Peter G. Hanson M.D.

Health insurance is in crisis mode.  Incoming president Obama has called for input from private citizens, and this seems like a good time to make a fresh start.

Our current model is a catastrophe.  Over 40 million Americans have no insurance, and many of the rest are “under-insured”.  That means they are disqualified from any care relating to “pre-existing” conditions.  Or, they have large deductibles that still mean they have to come up with cash for medical visits; if they don’t have the cash available, they postpone or cancel medical care.  Many insured  patients will postpone their screening tests, such as colonoscopy, mammograms, biopsies of moles etc., because they can’t come up with the cash, and are forced to gamble that they do not have an early cancer forming.

We currently have a “Reverse Robin Hood” system.  Instead of doctors and hospitals accepting full payments from the wealthy, and scaling down to being paid in eggs or live chickens from the poor, the modern system charges FULL dollars to the uninsured, but gives those with insurance a HUGE discount.  So if you are wealthy, and have your ruptured appendix removed, you might see a hospital bill for twenty thousand dollars.  But you will note that a huge discount has been arranged with your insurance carrier, so the hospital writes off the difference, and you can walk away.  If you are uninsured, however, the hospital will offer NO discounts, and will go after you even if it means taking away your house.  Very disfunctional.

So here is a solution that already works, taken directly from our other major insurance; the automobile.

Auto insurance has two categories:

1. Bad Luck (Standard Insurance); This covers you if you are hit in a parking lot, pelted by hail, or have an accident on normal streets.   It does not cover risky choices; for these see the following category… 

2. Bad Choice (High Risk Insurance):  Routinely available for all entries in a demolition derby,  NASCAR event, or the Indie 500.  Also available (at premium insurers such as Lloyds of London) for those who want to jump their car over the Snake River Canyon. A full menu of prices is determined by the level of risk, determined by the insurers. 

Note that one can still insure the high risk scenario, but it is a lot more expensive than regular street insurance.

See how this would simplify medical insurance:

1. Basic “Bad Luck” insurance: all cases where the patient is a victim are covered.  This means the child with leukemia, the woman  with breast cancer, the elderly with a broken hip and all cases of infectious diseases are completely covered.  Considering these cases are in the vast minority, this insurance would be extremely cheap, and could be made universal.

2. Supplementary “Bad Choice” insurance:  covers all cases where the patient is an accessory  to their health problem.  This means the 400 pound thirty-year old will not be able to count on a free ride at the cardiac ward unless they have purchased this extra insurance.  Nor can they expect a free gastric bypass operation without it.  Type 2 Diabetes from the usual self-induced cause of overeating/obesity?  Not covered unless you buy this supplemental insurance.  The chain smoker cannot count on a free lung transplant, unless they have paid their premiums for this plan.   For that matter, anyone choosing to leave off their seat belt (and instead electing to use their face as an air-bag) would need this supplemental “high risk” insurance to cover their care.   Same with anyone who drives under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 

Now, because more than 75% of our medical costs are from the second category (both in terms of hospital treatments, clinic visits, and usurious drug expenses), the numbers get interesting.

“Bad Luck” or “victim” insurance would be so cheap the government could easily afford to give it away as a universal right for all.  Probably would cost a lot less than it currently spends on giving free operations for the uninsured who could not afford to prevent their illness to avoid the operation in the first place.  But like flood insurance in a known flood area, exclusions to this basic plan would be clearly stated. 

“Bad Choice”  or “high risk” insurance would be private, and these insurance companies already have expertise in scaling the risks.  In other words, smokers pay more for home fire insurance, and drivers with a DUI record or a history of speeding fines will pay more car insurance.  Discounts could even be offered for memberships in an exercise facility, or for being in a healthy weight range.  So if you have alcohol on your breath, or cocaine in your blood stream, you will still be fully covered for all medical consequenses.  But note that these premiums are private, and could be very expensive.  If you agree to go to rehab and are certified clean by your doctor, your rates drop!  If you go on a supervised fitness and diet program, and are certified back to low risk by your doctor, you can go back to the regular universal insurance.

