http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/society/politics/all-men-are-created-equal.html http://www.articletrader.com/society/politics/all-men-are-created-equal.html Sun, 05 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0500 “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
It is common knowledge that this very well known and often quoted (or misquoted) opening statement of the Declaration of Independence was insightfully and artfully written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776. If this is true, then why is it that over 230 years later we, as intellectual beings, still struggle so much with it’s application? Some of us cling to it as the cornerstone statement for all that is democracy. Some of us scream it like a battle call in our fight for civil rights. The atheists tend to discount the entire statement as they dismiss the existence of a Creator at all much less any rights that may be endowed by a Creator. It has become the basis for the tsunami of discrimination cases in America. Just the fact that somebody feels the need to declare it or yell it in protest means that there must be at least some people that don’t hold this statement as gospel fact. Why is this? Can we really discuss it today without being labeled a racist, chauvinist, or bigot? These statements illustrate the idea of “natural rights”, a philosophical concept of the period of Enlightenment; many of the ideas in the Declaration were borrowed from the English liberal political philosopher John Locke. In these days of political correctness, I find myself often asking the question again, are we really created equal? I submit that the answer to this question is completely based upon our definition of the seemingly simple word “equal”. I truly believe that due to fear of being politically correct we have avoided discussion of this critical phrase, however the time has come that we must take a long and honest look at this statement and develop a better understanding of what it really means.
Is it racist to say that most black people are darker than white people? Is it chauvinistic to say that most women have larger breasts and wider hips than men? Is it profiling to say that most black infants in the US are born to unmarried mothers? I submit that these are simply facts. So why is it that some Harvard faculty members were infuriated last year, after the President of the University, Lawrence Summers, suggested in a speech that "intrinsic aptitude" could explain why fewer women have excelled in science and math? This created such uproar that he was forced to resign. I for one always thought that men tended more toward the math and sciences than women do. I don’t mind going on record saying it. What is the ratio of men to women in the engineering fields? What is the ratio of men to women in the area of math, chemistry, geology, biology, etc, etc, etc? The numbers bear it out. So why is it such a chauvinistic statement to say that there may exist an “intrinsic aptitude” that is responsible for this discrepancy? I truly believe that we have created a society that screams foul for the slightest reasons any time that people don’t get their way and we have utilized legions of hungry lawyers to destroy our judicial system to the point that now it is almost impossible to say anything without the risk of a lawsuit. People, we are not created equal!!!! We are all intrinsically different. Look at the number of black hockey players compared to the number of black basketball players and tell me that there is not an intrinsic tendency manifested there. It is not a judgment against anybody to state the facts. It is just fact.
Ok now that I have said that, I do want to state that I truly believe that Thomas Jefferson was very clear in his statement, but the intent has been misconstrued for over 2 centuries. John Adams himself clarified the confusion in his statement,

“But what are we to understand here by equality? Are the citizens to be all of the same age, sex, size, strength, stature, activity, courage, hardiness, industry, patience, ingenuity, wealth, knowledge, fame, wit, temperance, constancy, and wisdom? Was there, or will there ever be, a nation, whose individuals were all equal, in natural and acquired qualities, in virtues, talents, and riches? The answer of all mankind must be in the negative. It must then be acknowledged, that in every state...there are inequalities which God and nature have planted there, and which no human legislator ever can eradicate.”


I truly believe that what Jefferson meant by his statement was that all people have equal human rights to be treated fairly. Remember that this was written at a time when the colonists were not feeling like England was treating them equally. This statement was not a statement dealing with civil rights issues as much as representation issues.

In conclusion, I would like to point out that we are not equal, but we should treat each other as if we were. Stay tuned for my next discussion about how America is being lost because we forget that while the rest of the world is still fighting for life and liberty, we spend most of our time and money on the pursuit of happiness. We have been blessed into complete amnesia.




