We've all heard that red wine has certain therapeutic benefits, but as an alternative to a CT scan? Yes indeed. There is a doctor dispensing such advice - and what's more he plays a Senator on TV!
Giving medical advice in the political arena is known for its hazards. President Obama has fielded criticism and endured heckling for suggesting that in some circumstances palliative care may be preferable to surgery for patients near death.
Watch as Health Reform Doctor Pundit Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) relates the story of a woman who, when she felt she could not afford to pay for a CT scan, resorted to bringing "a glass of red wine" to her appointment to help her relax for the painful exam of her torn ligament. And what's more, he thinks it's a great idea.
[Link to C-Span video below the fold.]
The video is at this link and the story of the woman and the red wine begins three minutes into it.
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The moral of the story seems to be that if people can't afford to pay for a procedure that the physician orders, a little ingenuity (and possibly drunken driving) may be all that is needed to solve the problem.
There are a number of issues here (assuming that it is a true story, which is questionable). First I've had a torn anterior cruciate ligament (as has my son when he was 14, slightly before his personal drinking age); anyway it hurts like h$#%! The idea of walking around in pain for a week in that condition might have led me to the conclusion that my doctor didn't 'understand my pain.' Then, again, Senator Coburn ran on a campaign of 'Don't vote for me if you want government to do anything.' Apparently, his attitude about doctoring is not that different.
Next is the question of why a doctor would order a CT scan to visualize a torn ligament - because the patient couldn't relax? Really? I'm not a doctor, but again, I know a little. Is there not Valium? Are there not Pain Killers? I remember when we brought my son to the ER after he'd taken a bad fall skiing and he was looked at by a sports medicine specialist. The doctor was very calming and when he moved my son's knee, he did it very gently. Then he showed us a nifty model of a knee and explained what had happened and how he could fix it. We had the diagnosis, they gave my son some crutches and some Tylenol 3, we went home and the next day came back for his surgery. But then, this doctor also treats Olympic athletes.
Finally, back to my story, so even if it worked out super with the red wine for the woman's diagnostic exam, I'm not sure that would be the way to go for the arthroscopic surgery. After all, that kind of surgery requires the patient to be very very very still (in fact, unconscious is normally considered best). So the woman's problem with paying for the treatment of her injury was not solved. It was either 'out of luck or out-of-pocket.'
So friends, my recommendation: save the red wine for preventing high cholesterol and heart disease and for savoring life a little while you live -- but as for torn anterior cruciate ligaments: give me Health Reform.