So FINALLY we have a reason to behave!  The cost of bad choices should not be subsidized by those who make good ones.  If you are an innocent victim of your disease, say high blood pressure, your universal coverage takes care of you.  If you actively caused your own blood pressure to rise, say by sloth and gluttony, your need to have the private high-risk plan.  

 If we can all accept that the drunk driver with a litany of speeding offenses must pay a lot more car insurance than the safe driver, then why not apply the same point to our medical insurance.  Otherwise, the dangerous driver would never feel the financial consequenses, as they would be paid for by the good drivers.  Nice way to generate anarchy on the roads, and a ”car insurance crisis”.  But note that this is not inhumane; the bad driver, once certified as reformed (and not getting more violation points on their license), can eventually resume lower rates. 

So instead of Nationalizing health care, let’s try to Rationalize health care, the way we do for automobile insurance.  Nobody should lose their home because they have a child with a rare disease, and the morbidly obese should not expect free knee repacements or liposuction.   Healthy twenty year olds should not have to pay $1,000 monthly premiums to cover the costs of scraping Velveeta Cheese out of the coronary arteries of 40 year old sluggards. 

 Let us have the basics included for all, then allow the risk takers to select their own private insurance carriers and pay according to their chosen risks.  With any luck, they might think twice about their self-induced disaster path, once they see the financial costs!

Dr. Peter G. Hanson is an MD-acupuncturist in Denver, specializing in managing pain, stress, and injuries.  He practiced emergency and family medicine in Canada before moving to the US in 1992.  He has written the international bestseller “The Joy of Stress”, (translated into over 15 languages), and co-developed the FaceMaster with Suzanne Sommers.  Visit www.peterhansonmd.com, and www.facemaster.com.

Stress is not always bad for your health.  However, the choices we make in response to our stresses can be disastrous.  For example, when times are stressful, smokers smoke more, drinkers drink more, and drug abusers want more drugs.  Even within the field of medical pratice, doctors are responding to their patient’s complaints of stress with ever more prescriptions for anxiety, depression and insomnia.   Whole industries in hotels and spas have been built on the principle of throwing money at your stresses; come for a week of detox, or a day of massages and facials, and all will be well.  Assuming you don’t run out of money.

But there are many things one can do to fight stress that are free of side-effects, and fit within most budgets: 

1. Excercise; No need to join an expensive club, just get off at the wrong bus stop, or park your car farther from your work.  Take the stairs always, and if you are in a huge office tower, at least get off at the wrong floor to get a few flights in.  If you don’t have a dog, borrow one.  Or if not, just go for a couple of brisk 20 minute walks a week.  These activities are free, and they get your brain to focus on something different, which acts as a mental “recess” away from the desk.

2. Add water, don’t stir: the Romans knew the value of the spa, as a great relief between conquering European countries.  Nothing soothes like hot water after a tough day of pillaging.  In modern homes and apartments, you can reproduce the spa for free; use your bathtub.  Most people use the tub as the bottom half of the shower, but not for soaking.  To be sure, a shower is more time-efficient for washing, but it offers no more stress-relief than hosing yourself off in a phone booth.  So plug your tub, then add deep hot water, lavender salts, candle light, soft music, and a do-not-disturb sign on the door.  And turn off your phone.  Try to carve out this as a regular ritual before bedtime, and it will be like taking a trip to an expensive spa, for free!

3. Diet: In times of stress, people often reach for “comfort” foods.  Bad name, and a bad choice.  These foods are rich in white sugar, and/or white flour, and are hugely inflammatory to every cell in your body.  At a time when your body is already under attack, you should eat the best foods; organic, which means nothing more than real food.  No artificial chemicals, hormones, pesticides, etc.  Also, eat slowly.  The only way to win at a pie-eating contest is to eat FAST.  That way you can cram more food into your stomach before it realizes you are completely full.  Thin people usually eat slowly.  Hence the relative lack of obesity in the days when people sat down to a “dinner HOUR”.  Fast food usually becomes fat.  So slow down, set the table,  make the meal look presentable, and don’t eat straight out of the pizza box.  Your food will have a chance to digest properly, and your body will thank you.  Also you can throw out those antacids and constipation medications. 