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Dr. Kraft lives in College Station ,Texas with his wife and 8 children, 4 of whom were adopted from Haiti. He and his wife, Cynthia, homeschool their children and are active in their Church with emphasis on orphan and medical ministries in Haiti. http://www.promother.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/parenting/international-adoption-from-haiti-part-i.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/parenting/international-adoption-from-haiti-part-i.html Wed, 23 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500
Why should anyone in their right mind adopt a child they don’t even know? There are many reasons. First and foremost is that there are literally millions of children that are without a parent to raise them. Depending on the geographic area, there are multiple reasons that normal children become orphans. In Africa many have lost their parents to genocidal wars, TB or AIDS. In Haiti, many children have become orphans due to starvation, AIDS and TB. Still others live with a single parent who is too poor to feed them. These children or their parents often die from malnutrition or diarrhea secondary to contaminated water. Many of these children are forced at a young age to leave home and fend for themselves on the streets of Port-au-Prince. There are an estimated 300,000 children from Haiti alone that are sold as slaves or “restaveks”.

Another reason for adoption is applicable to those of us who profess Christianity. James 1:27 states that “True religion acceptable in the eyes of God our Father is to take care of the orphans and widows in their distress.” It is not ambiguous. The church is to care for orphans and widows and we are the Church. The best way to care for orphans is to provide a family for them through the process of adoption.

Now that I have put forth some good reasons to consider adoption, why should you consider international adoption as opposed to domestic? Certainly there are very needy children in the domestic system that deserve to be adopted. Nobody can argue that and I certainly don’t want to minimize that need. The best argument for international adoption is mainly that many orphans from other countries are in more desperate situations. Many countries have no services or means for providing any care for children waiting for adoption. Here in the US there is at least a foster system to care for these children or some sort of government assistance to feed and shelter the children. Many other countries have absolutely no provisions for or even an interest in caring for these discarded children. They are truly outcast without hope for survival. Unfortunately many do not survive and if they do they may end up as prostitutes or slaves. Certainly we can all see the need to consider ALL children of this world worthy of at least the most basic provisions. With the internet, communications, and travel what it is today there is no excuse for us to close our eyes to the children of the world just because they are not living in our neighborhood. With modern technology our world has become smaller. We have become aware. We are only ignorant of the need if we choose to be.

OK, if you have read this far, you are truly interested and I applaud you. Now let us consider adoption specifically from Haiti. I must preface this part with the fact that I know of many stories of adoption of absolutely wonderful children from other countries and I am not trying to undermine those programs. I am merely attempting to bring to light some reasons to consider adoption from Haiti when considering international adoption. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere sits in the Caribbean just south of Cuba. It is only 600 miles from Miami to Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Haiti is essentially in America’s “back yard”! The poorest slum dwellings in the world exist in the suburbs of Port-au-Prince, a tumultuous city with over 4 million people trying to scratch out an existence. The World Health Organization estimates that there are nearly 200,000 orphans in Haiti with no system in place to provide even the most basic requirements for life, let alone a safe, nurturing, or healthy environment. Many of these children have lost both parents. Other children are left to fend for themselves while their single parent tries to work for a meager wage. Even if they do get employment, the average income in Haiti is estimated to be equivalent to about $275 US per year. Poor destitute mothers try everything to feed their children. In Haiti, poor mothers often make a meal of spiced mud pies, made of clay, grass, spices and a little margarine then dried in the sun. Evidence of malnutrition is very obvious in Haiti with many of the malnourished children being very thin with distended stomachs consistent with protein-calorie (kwashiorkor) malnutrition. They often have orange colored hair, which is also very indicative of significant nutritional deficiencies. Many of these poor children are forced to live as beggars in the streets of the city trying to get a few pennies from motorists as they wait in the always slow-moving traffic of the city. In an attempt to earn a small tip many of these children are fast to wipe down your car with a dirty rag or try to carry your basket of fruit from the local street market. Many of them sleep in alleys or seek the superstitious protection afforded them in the graveyards at night.

