Category Archives: physician

The $5.2 Million Man: When Is It Time To Die?

Posted on April 6, 2015 by annecwoodlen

Five-point-two million dollars were spent to keep one 69-year-old retired prison guard alive in the Duke University Hospital ICU for 34 days; he was then discharged to death. His wife said, “I was just hoping it would save my husband’s … Continue reading →

Posted in American medical industry, Death, drugs, Medicaid, Medical care, Medicare, physician, Poverty, Values | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

To My Friend, a Physician

Posted on March 26, 2015 by annecwoodlen

I don’t know how to approach you, what to say, what not to say. I want to be friendly, cheerful, optimistic. I want to be a valued asset in your life, even though I feel that I have absolutely nothing … Continue reading →

Posted in chronic fatigue, Depression, disability, drugs, Government Services, homeopathic, Medicaid, Medical care, Pharmaceuticals, physician | Leave a comment

Poor and Sick in America: Me and My Neighbors

Posted on February 16, 2015 by annecwoodlen

It is 7:26 a.m. and the sun is rising over Syracuse. Chimney smoke flows flat across the city: the temperature is -10. The snow plow in the parking lot below my window is irritating with its back-up horn. With the … Continue reading →

Posted in Call-a-Bus, Centro, disability, Government Services, HUD-subsidized housing, Medicaid, Medicare, Onondaga County, physician, Poverty, power wheelchairs, Powerlessness, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

What is Wrong with this Woman? Recovery, Chronic Fatigue and Depression (Part IV)

Posted on December 17, 2014 by annecwoodlen

Somewhere along the line around 2011 I had diagnosed myself as being depressed and set out to get a talk therapist, which turned out not to be as easy as it sounds.  What I didn’t understand was that the abuse … Continue reading →

Posted in chronic fatigue, Depression, Inpatient psychiatry, physician, Power, Powerlessness, recovery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Contrary to News Headlines, Robin Williams Was . . .

Posted on November 10, 2014 by annecwoodlen

Contrary to News Headlines, Robin Williams Was on Drugs at the Time of His Death—Antidepressant Drugs “The antidepressant found in Williams’ toxicology test, Mirtazapine (Remeron), has 10 drug regulatory agency warnings citing suicidal ideation.” By Kelly Patricia O’Meara November 10, … Continue reading →

Posted in American medical industry, Death, Depression, drugs, Medical care, Mental Illness & Health, Pharmaceuticals, physician | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How Not To Be Depressed, Part 2b

Posted on October 4, 2014 by annecwoodlen

2b. Don’t get an autoimmune disease. There is a relatively new area of medical investigation called PNIE—psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology. It says that how you feel emotionally is related to your nerves, your immune system, and your hormones. Who’d a thunk that your … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative therapies, Depression, drugs, Medical care, Mental Illness & Health, Pharmaceuticals, physician | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Physical or Mental Illness?

Posted on October 2, 2014 by annecwoodlen

Last year—The Year of the Beast—while I was a patient in Crouse Hospital I had multiple episodes in which I was fully conscious but unresponsive. Following severely stressful events I could hear what was happening around me but I could … Continue reading →

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How Not To Be Depressed, Part 2a

Posted on September 30, 2014 by annecwoodlen

2. Intentionally live a healthy life. If you want to not get depressed, then live a physically healthy life. Go to bed early, eat a healthy diet and get plenty of exercise. Your emotions travel the biochemical and nerve routes … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative therapies, Depression, Holistic, Mental Illness & Health, physician | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

And Now the Idiot du Jour’s Boss

Posted on September 18, 2014 by annecwoodlen

[Consequent to https://annecwoodlen.wordpress.com/2014/09/07/dr-w-c-elliott-the-idiot-du-jour/%5D Dr. Michael Iannuzzi, Director UHCC Adult Medicine MR Nephrology Dr. Elliott Dear Dr. Iannuzzi, I am in receipt of your letter of Sept. 10 regarding the above-captioned matter in which you threaten to terminate my health care … Continue reading →

Posted in American medical industry, drugs, Medical care, Pharmaceuticals, physician, Power, Values | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dr. W.C. Elliott: The Idiot du jour

Posted on September 7, 2014 by annecwoodlen

So I am sitting in a treatment room in the Nephrology Clinic at Upstate Medical Center when Dr. W. Clayton Elliott walks in and introduces himself. He is a late-middle-aged man who used to be known as Dr. William C. … Continue reading →

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