Peter G. Hanson, M.D. is the author of the international bestseller “The Joy of Stress”.

For more information about his acupuncture practice in Denver visit www.peterhansonmd.com.

Acne in teenage years is certainly embarassing, but at least it is very common among the peer group.  Also, at this age, most teenagers know they will soon outgrow the problem.  Newer medications also can be very helpful.www.facemaster.com

However, as an adult, acne is much more of a nuisance.  It is not common among your age group, and it might not be something you will “grow” out of.  We all want to be young in some aspects, but reverting to one’s acne years is sure not what Ponce de Leon had in mind with his fountain of youth. 

Both adults and teenagers can benefit from some basics here.

1. Avoid white sugar (and white flour, which turns to sugar).  The basis of acne, at a cellular level, is inflammation.  White sugar is the worst inflammatory in the grocery store.  Next time you feel like “comfort” food, think of the real image:  a bottle of gasoline that you are about to spray on a barbecue!

2. Consider acidophylis bacteria: In many cases, acne can flourish because of an upset in the normal balance of your bacterial ecosystem.  A simple oral tablet with millions of these bacteria can make a significant improvement.  Yogurt has the same bacteria, but normally in much smaller quantities.

3. Don’t handle the acne.  Wash your face with a good quality soap at least twice daily, but in between times don’t touch your face.  Squeezing the acne, or otherwise picking at it only makes the problem worse, and introduces a new wave of bacteria to the face.  If you must touch the skin, be sure to wash your hands first, or use a few drops of liquid hand sanitizer.

For more information about Dr. Hanson, visit www.peterhansonmd.com.

For information on home technology for toning your face muscles, visit:  www.facemaster.com

“Tennis elbow” does not always come from tennis.  Just like “athlete’s foot” is not restricted to athlete’s.  However, if you have pain on the outer aspect of your dominant elbow, and you DO play tennis, let’s review some ways to fix it.

First of all, the inflammation usually extends from the bony prominence on the outer side of the elbow down into the extensor muscles of the forearm.  Even simple movements like cocking the wrist can produce sharp pains.  Certainly rest and ice can be useful right after an injury, but if the problem becomes chronic, or if there is an important tennis game coming up, acupuncture can provide an outstanding cure. 

First, trigger points are identified, and fine painless needles are inserted deeply into each spot.  Usually a couple are inserted around the “knob” or lateral epicondyle on the outer side of the elbow.  Then a mild computerized stimulation is given to each pair of needles.  Normally only a few needles are used for this treatment.  Each is painless once inserted, and only a very mild “pinch” sensation is noted when they are inserted. 

Usually two treatments are done per week, and tennis can usually be restarted soon.  Most patients respond in less than three treatments, and are cured with less than ten total treatments.

TIPS: Consult with your tennis pro in case you are guilty of any of these causes:

1. Gorilla Grip (white-knuckles throughout the whole game).   Your pro can review better use of your other hand to hold the racket face while your grip relaxes between strokes.

2. Lazy Feet: If you are slow to get into position, hitting backhand shots late and behind you will GUARANTEE a tennis elbow.  If you are faster to the ball, you can strike it a bit earlier, ahead of your feet, and save yourself the pain.

3.  String Tension:  If your strings are old, or if they are too tight, or if they are from a racket built for a much stronger player than you are, then you can give yourself tennis elbow.  Also make sure you have the proper dampening rubber piece in the strings, either the plug or the interwoven rubber piece.

4. The Racket:  Make sure the handle is the proper size, and the frame is matched to your speed of stroke.  Often people want the exact equipment that power players use on tour, but they may have a very different speed of striking the ball; the wrong equipment can easily create a negative reaction on your elbow.  If your racket is old, make sure it is frequently restrung (don’t wait til the strings break!).  If you are buying a new one, first try out some demos and ask a pro for a recommendation based on your game.

