A New Look at an Old View
There is a frame on my wall that displays some beautifully handwritten original prescriptions dating back to the 1880’s. Each prescription contains an exotic list of treatments, specifically customized for a specific patient. 140 years later, patients still have similar illnesses, but the doctors’ calligraphy has been replaced with chicken scratch, and the individualized treatments have been replaced with cookie cutter protocols designed to treat the masses. The cost for this streamlined efficiency: doctors losing their critical thinking skills in treating medical conundrums, and patients being swept up in a data tsunami of hit or miss medical treatments.
The elegant calligraphy under the glass in that frame, reminds me daily to use my critical thinking and to treat each patient as a unique case. That thought was fresh on my mind when a patient with retinitis pigmentosa stepped into my office. This is an incurable disease that results in vision loss. Symptoms include loss of night vision, decreased peripheral vision or tunnel vision. The patient had extremely poor vision because his retina was falling apart.
My research into his case led me to look at the electrophysiology of the retina. I knew I had to find a way to stop the chronic swelling in the retina and impede the ongoing retinal degeneration. My research led me to an old drug that, although not used for this specific disease, had all the mechanisms needed for this particular case.
One day after treatment, on the drive to the airport, he spotted 2 deer and a raccoon! Two days later, he reported his eyesight was twice as good as it was before treatment. He continues to improve.
Had I not challenged a diagnosis that was stamped “untreatable” and employed a science-based troubleshooting approach to this case, my patient may have indeed lost his sight.
Non-arteries anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is another eye disease which has no cure. It is caused by a reduction in blood flow to the optic nerve. It is the second most common cause of severe vision loss in adults with glaucoma. It can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms include cloudy vision and blind spots in the visual field. There is no established treatment. My patient had been diagnosed at a nationally known university’s ophthalmology department and had been prescribed steroids. They were ineffective. I approached the case armed with research from biochemistry journals and electrical physiology journals. The results were astounding. Within minutes of administering the treatment, the patient’s vision improved dramatically. In the months since then, the challenge has been to prevent further deterioration and for him to maintain the gains made by the initial treatment. I am actively working on the case.
Modern medicine has produced fantastic advances, and it does so on the shoulders of pioneering practitioners in our past. As doctors and medical professionals, we should look back to a time when doctors were medical sleuths. Always try to find a way. There is value in taking a new look at an old view.
Dr. John Young, MD
(727) 545-4600, Largo, FL
