The new face of medicine

 

The new face of medicine
Or what you need to do in today's environment

Recent events have brought to my attention what you, my posterity need to be aware of with the changes in American medicine.

First you need to be in charge of your own medical records. Since the advent of Hillary Clinton's meddling into the health care scene with the passage of HIPA. We have seen a rise in the schism between the patient and the physician. There has been a loss of trust.

When a patient requested his medical records, we used to give them freely. Now they are sold back to the patient. The process that one has to go through now to obtain medical information is complicated and time consuming and at times frustrating.

The time was when the doctor kept the record and was the repository of your medical records and information. When he closed his practice, he passed them on to his successor or notified the patient to pick up their records.

Now that Obama care is in place electronic medical records are going to be mandatory. You are supposed to be given a copy of the visit with a diagnosis and treatment given or prescribed.

I have received calls in the missionary department from returned missionaries who need their immunization records. They have not kept track of their records and have expected the church to keep their records for them. They are disappointed when I have to tell them that I cannot assist them.

My suggestion is that you make a file and keep a record of all of your immunizations and record your visits to the doctor and hospital. A hard copy is good, but with today's technology you can keep it on the hard drive of your computer and back up to at least two flash drives. The technology may change in the future, so adapt to that.

If you do not take charge of your own data, you will eventually be frustrated and disappointed.

By being the keeper of your own medical records you can then transfer from one medical home to another and not have to try and remember dates, illnesses, surgeries, and hospitalizations.

One man once told me, "a dull pencil is better than a sharp mind." Keep a document of every illness, hospital visit, dental encounter and medical procedure that you have.

I suggest that you be fully immunized.  You should keep a written record of all immunizations. There should be a backup copy of these records.

Here is a list of the immunizations that you should receive.
Tdap every 5 years or DT ever 10 years
MMR one series is enough
Hepatitis A and B
If you have not had either then there is a combination vaccine called Twinrix
Polio, one series is enough
Chicken Pox (Varicella) unless you had the disease.
For young missionaries get meningococcal meningitis vaccine or if you are going to college and living in a dorm.

These immunizations should be obtained. They are recommended by the first presidency and council of the twelve and by grandpa.

Keep your records.  Recently I learned that electronic medical records can be deleted after 7 years.  This from the Internet.

"Medical records shall be retained for at least seven years. Medical records of minors shall be kept until the age of eighteen plus four years, but in no case less than seven years. (d) The Hospital may destroy medical records after retaining them for the minimum time period."

Spiritual Cerumen

 

Recently I woke up and had trouble hearing out of my right ear.  My right ear is the good ear, and the left is the one I have trouble hearing out of.  I touched my face and felt pressure in my right ear that was not present in the left.  I knew something was wrong and wanted to get my otoscope out and look into my right ear, but my eye was not on a stalk like that of a snail, so I had to rely on someone else to look for me.  Fortunately, I was able to secure an appointment with my ENT doctor that day and he found my ear canal was clogged and obstructed with cerumen or ear wax, for those of you who are not familiar with medical terminology.

He removed the cerumen and I immediately felt relief and my hearing was restored to normal.  This was the first time in my life that this had happened to me.  It was a simple procedure and was quickly accomplished.

We often have spiritual cerumen build up in our spiritual ears until it obstructs our ability to hear the word of the Lord through the still small voice of the Holy Ghost.

When I was in high school our choir sang this song which repeats the words “Hear the word of the Lord”.

In instructing the church, the Lord says in the Doctrine and Covenants 46: 17-19 that we will receive information through the Spirit. We must then have ears to hear before our hearts receive understanding.

 

What is this spiritual cerumen that dampens our hearing of the spiritual whisperings? It is the roar of the crowd and the mocking of the great and spacious building.  It is the praying and not listening.  It is the failure to read, ponder and pray. Just as our body builds up and secretes earwax (cerumen) little by little until it obstructs the ear canal and interferes with our physical ability to hear, the ability to “Hear Him” is impaired by spiritual cerumen. Thus, we have ears to hear, but hear not.

 

So, my grandchildren, keep your ears clean!

 

Love,

Grandpa

 

 

 

Questions for the day

 Letter written many years ago, but not sent to a church leader.

I had intended to let this be the end of my letter, but some experiences during the past month
have given me some impetus to write to you on another matter. 