If abject poverty is not enough there are even more reasons to consider adoption from Haiti. Voodoo is the most commonly practiced religion in Haiti with nearly 90% of Haitians practicing voodoo to some extent. Even those that profess Christianity often times also practice voodoo. The Catholic Church in Haiti is particularly infiltrated with voodoo beliefs. Many times Christians that stand against Voodoo are targeted by the voodoo priests and killed. Street children are often times targeted to be used in voodoo ceremonies. Any child that is born with a defect of any sort is considered to be cursed and therefore is at risk to be sacrificed. We had children brought to our orphanage by frightened mothers trying to protect them against the latest voodoo rage. Voodoo priests had told followers that if they brought them the heart of a child, the voodoo gods would grant them riches through the country’s ever-popular lottery. Many children were in danger of being kidnapped for this purpose. Christians in particular that are interested in adoption should certainly be motivated to consider Haiti when they realize the foothold that Satan has in Haiti and the likelihood that these children will certainly be victimized by voodoo.

One benefit of adopting from Haiti is something that we did not realize until we were well into the process. Many adopted children suffer from significant bonding issues. Most child psychologists agree that this is due to a lack of nurturing and bonding during a critical developmental stage that occurs during infancy and very young childhood. It is well known that children who are shown love at this young age are much more capable of loving and being loved as they grow older. Many orphans in Haiti are particularly “lovable” children because they were very loved by a parent or family member during this critical developmental stage. It is the poverty that makes them an orphan, not the lack of love. Also, there is essentially no fetal alcohol syndrome in Haitian orphans compared to other countries where alcohol is much more highly consumed. In Haiti, alcohol and illicit drugs are rarely used by the poor.

In short, if you or someone you know is considering adoption, then International adoption should certainly be worth investigating. Haitian adoption should be considered for several reasons; it is very close to the U.S. for travel purposes, it is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with nearly 200,000 orphans, voodoo is the dominant religion, and Haitian children are very loving and lovable.

Part 2 of this article will address some of the difficulties that can be encountered when adopting internationally and particularly when adopting from Haiti.




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Dr. Kraft lives in College Station ,Texas with his wife and 8 children, 4 of whom were adopted from Haiti. He and his wife, Cynthia, homeschool their children and are active in their Church with emphasis on orphan and medical ministries in Haiiti. http://www.promother.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/international-adoption-from-haiti-part-2.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/international-adoption-from-haiti-part-2.html Wed, 23 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500
International adoptions can be very challenging because the person or organization collecting the necessary documents for the child’s dossier may not speak your language. Communication between the foreign adoption coordinator and the adopting family can be very difficult through email or through telephone conversations. Many orphanages may not have regular electricity or phone service. Oftentimes language differences make for very basic communications with frequent miscommunications. It can be very helpful to work with a liaison hired by the orphanage to answer questions and update adoptive parents.

By far the biggest obstacle for completing an international adoption is obtaining the required documentation needed for the adoption. Although there are differences from country to country, generally, the necessary documents for the child’s dossier are: child’s birth certificate, biological parents birth certificates and IDs, death certificates of parents, relinquishment certificate, social history, psychological evaluation, medical exam, and required lab results. Some countries request a baptismal certificate also, but this is culturally dependent. The required documents may vary depending on whether or not the child is a true orphan or has one or both biological parents. Collecting these documents is very time consuming. If there is no one in-country specifically working on document collections, then it is very difficult to accomplish in any reasonable timeframe. Unfortunately, in Haiti the person working on the adoptions may be the same person trying to keep the orphanage operating. It’s hard to rationalize trying to locate a particular document when the children have no water to drink. Many times the orphanage director is consumed with just providing food, water and shelter for the children not to mention dealing with personnel issues, security issues, and money issues. Collecting documents in Haiti is quite difficult and time consuming. There is no computerized system so all documents are recorded by hand and filed in various locations. Tracking down the papers and correcting errors can take weeks.

