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November 2012
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Associates Associatesof ofWealth WealthManagement ManagementStrategies Strategieso o er ersecuri securi titi es esthrough throughAXA AXAAdvisors, Advisors,LLC LLC(NY, (NY,NY NY212-314-4600), 212-314-4600),member memberFINRA, FINRA,SIPC. SIPC. Investment Investmentadvisory advisoryproducts productsand and services serviceso o ered eredthrough throughAXA AXAAdvisors, Advisors,LLC, LLC,an aninvestment investmentadvisor advisorregistered registeredwith withthe theSEC. SEC. Annuity Annuityand andinsurance insuranceproducts productso o ered eredthough thoughAXA AXANetwork, Network,LLC. LLC. Wealth Wealth Management ManagementStrategies Strategiesisisnot notaaregistered registeredinvestment investmentadvisor advisorand andisisnot notowned ownedor oroperated operatedby byAXA AXAAdvisors Advisorsor orAXA AXANetwork. Network. AXA AXAAdvisors Advisorsand andAXA AXANetwork Networkare arenot not a a liated liated with with Pima Pima County County Medical Medical Society. Society. PPG PPG 69384 69384 (07/12) (07/12)
Sombrero
Pima County Medical Society Ofcers
President Alan K. Rogers, MD President-Elect Charles Katzenberg, MD Secretary-Treasurer John Curtiss, MD Past-President Timothy C. Fagan, MD
Vol. 45 No. 9
Bruce Coull, MD (UA College of Medicine) Randall Fehr, MD Alton Hank Hallum, MD Evan Kligman, MD Melissa D. Levine, MD Lorraine L. Mackstaller, MD Clifford Martin, MD Kevin Moynahan, MD Soheila Nouri, MD Jane M. Orient, MD Guruprasad Raju, MD Wayne Vose, MD Scott Weiss, MD Victor Sanders, MD (resident) Cambel Berk (student) Christopher Luckow (student)
Members at Large
Kenneth Sandock, MD Richard Dale, MD
Board of Mediation
Bennet E. Davis, MD Thomas F. Griffin, MD Charles L. Krone, MD Edward J. Schwager, MD Eric B. Whitacre, MD
Editor Stuart Faxon Phone: 883-0408 E-mail: tjjackal@comcast.net Please do not submit PDFs as editorial copy. Art Director Alene Randklev, Commercial Printers, Inc. Phone: 623-4775 Fax: 622-8321 E-mail: alene@cptucson.com
Printing Commercial Printers, Inc. Phone: 623-4775 E-mail: andy@cptucson.com Publisher Pima County Medical Society 5199 E. Farness Dr., Tucson, AZ 85712 Phone: (520) 795-7985 Fax: (520) 323-9559 Website: pimamedicalsociety.org
SOMBRERO (ISSN 0279-909X) is published monthly except bimonthly June/July and August/September by the Pima County Medical Society, 5199 E. Farness, Tucson, Ariz. 85712. Annual subscription price is $30. Periodicals paid at Tucson, AZ. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Pima County Medical Society, 5199 E. Farness Drive, Tucson, Arizona 85712-2134. Opinions expressed are those of the individuals and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the publisher or the PCMS Board of Directors, Executive Ofcers or the members at large, nor does any product or service advertised carry the endorsement of the society unless expressly stated. Paid advertisements are accepted subject to the approval of the Board of Directors, which retains the right to reject any advertising submitted. Copyright 2012, Pima County Medical Society. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
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Inside
5 Letters 6 Dr. Alan Rogers: Our president on helping our patients to 7 12 19 20 22 23 25 26 26
think critically about their healthcare. PCMS News Behind the Lens: Our Dr. Hal Travelin Tretbars family has roots in the 1930s Dust Bowl. In Memoriam: Remembering Dr. William E.G. de Alva and his unusual path to physicianhood. Membership: The volunteer work of urologist Susan Kalota, M.D. Book Review: impressions of self by psychiatrist Dennis C. Westin, M.D. Makols Call: Crash! Analog Guy meets Digital World. Time Capsule: Local evolution of urgent care by Dr. Bob Cairns. Mayo CME Members Classifieds
CORRECTION
In Octobers In Memoriam, after getting the numbers correctly elsewhere, rapidly aging dysnumeric editor typod the birth year of Dr. John H.H. Penners, which was 1923, not 1938.
On the Cover
The aspens colors were the most brilliant in years at the Snow Bowl north of Flagstaff (Dr. Hal Tretbar photo).
