Dr. Michael Bagby

10/07/2019

It aggravates me that Medicare will pay for fraud like this but not x-rays for Chiropractic patients. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/10/07/766517003/phone-scammers-and-teledoctors-charged-with-preying-on-seniors-in-fraud-case?sc=tw

Officials warn that schemes devised to steal from Medicare have embraced telemedicine. One man was prescribed $4,000 of medical equipment he didn't need and never asked for.

10/05/2019

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-49844804

Improvements in life expectancy are slowing after close to 200 years of fairly consistent progress. What's the cause?

10/05/2019

More on va**ng. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/10/03/766997708/cdc-intensifies-warnings-about-va**ng-illness-as-cases-top-1-000?sc=tw

https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/generalprofessionalissues/82521

Federal agencies are working furiously to find out what is causing people to sicken and are warning consumers not to v**e.

10/04/2019

I thought I’d do another video instead of writing this out, but due to the difficulties I had with getting everything said in one take and getting the editing software to merge the different sections I’d created I decided it would be better to write this out instead. This October will have a couple of big milestones for me. I think the fourth marks the 20th anniversary of my practicing, and the seventh marks the end. When I began practicing 20 years ago after spending more time in the classroom taking almost exactly the same classes I’d have taken if I was getting a MD degree instead of a DC, I hoped to help patients improve their health using safe, natural and effective methods. And I have done that for some of my patients, but over the years I’ve spent more time than I wanted to dealing with insurance company hassles, flood damages and other organizational problems while seeing patients paying more for insurance that paid me less and less and restricted patient’s options. The opioid epidemic was created during those years and has become a nationwide problem, insurance and drug company profits have skyrocketed, and too many patients reject safe natural and effective care when faced with a health problem. So I’ve decided it’s time to let someone else pick up where I’m leaving off, and that someone is Dr. Ken Lee in Des Plaines. He’ll have your records and the “stretching table” that I’ve used to help so many patients; you’ll be in good hands with him. I want to thank you all for placing your trust in me over the years, and I wish you good health in the future.

10/04/2019

This is pretty amazing.
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-49907356

A man who had not walked for two years was able to move all his limbs thanks to new technology.

10/03/2019

https://www.npr.org/2019/10/02/766403612/doctor-gets-40-years-for-illegally-prescribing-more-than-half-a-million-opioid-d?sc=tw

Dr. Joel Smithers was convicted in May of more than 800 federal counts of illegal drug distribution. He was facing life in prison and a $200 million fine. The court ordered him to pay $86,000.

10/03/2019

This fine looks like a lot of money, but needs to be put into perspective regarding how much money was made off of these drugs. https://www.npr.org/2019/10/02/766332253/in-opioid-settlement-johnson-johnson-agrees-to-pay-ohio-counties-20-million?sc=tw

The agreement removes the drugmaker from the list of defendants in an upcoming federal opioid trial and follows an August settlement in Oklahoma in which it agreed to pay $572 million.

10/01/2019

This was old news when I was in school over 20 years ago. https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/502652

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a complex mental illness with unmet therapeutic needs. The antidepressant effects of ω–3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n–3 PUFAs) have been widely reported. The subcommittee of the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research organized an expert pa...

10/01/2019

Here's another reason to eat nuts. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/09/30/765190295/just-a-handful-of-nuts-may-help-keep-us-from-packing-on-the-pounds-as-we-age?sc=tw

U.S. adults put on about a pound a year on average. But people who had a regular nut-snacking habit put on less weight and had a lower risk of becoming obese over time, a new study finds.

10/01/2019

This month's bill of the month. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/09/30/764795892/a-biopsy-came-with-an-unexpected-2-170-cover-charge-for-the-hospital?sc=tw

10/01/2019

Medicare Advantage plans can be a great deal for the patient, or a great deal for the insurance companies. It pays to look at the fine print before you sign to find out the details too, as Tom Waits says "the large print giveth, and the small print taketh away". https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/09/27/764841045/journalists-file-lawsuit-to-force-feds-to-release-medicare-advantage-audits?sc=tw

A lawsuit filed by Kaiser Health News under the Freedom of Information Act could spur the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to release audits that document up to $650 million in overcharges.

09/30/2019

I'm posting this more to show the dangers of diet soda than to promote her alternative, there's nothing healthy about diet soda. Not at all. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-49811129

Kara Goldin, the founder of US flavoured water company Hint, used to drink 10 cans of cola a day.

