#unlicensed medical practitioner

[mikufunfacts]

miku fun fact #125

miku does not have any medical experience, but she definitely has a can-do attitude!

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

*crying sobbing pounding on dazzle's chest* YOU'RE GONNA COME BACK WRONG AND AS CHAGGIE'S FUCKED UP CREEPY MEDICAL RAT PUPPETEER CHILD!! YOU HAVE NO CHOICE!!!!

Razzle needs a hug and i don't CAAARE if it's just from the reanimated body of what used to be his brother turned little sister >:(

this fankid brought to you by

Charlie running around with bandages after an Extermination trying to patch Sinners up, a thing that would inspire her new goat child and something her and Baffy would bond over.

Vaggie as a mom and also one of the only ppl around scarred by a permanent debilitating wound given by heavenly steel, a thing she and Baffy kinda have in common, and motivation for Baffy's research into healing heavenly injuries.

What if a kid was born from a failed attempt at resurrecting someone else and then had to live right next to said person’s memorial statue while watching their older brother sadly cuddling up to it sometimes? Baffy totally doesn't get trauma from this.

other random thoughts below

Having a health practitioner in the Pride Ring is kinda like installing fire detectors in Hell.

Not only is violence happened all the time everywhere but Sinners normally just pull themselves together afterwards and regenerate unless hit with a heavenly weapon, so what's the point of having someone running around stitching up wounds and treating blood loss?

Well.. what's the point of running around with a torn off arm if you don't have to? Or being in pain longer than you need to?

Baffy thinks that sounds pretty stupid.

Baffy is cheerfully chasing down her next VERY reluctant patient as we speak.

Baffy's heart is in the right place (she checked) but her medical practices and bedside manner are kinda lacking (ironic for a former plushie toy) and most Sinners would rather run screaming into a turf war than let her treat them. She's a little too fond of stiches and blood and excuses to see both.

(And what if not even heavenly steal could scar or permanently kill people...?) (Heaven is NOT happy someone is asking this question)

Hell’s creepy new health practitioner

Unlicensed

Self-taught surgeon via rat autopsies

Uses rat puppets to distract and calm her patients (doesn’t realize they find it disturbing)

Largest rat puppet also serves as her assistant

Craves apples

Can be bribed with apples

Reborn from Charlie’s blood and part of the Morningstar bloodline

Fav bedtime story is of how Charlie kept trying to help bandage Sinners up after Exterminations and how that eventually led to Charlie meeting, helping, and falling in love with Vaggie

Looks and acts a lot like her aunt Niffty

Aunty Angel Dust was the receptionist / nurse for kid Baffy's play pretend doctor fun, and he does it for real whenever Baffy sets up a makeshift clinic in the hotel lobby

Husk grumpily lets her try to help him stop drinking

Sometimes uncle Husk wakes up from a hangover with a YOWEL as Baffy gets him in the hindquarters with a syringe of her own healing blood

Cherri Bomb and Cherri Bomb's bombs are Baffy's main source of patients since they're usually in too many pieces to run away from her

Cherry brings them over when she remembers to

mainly so Baffy can assess the damage and unintentionally give Cherri tips on how to build her next bomb even better

Vaggie as the only one slowly picking up on something being very wrong with Baffy's whole heal people at any cost thing even if the price is her own blood and pain

Vaggie is trying to show Baffy that living with scars can be okay but hotel business and heavenly threats keep interrupting them

Baffy has an X shaped white scar where Dazzle’s mortal wound was

Her scar aches when she touches heavenly steel or when large amounts of it are nearby

Yes her head is on fire no it’s not a problem (for her)

Since she can't use heavenly weapons without hurting she mainly just headbutts people with fire when attacking or puppets her small rat army after them

Has to drink blood daily to survive

HATES the taste of blood

does think it's PRETTY tho

Scared of needles but keeps trying to use blood transfusions to help Sinners heal from heavenly steel wounds like her body did

Emily is her doting "guardian angel" / godmother who helped Charlie and Vaggie bring her into the world / failed at bringing Dazzle back

Lute thinks Baffy's 'birth' in an insult to creation and to her and wants the 'abomination' dead

Emily almost goes full seraph fury on Lute's ass for this

Instead Emily reminds Lute and Sera that, as a blood relation of Lucifer, Baffy has immunity from being targeted by heaven, an immunity Emily WILL enforce

Baffy has a running feud with Cannibal Town over whether devouring bodies counts more as recycling / waste management or robbery from the scientific community (which is so far just Baffy)

Since Dazzle died in dragon form Baffy can't shift into it without tearing open her mortal wound scar

she almost died the one time she tried it

Razzle knew she wasn't his dead brother brought back to life when new born her was given a choice between an apple and a donut and she did NOT choose the donut

He loves his new little sister so much and just wishes Dazzle could have somehow known her too

[mostlysignssomeportents]

When you hear "fintech," think "unlicensed bank"

Tomorrow (May 2) I’ll be in Portland at the Cedar Hills Powell’s with Andy Baio for my new novel, Red Team Blues.

In theory, patents are for novel, useful inventions that aren’t obvious “to a skilled practitioner of the art.” But as computers ate our society, grifters began to receive patents for “doing something we’ve done for centuries…with a computer.” “With a computer”: those three words had the power to cloud patent examiners’ minds.

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/01/usury/#tech-exceptionalism

Patent trolls — who secure “with a computer” patents and then extract ransoms from people doing normal things on threat of a lawsuit — are an underappreciated form of “tech exceptionalism.” Normally, “tech exceptionalism” refers to bros who wave away things like privacy invasions by arguing that “with a computer” makes it all different.

These tech exceptionalists are the legit face of tech exceptionalism, the Forbes 30 Under 30 set. They’re grifters, but they’re celebrated grifters. There’s a whole bottom-feeding sludge of tech exceptionalists that don’t get the same kind of attention, like patent trolls.

Oh, and the fintech industry.

As Riley Quinn says, “when you hear ‘fintech,’ think: ‘unlicensed bank.’” The majority of fintech “innovation” consists of adding “with a computer” to highly regulated activities and declaring them to be unregulated (and, in the case of crypto, unregulatable).

There are a lot of heavily regulated financial activities, like dealing in securities (something the crypto industry is definitely doing and claims it isn’t). Most people don’t buy or sell securities regularly — indeed, most Americans own little or no stocks.

But you know what regulated financial activity a lot of Americans participate in?

Going into debt.

As wages stagnate and the price of housing, medical care, childcare, transportation and education soar, Americans fund their consumption with debt. Trillions of dollars’ worth of debt. Many of us are privileged to borrow money by walking into a bank and asking for a loan, but millions of Americans are denied that genteel experience.

Instead, working Americans increasingly rely on payday lenders and other usurers who charge sky-high interest rates, on top of penalties and fees, trapping borrowers in an endless cycle of indebtedness. This is an historical sign of a civilization in decline: productive workers require loans to engage in useful activities. Normally, the activity pans out — the crop comes in, say — and the debt is repaid.

