Sue Lowden is running for the Senate seat in Nevada.  Leading in most polls, Ms. Lowden revealed, what she believes is an innovative idea to bring down the cost of Health Care.  Ms. Lowden feels that we should consider returning to a system of bartering for health care.

Ms. Lowden says, ” “You know, before we all started having health care, in the olden days, our grandparents, they would bring a chicken to the doctor. They would say, ‘I’ll paint your house.’ I mean, that’s the old days of what people would do to get health care with your doctors. Doctors are very sympathetic people.”

As a health care provider, I agree, doctors ARE very sympathetic people. In fact, many offices, including my own, often make accommodations for patients who may not be able to fully afford good care.  But providing solutions for those with financial hardship is not what Ms. Lowden is proposing.

Ms. Lowden is proposing an alternative form of payment for health care.  Instead of working to improve an inefficient health care system, a system that serious people on all sides of the debate agree requires improvement, Ms. Lowden is proposing the American people pay their doctors with poultry! 

In the words of the great orator Popeye, ”I’ve had all I can stand, and I can’t stands no more!”

Ms. Lowden’s proposal is so ridiculous, I feel compelled to introduce a bill myself.  I propose that doctors be allowed to open-hand slap any person who offers them a bucket of chicken as payment for their health care.

To be clear, this is not an endorsement for violence, this is an endorsement for common sense.  I am probably as much in the dark about the politics of this heated Health care debate as the next person.  I have my personal feelings, but like most Americans, I think the extremes on both sides are way out of bounds.  I don’t know what to make of the Obama Bill, but I’m certain it is neither the “Magic Pill” that will save America, nor is it our Armageddon.

Butthis much I do know;  If somebody doesn’t stand up against this chicken idea or “Catfish For Care” or “Mutton For Medicine”, hundreds of well intentioned people will be getting open- hand slaps in doctor’s offices all across this country!

There are several obvious reasons why this country no longer uses a barter system as a viable means of commerce:

1.  This barter system was common in the 1800′s and early 1900′s, right around the time doctors were using leeches and a shot of whiskey as regular courses of care. We have evolved as a people, and in 2010 are better than that.

2.  Bartering requires the person receiving the commodity, me, to want what  you have to barter.  No offense to the bucket of chicken, but I don’t want your chicken.  And lets not overlook the obvious, I don’t want the next 40 patients to enter my waiting room with their finest bucket of chicken (or catfish or whatever).

3.  Bartering almost used to work when the exchange was of equal value.  And that’s the real issue in this discussion.

How much is your health care worth?

-How much is Heart Surgery Worth?  A full picnic dinner with all of the trimmings?

-When your spouse wheels you into the doctors office, because your back pain won’t allow you to walk or stand up, are you saying that the value of the doctor who gets you back on your feet is worth a rack of ribs?  A plate of collard greens? A Nintendo wii?

I stand firm that the most valuable thing you have is your health.  I don’t even think it is debatable.  How important is that new car, or that job interview or even your Lotto ticket, if you were diagnosed with a terminal disease, or were having an apparent heart attack.

I don’t have all the answers to the health care debate, but I do know this.  We have completely lost our way as a society, when smart people, even leaders in our community think that ones health can be worth roughly as much as a meal at Applebees.

And worse than that, we still have this thing called Health Insurance which was designed so people could get good care, doctors could get paid to do good work and everyone could walk away happy in the end.

So here is all that really matters.  We have to agree:

-Our Health Care system needs to be improved, so fix it.

-We desperately need everyone involved in this discussion to get engaged and present good ideas.

-We don’t have time for insulting, crazy talk like “Bring your doctor a chicken” to pay for your important health care needs.

-We are better than this, and I have already given this politician and her craziness way too much ink…

I have to admit, I’m not the most religious person in the world. But despite my theological limitations, I find that the holiday season inspires moments of deep reflection and introspection; and it is in these moments, I am overcome by the tremendous sense of thanks and gratitude as well as an appreciation for what I believe is life’s Master Plan.