Certainly acquiring the necessary documents is not going to be simple, but there are other difficulties as well. One of the most frustrating issues is that bribery is rampant. Many times it is actually customary for a clerk at an office to hold out for bribes before providing the requested document. This is essentially one of the clerk’s “job perks”. If he can get more from you then he is entitled to try. Early on in the process we made the decision to not pay bribes in an attempt to avoid the “slippery slope” that would affect future adoptions from our orphanage. If you pay a bribe once, you set yourself up and others after you to be expected to pay bribes many times over throughout your adoption process.

The many cultural issues that effect Haitian adoptions cannot be fully expressed in one article. However, there are several issues that commonly arise and merit mentioning. Birthparents often expect ongoing perks from adoptive parents. They may feel entitled to financial support, medical care and more from the adoptive parents. Unfortunately, the innocent children often become bargaining chips for the desperate birthparents.

Another cultural issue that will inevitably be cause for stress during the adoption process is the concept of “Caribbean time”. Haitians are in no hurry because tomorrow will certainly bring the same challenges and obstacles as today. Thus the common Haitian proverb; “There are mountains beyond mountains.” What is an easily remedied problem to Americans can take days or weeks to overcome in Haiti.

Although these issues make Haitian adoptions difficult, they are still very doable and well worth the effort. There are hundreds of thousands of children in Haiti who need and deserve good, loving homes. Haiti has one of the least expensive adoption programs. Haitian children are without any government assistance programs and are many times left to beg on the streets, become prostitutes, be sold into slavery or be victimized by voodoo. And possibly most importantly, Haitian children are very loving and lovable. Modern technology has made our world smaller and we can no longer ignore the needs of children in other countries. Educate yourself. Do a Google search about Haiti and International adoption. If that does not convince you and you profess Christianity, then read James 1:27.

Finally, as I sat down to type this article, my three-year old Haitian daughter ran up to me and climbed into my lap. She gave me a big hug and a kiss and said, “Daddy, I love you so, so much. Suddenly all of the toil and struggles of Haitian adoption faded into a distant memory.






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Dr. Kraft lives in College Station ,Texas with his wife and 8 children, 4 of whom were adopted from Haiti. He and his wife, Cynthia, homeschool their children and are active in their Church with emphasis on orphan and medical ministries in Haiti. http://www.promother.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/society/politics/kants-deontology-and-categorical-imperative.html http://www.articletrader.com/society/politics/kants-deontology-and-categorical-imperative.html Sat, 03 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0600 Deontological theories are theories of morality that state that one should act out of duty. This differs from Utilitarianism in that the ends do not need to justify the means. According to those that subscribe to Deontology the motivation behind any particular action is what determines its morality, not the consequences of the action as in Utilitarianism.
This has one major advantage over Utilitarianism. It is possible now to be confident that the act is a morally right one before it is committed. You will recall that under Act Utilitarianism one had to wait to see the consequences of an action before the action could be judged to be right or wrong.
It also just seems to make sense. If you meant well by an action and had no reason to suspect it would cause pain why should you be blamed when it does? The phrase “it’s the thought that counts” is supposing to a Deontological ethic. The down side of this is that we might have to admit that some of histories worst crimes were in a sense right because the perpetrators were true believers in what they were doing, however perverse their thinking might have been. The Holocaust comes to mind. The writings left by Himmler seem to indicate that he truly believed it was his duty to eliminate the Jews.
Kant recognized this problem and made an attempt to solve it by what came to be known as the Categorical Imperative. Though Kant proposed several different forms for the Categorical Imperative it is his first one that seems to sum it up best to me. “Act only According to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.” What does that mean? To understand the Categorical Imperative you must understand the word “maxim.”
Webster’s 1828 gives us this definition, “Maxim, n. An established principle or proposition; a principle generally received or admitted as true.”
So maxim is simply another word for principle. With that in mind reread the Categorical Imperative one more time and it should make more sense. Based on the Categorical Imperative when judging the morality of an action one has to decide what principle the action is based on. Then you must decide if that maxim could be applied on a universal scale. If it could then the action is deemed to be good, if it cannot the action is deemed to be morally bad. I’ll give you an example to better illustrate this point. Suppose you want to lie to someone to keep from offending him or her. Your motives are good, so you pass the first test in Deontology. Now you apply the Categorical Imperative, could the lying (the maxim) be applied universally? If all people were habitual liars then would lying work? No, of course not, because lies depend on deception. People would not be deceived if they were expecting to be lied to. So according to Kant and his Categorical Imperative lying is morally wrong.
Some of you may have picked up on the shortcoming of the Categorical Imperative in the above illustration. The person who is likely to be committing the action in question picks the maxim. If you get very specific with the maxim then you can almost always arrive at a positive answer. If you change the maxim from “all people should lie all the time” to “all people in my exact circumstance should lie” the entire equation is changed. It is for this reason that the Categorical Imperative is meant to be applied as broadly as possible, but the ultimate judgement on how broad to go is still left to the individual.