But eventually, you’ll get a bad beat. The crop fails, the workshop burns down, a pandemic shuts down production. Instead of paying off your debt, you have to roll it over. Now, you’re in an even worse situation, and the next time you catch a bad break, you go further into debt. Over time, all production comes under the control of creditors.

The historical answer to this is jubilee: a regular wiping-away of all debt. While this was often dressed up in moral language, there was an absolutely practical rationale for it. Without jubilee, eventually, all the farmers stop growing food so that they can grow ornamental flowers for their creditors’ tables. Then, as starvation sets in, civilization collapses:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/07/08/jubilant/#construire-des-passerelles

As the debt historian Michael Hudson says, “Debts that can’t be paid, won’t be paid.” Without jubilee, indebtedness becomes a chronic and inescapable condition. As more and more creditors attach their claims to debtors’ assets, they have to compete with one another to terrorize the debtor into paying them off, first. One creditor might threaten to garnish your paycheck. Another, to repossess your car. Another, to evict you from your home. Another, to break your arm. Debts that can’t be paid, won’t be paid — but when you have a choice between a broken arm and stealing from your kid’s college fund or the cash-register, maybe the debt can be paid…a little. Of course, digital tools offer all kinds of exciting new tools for arm-breakers — immobilizing your car, say, or deleting the apps on your phone, starting with the ones you use most often:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/02/innovation-unlocks-markets/#digital-arm-breakers

Under Trump, payday lenders romped through America. A lobbyist for the payday lenders became a top Trump lawyer:

https://theintercept.com/2017/11/27/white-house-memo-justifying-cfpb-takeover-was-written-by-payday-lender-attorney/

This lobbyist then oversaw Trump’s appointment of a Consumer Finance Protection Bureau boss who deregulated payday lenders, opening the door to triple digit interest rates:

https://www.latimes.com/business/lazarus/la-fi-lazarus-cfpb-payday-lenders-20180119-story.html

To justify this, the payday loan industry found corruptible academics and paid them to write papers defending payday loans as “inclusive.” These papers were secretly co-authored by payday loan industry lobbyists:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/02/25/how-payday-lending-industry-insider-tilted-academic-research-its-favor/

Of course, Trump doesn’t read academic papers, so the payday lenders also moved their annual conference to a Trump resort, writing the President a check for $1m:

https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-inc-podcast-payday-lenders-spent-1-million-at-a-trump-resort-and-cashed-in

Biden plugged many of the cracks that Trump created in the firewalls that guard against predatory lenders. Most significantly, he moved Rohit Chopra from the FTC to the CFPB, where, as director, he has overseen a determined effort to rein in the sector. As the CFPB re-establishes regulation, the fintech industry has moved in to add “with a computer” to many regulated activities and so declare them beyond regulation.

One fintech “innovation” is the creation of a “direct to consumer Earned Wage Access” product. Earned Wage Access is just a fancy term for a program some employers offer whereby workers can get paid ahead of payday for the hours they’ve already worked. The direct-to-consumer EWA offers loans without verifying that the borrower has money coming in. Companies like Earnin claim that their faux EWA services are free, but in practice, everyone who uses the service pays for the “Lightning Speed” upsell.

Of course they do. Earnin charges sky-high interest rates and twists borrowers’ arms into leaving a “tip” for the service (yes, they expect you to tip your loan-shark!). Anyone desperate enough to pay triple-digit interest rates and tip the service for originating their loan is desperate and needs to the money now:

https://prospect.org/power/05-01-2023-fintech-ewa-payday-loan-scam/

EWA annual interest rates sit around 300%. The average EWA borrower uses the service two or three times every month. EWA CEOs and lobbyists claim that they’re banking the unbanked — but the reality is that they’re acting as sticky-fingered brokers between banks and young, poor workers, marking up traditional bank services.

This fact is rarely mentioned when EWA companies lobby state legislatures seeking to be exempted from usury rules that are supposed to curb predatory lenders. In Vermont, Earnin wants an exemption from the state’s 18% interest rate cap — remember, the true APR for EWA loans is about 300%.

In Texas, payday lenders are classed as loan brokers, not loan originators and are thus able to avoid the state’s usury caps. EWAs are lobbying the Texas legislature for further exemptions from state money-transmitter and usury limit laws, principally on the strength of the “it’s different: we do it with a computer” logic.

But as Jarod Facundo writes for The American Prospect, quoting Monica Burks from the Center for Responsible Lending, a loan is a loan even if it’s with a computer: “The industry is trying to create a new definition for what a loan is in order to exempt themselves from existing consumer protection laws… When you offer someone a portion of money on the promise that they will repay it, and often that repayment will be accompanied with fees or charges or interest, that’s what a loan is.”

Catch me on tour with Red Team Blues in Mountain View, Berkeley, Portland, Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, DC, Gaithersburg, Oxford, Hay, Manchester, Nottingham, London, and Berlin!

[Image ID: A stately, columnated bank building, bedecked in garish payday lender signs.]

Image: Andre Carrotflower (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:30_North_%28former_Pontiac_Commercial_%26_Savings_Bank_Building%29,_Pontiac,_Michigan_-_entrance_and_Chief_Pontiac_relief_sculpture_-_20201213.jpg

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

[a-scary-lack-of-common-sense]

Sometimes a family can be a severed head, an unlicensed medical practitioner, a burly Russin literature doctor, and Scoot

[dailyanarchistposts]

Topics: health care, monopoly

In a recent article for Tikkun, Dr. Arnold Relman argued that the versions of health care reform currently proposed by “progressives” all primarily involve financing health care and expanding coverage to the uninsured rather than addressing the way current models of service delivery make it so expensive. Editing out all the pro forma tut-tutting of “private markets,” the substance that’s left is considerable:

What are those inflationary forces? . . . [M]ost important among them are the incentives in the payment and organization of medical care that cause physicians, hospitals and other medical care facilities to focus at least as much on income and profit as on meeting the needs of patients. . . . The incentives in such a system reward and stimulate the delivery of more services. That is why medical expenditures in the U.S. are so much higher than in any other country, and are rising more rapidly. . . . Physicians, who supply the services, control most of the decisions to use medical resources. . . . The economic incentives in the medical market are attracting the great majority of physicians into specialty practice, and these incentives, combined with the continued introduction of new and more expensive technology, are a major factor in causing inflation of medical expenditures. Physicians and ambulatory care and diagnostic facilities are largely paid on a piecework basis for each item of service provided.

As a health care worker, I have personally witnessed this kind of mutual log-rolling between specialists and the never-ending addition of tests to the bill without any explanation to the patient. The patient simply lies in bed and watches an endless parade of unknown doctors poking their heads in the door for a microsecond, along with an endless series of lab techs drawing body fluids for one test after another that’s “been ordered,” with no further explanation. The post-discharge avalanche of bills includes duns from two or three dozen doctors, most of whom the patient couldn’t pick out of a police lineup. It’s the same kind of quid pro quo that takes place in academia, with professors assigning each other’s (extremely expensive and copyrighted) texts and systematically citing each other’s works in order to game their stats in the Social Sciences Citation Index. (I was also a grad assistant once.) You might also consider Dilbert creator Scott Adams’s account of what happens when you pay programmers for the number of bugs they fix.