09/30/2019

I can relate to this issue on both sides with regards to Medicare patients. When they come in for the initial visit I usually refer them to someone who spent less time in the classroom than I did and took 90+% of the same classes I did so that medicare will pay for the x-rays needed instead of having the patient pay for them. This has lead to patients getting referred for riskier and/or more expensive procedures at times, definitely not in the patient's best interest for that to happen. And then there was the ad in the treatment room I saw during a visit to a specialist my girlfriend saw - it warned against getting advice online but was sponsored by a major advertiser. https://www.physicianspractice.com/difficult-patients/when-patient-wants-be-doctor

You’ve spent years studying and even more practicing medicine. Don’t let your patients forget your expertise, and authority, as their physician.

09/28/2019

I think I've seen this idea for reducing opiod use before.....https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/9/e028633

Objective This study examined the association of initial provider treatment with early and long-term opioid use in a national sample of patients with new-onset low back pain (LBP). Design A retrospective cohort study of patients with new-onset LBP from 2008 to 2013. Setting The study evaluated outpa...

09/27/2019

This isn't news, but I guess it's more official now. If you're suffering from either of these conditions call me at 847-870-0280 for some relief. https://warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/persistent_headache_or?fbclid=IwAR1F0aeovM8Aj3OYyWLMqD5auIFfDGBvjDpkrG8Drual-7PoWTZzl-iL3zA

· Further research may uncover the links between the two and best treatment for those affected by both persistent headaches and persistent low back pain

09/27/2019

It's a shame this is news instead of the normal. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/09/25/764224277/nonprofit-hospital-that-sued-poor-patients-just-freed-thousands-from-debt?sc=tw

A Memphis hospital that filed more than 8,300 lawsuits for unpaid medical bills from 2014 through 2018 is forgiving many patients' debts, after an investigation by journalists.

09/26/2019

Call me at 847-870-0280 if you'd like to safe natural and nonaddictive pain relief. https://www.npr.org/2019/09/25/764365459/u-s-accuses-11-doctors-of-peddling-opioids-in-appalachian-states?sc=tw

"We will find you and ensure that the justice system treats you like the drug dealer you are," said Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski.

09/23/2019

It doesn't happen very often, but Walmart did something good for the public here. https://www.npr.org/2019/09/20/762817754/walmart-to-stop-selling-e-cigarettes?sc=tw

The nation's largest retailer cited regulatory "complexity and uncertainty" around e-cigarettes. U.S. health officials have raised alarms over growing cases of lung injury associated with va**ng.

09/21/2019

I wonder if the rain that wasn't in the forecast when I left home this morning will end by the time I leave today? Good thing I don't ride a Harley and can ride home in the rain if it does rain. 😃

09/21/2019

I think they're going to find more victims with time. Call me at 847-870-0280 if you'd like help quitting smoking and/or va**ng. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-19/cdc-raises-number-hit-by-va**ng-illness-to-530-no-cause-found

Federal health officials said 530 people have fallen ill from the mysterious va**ng-related lung ailment that has raised alarms across the U.S., up from 380 confirmed and probable cases that the government reported last week.

09/20/2019

They were talking about this years ago and they still haven't offered Chiropractic care to the majority of service members. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/09/16/chiropractic-care-works-troops-lower-back-pain-not-everyone-can-access-it.html

A study ordered by Congress 10 years ago finds chiropractic care increases fitness in some troops.

09/19/2019

This month's bill of the month. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/09/19/749039963/the-real-bachelor-party-hangover-a-12-460-er-bill?sc=tw I've used those same fluids to rehydrate some of my cats with Kidny problems, and it didn't cost anywhere near what they charged here.

The high ER charge for treating one Colorado groom's hangover the day before his wedding illustrates how emergency room bills have become major headaches for many Americans.

09/17/2019

This would be nice if it works out. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-49682583

It may be possible to make our bodies inhospitable for the cold virus after promising early research.

09/16/2019

This isn't surprising at all. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/purdue-pharma-bankruptcy-sackler-settlement-091514415.html

The Chapter 11 filing is part of a proposed $10bn settlement of legal cases alleging the company profited from the US opiod addiction epidemic.

09/13/2019

I'm still hoping for justice here. https://www.npr.org/2019/09/11/759967610/purdue-pharma-reaches-tentative-deal-to-settle-thousands-of-opioid-lawsuits?sc=tw

The pending settlement likely means Purdue will avoid going to trial in the sprawling and complicated case involving some 2,300 local governments across 23 states.