a near twenty year biomedical scientist, I can tell you of countless instances where patients underwent a standard-of-care treatment regimen, it failed, turned to other methods and are disease free. The body has an amazing ability to heal (or regenerate) itself ... sometimes as physicians we need to back-off aggressive therapies and listen to our patients ... in the end, it is always their choice!

"Western medicine" is less than 100 years old. Until the early decade of the 1900s, a physician was commonly trained by shadowing (1-3 years) an MD, investing about $100 in his (and sometimes her) medical bag, and going out into the community a hanging up a shingle. Heavy metals and laudnum were common prescriptions ... didn't matter if you had cancer or a tooth ache. People were probably sicker after visiting the physican than prior to walking through the front-door. On the other hand, American Indians, Chinese and other medical forms have had significant "healing powers" for centuries (eons in China).

A physicians primary duties are to concentrate on healing the mind, body and soul ... one division is not independent of the other. Poping pill-after-pill usually does not get the job done!

Morphine, CsA, Rapa, FK506 ... are all wonderful "drugs" and all "discovered" by indegenous peoples centuries ago.

The History of Medicine is an awesome subject ... take a course (or 10) and you might learn something.