Opportunities for doctors to get together and share their views have become rare, partly because of the rise of managed care and the decline of independently owned practices. Additionally, many medical society meetings were cancelled or became virtual because of COVID and have not resumed. The Tucson Medical News Discussion Group, comprised of physicians and nonphysicians who were members of a society’s public health committee until it was disbanded, continues to meet to discuss health-related issues of general interest. The group is now posting summaries and inviting participation, states Doctors for Disaster Preparedness (DDP) president Jane M. Orient, M.D.
Recent postings concern “turbo cancer,” actuarial reports of excess deaths, flying objects, depopulation trends, and effects of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide and mitigation measures. They can be found on https://www.ddponline.org under the “press releases” tab and on Facebook. Comments may be submitted on the DDP website, or can be entered and shared on Facebook.
Older postings can be seen on facebook.com; search for “medical news discussion.” Besides COVID, topics include marijuana, obesity, PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Strep), vitamin A deficiency, drug shortages, and changes in medical practice.
“Confining physicians’ and patients’ information sources to official pronouncements stifles innovation and obstructs recognition of developing problems,” states Dr. Orient. “First-hand contact with persons in the real world, and open discussion, are critical for our health and safety.”
Doctors for Disaster Preparedness provides information to help save lives in the event of natural or man-made disasters.