One solution to this particular problem is to have a one-to-one relationship between the patient and a general practitioner on retainer. That’s how the old “lodge practice” worked. (See David Beito’s “Lodge Doctors and the Poor,” The Freeman, May 1994).

But that’s illegal, you know. In New York City, John Muney recently introduced an updated version of lodge practice: the AMG Medical Group, which for a monthly premium of $79 and a flat office fee of $10 per visit provides a wide range of services (limited to what its own practitioners can perform in-house). But because AMG is a fixed-rate plan and doesn’t charge more for “unplanned procedures,” the New York Department of Insurance considers it an unlicensed insurance policy. Muney may agree, unwillingly, to a settlement arranged by his lawyer in which he charges more for unplanned procedures like treatment for a sudden ear infection. So the State is forcing a modern-day lodge practitioner to charge more, thereby keeping the medical and insurance cartels happy—all in the name of “protecting the public.” How’s that for irony?

Regarding expensive machinery, I wonder how much of the cost is embedded rent on patents or regulatorily mandated overhead. I’ll bet if you removed all the legal barriers that prevent a bunch of open-source hardware hackers from reverse-engineering a homebrew version of it, you could get an MRI machine with a twentyfold reduction in cost. I know that’s the case in an area I’m more familiar with: micromanufacturing technology. For example, the RepRap—a homebrew, open-source 3-D printer—costs roughly $500 in materials to make, compared to tens of thousands for proprietary commercial versions.

More generally, the system is racked by artificial scarcity, as editor Sheldon Richman observed in an interview a few months back. For example, licensing systems limit the number of practitioners and arbitrarily impose levels of educational overhead beyond the requirements of the procedures actually being performed.

Libertarians sometimes—and rightly—use “grocery insurance” as an analogy to explain medical price inflation: If there were such a thing as grocery insurance, with low deductibles, to provide third-party payments at the checkout register, people would be buying a lot more rib-eye and porterhouse steaks and a lot less hamburger.

The problem is we’ve got a regulatory system that outlaws hamburger and compels you to buy porterhouse if you’re going to buy anything at all. It’s a multiple-tier finance system with one tier of service. Dental hygienists can’t set up independent teeth-cleaning practices in most states, and nurse-practitioners are required to operate under a physician’s “supervision” (when he’s out golfing). No matter how simple and straightforward the procedure, you can’t hire someone who’s adequately trained just to perform the service you need; you’ve got to pay amortization on a full med school education and residency.

Drug patents have the same effect, increasing the cost per pill by up to 2,000 percent. They also have a perverse effect on drug development, diverting R&D money primarily into developing “me, too” drugs that tweak the formulas of drugs whose patents are about to expire just enough to allow repatenting. Drug-company propaganda about high R&D costs, as a justification for patents to recoup capital outlays, is highly misleading. A major part of the basic research for identifying therapeutic pathways is done in small biotech startups, or at taxpayer expense in university laboratories, and then bought up by big drug companies. The main expense of the drug companies is the FDA-imposed testing regimen—and most of that is not to test the version actually marketed, but to secure patent lockdown on other possible variants of the marketed version. In other words, gaming the patent system grossly inflates R&D spending.

The prescription medicine system, along with state licensing of pharmacists and Drug Enforcement Administration licensing of pharmacies, is another severe restraint on competition. At the local natural-foods cooperative I can buy foods in bulk, at a generic commodity price; even organic flour, sugar, and other items are usually cheaper than the name-brand conventional equivalent at the supermarket. Such food cooperatives have their origins in the food-buying clubs of the 1970s, which applied the principle of bulk purchasing. The pharmaceutical licensing system obviously prohibits such bulk purchasing (unless you can get a licensed pharmacist to cooperate).

I work with a nurse from a farming background who frequently buys veterinary-grade drugs to treat her family for common illnesses without paying either Big Pharma’s markup or the price of an office visit. Veterinary supply catalogs are also quite popular in the homesteading and survivalist movements, as I understand. Two years ago I had a bad case of poison ivy and made an expensive office visit to get a prescription for prednisone. The next year the poison ivy came back; I’d been weeding the same area on the edge of my garden and had exactly the same symptoms as before. But the doctor’s office refused to give me a new prescription without my first coming in for an office visit, at full price—for my own safety, of course. So I ordered prednisone from a foreign online pharmacy and got enough of the drug for half a dozen bouts of poison ivy—all for less money than that office visit would have cost me.

Of course people who resort to these kinds of measures are putting themselves at serious risk of harassment from law enforcement. But until 1914, as Sheldon Richman pointed out (“The Right to Self-Treatment,” Freedom Daily, January 1995), “adult citizens could enter a pharmacy and buy any drug they wished, from headache powders to opium.”

The main impetus to creating the licensing systems on which artificial scarcity depends came from the medical profession early in the twentieth century. As described by Richman:

Accreditation of medical schools regulated how many doctors would graduate each year. Licensing similarly metered the number of practitioners and prohibited competitors, such as nurses and paramedics, from performing services they were perfectly capable of performing. Finally, prescription laws guaranteed that people would have to see a doctor to obtain medicines they had previously been able to get on their own.

The medical licensing cartels were also the primary force behind the move to shut down lodge practice, mentioned above.

In the case of all these forms of artificial scarcity, the government creates a “honey pot” by making some forms of practice artificially lucrative. It’s only natural, under those circumstances, that health care business models gravitate to where the money is.

Health care is a classic example of what Ivan Illich, in Tools for Conviviality, called a “radical monopoly.” State-sponsored crowding out makes other, cheaper (but often more appropriate) forms of treatment less usable, and renders cheaper (but adequate) treatments artificially scarce. Artificially centralized, high-tech, and skill-intensive ways of doing things make it harder for ordinary people to translate their skills and knowledge into use-value. The State’s regulations put an artificial floor beneath overhead cost, so that there’s a markup of several hundred percent to do anything; decent, comfortable poverty becomes impossible.

A good analogy is subsidies to freeways and urban sprawl, which make our feet less usable and raise living expenses by enforcing artificial dependence on cars. Local building codes primarily reflect the influence of building contractors, so competition from low-cost unconventional techniques (T-slot and other modular designs, vernacular materials like bales and papercrete, and so on) is artificially locked out of the market. Charles Johnson described the way governments erect barriers to people meeting their own needs and make comfortable subsistence artificially costly, in the specific case of homelessness, in “Scratching By: How the Government Creates Poverty as We Know It” (The Freeman, December 2007).