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Joseph W. Kraft is an author and culumnist from central Texas. He writes on a wide range of political and philisophical topics. If you would like to read Mr. Kraft's columns or find out more about him you may visit his home on the web at http://www.underagethinker.com.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/health/beauty/in-the-eye-of-the-beholder.html http://www.articletrader.com/health/beauty/in-the-eye-of-the-beholder.html Sat, 03 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0600
I realize these are age-old questions yet I have never conducted any formal study of aesthetics or read any book or even article by those who have, so the conclusions I have drawn are entirely my own. I make this disclaimer partially because I believe it very likely that others have reached same or similar conclusions as myself and if that be the case you will know that that two people conducting their own research arrived at the same conclusion. This of course should lend considerable credibility to the theory.

To answer this we must first answer the question of what beauty is. What are we talking about here anyway? If beauty is only in the eye of the beholder then it has no subjectivity and as such cannot be described. So we would be talking about nothing. (I hope that’s not it because then I would be writing an article on nothing. The publisher is sure to love that. What is love anyway?…Oh sorry) So for the sake of discussion let’s dismiss the idea that beauty is only in the eye of the beholder.

The first attribute that I see in beauty is that it does not stand-alone. It is not self-sufficient. Beauty is not beauty for beauty’s sake. If it was then it would be purely subjective and we dismissed that theory in the last paragraph. Beauty points us to something else. Things of beauty act as mirrors that bend the path of something good towards us. Think about a smile. Most people would agree that smiles generally are things of beauty. Would smiles still be beautiful if instead of happiness and joy they meant sadness and sorrow? Would not frowns be beautiful if they meant happiness and joy? So you see that the object of beauty is beautiful because of what it reminds us of.

Good is a rather ambiguous term and not all beautiful things represent happiness and joy, so is there some other blanket idea that incorporates all of these? I believe there is. Beauty points us in the direction of perfection. A child may smile when gets a card from his grandmother because the card made him happy but a card can only deliver temporary happiness. Just like the smile is a reflection of temporary happiness, temporary happiness is a reflection of perfect happiness.

Think about the last time, you experienced perfect happiness. If you ever experienced perfect happiness then you would still be experiencing it now because; it would not be perfect if it were temporary. So perfection is something none have experienced yet all have an idea of because we all enjoy things of beauty. How can this be? How can we have a functional understanding of something that we have never experienced? We did not get it from it being described to us because there is no one qualified to describe it. The idea of perfection cannot have come from men. There is no empirical or rational way to conceive of man inventing perfection. Perfection can only have come from God. God is by definition the most perfect being. Flaws can be found in everything around us. Nothing on Earth is perfect, only God is perfect.

So beauty points us to or reminds us of God. It is that simple. This is the only rational way I can think of to objectively define beauty. An object takes on beauty when it reminds of God. The better it reminds us of God the more beauty it possesses.

