doc420

[Encephalopathy]

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I can't believe we've made it this far onto page 2 and nobody's mentioned how heavily photoshopped her promo images are.

Haha, yes, that's my biggest problem with her!

I'm pro-medicinal and pro-legalization. But I think what she's doing is embarrassing and according to that news segment does not meet the CA medical board standards (http://www.mbc.ca.gov/medical_marijuana.html/). As evidenced by this thread, her self-promotion is polarizing and ultimately undermines the legitimacy of the movement.

Clearly, there is a place for cannabinoids in the pharmacologic armamentarium (e.g., dronabinol; Sativex - a 1:1 THC:CBD spray) but cannabinoid treatments should be held to the same standard as any other medical treatment that would be provided. This is clearly not happening with pot docs who only get paid if they prescribe one specific treatment. There is an accreditation available from the American Academy of Cannabinoid Medicine: http://aacmsite.org/

Psychosis is a contraindication to cannabinoid therapy. It is not a stretch to me that something that is well-known to induce paranoia in general would result in an earlier detection of psychosis in the susceptible. There are no RCTs, so causation is speculative.

 

[michaelrack]

F

 

[sunlioness]

There is nothing medical about marijuana. I drink ginger ale when my stomach is upset, but that doesn't make it a medical intervention. Relevant reviews of literature skewer it as ineffective compared to standard treatments, it has tremendous risks in select populations, and it's smoked. We don't have a single other medical intervention that involves smoking, and we probably never will. (We also don't have medical interventions that are baked into brownies).

That said, decriminalizing in general makes sense for tons of reasons, and I wouldn't grudge anybody with cancer going through chemo or someone with a terminal illness in lots of pain smoking marijuana. Even making it legal for these folks to buy small amounts would be reasonable. The privilege should probably be limited to oncologists or palliative care docs, and the scrutiny and requirements for documentation should be fairly rigorous.

I agree with you on all counts.

 

[kugel]

I speculate that several-perhaps on the order of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people that developed schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder may have not developed it at all if they did not try marijuana, and/or they may have developed it later in life-that usually leads to an improved disease course and prognosis.

IF that was true, given the enormous use in the US, shouldn't we see a rapidly growing % of the pop'n dx'd with schizophrenia, or at least a major change in the peak of the curve describing at what age most patients are diagnosed - moving toward younger onset? And there should be no change in the incidence in parts of the world that don't use much MJ.
Anyone know of any such change in the incidence?

 

[Rooh]

Schizophrenia is a complex illness obviously and we have to consider so many other factors that affect the development of schizophrenia.

"Cannabis use and earlier onset of psychosis: a systematic meta-analysis." Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21300939

 

[whopper]

IF that was true, given the enormous use in the US, shouldn't we see a rapidly growing % of the pop'n dx'd with schizophrenia, or at least a major change in the peak of the curve describing at what age most patients are diagnosed - moving toward younger onset? And there should be no change in the incidence in parts of the world that don't use much MJ.
Anyone know of any such change in the incidence?

This same thought has crossed my mind when I first heard of the data linking cannabinoids with psychosis. I haven't yet seen any data showing this trend though I'm also thinking it's because 1) years will have to pass until the people catch the disease thanks to the new trend assuming cannabinoids truly can cause a permanent psychotic disorder and 2) There's already been so many studies done showing the incidence of psychotic illness, will anyone re-explore it? I get the idea that perhaps no one is re-exploring it because they're not finding much reason to do so but I find plenty of reason to do so.

If I were to do such a study, I'd target areas where marijuana is legal and being distributed more so.

 

[splik]

This woman is something else! sounds like a narcissist to me! i especially enjoyed the description:

[FONT=times new roman,times,serif]I'll never forget when I drove down Sunset Blvd and crowds of homeless people would wave to me with love in their eyes…even though I was driving in my.[FONT=times new roman,times,serif] cherry red convertible Mercedes..

 

[PikminOC]

This woman is something else! sounds like a narcissist to me! i especially enjoyed the description:

[FONT=times new roman,times,serif]I'll never forget when I drove down Sunset Blvd and crowds of homeless people would wave to me with love in their eyes…even though I was driving in my.[FONT=times new roman,times,serif] cherry red convertible Mercedes..

all heart that one.