Obviously I don’t have life’s answers, if fact, I continue to discover new questions, but this year has been more perplexing than most. After all, who hasn’t struggled with the following questions:

• Is the economy ever going to turn around?
• What is going to happen with health care?
• And of course the most pressing question facing all of us…How many more girlfriends does Tiger Woods ALLEGEDLY have?

I think I will eventually come to grips with these questions, but personally, I continue to struggle with others:

• How could my 41 year old fraternity brother, arguably the most decent person I know suffer a heart attack on Thanksgiving Day? (Thank God, he is doing well).
• Why does my childhood best friend have to deal with a devastating medical diagnosis involving his mother?
• My grandmother turned 104 this year and that is cause for celebration.  But in doing so, she has outlived all of her friends and 6 YOUNGER brothers and sisters.  What could possibly keep her going?

These questions frustrate me because as one who is looked upon to “fix” things, these questions surpass my “fix things” skill set.  I am therefore, left with hope for intervention from a “Higher Power”.

As such, I …

1.  Pray for God to strengthen my fraternity brother’s heart.
2.  Pray that God heals my best friends heart.
3.  And Pray that whatever God has instilled in my Grandmother, my heart is filled with the same.

This Holiday season, probably more than any other, I truly appreciate my blessings; my family, my friends, my staff, my patients, my health and my life.  This year, I hope you will take the opportunity to slow down and do this same.

In keeping with my 2009 slogan, Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying, I hope you make 2010 the best  year it can possibly be!

Wishing everyone Happy Holidays, Merry Christmasand a Happy New Year!

Hello everyone! We are so proud to announce the arrival of Dr. Beck’s new baby daughter, Elizabeth, born on Saturday night.

Elizabeth weighed in at 7.1 lbs.
Congratulations Jen and Ed!

As you can see, Capitol Rehab of Arlington has re-launched its web site! And for those who were following our marathon training blog which I started a few months ago while preparing to run the Marine Corps Marathon … you’ll be happy to note that those blog posts which generated so much interest and response have been “folded” into this new blog which now focuses on wellness, health, fitness and a chiropractic lifestyle. We are excited about these positive changes and we think most will find the improvements exciting as well.

The primary motivator behind our decision to go more “web 2.0″ with our online presence was the tremendous response to our marathon training blog, Marathons Are for Crazy People. We learned from this original blog effort that there are many passionate topics to be discussed. Fortunately for us, a blog provides a great platform for these discussions to take place. As healthcare providers, we realize the importance of your input, for it is this input that will challenge our practice to continue to do the work necessary to meet our ever-changing healthcare environment.

Additionally, the wealth of information online is growing so we feel compelled to create a format that easily allows us to present the data in a more coherent and user friendly way. For me, this is perhaps the most exciting possibility. As the researchers review and present the current data, the responsibility to evolve continues to fall on the shoulders of the healthcare providers. Gone are the ideologies of the past. The empirical data will become clearer and clearer, procedures and methods will be judged based on results and consumers will seek providers who are not only cost effective but also able to bear the litmus test of peer review. I hope to present information that challenges common thinking and I welcome your input.

Lastly, our website will be a library of downloadable and printable information. Ever wonder what exercises are best for the 8 year old soccer player? Our site will soon provide an entire library of exercise specifically for knee stabilization. Questions about healthy eating? We have established a unique relationship with local farmers and are working to host of featured chefs highlighting organic cooking and recipes in the weeks and months to come. In the past we have shared some of this information in bits and pieces with our patients and clients. Now we hope to present a more complete “bag of goodies.”

But ultimately, our new format is driven by you the viewer. We are interested in hearing your views on a wide range of topics and our hope is that the new format of our blog and website will encourage your ongoing participation and discussion. Hopefully, we will exceed your highest expectations.

Enjoy!