That is the objective part, the rest is open to interpretation. This is where the eye of the beholder comes in to play. Things that remind me of God do not necessarily have to remind you of God.

So what about people who do not believe in God? Certainly they can still experience beauty, right? Yes, they can experience beauty but they cannot understand it. Box turtles experience rain, and are probably conscience of it but they do not understand the water cycle. To those that do not believe in God, beauty must be superficial because they cannot see or experience what it is pointing them to.




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Joseph W. Kraft is an author and culumnist from central Texas. He writes on a wide range of political and philisophical topics. If you would like to read Mr. Kraft's columns or find out more about him you may visit his home on the web at http://www.underagethinker.com.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/oprah-winfrey-under-fire-because-she-donates-%2440-million-for-a-new-girls-school-in-south-africa.html http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/oprah-winfrey-under-fire-because-she-donates-%2440-million-for-a-new-girls-school-in-south-africa.html Tue, 16 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0600
I also agree with Oprah that there are much more worthy causes in other parts of the world outside the U.S. She had to actually defend her charitable donation to all of critics that feel like she should have donated the money to local inner-city programs. My goodness people, have mercy! Oprah has donated so much of her time and money to these kind of worthy domestic programs over the years and has just not seen the significant results that she envisioned. By creating this life-changing school in a place like Africa or Haiti where kids just don’t have a way out of poverty she is sure to see lives changed.

According to the UN, 25,000 people die from hunger-related causes every single day and nearly 16,000 of these people are children. I personally have never been to Africa, but I have spent a lot of time in Haiti and have seen so many beautiful children with the same innocence and dreams as my own children, but due to circumstances completely out of there control, they have no chance to achieve anything but simple existence… if they are lucky.

Living in Haiti has taught me many valuable life lessons. As an ER doctor, I have had the opportunity to see many children and teenagers that are brought to the ER because they are reportedly “suicidal”. I question them to find out what could be so bad that they would want to kill themselves. I am always amazed when I hear things like “I wanted an Ipod for Christmas and my parents didn’t get me one” or “my mom won’t let me get my ears pierced”. I am then reminded of how superficial we have become in this country.

I will be the first to admit that there are many needy children in the US, but, as opposed to other developing countries, we do have some systems in place to provide basic sustenance and medical care and education for these children. They all have access to a free education, and what they do with it is somewhat up to them. There are many success stories about poor children from inner-city environments that are motivated by a true mentor in their life and they take what they have and rise from the ashes to become a great person that contributes greatness to this world. This option for children to rise to greatness just does not exist in many third-world countries, and I absolutely applaud Oprah for doing what she is doing. She is not just sending money to sponsor a child, she is truly creating a system to transform these girls. This school has the potential to take girls that are without hope or dreams and transform them into strong, motivated and empowered women that can become the entrepreneurs that will change their world. You go girl!! (Sorry, but I just could not contain myself.)

Also, for all of you who claim that this is just for publicity, please be aware that Oprah has spent much of her past year in Africa working on this School while most of us were completely unaware. She has personally been involved every part of this project from the design of the buildings to developing the curriculum. She even interviewed the candidates for the school personally. She did this long before the critical public even became aware of this project!

While I temporarily have your attention, I would also like to comment about all the criticism of celebrities who choose to change the life of children in third-world countries through international adoption. I believe that these criticisms are just another example of narrow-minded thinking that I will address in another upcoming article. May God bless you as you seek to change your part of this world.