The major proposals for health care “reform” that went before Congress would do little or nothing to address the institutional sources of high cost. As Jesse Walker argued at Reason.com, a 100 percent single-payer system, far from being a “radical” solution,

would still accept the institutional premises of the present medical system. Consider the typical American health care transaction. On one side of the exchange you’ll have one of an artificially limited number of providers, many of them concentrated in those enormous, faceless institutions called hospitals. On the other side, making the purchase, is not a patient but one of those enormous, faceless institutions called insurers. The insurers, some of which are actual arms of the government and some of which merely owe their customers to the government’s tax incentives and shape their coverage to fit the government’s mandates, are expected to pay all or a share of even routine medical expenses. The result is higher costs, less competition, less transparency, and, in general, a system where the consumer gets about as much autonomy and respect as the stethoscope. Radical reform would restore power to the patient. Instead, the issue on the table is whether the behemoths we answer to will be purely public or public-private partnerships. [“Obama is No Radical,” September 30, 2009]

I’m a strong advocate of cooperative models of health care finance, like the Ithaca Health Alliance (created by the same people, including Paul Glover, who created the Ithaca Hours local currency system), or the friendly societies and mutuals of the nineteenth century described by writers like Pyotr Kropotkin and E. P. Thompson. But far more important than reforming finance is reforming the way delivery of service is organized.

Consider the libertarian alternatives that might exist. A neighborhood cooperative clinic might keep a doctor of family medicine or a nurse practitioner on retainer, along the lines of the lodge-practice system. The doctor might have his med school debt and his malpractice premiums assumed by the clinic in return for accepting a reasonable upper middle-class salary.

As an alternative to arbitrarily inflated educational mandates, on the other hand, there might be many competing tiers of professional training depending on the patient’s needs and ability to pay. There might be a free-market equivalent of the Chinese “barefoot doctors.” Such practitioners might attend school for a year and learn enough to identify and treat common infectious diseases, simple traumas, and so on. For example, the “barefoot doctor” at the neighborhood cooperative clinic might listen to your chest, do a sputum culture, and give you a round of Zithro for your pneumonia; he might stitch up a laceration or set a simple fracture. His training would include recognizing cases that were clearly beyond his competence and calling in a doctor for backup when necessary. He might provide most services at the cooperative clinic, with several clinics keeping a common M.D. on retainer for more serious cases. He would be certified by a professional association or guild of his choice, chosen from among competing guilds based on its market reputation for enforcing high standards. (That’s how competing kosher certification bodies work today, without any government-defined standards). Such voluntary licensing bodies, unlike state licensing boards, would face competition—and hence, unlike state boards, would have a strong market incentive to police their memberships in order to maintain a reputation for quality.

The clinic would use generic medicines (of course, since that’s all that would exist in a free market). Since local juries or arbitration bodies would likely take a much more common-sense view of the standards for reasonable care, there would be far less pressure for expensive CYA testing and far lower malpractice premiums.

Basic care could be financed by monthly membership dues, with additional catastrophic-care insurance (cheap and with a high deductible) available to those who wanted it. The monthly dues might be as cheap as or even cheaper than Dr. Muney’s. It would be a no-frills, bare-bones system, true enough—but to the 40 million or so people who are currently uninsured, it would be a pretty damned good deal.

[tubbolul]

who’s my little unlicensed medical practitioner? you are! you are!

[bhaalswn-arch]

This is another modern faerun headcanon, but involves medical trauma. ( So some of it will be under the read more, because I may be hitting heavy topics and such. Maybe? Not too sure, but I'd rather make that known just in case. ) Anyway. Alkas refuses and is uncomfortable with entering hospitals. They have their own personal reasons. The main one is Kressa. ( Obvious reasons, if you're familiar with the Necromancer. In this, she is a "medical professional" in the black market. Alkas is still in ties with Bhaal, his father. As Bhaal is still currently part of a triad with Bane and Myrkul. So, of course, they're operating under illegal means. Bhaal, is still a murderer in a sense, launder money through his paintings, which I've discussed! But certain illegal things that end up with someone wounded means more towards a certain doctor, which is Kressa, and this is who Alkas ended up meeting, unfortunately. )

You probably wonder, or if you've look close enough, and have a good perception of things. You may notice a surgery scar on Alkas' body, where the left kidney is. ( Then there's the spleen. ) It started with betrayal. Orin attempting to kill them. Alkas who had been misinformed, and therefore ended up in some gang activity not knowing Orin had been pulling the strings. As perhaps Orin wanted to be the favourite, or to be seen, favoured by her relative if something like that could've been easily achieved. But it was not. Not with the Caemire-Caemedes. How does one express themselves? With violence, as one is familiar with such than anything else. ( Like that song: Red means I love you. ) Alkas almost died, but had been rushed to where Kressa had been located. Alkas had been bleeding out in the backseat of a car. A loyal devotee pressed something against his wounds. But he had some internal bleeding. To access where Kressa worked, you'd have to drive near that narrow alleyway before dragging your bleeding partner to her door. A door that is painted white with a strange symbol on the front, and a small peephole ( or one that slides open so you see a pair of eyes looking at you. ) Then you hear: "Password?" And once the right password has been said, she'll open the door and let you in.

And that is where the trauma had begun, not from the stabbing, not because the attempted murder. But what Kressa had done. The operation, the annoying, flickering fluorescent lights. The smell. That buzzing from those lights, even the moths that flicker around them, the beating of small wings. Kressa got attached to Alkas. ( Like in canon. ) Then there was the pain, the cutting and stitching. Alkas would pass out and wake up again only to experience it over and over again; rinse and repeat. Like a loop. Eyes open, the fluorescent lights, annoying moths, even dead ones, Kressa towering over them, grinning, admiring and then the pain again, the knife cutting in. And various other medical equipment to keep him somewhat stable. She stole his left kidney, and perhaps his spleen. He spent an entire day going over it again, her studying Alkas.

This is why Alkas cannot enter a hospital due to this. If Alkas is injured, then he will simply treat himself. Or find someone else ( minus Kressa ) to treat something. Like a strained ankle, or a stab wound. He gets triggered by the smell of hospitals. And another way on how moths really bother him, because of that moment. The constant sight of moths. The buzzing of lights, the bugs constantly hitting those bright lights. A means to escape.

Addition: Kressa could also be a grey-market doctor. Unlicensed practitioner, but involves herself in legal and illegal work.

[allhomoeosworld]

How to Locate a Reputable Homeopath in Your Area

Homeopathy is an antidote of system of medicine that operates with the belief of "like cures like." In simple words, it refers to the treatment using highly diluted substances which according to its belief act like stimulants to the healing abilities inside the body. Though a lot of patients are finding cure to chronic illnesses and acute conditions under homeopathy, the treatment becomes effective and safe only with a good practitioner.

It is definitely not some quick Google search to find a homeopathic practitioner whom you can trust. It would rather take some real research, time, and much thought. Hence, this blog shall guide you to find a reliable and experienced homeopathic practitioner that could provide individualized care suited to your health needs.

