BY DR. DAVE HEPBURN | JUNE 1, 2011
Third great revolution in medicine
Today we are balanced precariously on the heady cusp of the third great revolution in medicine, the biomolecular revolution. The first era of medicine involved painfully scouring the plant kingdom in search of herbs that might scare away dreaded diseases. “Hmmm, perhaps leaf of yellow Sabu flowerpecker fix Saber tooth abscess.” But as one country doctor who founded the Mayo clinic stated “The only two things in my black bag that I know that work for sure are morphine and my saw.” The second great era began around WW2, the era of antibiotics, vaccines and, of course, family pack Snickers bars. The fact these actually worked to make people feel better made doctors look like they could fix stuff and were responsible for elevating us from barber surgeons to our current lofty status, that of golfers. But now, on the cusp of the third great revolution, medicine today is changing so rapidly there have been more advances in medicine in the past six months than in the past 6000 years.
We have moved into a new age. From agricultural to industrial, to information and now to the bio-intelligence age where no longer is an advancing technology just an advancing technology but rather an explosion of intersections of different technologies. A cell phone, for example, isn’t just an advanced phone but rather it is a camera, a stereo, an alarm clock, an entertainment system and an app store where, depending on your mood, you can change the weather to extra sunny or launch ICBMs. A car is also a satellite-guided map, a movie theatre, and an intelligence system of its own unless it is in the hands of my sons in which case it is just a weapon. So too in medicine, the merging of technologies have combined with amazing medical discoveries, primarily the unfolding of the human genome, to create fascinating advances in the worlds of bioengineering, epigenetics, pharmacogenomics, artificial intelligence, immunotherapeutics, nanotechnology etc., Medicine is truly a dynamic, promising and exciting place to be.
And so doctors too have had to change. We resort to electronic medical records primarily because we can no longer read our own writing. We use the Internet in our office because patients use the Internet outside our office. But along with all the excitement comes a plethora of myths and misunderstandings. Patients get confused when they read one thing on the Internet and are told another by Oprah, Oz or Peter Mainsbridge. After making a diagnosis, it is not unusual for me to say, “Now Bloggins, for more information on your herpes please learn all you can about it online.” Doctors simply don’t have time anymore to explain all the ramifications of this pill or that rash. There is just too little time and too many golf courses. But sending Bloggins off to get nothing but net might not always be the best advice either as he may return with the notion that if he rubs petrified sea otter dung on his left uvula while humming the theme from Hawaii 5-0, the herpes will leave his body and go back to its birthplace, Charlie Sheen.
Knowledge is power, particularly when it comes to your health. Some doctors have specific and reliable websites to which they will send patients. Others actually create their own to help you keep abreast and sort through these exciting times. If you don’t currently use a reliable site or if your medical resource site has the word “gojipizza” in its title, I invite you to use the Wisequacks brand spanking new site www.wisequacks.org, a reliable sounding name if there ever was one. In fact, via this site you can follow us, stalk us, talk to us, face us, hear us and share pizza pops with us on Tuesdays. Through this site you can access us via YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, the so called you-twit-face combo. We have a segment on hits and myths, question of the week, feature articles, videos, podcasts, new advances etc. If you click on a bluebird picture you will get Twitter. If you click on Dr. Sealey’s picture you will get a twit.
Should you decide not to use this website we completely understand but warn you, and this is a promise, that anyone who does not use this website will eventually die. And, though we won’t go so far as to say that this site will save your life, we know of nobody who has regularly used this website who has ever contracted ebola virus or scurvy. Yet we are quite certain that virtually all of those who have succumbed to fulminant bubonic plague never used this site. Just saying.
Contact Dr. Dave or read more at www.wisequacks.org.
JUNE 1, 2011
Stepping Stones of Hope offers free bereavement camp for grieving teens in Phoenix
World Series Champion Jamie Moyer and wife Karen bring bereavement camp for teens again to Phoenix through partnership with local agency
PHOENIX – Stepping Stones of Hope and The Moyer Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by World Series Champion Jamie Moyer and his wife, Karen, announced the opening of Camp Erin Phoenix for 2011, a camp designed for teens who have experienced the death of someone close to them. The camp will take place June 10 – 12 at Spirit in the Desert.
Camp Erin Phoenix, a weekend-long experience filled with traditional and fun camp activities combined with grief education and emotional support, is offered FREE to all families. The deadline for camper registrations is June 5.
Camp Erin Phoenix is facilitated through a partnership with The Moyer Foundation and Stepping Stones of Hope. The Moyer Foundation partners with healthcare and bereavement organizations in local communities to help fund, develop, and grow Camp Erin nationwide. Through the support of individuals, corporate sponsors and partner organizations nationwide, Camp Erin has become the largest bereavement camp in the country, with more than 40 camps in over 25 states and one in Canada.
According to U.S. Census Reports, more than 14,500 children in Phoenix have suffered the loss of parent. Research indicates that without proper support, these children face much higher risks for problems such as mental illness and substance abuse. Camp Erin teaches children healthy ways to cope with grief, and provides resources for children to use during and after camp.
“Camp Erin addresses the needs of grieving children and teens by decreasing their sense of isolation and normalizing their experiences and feelings,” said Diane Raden, President of Stepping Stones of Hope. “We have enjoyed working together with The Moyer Foundation to bring Camp Erin and this wonderful experience to the teens in our community.”
“Having the camp in Phoenix for the 6th year shows how much impact we are having in the lives of these children,” said Jamie Moyer, co-founder of The Moyer Foundation. “The camp has welcomed many children that are dealing with grief and we will continue to help more and more every year so no child has to grieve alone.”
For more information on Camp Erin for Teens-Phoenix or to volunteer, visit www.steppingstonessfhope.org or call 602-264-7520.
For more information on all Camp Erin locations, ways to get involved with the program, and general information about The Moyer Foundation, visit www.MoyerFoundation.org.
About The Moyer Foundation
The Moyer Foundation – (a public, 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization) headquartered in Seattle, Wash., was founded in 2000 by World Series champion, pitcher, Jamie Moyer and his wife, Karen. The Foundation’s mission is to empower children in distress by providing education and support – helping them to live a healthy and inspired life. With the community’s support, The Moyer Foundation creates and funds programs to give children the tools, skills and resources to overcome life’s greatest challenges. In addition to community-funded grants, The Moyer Foundation also created and funds Camp Erin™, the largest, free bereavement camp in the country for grieving children and teens; Camp Mariposa, for children affected by addiction/substance abuse in their families; and community partnerships such as Catch a Cure for Cancer – for early cancer-detection research. The Moyer Foundation raises funds through special events, corporate partners and individual donors. For more information and to get involved go to www.moyerfoundation.org.