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free". - Engraved on Statue of Liberty

 

[Ibid]

I went to med school with her. As you can tell by my SDN join date and the number of posts that I have, hopefully you can see that I am not a troll.

I did not know her but was an acquaintance of her male "friend," TP (I don't want to name names). I think there was a love triangle between herself, TP and YP (for the few out there that know what I'm talking about!). Anyways, in her class alone (I think she was part of the original Ross Sept '98 class - may have started in the May '98 class - not sure), there were at least 3 or 4 Indian girls better looking, friendlier, more approachable etc than her - many more if you include all races. It's not that she wasn't good looking - she was - but nothing special. She's short (maybe 5'4", if that) and had no ass. It looks like she's had some work done - definitely her breasts.

When I forwarded her website to a some friends when it first came out a few years ago, it was naturally a good place to catch up! I still can't believe the outright lies that she tells in her bio:

http://sonapatelmd.com/spot/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=37&Itemid=44

First of all, who brags about being the top of their class at a Caribbean med school? It's like being the world's tallest midget (just as an aside, believe it or not, it's actually hard to be the top of a Caribbean school!). Secondly, she was an average student - at best. The top of the class, those who graduated with honors etc have their names published during the grad ceremony etc. She was definitely not the valedictorian as she would be no doubt bragging about it somewhere. Also in her bio, she makes it sound like she had this promising Bollywood career and she threw it all away to become a Caribbean FP...riiiiiiiiiiiiight, we believe you...

I don't think I've ever spoken a word to her. She was not particularly loud or obnoxious and did not stand out in any way at all. If I had to stereotype her, she's that above average Indian girl who's really stuck up but nothing great - you all know what I'm talking about.

I'm not a hater - I think it's great that she's doing well, although there is no real barrier to her competition. Can't any doctor become a marijuana screener? Her rates have gone down more than half. She used to charge $100 from what I remember. It's hard to imaging anyone from med school doing something like this, but I would have never guessed that it would have been her. Like I said, I never really knew her.

I don't know what you are talking about. I think it's an invitation to accept a casual racist stereotype becasuse if everyone is colluding with you that makes it OK.

Speaking as an unapproachable person let me help you out with that. It's not a case of being unfriendly. We (unapproachable people) dont want to be approached by racist misogynistic types and other assorted wierdos. Its nothing personal. We are not here for you. Sorry. Hope that helps.

 

[Iwillheal]

overreaction....

 

[Ibid]

overreaction....

You agree but don't feel compelled to coment and yet my mild post merits a response. Funny set of priorities.🙂

 

[Abider]

I agree with ibid, the post had a noxious implication, whether intended that way...?

Regardless, I take issue, with saying MJ has NO potential medical uses. If altering a set of breasts or a nose is rarified medical practice, then I would, at least partly in jest, consider psychedelic (psyllocibin) dosing of all the corrupt war-monkeying @ssholes running this republic, a matter of national security. Perhaps a task well-suited to a secret society of rogue psychiatrists.

Who's in?

 

[OldPsychDoc]

I agree with ibid, the post had a noxious implication, whether intended that way...?

Regardless, I take issue, with saying MJ has NO potential medical uses. If altering a set of breasts or a nose is rarified medical practice, then I would, at least partly in jest, consider psychedelic (psyllocibin) dosing of all the corrupt war-monkeying @ssholes running this republic, a matter of national security. Perhaps a task well-suited to a secret society of rogue psychiatrists.

Who's in?

Ixnay on the ecretocietysay.


PS to BillyPilgrim: Operation Bat-bleep 2012 is a go. The Bachman is deployed. Release the Santorum.

 

[deleted452516]

The eagle has landed, i repeat, the eagle has landed

 

[Iwillheal]

You agree but don't feel compelled to coment and yet my mild post merits a response. Funny set of priorities.

The difference was that your post was a personal attack on another member ("We...dont want to be approached by racist misogynistic types and other assorted wierdos. Its nothing personal.") Maybe my priorities are out of whack, I don't know, but as opposed to the situation between the OP and some Indians at school years ago, this current situation was much more immediate, and so I felt it was more important to address how you stereotyped the OP than how the OP stereotypes Indians or that doc in question. I do think the OP could have used a reminder about more sensitive and respectful language. I simply disagreed with your approach.