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4 SOMBRERO November 2012
790-2121
Established 1971
Leers
Choosing prosperity
To the Editor: In trying to decide just what are historys lessons? [Makols Call, June-July Sombrero] I suggest that physicians study some economic history instead of reading only biographies of presidents and a history of the early republic. The best book is probably The Mainspring of Human Progress by Henry Grady Weaver (1947), which explains why America achieved a level of prosperity unprecendented in history. It was because of freedom and respect for individual rights. One could also read the history of the dozens of American utopian communities, based on collectivist principles, every one of which failed. Milder forms of socialism, such as in the European social welfare states, are on the brink of economic chaos and collapse. The American mixed economy appears to be headed in the same direction In its most extreme form, collectivism has resulted in at least 100 million deaths worldwide, as explained in The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression by Jean-Louis Pann, Andrzej Paczkowski, Karel Bartosek and Jean-Louis Margolin (1999). A model that promises to be more economically successful than communism is being implemented in many places today, but it is not new. It was called fascism in Italy, National Socialism in Germany, and is generally called public-private partnership in the U.S. This model involves nominal private ownership with pervasive government control. Prominent Americans admired this model in pre-war Europe before the atrocities of Hitler and Mussolini came to light. Many American intellectuals are still in love with this model, Ira Magaziner and the Clinton healthcare taskforce among them. And it is the new way in China. Can we have the trains run on time in a fascist economy without a totalitarian regime? The trend is not promising. Among nations ranked on the list of economic freedom, we have fallen to 18th place. In almost every way except sexual expression, we are less free than we were 40 years ago. We are not happier, healthier, safer, more compassionate, more virtuous, or more prosperous. Sincerely, Jane M. Orient, M.D. Tucson n
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SOMBRERO November 2012 5
hysicians are teachers. We are to teach our patients about medicine and help them understand their diseases. This is our mission. Yet I think we have let our patients down by failing to teach them the art of critical thinking. Is it poor schooling or media advertisingor what?that makes our patients not question false medical claims? Every physician is trained to look carefully at studies designed to measure treatments. Any of us in medical research knows how difficult it is to sort out truth and eliminate observer bias and confounding variables. Our patients dont understand how to critique medical treatments.
nutriceuticals and the like? One reason is simply the money patients waste on worthless treatments, but the other is the potential for delaying or avoiding legitimate treatment for serious diseases. Steven Jobs comes to mind. Belief in unproven treatments suggests mistrust of conventional medicine. By going to a clinic in Tijuana, Mexico, Steve McQueen did the world a disservice by implying there were treatments unavailable in the United States, withheld by American medial authorities, that would cure people if only they could get them. This undermined trust in legitimate medicine in a big way for many people. Diet and lifestyle is another huge arena of unproven claims. We in medicine know that good health and avoidance of disease boils down to a very few basic principles: reduce calories, keep your weight down, reduce fat, and eat more fiber, dont smoke, alcohol in moderation, take regular exercise. Yet the belief among patients is there must be some ultimate diet or supplement to make them healthy forever. Recently one of my patients told me she is on the paleo diet. She eats like prehistoric cavemen because they ate only natural foods without the preservatives, genetic manipulation, and artificial colorings of our modern diet. I suggested the paleo diet would be fine as long as she only eats meat she has personally run down and killed like a caveman! So lets help our patients! Encourage them to question claims for treatments and diets they hear every day. They need to understand testimonials are of no scientific value. I find telling a patient something is less effective than asking pointed questions to induce a little insight. So what was the average lifespan of a caveman after all? How much time and effort did it take a caveman to just feed himself? How would you do a study to prove anti-oxidants make you live longer? What does that mean exactly when they say this product supports your immune system? Patients may resist out efforts at education out of a lack of trust, or the nagging fear that establishment medicine has perverse incentives to keep them from the ultimate diet or supplement. No, we are not hiding anything. We must gain the trust of our patients lest they seek unproven or sometimes dangerous treatments. Teach them to ask questions and think critically. n
Our culture is awash in medical advi ce, treatments, diets, remedies, and cures offered by unqualified people with various motives. Just look at the newspaper or online and treatments leap out with claims and testimonials that make them sound like incredible breakthroughs. Some are obvious hoaxes: cures for cancer and the like. But some claims are so pervasive and so close to legitimate science that they are difficult for the lay public to judge. This is where we as physicians must help our patients. Take anti-oxidants, for example. Anti-oxidants are everywhere. They are in vitamins, added to foods, in sports drinks, and supplements. Surely anti-oxidants are a multi-billion-dollar industry. Yet do they do anything for our health? In chemistry 101 we learned an oxidizer is a substance the steals away an electron in chemical reaction. So without them am I in danger of rusting? Proponents of anti-oxidants must believe diseases are caused by oxidation and therefore preventing oxidation prevents the disease. The polite thing to say about this is that it is unproven. Recently in Tucson, a construction worker with no medical background was convicted of offering intra-vaginal ozone to patients as a cure for uterine cancer. Three of his patients offered testimonials that his ozone therapy had eased menstrual cramps, cured Lyme disease, and helped one to conceive. This fellow is obviously evil. But what about his patients? At the very least they were exceedingly gullible. Could it be their mistrust of establishment medicine was so profound they would accept treatment that was so obviously fraudulent? These patients did not critically question the validity of the construction workers claims. Why is it bad for patients to believe the unproven claims for
6
PCMS News
PCMS meets
This years remaining Regular Membership meetings are Tuesday Nov. 8, 7 p.m. including reading of the nominees slate, and Tuesday Dec. 11 after the Board of Directors meets, for ballot count and declaration of election winners.