1. Research and Understand Homeopathy

Knowing the basic and underlying philosophy that drives the homeopathy branch before seeking a homeopathic practitioner is paramount. Homeopathy has to do more than symptom managing it has to do with holistic well-being. Before prescribing remedies, the practitioners relate most factors: emotional state, lifestyle, and physical symptoms. And knowing the philosophy will make it easy for you to actually communicate well with your practitioner and know what to expect regarding treatment.

2. Seek Ideas from Trustworthy People

The best way to start your search for a homeopathic practitioner is by asking people you trust for recommendations. Word-of-mouth referrals can be one of the most reliable methods to find a good practitioner. Reach out to family members, friends, or colleagues who may have experienced homeopathy for their health issues. If someone has had positive results with a practitioner, there's a good chance that you may benefit from their services as well.

You can also seek a recommendation from your family doctor or other medical practitioners. Some conventional physicians are amenable to complementary treatment such as homeopathy and might be able to recommend a respected practitioner who may treat patients together with conventional practitioners.

3. Look in Online Directories and Associations

There are different online directories and professional associations that have certified homeopathic practitioners. These resources will help filter out the unlicensed or unqualified professionals. Look out for the following

National and Regional Homeopathic Associations: Virtually every country has an administrative body or professional organization for homeopaths. For example, in the United States, one can make use of directories by certified practitioners from the National Center for Homeopathy (NCH) and the American Institute of Homeopathy (AIH). Similarly, in the UK, one can make checks from the Society of

Homeopaths or the Faculty of Homeopathy.

Online Directories: Websites such as Google, Yelp, and Healthgrades also feature user reviews of the homeopathic practitioners. Look for several reviews that mention long-term care or specific conditions you wish to treat.

When searching for a practitioner, make sure they are licensed or certified under the laws of your country or state regarding homeopathic medicine. This means the practitioner has had formal education and practical experience in homeopathy.

4. Qualifications and Experience

Homeopathic practitioners differ in their backgrounds, but it is ideal if they have a formal education on homeopathy. Look for the following:

Diplomas or Degrees in Homeopathy: They should have an accredited homeopathy course from a reputable institution. In most countries, one must have a degree or diploma in homeopathy to practice professionally.

Experience and Specialization: Experience is the key to finding a trusted practitioner. The more years a practitioner has been practicing, the greater the likelihood of having encountered most health conditions, and thus providing effective treatments. If you have a specific health issue (for example, skin problems, digestive disorders, or mental health concerns), look for a practitioner who specializes in that area.

Continued Education: A good homeopath will continue his education and be updated on the latest research and advancements in the field. Ask the practitioner about his professional development.

5. Licensing and Certifications

In most regions, homeopathic practitioners are required to have licenses to practice medicine. Check if the practitioner has the licenses and certifications that are required in your region. For instance:

Homeopathy is not federally regulated, and licensing requirements exist in some states but not all states. You may want to check with state health departments or your local licensing boards to see if the person you are planning to see has a license.

Homeopaths have to register with either Society of Homeopaths or GRCCT

General Regulatory Council for Complementary Therapies

Check their online credentials or just ask about his licensure over an initial consultation.6. Schedule an Initial Consultation

Most trusted homeopathic practitioners provide an initial consultation to understand your health concerns and determine whether homeopathy is the right approach for you. This is a great opportunity to assess the practitioner's experience and how they communicate with you. During the consultation:

Observe Communication: The practitioner should take time to listen to your concerns and ask thoughtful questions. A good homeopath will consider your mental, emotional, and physical health as part of the holistic approach.

Ask about treatment philosophy. Ask the practitioner about his or her approach to treatment. Homeopaths differ in their technique. Some homeopaths strictly follow the classical approach, while others may apply a more modern approach that would combine multiple remedies.

Being transparent: The good practitioner must be transparent to his or her client about the costs of treatment, potential side effects, and how long the process of treatment may take.

7. Examine the homeopathic practitioner approach to your health

A good homeopathic practitioner should be seen as adopting the holistic healing approach, where an individual's entire wellbeing is assessed rather than a mere symptom of the problem. Evaluate the following at your consultation.

Personalized treatment: A good homeopath should take a comprehensive case history; will ask about the individual's physical symptoms, emotional states, their medical history and even lifestyle, and should administer treatment tailored towards the individual.

Patient-Centered Care: Look for a practitioner who respects your input and involves you in the decision-making process. They should explain how the remedy works and why it's suited to your case.

Clear Communication: Your practitioner should be easy to talk to and willing to answer any questions you may have. You should feel comfortable discussing your health openly without feeling rushed or dismissed.

8. Trust Your Instincts

There is confidence in your gut feeling in choosing a homeopath. If you do not feel comfortable or have trust with a specific homeopath, that's perfectly fine. You need to be comfortable with your homeopathic practitioner so that you can easily share the information about your health issues in an open and honest manner. If something does not sound right, don't be afraid to look elsewhere.

9. Consistent Results and Reviews

At some point, you should start seeing improvements in your health if homeopathy is indeed working for you. Remember that treatment should be given sufficient time to be effective. Homeopathy often takes time to work, and results may not appear overnight. Nonetheless, ensure you monitor your improvements in health and share them with your practitioner.

Online reviews can give a glimpse into what other patients have experienced. However, read both the good and the bad ones to get a balanced view of the practitioner's strengths and weaknesses. Testimonials from patients who also have conditions like yours can be very enlightening.

10. The Practitioner's Availability and Accessibility

The final consideration should be the homeopath's location, availability, and office hours. Ideally, you want to choose someone easily accessible for follow-up consultations and other treatments. You will want to find a practitioner with a convenient location and flexible hours who makes it easier to attend appointments on a regular basis and adhere to your treatment plan.

Conclusion

Finding a Homeopathic Clinic in Chandigarh that you can trust is not something that should be done lightly. This process involves careful research and evaluation to make sure you are receiving the best care possible. Follow these steps-getting referrals, checking their qualifications, setting up consultations, and trusting your gut-in order to find a practitioner that matches your health goals and is personalized to you. Remember that homeopathy is a holistic practice, and the right homeopath can guide you toward better well-being with treatments that will cater to your needs on a physical and emotional level.

[drhayduke]

The Truth About Fake Botox in Palm Desert – What You Need to Know

In today’s beauty industry, Botox has become one of the most popular cosmetic treatments for reducing wrinkles and achieving a youthful appearance. However, with its growing demand, the rise of counterfeit Botox is becoming a serious concern, particularly in places like Palm Desert. Understanding the risks associated with fake Botox in Palm Desert is essential to protecting both your appearance and your health.

What Is Fake Botox?

Fake Botox refers to counterfeit or non-FDA approved substances that are marketed and administered as authentic Botox. These products may contain harmful ingredients or lack the purity and safety of genuine Botox, which is produced by Allergan. Fake Botox in Palm Desert can be sold illegally by unlicensed practitioners, posing significant health risks for those seeking affordable beauty treatments.

