Honeycutt's Health Corner

Docs4PatientCare Endorsement

sitemanager — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 12:52:57 +0000

Dear Dr. Honeycutt,

The Executive Board of Directors and the Political Action Committee of Docs4PatientCare are pleased to inform you of our formal endorsement of your candidacy for Congress from Georgia’s 13th District.

We are in complete agreement with your position on health care reform. We support all Congressional efforts to oppose funding of key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Law, eventual repeal of the law, and replacement with common sense health care legislation that preserves the sanctity of the physician-patient relationship and the freedom of patients and physicians to make critical health care decisions without government intervention.

We feel that the American Medical Association failed to represent America’s working physicians in this year long debate. We are positioning our organization to be the true voice for physicians who work day to day with patients. With your help we can become a strong and honest advocate for the majority of doctors in America. We would be honored if that message could become a key point from your campaign as you discuss health care reform with other medical groups and the public.

Dr. Jeff English, a member of our vetting committee, and Dr. Tod Rubin, a member of our Executive Board, stand ready to assist your campaign with matters pertaining to health care policy and media events. As we continue to grow and expand Docs4PatientCare we intend to provide a greater level of assistance to your campaign. Your active involvement with our organization will help us both achieve our goals.

Please feel free to contact any of us at any time with questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Richard Armstrong

Health Care Town Hall

sitemanager — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:54:19 +0000

Across the country people are speaking up at town halls against government ran health care. Do not listen to the talking heads on the left saying that these protest are fake. Real citizens are standing up and fighting for control over their lives.

Big Brother Medicine

sitemanager — Fri, 22 May 2009 22:08:11 +0000

The current news of the FBI and police searching for a Minnesota mom, Colleen Hauser, and her thirteen year old son, Daniel, who are refusing chemotherapy gives a lot of fodder for consideration. Correct me if I am wrong, but this is still the USA. We still have the right to choose which medical therapies we desire and which we choose to refuse. Other people, some of whom have had a chemotherapy cure of their case of Hodgkins lymphoma have urged the mother to bring her son back home for chemotherapy. I am happy for the people who made their decision for chemotherapy and got a resultant cure. But, this situation brings to mind the statement of President Obama that he would work with both parties of Congress in all of his endeavors. As it plays out, our President meant that he would work with his own party and with only those who would readily agree with him from the other party. Now the courts and the media portray this mother and son as criminals because they do not agree with them about how Daniel should approach care of cancer.

As a family medicine physician, I have a healthy respect for oncologists, physicians who care for those with cancers. They have not only great ability to personalize the care of each one of their patients to get the very best result for them, but they also have great compassion for their often very ill patients. But even they have heard of cancer cures that were effected with therapies outside the realm of our modern western medicine.

We have all heard that people from other countries have called us Americans arrogant for thinking that the way we do something is the only way it can be done. The whole “alternative medicine” field became popular in our nation over the last decades simply because some of it works, thus giving patients a choice of treatments. Interestingly, when the established medical community found that “alternative medicine” proponents and adherents were not going away, that the numbers using alternative approaches to care of various illness were quickly growing, and that they did not want to miss the opportunity to regulate in some way this medicine that could become a threat, they decided to change the name to “complementary medicine”. Of course that means complementary to the “superior” modern western medicine.

But those of us who love the field of medicine know that some of what we do in the name of medicine in our country is based on tradition and not on science—hence the emergence of “evidence-based medicine.” Studies of all kinds are constantly being done to prove or disprove that a medicine or therapy actually works for what it says it does. But fewer studies are done to gather evidence to prove the efficacy of non-traditional alternative methods. What if their religion were an ancient eastern religion? Does our government permit proponents of religions to exercise only the part of their beliefs that do not stray from what current western medical practice is? Is this the same government that wants to take over the administration of and payment for medical care for all Americans? Before we let our courts and government practice Big Brother Medicine, we must ask ourselves some questions.

The Hausers will have to live with the consequences of their decision, no matter what the consequences are. I say let them.

Deborah Ann Travis Honeycutt, MD
404.909.9409 Direct to Deborah line

Swine Flu Prevention

sitemanager — Tue, 19 May 2009 00:09:10 +0000

Keep your hands away from your nose and your mouth. The swine flu is spread by respiratory secretions, so sneeze into your elbow to help protect others. The virus does not live long on dry surfaces or on dry intact skin. Wash your hands often and use hand sanitizer between washings.

Stay away from sick people. Now that doesn’t mean progressives who, one could argue, are sick. They may infect you with pork, but not with swine flu!

Deborah Ann Travis Honeycutt, MD

404.909.9409 Direct to Deborah line