For the past 6 years I have served as Chapter Chairman of the Wyoming Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. I have attended the national meetings and have watched the making of policy and have seen the impact of such statements upon national and state agencies. I have felt quite alone sometimes because I have tried to represent my somewhat conservative views on social issues to be drowned by the overwhelming voices of liberal colleagues. 

Being a member of the Lord’s church does not
foster popular views on social issues, since the ways of God and the ways of the world are usually at opposite poles. I have found during the six years that the four members of the church I have met among the Chapter Chairmen have been good men, but most do not choose to seek to find offices where they may be in a position to more effectively represent the ways of the Lord. As a result, a usually conservative group of physicians now have a policy which holds that social programs holds the answer to replace the family in teenage pregnancy, and day care centers to replace the mother who chooses to work. 

I have often wondered what we who are in the professions are supposed to do? We who have the gospel and realize that it alone can bring about peace and sanity into an otherwise worldly society. Should we involve ourselves in the organization of the world, hoping to exert our influence for good or should we abandon the worldly organizations and put all our efforts into church activity totally ignoring what the world does? 

I realize that church policy and pronouncement on such issues would perhaps be unwise and would certainly raise the ire of the liberal factions and bring about continued discord. 

Here the letter stops.  These are questions that we can pose today. If we do not lead out who will follow?

 

Be a leader.

 

Love, Grandpa

Wrong way drivers

 

The parable of the wrong way driver

The other day on the freeway there were two incidences of wrong way drivers within a 24-hour period. The first accident involved two vehicles and both drivers were killed. In the second one only the driver who was in the wrong was killed, the other was not. There have been a number of wrong way driver incidents in which the drivers were not killed but injuries occurred. The highway patrol has been alerted and seeks to stop the wrong way driver and keep him from injury and death.

Why do some drivers go the wrong way? Perhaps they do not read the signs.  Most on ramps have a sign that alerts the driver that they are entering the freeway going the wrong way.

Perhaps they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Perhaps they are taking their directions from a GPS or someone in the car.

Perhaps they are looking at a video or text on their phone.

This is an analogy to the highway to heaven or the covenant path.  The freeway is called that, because there is no payment required to use it. The covenant path is also free (Salvation is free to all.) that leads us to our Father in Heaven, and we don’t have to pay anything for it, we just have to keep on the covenant path. This covenant path leads to our Father in Heaven and exaltation in the celestial kingdom. All we have to do is keep our covenants. The covenant path begins with baptism into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and we keep on that covenant path by keeping our Heavenly Father’s and Jesus’ commandments. In addition, we covenant in the temple to do certain things and we covenant to obey all of our Father’s commandments and in addition; in the covenant of marriage we covenant to obey all the laws, rites, and covenants pertaining to the holy state of matrimony.

How do people become wrong way drivers on the covenant path?

Perhaps they neglect to pray on a regular basis and communicate with God.

Perhaps they do not read the scriptures that warn us of the evils that are so prevalent around us.

Perhaps they do not listen to or read the words of the prophets who tell us where to go.

Perhaps they transgress the law of chastity or break one of the commandments that they have covenanted to keep.

Perhaps they use drugs or alcohol.

Perhaps they do not attend the sacrament meeting.

Just as the wrong way driver on the freeway can cause death or injury to himself or others, the wrong way driver on the covenant path can cause spiritual death (exclusion from the influence and eventual presence of God) or spiritual injury to themselves and others.

Let us take an example from the Book of Mormon. Korihor did not believe in Christ and sought to lead his fellows who were members of the church astray and was having great success until the prophet (like a highway patrol officer) intervened to save the people from his teachings (the wrong way driver.)

Now an example from more modern times. James J. Strang was a member of the church at the time of the prophet Joseph Smith. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Strang) He did not follow the leadership of the church after the death of Joseph smith and led 12,000 people to Beaver Island where he declared himself king and was killed by a gunshot wound.  He was a wrong way driver and not only died spiritually, but physically as well. The church he founded collapsed and the members found other churches.

There are plenty of wrong-way drivers on the Internet. Many apostates seek to crash into you and destroy your faith in the church.  They have been excommunicated and would seek, like Korihor, to lead people astray. 

There are guides such as bishops and stake presidents and priesthood leaders who like the highway patrolmen will help us to avoid being a wrong way driver on the covenant path.

A child or family member who goes the wrong way on the covenant path can injure the feelings of other members of the family by exercising their agency causing pain and suffering and, in some cases, spiritual death.

We have been admonished to do everything possible to stay on the covenant path.

Don’t be a wrong way driver. Stay on the covenant path.

Love,

Grandpa