Risks of Fake Botox

Receiving fake Botox in Palm Desert can lead to a wide range of dangers, from unsatisfactory cosmetic results to severe health issues. Among the most frequent dangers are:

Infections or Allergic Reactions: Fake Botox may contain contaminants or impure substances that can cause infections, swelling, redness, or severe allergic reactions.

Poor Results: Because counterfeit Botox is not produced with the same standards as authentic products, it may lead to uneven, unnatural, or short-lasting results.

Serious Health Complications: In extreme cases, fake Botox can lead to muscle weakness, breathing problems, or even long-term damage to the skin and underlying tissues.

How to Spot Fake Botox in Palm Desert

To protect yourself from the dangers of counterfeit Botox, it’s important to recognize the warning signs and take precautions before undergoing any cosmetic treatment. Here are a few ways to spot fake Botox in Palm Desert:

Unusually Low Prices: While affordable treatments are tempting, be cautious of practitioners offering Botox at rates significantly lower than the standard market price.

Unlicensed Practitioners: Always ensure that the professional administering your Botox is a licensed and certified provider. Unlicensed individuals may not use genuine Botox.

Absence of Brand Transparency: Genuine Allergan Botox has a clear medical history, product labeling, and packaging. If the practitioner cannot provide detailed information about the product, it’s a red flag.

Why Choose a Reputable Provider

To avoid the risks associated with fake Botox in Palm Desert, it’s crucial to choose a licensed, reputable provider who uses genuine Botox. By selecting an experienced professional, you can ensure that you are receiving safe, high-quality treatment that delivers the desired results. Always ask about the practitioner’s credentials, experience, and the origin of the Botox used.

Conclusion

Fake Botox is a growing issue in the cosmetic industry, but by staying informed and choosing the right provider, you can protect yourself from harmful products. When considering Botox in Palm Desert, prioritize your health and safety by avoiding suspiciously cheap deals and verifying the authenticity of the product used. Stay safe and beautiful with genuine Botox treatments from trusted providers!

[nullarysources]

Unlicensed medical director of Nevada prison system on leave, facing termination

Switching to local news for today, here's Dana Gentry for the Nevada Current:

The medical director of the Nevada Department of Corrections, Dr. Kenneth Williams, who lacks a medical license in the state, is on administrative leave, prison officials confirmed.

…

According to sources who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, at least five practitioners from NDOC medical facilities have been interviewed in the last two weeks by Attorney General Aaron Ford's office.

"They have flooded the AG with documentation that Dr. Williams practiced medicine," one of the sources said. Practicing medicine without a license is a felony in Nevada. Even administrative physicians who don't engage in clinical care are required to be licensed.

Look, sometimes you just gotta practice medicine without a license, it's both fine and normal

Williams was hired by NDOC Director James Dzurenda in August of 2023, despite lacking the minimum requirement for the job – a state medical license. Dzurenda allowed Williams to practice from August of last year until after the Current reported his lack of a license in February.

Why???????

[ghaihomoeo]

Know About Homeopathic Medicine Online India

In recent years, homoeopathic medicine has gained significant traction in India, emerging as a viable alternative to conventional medical treatments. With its roots tracing back to the late 18th century, homoeopathy has garnered a loyal following owing to its holistic approach to healing and emphasis on individualized treatment plans. In this comprehensive guide, we delve into the nuances of homoeopathic medicine in India, exploring its history, principles, popularity, and accessibility.

Understanding Homeopathy: A Brief Overview

Homeopathy, founded by German physician Samuel Hahnemann, operates on the principle of "like cures like." This fundamental tenet posits that a substance causing symptoms in a healthy individual can effectively treat similar symptoms in an ailing person when administered in highly diluted forms. The remedies in homeopathy are derived from natural sources such as plants, minerals, and animals, and undergo a potentization process to enhance their healing properties while minimizing toxicity.

The Rise of Homeopathy in India

India, with its rich tradition of natural healing modalities, has embraced homeopathy wholeheartedly. The practice flourished in the country during the 19th century and received official recognition with the establishment of the Central Council of Homeopathy in 1973. Since then, homeopathy has been integrated into the healthcare system, coexisting alongside allopathic medicine to cater to the diverse healthcare needs of the population.

Popularity and Acceptance

The popularity of homoeopathic medicine in India can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, its gentle yet effective approach appeals to those seeking alternatives to mainstream treatments, particularly for chronic conditions and long-standing ailments. Additionally, the holistic nature of homoeopathy, which considers the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of health, resonates with individuals looking for comprehensive healing solutions.

Furthermore, the affordability and accessibility of homeopathic remedies make them a preferred choice for a large segment of the population, especially in rural areas where conventional healthcare infrastructure may be lacking. The presence of numerous homeopathic clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies across the country further facilitates easy access to treatment.

Integration into Mainstream Healthcare

Contrary to being viewed as a rival to conventional medicine, homeopathy in India is often integrated into mainstream healthcare settings, complementing allopathic treatments. Many allopathic doctors undergo additional training in homeopathy, enabling them to offer a broader spectrum of services to their patients. Moreover, several hospitals and healthcare institutions in India have dedicated departments for homeopathy, where patients can receive specialized care under the supervision of trained practitioners.

Challenges and Criticisms

Despite its widespread acceptance, homeopathy in India is not without its share of challenges and criticisms. One of the primary concerns revolves around the lack of robust scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of homeopathic remedies. Critics argue that the principles of homeopathy defy established laws of physics and chemistry, casting doubts on its validity as a medical science.

Moreover, the regulation of homeopathic practice and products in India has been a subject of debate, with calls for stricter enforcement of quality standards and transparency in labeling. The proliferation of unlicensed practitioners and substandard remedies poses risks to public health and undermines the credibility of the profession.

Future Prospects and Innovations

Despite the challenges, the future of homoeopathic medicine in India appears promising, fueled by ongoing research, technological advancements, and evolving treatment modalities. Innovations such as online homoeopathic consultations and mobile applications for remedy selection are making homoeopathic care more accessible to a wider audience, bridging geographical barriers and expanding outreach.

Furthermore, collaborations between homeopathic institutions and mainstream healthcare providers are fostering interdisciplinary approaches to patient care, integrating the best practices from both systems for optimal health outcomes. As awareness about holistic healing continues to grow, homeopathy is poised to play a significant role in India's healthcare landscape, offering personalized and sustainable solutions to health challenges.

In conclusion, the journey of homoeopathic medicine in India has been marked by resilience, innovation, and a steadfast commitment to healing. Despite facing scepticism and scrutiny, homoeopathy has stood the test of time, garnering support from millions who have experienced its transformative effects firsthand. As we embrace the future, let us continue to explore the boundless potential of homoeopathy in nurturing health and well-being for generations to come.

[drdanielbarrett]

Examining 3 Important Considerations before Opting for a Non-surgical Brazilian Butt Lift

In recent years, a growing number of people are considering the Brazilian butt lift non-surgical procedure as a viable cosmetic treatment to achieve sculpted curves and a fuller shape. However, fortunately, this novel treatment delivers the appeal of an improved buttock shape without the need for invasive surgeries. 