Marc Leib, M.D., AHCCCS CMO, said in an e-mail to PCMS Oct. 9 that federal law requires all Medicaid prescriptions to be on TRPPs. He added, however, if the prescription is transmitted by e-prescribing methods, such as those used in an EMR, the TRPP requirement does not apply.
Pima County Medical Society Alliance members plus two: In front from left are Anastasha Lynn, Mobile Meals of Tucson Executive Director Priscilla Altuna, and Mobile Meals Development Director Kate Hiller. In back row from left are Kathy Armbruster, Tyna Callahan, Kynn Escalante, Sue Rogers, and Joy Chapeskie (Photo courtesy Anatasha Lynn).
PCMSAs Holiday Luncheon supports Mobile Meals of Tucson with this annual event in addition to delivering meals to clients. To be a part of the luncheon by volunteering, participating, or donating to the silent auction and/or raffle, call Anastasha Lynn (chair) at 820.1622, or e-mail msdesertprincess@gmail.com.
TRPPd out
As of Nov. 1, all prescriptions written for AHCCCS patients need to be written on tamper-resistant prescription pads, or TRPPs. In the past, many members were under the assumption that only scheduled narcotics and other similar prescriptions were subject to this rule.
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full trip plus the registration fee, exclusive of one nights lodging at Marble Canyon. This could be the trip of a lifetime! If you are interested, or for further info or questions, please contact Dr. Dale at 721.8505 or rdale9136@aol.com.
Amy Erbe, branch director for Arizona, opened the operation here in 2000. She grew up in rural New Jersey and moved to Tucson in 1996, and is a founding member of the Old Pueblos Winding Road Theater Ensemble, in which she appears in two to three plays a year. Her husband teaches theater at Catalina Foothills High School. Local staff includes recruiters Sunny Lowe and Galina Ramirez, both native Tucsonans. We are excited about the opportunity to join with the Pima County Medical Society to provide quality healthcare professionals and HR solutions to its members at a discounted rate, Erbe said. Our focus is to provide experienced and highly skilled professionals who can hit the floor running so PCMS physicians can focus on what is most importantpatients. To reach Amy or staff, call 866.877.4512, or e-mail medicalstaffing @favoritestaffing.com.
Summit this!
Setting off from near the Cape Royal parking area, John Klein, M.D. smiles with anticipation of the adventure ahead: to climb Vishnu Temple, the large formation at left in the photo (Photo courtesy Dr. Klein).
For 43 years the pages of Sombrero have recorded summits PCMS members have reached, but how about this? What about a climb, right here in Arizona, to a spot fewer than 50 people have ever reached? John Klein, M.D. reached the top of 7,537-foot Vishnu Temple in the Grand Canyon on Sept. 28. He and his climbing companion, Executive Director of the Arizona Trail Matt Nelson, are only the 37th party to stand on top. Vishnu Temple was first climbed by University of Kansas literature professor Merrel Clubb, Ph.D. and his son in 1946. At that time, Clubb said, the sight from the top is, one of the two most thrilling spots in the park visually. Nelson said in 2012 that the best views of the canyon he has ever seen are from the top of Vishnu. As a former Grand Canyon guide, he should know. Before you pack your tennies and plan your trip, consider Dr. Kleins protocol: Pack water, lots of it, enough for two-and-ahalf days (13 liters). The Vishnu climb first entails leaving from the Cape Royal parking lot. Traverse down several Class 4 ledgeslower your pack to these ledges. Then the fun begins when you reach the Coconino Sandstone. Two rappels are required, the longest 100 feet.
9
He camped under the Supai layer. To summit Vishnu, one has to climb a 15-foot crack rated at 5.6, he said. Several more Class 4 sections are encountered. Final pitch to the summit is a very exposed Class 5.4 pitch to the top. You have to return basically the same way. On the way back up one must use a fixed rope with prusik knots. All pretty arduous. Dr. Klein had an eventful summer. He topped out on Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, and Mount Stuart in Washington state as well as Mount Shasta. He also climbed Shiprock in New Mexico and Grand Teton in Wyoming. Next year he plans to climb Kawaikini (the high point of Kauai and the wettest spot on earth), Picacho del Diablo in Baja, as well as Mount Blanc, the Matterhorn and the Eiger. He said he hopes to finish 2013 with a trip to Ecuador to climb the high volcanoes Cayambe, Cotopaxi, and Chiborazo.
Dr. Klein is an orthopedic surgeon, practicing at 6618 E. Carondelet Drive. He grew up on Tucson, son of PCMS pastpresident Dr. James B. Klein. He has climbed all 400 peaks in Southern Arizona (within 150 miles of Tucson).
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