HSI e-Alert - June 30, 2005

The Good Doctor

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert
Dear Reader,

Imagine finding a doctor who seemed able to heal almost any problem you had - from a back in complete spasm to a sinus infection. Add to that the fact that he would spend 30, 45, even 90 minutes taking care of you - not letting you leave the office until your pain was gone. But wait, it gets even better. Because he spends so much time with each patient, his office encourages you to call before you come so you don't spend too much time waiting and reading old magazines rather than actually accomplishing something.

So here we have a doctor who cares about actually helping patients, is capable of truly healing them, and knows their time is valuable.

What would you do if you found such an amazing doctor?

If you were the State of Maryland Board of Physicians (MBP), the answer is simple: you would revoke his license to practice medicine.

If he sinks, he's innocent...

So surely, this man whom I so admire, must have done something criminal or at least negligent. Patients must have been complaining, suffering or maybe dying. After all, they don't just randomly pull doctors out of practice.

Apparently, they do.

For years, the MBP has had Binyamin C. Rothstein, D.O., on probation for the crime of practicing alternative and complementary medicine. Without a single patient complaint, his treatment methods were deemed inappropriate by peer review.

During his probationary period, they ordered him to shut down his chelation practice - and he did. They demanded patient records, and they got them. (Dr. Rothstein's assistant told me the records didn't include the original form filled out by the patient because she thought that was privileged. Do we have a jail secure enough for this dangerous Bonnie and Clyde duo?!)

The only specific treatment he continued that the MBP had cited him for was...using IV vitamin cocktails. Oh, the horror! I hope there are no children in the room that might be reading this.

Sliding scales of justice

To give you the complete perspective of how grave these violations were, let me tell you about some of the other doctors who were disciplined by the MBP last month.

One of them had his license revoked because he was convicted of second-degree murder. Another doctor received only a suspension for "habitual intoxication and providing professional services while under the influence of alcohol." Another was suspended for leaving an anesthetized patient unattended and then, apparently, providing misleading testimony in an investigation of the incident.

My doctor wasn't lucky enough to receive a suspension. In fact, in Dr. Rothstein's case "the Board will not consider any reapplication for 5 years." In other words, for using unconventional treatments, he was put in the same group as a murderer. But a doctor who treated her patients while intoxicated received a suspension. When her suspension is lifted, she'll continue to practice while under probation.

It's beyond belief! You can be drunk while treating patients and receive a lighter punishment than if you effectively treat patients by using methods that are outside of the narrow mainstream definition of healthcare.

You call THAT medicine?

In the official ruling, Dr. Rothstein's license was revoked for practicing "substandard medicine." I personally have been a victim of his "substandard" treatments for almost 3 years now - and have been willing to pay out-of-pocket to subject myself to them.

My back and neck seized up so badly one weekend that I literally cried just trying to sit down on my bed. I had to cancel a speaking engagement and could barely move. My husband carefully got me into the car and took me to Dr. Rothstein's office, where this "quack" realized that my diaphragm was in spasm and released it. After 48 hours of being nearly immobile, my pain completely disappeared in less than 30 minutes. It was truly astonishing.

Dr. Rothstein isn't one of those doctors who knows what's wrong with you before you come in or has a prescription pad at the ready so he can send you on your way 10 minutes later and feel he's done his job. He takes an extraordinary amount of time to work with patients and listen to them - a skill few doctors exhibit these days.

Unfortunately, the belief that taking 15 extra minutes and releasing a diaphragm in spasm is actually better treatment than a handful of muscle relaxers and a week of lying in bed makes you dangerous in the state of Maryland - a state where if you go around healing people rather than medicating them you're punished as if you were a convicted murderer.

Legal eagles

It's important to note again that Dr. Rothstein has had no complaints from patients lodged against him. And I'm not surprised. Personally I am devastated that I can't go to his office for treatment anymore. Professionally, I am outraged that this skilled healer is being targeted by an overzealous medical establishment that is clearly threatened by any ideas outside of its very small box.

Speaking of boxes, I try not to use this e-Alert as a personal soapbox. I know I've failed to do that on more than one occasion and I hope you'll excuse my doing it now. But Dr. Rothstein is fighting the revocation of his license, as I believe wholeheartedly he should, and I promised I would to do everything I could to help. Since I do get to write to you every day, I wanted to take this opportunity to ask for your help. He is accepting donations for a legal defense fund in an effort to restore his practice.

If you'd like to help him fight this absurd injustice, please contribute any amount you can. (And please forward this e-mail to anyone you know who might want to support his fight.)

Checks can be made out to (you'll have to write small): Binyamin C. Rothstein, D.O., by Alan Dumoff, attorney trust. You should write "legal fund" in the memo field. Any payment or letters of support can be mailed to Alan Dumoff, 11140 Rockville Pike, Ste. 530, Rockville, MD 20852.

The truth is that Dr. Rothstein will likely go on and prosper regardless of how this chapter ends. He is a wonderfully talented man with a strong support network and an equally strong constitution. So the real victims of the Maryland Board of Physicians are the very patients they claim they are trying to protect - the ones who will no longer be able to get real, honest, caring medical treatment from a man they trust who knows that patients aren't just insurance ID numbers that appear in 15 minute increments.

...and another thing

There used to be a large Wonder Bread bakery in South Miami, and although their product was the blandest food known to man, the aroma in that neighborhood always had the sweet pungency that apparently turns automobile drivers into crazy people.

I'm not sure what the rate of accidents was in South Miami during the 60s and 70s, but it may have been much higher than the rest of the city. According to research from the RAC Foundation for Motoring (a UK advocacy group for safe driving), the aroma of freshly baked bread can prompt a driver to turn surly and drive at higher speeds. The aroma of fast food has the same effect.

So when you see cars pulling out of MacDonald's or Burger King drive-thrus, it might be wise to give them a wide berth.

The results of this study brought to mind the e-Alert "Every Size Fits All" (6/22/05) in which I told you about the campaign known as HAES, or "health at every size." The HAES program encourages plus-sized folks to accept and respect their body type while shifting their dietary focus from weight loss to pursuing good health. But to do that, you have to recognize the triggers that can set off eating binges.

Conrad King, a psychologist and one of the authors of the RAC study, told Food Navigator-USA that the sense of smell "circumnavigates the logical part of the brain" and plays directly on emotions. So put a cardboard container of French fries in the car, and your reaction might turn emotional, bypassing good dietary logic. Against your better judgment you might hear yourself say, "Pass the fries, please. NOW!"

Or you could have a mint instead of fries. The RAC study also found that certain aromas - such as peppermint, coffee, lemon and cinnamon - improved drivers' temperaments and sharpened concentration. Maybe those aromas could also help us avoid losing our heads and impulsively chowing down when we know we really shouldn't.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson, Health Sciences Institute

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