 But before setting out on this journey, examining important factors that might help our readers make a wise decision is imperative.

Understanding the Procedure: Before undergoing the Brazilian butt lift non-surgical procedure, it’s basic to comprehend the complications of the method. Unlike conventional butt lift surgeries that include cuts and fat transfer, non-surgical alternatives generally use injectable fillers similar to hyaluronic acid or Sculptra to enhance volume and shape. Whereas non-surgical strategies offer lower downtime and reduced risks compared to surgical interventions, the results are brief and may necessitate periodic touch-ups to maintain the desired appearance.

Consulting with a Capable Professional: Consulting with a board-certified plastic surgeon or a qualified medical specialist specializing in cosmetic procedures is essential before continuing with an anon-surgical Brazilian butt lift. Carefully assessing your medical history, beauty goals, and anatomical considerations is essential to decide candidacy and develop an individualized treatment plan.

During the discussion, questions about the practitioner’s experience, license, and the types of injections applied in the procedure. Understanding the potential risks, side impacts, and restrictions related to non-surgical butt lifts empowers you to make an informed decision and manage prospects concerning the outcomes. Moreover, respectable professionals prioritize patient safety and follow rigid protocols to minimize complications. Beware of unlicensed providers or discounted procedures flashed at cheap establishments, as they may compromise safety and viability norms.

Evaluating the Risks and Benefits: While Brazilian butt lift non-surgical methods offer an anon-invasive alternative to conventional surgery, they aren’t devoid of risks and limitations. Injectable fillers carry the hazard of adverse responses, including disease, tissue damage, and asymmetry.

Moreover, the life span of results varies among people, requiring ongoing support to maintain the desired result. Before committing to the procedure, weigh the potential benefits against the associated risks and costs. Consider alternative treatment choices, like targeted exercise routines or lifestyle alterations, to attain natural buttock enhancement without invasive interventions.

Final Thoughts:

To summarize, undergoing the Brazilian butt lift non-surgical method can bring out your desired results if only given enough thought and time. We advise our readers to ponder upon the three essential factors discussed in the article to make a sound decision that can benefit them for the rest of their lives.

[abcexpressnews]

Patient says fake doctor injected her

The founding partner of a Tampa medical clinic introduces himself as a doctor and claims to be an expert on stem cell treatments. But what's more concerning our I-Team found out he has no license to practice medicine anywhere in Florida.

The lady we recently met bears little resemblance to the happy, healthy woman smiling from the photos scattered around her house. Four years ago Octavia Stoppa had a stroke. She lost her business and the ability to move one of her arms or walk without assistance. Stoppa who is 57 would give just about anything to regain the use of her limbs.

Last year she heard about Victor Mattos thru his radio show. Stoppa says at Mattos Medical Group Victor Mattos introduced himself as a doctor and said he could help her regain her mobility.

Bank records show Stoppa paid the Mattos Medical Group $7500 for treatment in 2015. Both Stoppa and the friend who drove her to the clinic identify Victor Mattos as the person who performed the injections.

Dr. Jay Wolfson the Associate Vice President of USF Health says it is against Florida law for an unlicensed practitioner to inject anyone with anything. He worries about the number of patients who don't check on their health care provider.

The I-Team found a record with the Department of Health on Victor Mattos.

Between 2007 and 2011 the agency issued one citation for unlicensed practice of medicine and three cease and desist orders. Among the state’s findings "Victor Mattos is practicing medicine."

As part of a 2008 agreement with the state Victor Mattos agreed not to use the title of doctor still it is how he introduced himself on pod casts that we listened to.

On the phone Mattos Medical Group insisted Victor Mattos does not treat any patients. Victor Mattos released this statement through a spokesperson.

“I do not inject patients. There are trained professionals on staff who are paid to do that as part of their duties. Any citations issued pertaining to this practice have been addressed so that the practice is in compliance. The weekly radio broadcast includes a disclaimer that airs four times during each hour-long segment.”

Between 2014 and 2015 Florida’s Department of Health received over 1000 reports of unlicensed practice of medicine around the state. Investigators issued nearly 400 cease and desist orders.

Florida’s department of health website makes checking on your doctor quick and easy. The site can be searched to locate doctors of all practices and registered nurse practitioners licensed to practice in Florida.

The profile contains information about a practitioner's education, training, and practice. You can research whether the practitioner has been the subject of disciplinary actions or whether he or she has liability claims filed against their license.

If someone is unlicensed but representing themselves as a licensed practitioner you can use the same link to report unlicensed activity or file a complaint against a medical professional.

Daiyu Junwei

[ot-stheh]

Happily ever after.

Cinderella is a fictional character by Walt Disney created in 1950; she is an abused and neglected girl who escaped the clutches of her evil stepfamily by marrying the prince and had a happily ever after. According to WHO (2022[1]), mental health is a condition of mental wellness that enables people to manage life's stressors, develop their potential, learn, work effectively, and give back to their communities. It is said that mental illness is the Cinderella of healthcare. As an aspiring healthcare practitioner, it is in my best interest to uncover the truth behind this statement. In this blog entry, look closely into this statement and what it means and break it down to who is considered the evil stepmother, stepsisters, Fairy Godmother, and the prince. This will solidify my knowledge and understanding of mental health and health care, which is crucial if I focus on psychosocial and essential in my everyday practice. I need to understand why certain things in mental health are as they are; furthermore, as I unpack this statement, it will open the doors to using my observation skills to understand some of the reasons behind mental institutions' operation.

As I read articles on this statement, it was clear that the department of Health Government is an evil stepmother in this whole story. According to the South African Society of Psychiatrists, mental health is only allocated 5%   of the public health care budget even though South Africa was found to be leading with the highest number of people struggling with mental health with 36 %[2]. The rise in standard and treatable mental health conditions has become the leading cause of medical disability claims in South Africa. This proves its neglect of mental health and people living with mental health.

This was evidenced in the Life Esidimeni tragedy when the government terminated its contract with a private facility that provided care to public mental health patients. Patients were taken to cheaper places, where some were unlicensed, and others were not equipped to provide proper care and interventions, and as a result, some patients died[3]. Mental health care must receive the funding it deserves for it to function without any bearers., Withholding funds is only making it worse as patients will not be effectively treated, which will cause them to be later readmitted, using state resources again. In the attempt to save and cut down, the matter is only being made worse and only increases the stats of people with mental health; that was an evil stepmother's move, neglecting the human rights of people to save.

Evil stepmother depriving Cinderella.

The evil stepsisters can be said to be the society. The Ignorance of the department towards taking good care of mental health has led to a community that is ignorant of mental health; it has shaped the stigma within the community to neglect mental health. It was said that to understand the present, one must goback to the beginning; the past shaped this kind of society that overlooks and stigmatises mental health, where mental health was seen as a punishment from God /Ancestor. The healthcare system still has traits of that belief; this is seen by how health institutions are constructed. several of them are made like prisons, even though people who are admitted are considered the most vulnerable. Still, their vulnerability is seen as a threat because of the society that has shaped us.  

