Was Dr. Goljan cured of ALS?

[JP2740]

Dr. Goljan claims a couple times that he was cured of ALS on his step 1 audio. The second time he mentioned it he says that his hand muscles are still atrophied (**** off if I didn't use the right word) as a reminder of his illness. I think he said some minister prayed over him that healed him. More information, he said the EMG was recording fasiculations all over his body. Ok, I think that's the extent of what he said about it.

So, was he cured? If not, what disease did he likely have that could show the above findings and could be self limited?

He obviously knows a lot about medicine. Idk his personality or anything, but I think it adds something even if it's small, that he knows a lot about medicine and sticks to his guns about this.

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[Wordead]

Dr. Goljan claims a couple times that he was cured of ALS on his step 1 audio. The second time he mentioned it he says that his hand muscles are still atrophied (**** off if I didn't use the right word) as a reminder of his illness. I think he said some minister prayed over him that healed him. More information, he said the EMG was recording fasiculations all over his body. Ok, I think that's the extent of what he said about it.

So, was he cured? If not, what disease did he likely have that could show the above findings and could be self limited?

He obviously knows a lot about medicine. Idk his personality or anything, but I think it adds something even if it's small, that he knows a lot about medicine and sticks to his guns about this.

Goljian makes a lot of stupid claims. Listen to him for what he's an expert on - pathophysiology. Not teaching styles, differences in XY vs XX chromosome behaviors, how to raise kids, prayer for ALS, etc.

 

[Trastuz]

Best poll ever

 

[Druggernaut]

It's too bad the SDN - NARF merger fell through. We could've asked this question in the faith healing section and gotten good hard answers...

 

[D elegans]

Of course not

 

[WiseGuy1]

Maybe benign fasciculation syndrome (shrugs)

 

[facetguy]

No no. It wasn't a minister praying over him. The real story is that he went to a chiropractor and was cured. Let's start a thread over in the new CAM section to discuss.

Oh, wait...

 

[tiedyeddog]

No no. It wasn't a minister praying over him. The real story is that he went to a chiropractor and was cured. Let's start a thread over in the new CAM section to discuss.

Oh, wait...

srs question, do most chiropractors view their trade as traditional, western medicine or CAM?

 

[JP2740]

lmao. So what disease do you think he had? Been slacking like a mother ****er on this neuro unit.

 

[JP2740]

srs question, do most chiropractors view their trade as traditional, western medicine or CAM?

What's the difference between traditional and CAM?

 

[D elegans]

So what disease do you think he had?

Narcissistic personality disorder

 

[tiedyeddog]

What's the difference between traditional and CAM?

Science.

 

[JP2740]

Curious:

Let's say you diagnosed someone with anything incurable. And they were suddenly "healed", cause unknown. Would you look for any reason you could to explain why it was possible to cure in that one individual, or question your original diagnosis? I'm not saying Goljan was cured, I don't even know the guy lol

 

[JShephard]

Goljian makes a lot of stupid claims. Listen to him for what he's an expert on - pathophysiology. Not teaching styles, differences in XY vs XX chromosome behaviors, how to raise kids, prayer for ALS, etc.

Yeah. It's always amazing how we think if a person is good at one thing, they must be good at everything. Hence we take life or political advice from movie stars, and on and on.

 

[JP2740]

Hence we take life or political advice from movie stars, and on and on.

We do? lol

 

[facetguy]

srs question, do most chiropractors view their trade as traditional, western medicine or CAM?

Probably somewhere in-between. CAM is a pretty big umbrella with lots of different groups in there, at least some of which don't have formal schooling, no access to Federal student loans, no Board exams, no malpractice requirement, et cetera. So, in that light, chiro is pretty traditional. But at the same time, chiro isn't part of standard medical training; no hospital-based training, no residency, no pharma, et cetera. So we are also outside of 'traditional, Western medicine', as you say.

Myself, I consider chiro much more in the camp of traditional medicine given the above factors, along with the fact that I can order diagnostic studies and speak the language to MDs, I can sign various forms (out-of-work, disability, etc.), I can testify in court as an expert, I can refer patients for 'traditional' services such as PT, etc.

Where do you come down on this?

 

[JShephard]

We do? lol

Sure our culture does that. You must live under a rock (or in the library) if you don't know or culture's obsession with celebrities opinions on whatever.

If you thought that I meant sdn med students by "we", that's not what I was saying.

 

[Wordead]

Curious:

Let's say you diagnosed someone with anything incurable. And they were suddenly "healed", cause unknown. Would you look for any reason you could to explain why it was possible to cure in that one individual, or question your original diagnosis? I'm not saying Goljan was cured, I don't even know the guy lol

Any decent doctor would do both, I would think. Certainly not chalk it up to a miracle or some crap.