 

[Ibid]

I think there was a love triangle

3 or 4 Indian girls better looking, friendlier, more approachable etc than her -

many more if you include all races
.
It's not that she wasn't good looking - she was - but nothing special.

She's short (maybe 5'4", if that) and had no ass.

It looks like she's had some work done - definitely her breasts.

Like I said, I never really knew her.

The difference was that your post was a personal attack on another member ("We...dont want to be approached by racist misogynistic types and other assorted wierdos. Its nothing personal.") Maybe my priorities are out of whack, I don't know, but as opposed to the situation between the OP and some Indians at school years ago, this current situation was much more immediate, and so I felt it was more important to address how you stereotyped the OP than how the OP stereotypes Indians or that doc in question. I do think the OP could have used a reminder about more sensitive and respectful language. I simply disagreed with your approach.

???What are you saying? Be nice to sexist bigots becasue sexist bigots have feelings too? Good luck selling rubber bracelets and lapel ribbons for that campaign.

If you thought they needed a sensitive reminder why didn't you post one? You found time to reproach me?

The point is you cant just decline the invitation to join in with bigotry without it being personal in some way becasue it is a quality of being sexist and bigoted to express ones self in sexist and bigoted ways. It's an essential quality of being a bigot....the very essence of bigotedness.

I wonder if DOC420 was a chap who posed in boxer shorts how many people would be giving his buttocks marks our of ten 🙂

 

[billypilgrim37]

Ibid had a strong reaction, but not really an overreaction. I doubt the OP is a jerk, but language is important. It's complicated by the fact that this physician put herself out there in unprofessional ways. But just because somebody else (doc420) inappropriately shoves their sexuality in your face doesn't mean that we get license to say things we otherwise wouldn't and shouldn't.

 

[michaelrack]

???What are you saying? Be nice to sexist bigots becasue sexist bigots have feelings too? Good luck selling rubber bracelets and lapel ribbons for that campaign.🙂

If by "bigots" you are referring to the racist aspect of the post, I 100% agree with you that racism should not be tolerated.

IMHO, doc420's race is irrelevant.

 

[shan564]

I'm so glad that I didn't think to look at this thread until it was already almost a month old. It could have been a substantial distraction from real life.

That's not to say that I haven't enjoyed reading some of the ridiculous comments that people have posted. This is one of the more entertaining threads on SDN. I think that 99% of doctors will agree about the merits of "doc420", but the other 1% are a pretty loud bunch.

 

[Ceke2002]

IF that was true, given the enormous use in the US, shouldn't we see a rapidly growing % of the pop'n dx'd with schizophrenia, or at least a major change in the peak of the curve describing at what age most patients are diagnosed - moving toward younger onset? And there should be no change in the incidence in parts of the world that don't use much MJ.
Anyone know of any such change in the incidence?

Anecdotal evidence only, so obviously not as reliable as a proper study or anything, but I live in a state of Australia where marijuana is decriminalised. Depending on what circles you move in, it's not that uncommon from around the age of 16/17 onwards to just be completely surrounded by the stuff - very, very easily accessible, and socially it's pretty accepted in certain groups to be a smoker, even on a daily basis. No one really bats too much of an eyelid, because it's 'just marijuana'. Although I don't anymore, I personally started smoking pot around the age of 11 going on 12, many of my cousins smoked as well, so did quite a few kids at my school, and my best friend's Mum was growing the stuff in her backyard. So yeah, I got exposed to it from an early-ish age. I personally never noticed any mental health effects, either in myself, or anyone else I knew or had contact with, until around 1993 when skunk and other strong strains of cannabis began to hit the streets. At that point I did notice significantly more than a few friends at the time who were experiencing symptoms like increased anxiety, panic attacks, and paranoia whenever they smoked (the more they smoked, the worse they got, not surprisingly). And several people who ended up experiencing what might be described as 'cannabis psychosis', including myself. Now with me I had an underlying, albeit undiagnosed at that point, depressive illness with psychotic features, so it's probably not that surprising that smoking myself senseless every day, with some of the strongest cannabis around, was going to lead me to going off the deep end at some point. But, at least one of the people I knew, who ended up being admitted to a psych hospital under the mental health act, had no prior history of psychiatric illness, no family history either, and once the marijuana was withdrawn, and she received medication (on a temporary basis), as far as I know she's never experienced a repeat of psychotic symptoms. Of course it's possible she just had a single episode of psychosis (brief psychotic disorder???) and her smoking dope at the time was just a huge coincidence, but it does make me wonder. As it is, whether the marijuana triggered off an already underlying symptomology, or was the cause of it, I definitely noticed an increase in psychiatric type symptoms in people I knew, when the much stronger strains of cannabis became widely available.