5. The Rehab: nothing prepares you for tennis like the game itself. But if you are sore, don’t start back to a full swing.  But you don’t need to stay away from the court until you are fully recovered.  Try mini-tennis like the Davis Cup teams do for warm-ups: use the two sevice boxes on each side of the net.  Each person starts at the “T”, and each stroke is just a gentle “meeting” of the ball.  No full swings.  Great practice for angle shots, drop shots, deceptions etc.  Still keeps the brain in the game, without hurting your elbow.  Once you have done this for a few sessions, try stepping back towards the base line, and see if your arm is ready for a fuller swing.

For more information about treating tennis elbow with acupuncture, contact www.peterhansonmd.com.

Sports injuries are of dramatic concern to the professional athlete, whose season and even career depend upon prompt healing and minimal side-effects.  But the amateur ”weekend warrior” can have even more problems, often because the patient is not as fit or as young as the professional athlete.  What we are learning about treating professionals is now filtering into the mainstream to give better results to the general public when they have aches, sprains, tears, or fractures.

With the professional, we have long recognized the value of a diverse approach.  An oft quoted maxim applies here: “There is no such thing as expertise, just different areas of ignorance“ !  In the locker rooms of professional teams everywhere this means the treatment team will include orthopedic surgeons, internal medicine specialists, as well as chiropractic treatments done by the trainer.  Additional experts provide  massage, physical therapies, and stretching and weight training expertise to get the player back on form.  In addition, a new use for an old treatment is being seen with Medical Acupuncture. 

Dr. Peter G. Hanson is an M.D. with three decades of experience treating professional athletes.  Starting in Canada, he was the youngest team doctor in North America at the age of 24, with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.  His patients included quarterback Joe Theismann.  Since then he has looked after many Olympians from Canada, the US, and even from Russia.  His first patient in Denver was Bronco quarterback John Elway, whose throwing arm was repaired in time to rejoin the last two games of his 1992 season.  Since then, he has been in the locker rooms treating many NHL teams, including the Colorado Avalanche, as well as the Los Angeles Kings. 

His treatments are unique, in that they incorporate modern computerized stimulation of needles, along with a three-dimentional approach to their placement around the injured anatomy.

This expertise is invaluable to the amateur athlete as well.  Whether the child injuries in a soccer game, or a skiing injury in an octagenarian, medical acupuncture serves them well.  Free from any side effects, it facilitates a powerful pain relief, as well as treating the underlying inflammation and other injury issues that cause the pain. 

Because Dr. Hanson is used to working with the other modalities, he is pleased to communicate with the principle doctor, or other referring therapists as indicated.

For more information, visit www.peterhansonmd.com.

Acupuncture is thousands of years old. However, when it is used in the context of the underlying anatomy, an MD can have even better results. Peter G. Hanson, M.D., has been specializing in acupuncture since 1980, and has treated hundreds of thousands of patients successfully, from all across the US. By fully understanding the patient’s complaint, he can use his knowledge of anatomy and pathology to get superior results. For example, in back pain, problems often start with muscle spasms between the vertebrae. Drugs alone are usually not able to penetrate, as the spasm has virtually no blood supply. A precise placement of an acupuncture needle can solve the issue, when stimulated with a mild electro current. In cases of cardiac pacemakers, good results are also obtained without electro-stimulation, by manually stimulating the needles.

Most of our patients, even children, are pleasantly surprised to find our needles don’t feel like any shot they have ever had. That’s because our needles are extremely fine (like a cat’s whisker) and because we don’t inject any fluid through them (like a flu shot). Each needle is made of surgical quality metal, and are sterile, and disposed after each insertion. A little “pinch” sensation is all most people feel, and once the needle is in place, most people are so relaxed they can almost fall asleep for the next ten minutes. Patients are pleased to note that these needles rarely ever cause bruising, and are extremely effective in treating their symptoms.

For more information,contact www.peterhansonmd.com.