Latest news with #PersonalJournal
Wall Street Journal
19-05-2025
- Health
- Wall Street Journal
Want to Quit Alcohol? Stay Away From THC
THC in liquid form shouldn't be sold as filling a niche for those wanting to quit alcohol ('Your Health: Drinks With Weed Gain Popularity,' Personal Journal, May 5). THC drinks are the latest scheme to rebrand intoxication and keep vulnerable people trapped in a cycle of profit-driven dependency. Swapping one addictive, mind-altering substance for another isn't harm reduction; it is exploitation and a tried-and-true marketing tactic of the addiction-for-profit industry. Setting aside the known health risks, unintentional edible-related THC ingestion in children under 12 surged between 2017 and 2023, largely driven by edibles that look like candy. With THC-infused drinks packaged like soda, we don't have to guess what comes next.
Wall Street Journal
03-04-2025
- Health
- Wall Street Journal
Direct Care Is Just What the Patient Ordered
Clare Ansberry's column 'Turning Points: Trust Is Prescription to Heal a Broken Doctor-Patient Bond' (Personal Journal, March 25) raises an increasingly important problem in medical care. The prime reason trust is in short supply is the lack of time physicians have with each patient. When appointments are limited to 15 minutes, there is only 8 to 12 minutes of 'face time.' This is perhaps enough for a simple problem, but certainly inadequate for a patient with several chronic illnesses who is taking multiple prescription medications. This certainly isn't enough time for an older individual with hearing, vision, mobility or cognitive issues. It isn't enough time for the person who has anxiety. The article hints at the resolution, and I'd like to elaborate and advocate for creating more time using direct primary care (DPC). DPC means same- or next-day appointments, visits as long as necessary, direct access to the physician via cellphone, text messages and email. DPC eliminates the insurer or the corporation that forces short visits. The added time leads to a decrease in the use of specialists, tests and imaging. We also see fewer visits to the emergency room and fewer hospital admissions. DPC allows for two-way listening, resulting in less frustration for both the patient and the doctor, and allowing trusting relationships to develop. Stephen C. Schimpff, M.D., MACP Catonsville, Md.