The sad part is that the healthcare practitioners who are trained to rehabilitate, protect and intervene in healthcare grow up in a society that does not understand, and due to lack of understanding and installed fear of mental health and people living with mental health, some hold on to that stigma and play a part in neglecting and abusing mentally vulnerable now those are evil stepsisters. I can only hope that as an aspiring OT, training and going to placement with mental health, I get exposed to them, understand them and use knowledge taught to me by the fieldwork supervisors to advocate for mental health and not play a part in being one of the evil stepsisters but be the prince.

The fairy Godmother in mental health can advocate mental health, including those who speak out for mental health, promote awareness, and speak against injustices towards mental health  such as the  South African Federation for Mental Health which fight for people with mental health problem such as psychosocial and intellectual disabilities[4].

The Cinderella story ends with a happy ending; it is not certain if this fairytale of mental health will have the same luxury, however, I believe that every healthcare professional that has a role of intervening in mental health has a role and potential to be the prince to mental health by providing proper intervention, advocate for mental health as it is said  a squeaky wheel that gets the oil. If only healthcare professionals may strife to be the prince and not evil stepsisters, and raise their voices on behalf of mental health, only then can this be a happily ever after story.

Being vulnerable does not mean being weak!, it courage

[1] World Health Organization. (2022, June 17). Mental health. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response

[2] Writer, S. (2023, March 3). Mental health in SA in dire need of better funding: SASOP. Home. https://www.axesshealth.org/blog/mental-health-in-sa-in-dire-need-of-better-funding-sasop

[3] Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, June 12). Life ESIDIMENI scandal. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Esidimeni_scandal

[4] About US - Mental Health Wellness Advocacy & Promoters - SAFMH. SA Federation for Mental Health. (2020, October 26). https://www.safmh.org/introduction-to-safmh/

[thetimesexpress]

Patient says fake doctor injected her

The founding partner of a Tampa medical clinic introduces himself as a doctor and claims to be an expert on stem cell treatments. But what's more concerning our I-Team found out he has no license to practice medicine anywhere in Florida.

The lady we recently met bears little resemblance to the happy, healthy woman smiling from the photos scattered around her house. Four years ago Octavia Stoppa had a stroke. She lost her business and the ability to move one of her arms or walk without assistance. Stoppa who is 57 would give just about anything to regain the use of her limbs.

Last year she heard about Victor Mattos thru his radio show. Stoppa says at Mattos Medical Group Victor Mattos introduced himself as a doctor and said he could help her regain her mobility.

Bank records show Stoppa paid the Mattos Medical Group $7500 for treatment in 2015. Both Stoppa and the friend who drove her to the clinic identify Victor Mattos as the person who performed the injections.

Dr. Jay Wolfson the Associate Vice President of USF Health says it is against Florida law for an unlicensed practitioner to inject anyone with anything. He worries about the number of patients who don't check on their health care provider.

The I-Team found a record with the Department of Health on Victor Mattos.

Between 2007 and 2011 the agency issued one citation for unlicensed practice of medicine and three cease and desist orders. Among the state’s findings "Victor Mattos is practicing medicine."

As part of a 2008 agreement with the state Victor Mattos agreed not to use the title of doctor still it is how he introduced himself on pod casts that we listened to.

On the phone Mattos Medical Group insisted Victor Mattos does not treat any patients. Victor Mattos released this statement through a spokesperson.

“I do not inject patients. There are trained professionals on staff who are paid to do that as part of their duties. Any citations issued pertaining to this practice have been addressed so that the practice is in compliance. The weekly radio broadcast includes a disclaimer that airs four times during each hour-long segment.”

Between 2014 and 2015 Florida’s Department of Health received over 1000 reports of unlicensed practice of medicine around the state. Investigators issued nearly 400 cease and desist orders.

Florida’s department of health website makes checking on your doctor quick and easy. The site can be searched to locate doctors of all practices and registered nurse practitioners licensed to practice in Florida.

The profile contains information about a practitioner's education, training, and practice. You can research whether the practitioner has been the subject of disciplinary actions or whether he or she has liability claims filed against their license.

If someone is unlicensed but representing themselves as a licensed practitioner you can use the same link to report unlicensed activity or file a complaint against a medical professional.

David Kos

[theodoreschleiferblog]

Patient says fake doctor injected her

The founding partner of a Tampa medical clinic introduces himself as a doctor and claims to be an expert on stem cell treatments. But what's more concerning our I-Team found out he has no license to practice medicine anywhere in Florida.

The lady we recently met bears little resemblance to the happy, healthy woman smiling from the photos scattered around her house. Four years ago Octavia Stoppa had a stroke. She lost her business and the ability to move one of her arms or walk without assistance. Stoppa who is 57 would give just about anything to regain the  use of her limbs.

Last year she heard about Victor Mattos thru his radio show. Stoppa says at Mattos Medical Group Victor Mattos introduced himself as a doctor and said he could help her regain her mobility.

Bank records show Stoppa paid the Mattos Medical Group $7500 for treatment in 2015. Both Stoppa and the friend who drove her to the clinic identify Victor Mattos as the person who performed the injections.

Dr. Jay Wolfson the Associate Vice President of USF Health says it is against Florida law for an unlicensed practitioner to inject anyone with anything. He worries about the number of patients who don't  check on their health care provider.

The I-Team found a record with the Department of Health on Victor Mattos.

Between 2007 and 2011 the agency issued one citation for unlicensed practice of medicine and three cease and desist orders. Among the state’s findings "Victor Mattos is practicing medicine."

As part of a 2008 agreement with the state Victor Mattos agreed not to use the title of doctor still it is how he introduced himself on pod casts that we listened to.

On the phone Mattos Medical Group insisted Victor Mattos does not treat any patients. Victor Mattos released this statement through a spokesperson.

“I do not inject patients.  There are trained professionals on staff who are paid to do that as part of their duties. Any citations issued pertaining to this practice have been addressed so that the practice is in compliance. The weekly radio broadcast includes a disclaimer that airs four times during each hour-long segment.”

Between 2014 and 2015 Florida’s Department of Health received over 1000 reports of unlicensed practice of medicine around the state. Investigators issued nearly 400 cease and desist orders.

Florida’s department of health website makes checking on your doctor quick and easy. The site can be searched to locate doctors of all practices and registered nurse practitioners licensed to practice in Florida.

Click on the link: http://www.floridahealth.gov/licensing-and-regulation/practitioner-profile/ Click "verify a license" Enter doctor’s name

The profile contains information about a practitioner's education, training, and practice. You can research whether the practitioner has been the subject of disciplinary actions or whether he or she has liability claims filed against their license.

If someone is unlicensed but representing themselves as a licensed practitioner  you can use the same link to report unlicensed activity or file a complaint against a medical professional.