26 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
COVID-19 , the gift that keeps on giving , brought out the worst in many people . They confidently advertised ivermectin ( in addition to bleach ) and bitterly , hysterically rejected masks – not just the politicians , but docs and patients too .
The race for the most common lie heard in doctors ’ offices is difficult to call . The perennial leaders are , “ The doctor will see you now ,” once you ’ ve been assigned to that room with no view . The doc is pulled in six directions as you wait , from the endless emails from MyChart , to phone calls and the unhappy lady from yesterday , who threw up her new med and came back today to complain . Then there ’ s the lab person who has a Positive and occasionally , the messenger hollering from the waiting room , “ Come quick , somebody ’ s fainting !” The doc is doing her best : thankfully , most people wait politely and only roll their eyes a bit when she at last opens the door .
Running a close second is the classic “ But I never miss a dose .” Other claims that cause a doc to nod soberly while grinning inwardly are “ I never catch cold , I take garlic pills !” and , “ I can ’ t take time to exercise !” ( However , watches at least three Netflix series and never misses Bingo ).
A SECOND OPINION
This space is for our physician members to speak their minds freely on both medical or non-medical issues of the day and respond to the opinions of others . The GLMS Editorial Board reserves the right to choose what will be published . Please note that the views expressed in A Second Opinion or any other article in this publication are not those of the Greater Louisville Medical Society or Louisville Medicine .
Lies , Damn Lies and Doctors
The lies that fueled COVID-19 deaths in states that voted majority Republican should be weighing heavily on the consciences of the people who told them , over and over again : many 2020 and 2022 candidates for office , TV news personnel and various “ local
by MARY BARRY , MD politicians ” made famous by Dr . Oz . Dr . Oz himself benefited from his shares in both Thermo Fisher Scientific and McKesson , companies that sold hydroxychloroquine , a drug he touted ( without data ) for COVID-19 . He tried to get White House officials to fund a study of this drug at Columbia , as well .
He wasn ’ t the only doctor who touted treatments for COVID-19 that did not work . Steven Lee Myers reported extensively in the Nov . 30 New York Times regarding the ongoing controversy in California . In August , Gov . Gavin Newsom signed a law , going into effect on Jan . 1 , intended to curb doctor-originated “ false or misleading medical misinformation .” 2
Offenses are defined only as direct conversations with patients , not use of social media or anything in writing . The accused doctor would be referred to the Medical Board of California for “ unprofessional conduct ” and the Board , after investigation , could levy fines or suspend or revoke the person ’ s California license . The California Medical Association sponsored this law and lobbied on its behalf .
However , lawsuits with the support of the American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU ) have already been filed , to argue that the law violates our First Amendment right of free speech by defining misinformation as “ falsehoods that violate contemporary scientific consensus .” 2 The doctors who filed the lawsuits worry that such consensus is a moving target , because medical and scientific knowledge and standards evolve over time . They worry that just telling the average person the potential downsides of any treatment – immediate and long-term risks and side effects – could be grounds for accusation , since not all of them might come true in practice and