Joseph Kraft, MD
http://www.mydailyhomepage.com





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Dr. Kraft is an ER physician in College Station, Texas. He is specialty trained in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics.
He is married and has 8 children, 4 of whom were adopted from Haiti.
He and his family have spent significant time living in Haiti while running an orphanage.
He is currently working to establish coastal medical clinics along the Southern Claw of Haiti.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/health/supplements/medical-conflicts-of-interest-a-thing-of-the-past.html http://www.articletrader.com/health/supplements/medical-conflicts-of-interest-a-thing-of-the-past.html Wed, 20 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0600 Recently I had been asked to give my opinion about a new “breakthrough” nutritional supplement that is being aggressively marketed through network marketing programs. As a physician who tries earnestly to be objective about what I see in the mainstream press, I have come to realize that the medical community no longer adheres to the high standards that not long ago were seen as a moral “high ground”. Now, I am seeing my physician “colleagues” becoming spokespersons for multibillion-dollar network marketing programs. Is there such thing as a conflict-of-interest anymore? This question is not rhetorical. Has our society completely embraced the idea that it is OK for a physician to prescribe a medicine or supplement that he himself is selling and getting profits from? Have we, as a society decided that there needs not be any distinction in moral conduct between a physician and any other salesman? It seems apparent to me that this is the case. One quick perusal of the “medicine and healing” isle at your local Barnes and Noble bookstore will demonstrate this. So why has this change taken place and what does it mean for people that are seeking the truth in medicine?

The Cause of the Moral Decline in Medicine:
First, 21st century physicians have to work harder and longer for less money. Due to the increasing amount of legal documentation that must accompany each patient encounter, fewer patients can be seen in any given day. I now spend approximately 2/3 of my time doing paperwork and 1/3 actually caring for patients. This has also affected the amount of time that can be spent with each patient. Also, insurance and medicare reimbursements are steadily decreasing. This, combined with skyrocketing malpractice premiums has resulted in a progressive decline in physician income over the past 20 years. I believe that this is one reason that physicians are looking at other opportunities to utilize their medical degree to make a living, and I can’t blame them for that.

Second, the American public has been so indoctrinated into our paternalistic medical system that they cannot conceive that a physician would actually abandon his oath to society and make recommendations to patients based on his own financial returns rather than on sound medical judgement. This “blind faith” has been appreciated by physicians over the centuries, but times have changed. Most physicians today are not the “public servants” of yesterday that would go out at all hours of the night to render aid to the sick and ailing. No, most of todays physicians are in groups and practice arrangements that are designed to limit their time commitment to their patients thus allowing them more family time. As a family man myself (married 22 years with 8 children), this has been a real struggle for me and was the main reason that I had to leave primary care to become an ER physician with no primary patients to be committed to. The oath that I took when I graduated from medical school (the oath of Geneva) clearly put my patient’s wellbeing ahead of my own or my family. This is a tough oath to take or to live by, but physicians over the generations have taken it. It is this dedication to patients that has created our extremely paternalistic medical environment. We tend to take whatever recommendation our physician gives as unadulterated, educated, and well thought through advice that could never be bought or sold for anything as immoral as financial gain.

If you therefore accept these two facts: first, physicians are making less money by traditional practice techniques, and second, physicians are still inherently trustworthy in the public eye, then it is no wonder that today’s physicians have a great opportunity to utilize this blind trust as a means to market medicine related products to a lay public. Then, as in a perfect storm, the “Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994” enacted by congress allowed nutritional supplements to be sold to the American public without any testing for efficacy or safety. This simply means that now physicians can utilize the trust that has been bestowed upon them to promote to unsuspecting customers (formerly referred to as patients) products that have not yet been shown to be effective or safe…and they are making millions doing it.

So what does this mean for the average American? Please be skeptical of any advice from anybody (and now this even includes medical doctors) promoting products that they are making money from. Look at the facts and get second opinions. After all, you don’t believe everything that is thrown at you by the plaid-jacketed used car salesman and now this applies to physicians as well. Before buying nutritional supplements or miracle remedies, you should always consult the opinion of your own personal physician that has your best interest in mind.

Joseph W. Kraft, MD

http://www.mydailyhomepage.com




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Dr. Joseph Kraft, MD. Originally boarded in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Kraft is currently practicing full-time Adult and Pediatric Emergency Medicine at College Station Medical Center in College Station, Texas.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>