I have a feeling they may have done some sort of study on this, in South Australia. If I find anything, I'll link you to it.

 

[shan564]

Anecdotal evidence only, so obviously not as reliable as a proper study or anything, but I live in a state of Australia where marijuana is decriminalised. Depending on what circles you move in, it's not that uncommon from around the age of 16/17 onwards to just be completely surrounded by the stuff - very, very easily accessible, and socially it's pretty accepted in certain groups to be a smoker, even on a daily basis. No one really bats too much of an eyelid, because it's 'just marijuana'. Although I don't anymore, I personally started smoking pot around the age of 11 going on 12, many of my cousins smoked as well, so did quite a few kids at my school, and my best friend's Mum was growing the stuff in her backyard. So yeah, I got exposed to it from an early-ish age. I personally never noticed any mental health effects, either in myself, or anyone else I knew or had contact with, until around 1993 when skunk and other strong strains of cannabis began to hit the streets. At that point I did notice significantly more than a few friends at the time who were experiencing symptoms like increased anxiety, panic attacks, and paranoia whenever they smoked (the more they smoked, the worse they got, not surprisingly). And several people who ended up experiencing what might be described as 'cannabis psychosis', including myself. Now with me I had an underlying, albeit undiagnosed at that point, depressive illness with psychotic features, so it's probably not that surprising that smoking myself senseless every day, with some of the strongest cannabis around, was going to lead me to going off the deep end at some point. But, at least one of the people I knew, who ended up being admitted to a psych hospital under the mental health act, had no prior history of psychiatric illness, no family history either, and once the marijuana was withdrawn, and she received medication (on a temporary basis), as far as I know she's never experienced a repeat of psychotic symptoms. Of course it's possible she just had a single episode of psychosis (brief psychotic disorder???) and her smoking dope at the time was just a huge coincidence, but it does make me wonder. As it is, whether the marijuana triggered off an already underlying symptomology, or was the cause of it, I definitely noticed an increase in psychiatric type symptoms in people I knew, when the much stronger strains of cannabis became widely available.

I have a feeling they may have done some sort of study on this, in South Australia. If I find anything, I'll link you to it.

Yet another reason why I should have gone to Flinders. If only I'd known about this four years ago.

 

[Ceke2002]

Yet another reason why I should have gone to Flinders. If only I'd known about this four years ago.

Well it's not like marijuana being decriminalised in Adelaide is a huge secret or anything 😉 They have tightened up the laws a lot now days; however, so it's not exactly like it used to be (from what I've heard at least, I stepped away from all that a decade or so ago). If you'd gone to Adelaide Uni circa 1995 you probably would have met me at some point. Some of our best customers on campus were med and dentistry students.

 

[shan564]

Ha, well, the main reason I should have gone to Flinders is because SA actually has internships this year for all of their graduates... NSW/QLD/VIC/WA/Tas are essentially telling students to go back home if they don't have Aussie citizenship. Not that I mind going back to the US, but I came to Australia because I wanted to stay in Australia.

 

[Ceke2002]

Ha, well, the main reason I should have gone to Flinders is because SA actually has internships this year for all of their graduates... NSW/QLD/VIC/WA/Tas are essentially telling students to go back home if they don't have Aussie citizenship. Not that I mind going back to the US, but I came to Australia because I wanted to stay in Australia.

Oh man, that sucks 🙁 Have you tried applying for remote or rural internships? I think there's a shortage of Doctors in those areas.

 

[shan564]

Oh man, that sucks 🙁 Have you tried applying for remote or rural internships? I think there's a shortage of Doctors in those areas.

There's a shortage of doctors, but not interns. Even NT has an overflow of interns this year. International students aren't even allowed to apply for internships in rural areas in NSW because the rural internships are allocated before the urban ones, and they can't risk the possibility that we might get spots (thereby not leaving enough spots for locals).