 

[JP2740]

Sure our culture does that. You must live under a rock (or in the library) if you don't know or culture's obsession with celebrities opinions on whatever.

If you thought that I meant sdn med students by "we", that's not what I was saying.

In the library 🙁

Devil's advocate though. Is he really talking about something that he totally doesn't know about here? Did he fool himself into thinking he had ALS?

 

[tiedyeddog]

Where do you come down on this?

I'd say I agree with you, probably closer to traditional, western medicine than CAM. Seems like over the past 10 years there has been a strong push to gather EBM in the chiro world. Can't say the same for CAM as a whole, if you exclude the joke of a program that is NCCAM.

 

[tiedyeddog]

Curious:

Let's say you diagnosed someone with anything incurable. And they were suddenly "healed", cause unknown. Would you look for any reason you could to explain why it was possible to cure in that one individual, or question your original diagnosis? I'm not saying Goljan was cured, I don't even know the guy lol

It's our duty to NOT chalk stuff up to miracles... That's a disservice to medicine and our patients.

 

[JShephard]

In the library 🙁

Devil's advocate though. Is he really talking about something that he totally doesn't know about here? Did he fool himself into thinking he had ALS?

I don't know. I don't discredit some medical miracles. We see all those placebo effects in a 6 week study or whatever, so imagine the effects of decades of thoughts, health, attitude, diet, etc. Sometimes a medical miracle is just the body doing its thing. I heard a surgeon one say their job wasnt to cure people but instead to work with the body to help it heal itself.

So can someone have the beginning of ALS and then go into remission? I guess. Stranger things have happened.

So I'd say it is possible but who knows. I wouldn't just laugh it off. Every time we get an infection and heal, that whole process is a miracle, so to say or body can heal itself in extreme circumstances isn't impossible in my book.

 

[sinombre]

The Faith Healing subforum is still around... it's just hidden from the non-faithful.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=947

 

[kwel]

In the library 🙁

Devil's advocate though. Is he really talking about something that he totally doesn't know about here? Did he fool himself into thinking he had ALS?

if you hadn't noticed, goljan is just a wee-bit eccentric. He always speaks very very strongly about everything (everything is black/white for him, no middle ground whatsoever). I'm betting someone mentioned ALS to him and he convinced himself 100% that he had ALS and refused to consider any alternative, even when he recovered--which is quite unheard of for ALS. If true, there deserves to be a case report about it.

 

[JP2740]

It's our duty to NOT chalk stuff up to miracles... That's a disservice to medicine and our patients.

No it's not our duty to do that. When you have A LOT of doctors out there who don't even know the side effects of drugs they're prescribing or only goal in mind is to find out how to maximize profits with no care about patients - that's a disservice. There's bigger fights to pick than someone who thinks a miracle took place.

And yes, ALS is pretty much a death sentence. I never said he was healed by god or anything. There's a lot of doctors out there who are religious. Why can't they think a miracle took place? I'd still write it up for sure, and probably investigate further, but hey if he's "healed" of whatever it was, then why investigate (on his part).

 

[Wordead]

No it's not our duty to do that. When you have A LOT of doctors out there who don't even know the side effects of drugs they're prescribing or only goal in mind is to find out how to maximize profits with no care about patients - that's a disservice. There's bigger fights to pick than someone who thinks a miracle took place.

And yes, ALS is pretty much a death sentence. I never said he was healed by god or anything. There's a lot of doctors out there who are religious. Why can't they think a miracle took place? I'd still write it up for sure, and probably investigate further, but hey if he's "healed" of whatever it was, then why investigate (on his part).

Ummm, because it could be a different insidious onset condition that's also dangerous?

 

[JP2740]

Ummm, because it could be a different insidious onset condition that's also dangerous?

I know that's why I wrote I would investigate further

 

[badasshairday]

No no. It wasn't a minister praying over him. The real story is that he went to a chiropractor and was cured. Let's start a thread over in the new CAM section to discuss.

Oh, wait...

Was the CAM section suppose to be am April fools joke?

 

[Textbookversion]

This is what we call magical thinking. Very prevalent in something that starts with an "R." Unfortunately being intelligent and educated is not a sufficient inoculation against its effects.

 

[facetguy]

Was the CAM section suppose to be am April fools joke?

It will remain a mystery for the ages.

 

[JP2740]

This is what we call magical thinking. Very prevalent in something that starts with an "R." Unfortunately being intelligent and educated is not a sufficient inoculation against its effects.