Categories
Action Hope Public Health Reproductive Health

Shape the World You Want by Voting

constitution_we_the_people

            In November we will have the opportunity to vote, and thus help shape our world—both nationally and locally. Please vote, even if you don’t follow my suggestions!

Most politicians have personality traits that set them aside from the normal populace. Usually those traits are an asset. Unfortunately this is not true with one of the current presidential candidates who has a personality disorder: narcissism. This psychiatric illness is concerning for someone who must make decisions that will affect our country and the whole world. A person with narcissism thinks of himself, not of his constituency. This narcissistic personality disorder has allowed Trump to lie with impunity; he probably believes his own untruths! I fear what might happen if he were president and had to make a decision about launching a nuclear attack. Trump is a disgrace to our country.

Several amendments to the Colorado constitution are on the ballot. One would create a new healthcare system for citizens of our state. Currently we don’t have a healthcare system in our country; we have a tangle of fiefdoms run by overpaid administrators. Insurance companies and other financial parasites suck half of healthcare dollars away from actual care. We need a single payer system such as the other 9 of the richest countries have. Unfortunately, I don’t think that ColoradoCare will do what is needed. I will vote against proposed amendment 69.

My main concern about 69 is women’s issues. The ColoradoCare’s board of trustees might end up with a majority adverse to contraception. It couldn’t happen, you say? Surely the board would realize that reproductive health is a human right and saves up to $7 for every dollar spent? Unfortunately our elected officials don’t always make rational decisions. Remember what happened in the Colorado legislature to the bill that would have paid for effective IUDs? Sponsored by Republican Representative Coram, that bill was killed in our state senate.

There are economic reasons to support Amendment 70, which will raise the minimum wage in Colorado from $8.31 to $12.00 per hour over the next 4 years. Boosting the economy is one. For me, however, it is just ethical to pay employees close to a living wage—about $13.00 for a single person in La Plata County. I will vote for 70.

Using tobacco is incompatible with good health; therefore it is beneficial to decrease its use. Taxing tobacco is a good idea, and increasing the current tax with Amendment 72 is a great plan. The tax is a disincentive, and the money will further healthcare and medical research.

I am of the age when terminal illnesses become common—although I’ve been lucky so far. We have come a long way with hospice and palliative care, but there are people with terminal illnesses whose lives are miserable and would like to take “life-ending, doctor-prescribed sleeping medication”. I have cared for some people whose last days were wretched and who wanted an end to their misery. I support Proposition 106, the “Medical Aid in Dying” initiative.

In La Plata County we have the opportunity with Ballot Issue 1B to fund a new terminal and other improvements to our airport. As one who flies fairly often, I am aware of the problems with our current facilities. However, I see reasons to vote against the expansion. I suspect air service is in its heyday. As the price of fuel rises and constraints on emissions come into play, it seems likely that people will fly less rather than more. Furthermore, the airport expansion would propel county expansion, but is that what we want? Isn’t our population big enough as it is? Let’s not vote for this big tax increase.

There are three Ballot Issues I do support even though they will mean an increase in taxes. 1A will be used to maintain our roads and bridges. Roads are used by everyone and are essential for our economy. I believe that having our roads in good condition is more important than a new airport terminal, and at much less cost. Furthermore, well-maintained roads improve the safety of all who travel in our county, so I consider this an issue of public health. Two Ballot Issues are for money to improve our schools, 3A for Durango and 3B for Bayfield. Educating our children well is vital for our future; please vote for this support.

            I don’t like politics, but chose this subject because this election is so important that we all need to participate in the democratic process.

                                           © Richard Grossman MD, 2016

Categories
Action Contraception Medical

Vasectomy

“Can vasectomies really make a difference? Mine made a big difference in my life, and to this day, I consider it the single most important contribution I have personally made to the wellbeing of future generations….“ Paul Ehrlich.

 

It was time: I walked across the hall, lowered my pants and lay down on the exam table. Dr. Sam Callaway took good care of me.

We had two great sons and our family was complete. Although my wife volunteered to get her tubes tied, I decided to practice what I preached and went for the vasectomy. That was thirty years ago, and I’ve never regretted that decision.

My largest fear was that Sam’s office nurse would be around still, but Judy had already left. Sam talked to me as he worked and I barely felt any discomfort. He explained that he used a very thin needle for the local anesthesia, made tiny incisions and he was gentle. In a few minutes it was all over and I was on my way.

I’ll admit to some soreness that evening when I spoke at the prepared childbirth class my wife was teaching. And I moved carefully the next day when I needed to perform a cesarean. All in all, I took just a few aspirins (that was before ibuprofen!) and never had any ill effects.

Men have an anatomical advantage when it comes to sterilization. Whereas a woman’s tubes are deep inside her body, a man’s tubes, the vasa deferentia (singular: vas deferens) are much more accessible. When they are interrupted, sperm cannot get released, and the man is unable to cause pregnancy. Fortunately, sperm are only a tiny fraction of the male ejaculate, so sex is unchanged—or better, for lack of fear of pregnancy.

A vasectomy takes only a few minutes, is done with local anesthesia and is amazingly safe and effective.  The main hitch is that it takes several months to wash out all the sperm, and the man should be tested to be sure that he really is shooting blanks before trusting the surgery. Fortunately, the failure rate is less than one in a hundred.

Tubal ligation is more common in the USA than is vasectomy. Among married couples, one in 7 men is sterilized while one in 5 women has had the surgery. Since many sexually active people are not married, the overall statistics show a larger preponderance of women taking control of their fertility—more than a half million women are operated on every year while only half that number of men get snipped.

The popularity of vasectomy varies by country. It is rare in many parts of the world such as in Africa, but a quarter of men in New Zealand have had the surgery.

In Durango perhaps only one physician is left performing this important procedure after Centura took over the family practice group at Mercy. Dr. Mark Forrest has performed hundreds of vasectomies, including on some of my friends—and they have all done well. He says that it usually takes two visits: a consultation, then the actual surgery. He will check semen samples two and three months later, and if both are negative for sperm, the surgery can be considered a success. If this protocol is followed, the failure rate is lower than the rate of pregnancy after tubal ligation.

Furthermore, vasectomy is much less expensive. Nationwide, the price of male sterilization is $350 to 1000. Female sterilizations can now be done without an incision. Essure™ is an office procedure performed through the woman’s cervix, with mild sedation and local anesthesia. Unfortunately, its overall cost is about the same as tubal ligation—$1500 to 6000.

The first World Vasectomy Day will be observed October 18th of this year. This event was decreed by Jonathan Stack, an award-winning documentary filmmaker. The event will be celebrated by Dr. Doug Stein performing his favorite operations—you guessed it!—live from Australia. Dr. Stein has performed over 30,000 vasectomies, perhaps a world record.

Mr. Stack went to Dr. Stein for his own procedure, and thus got the idea for the film. His reasons for favoring vasectomy include: “…it’s time for men to share the burden of family planning” and “…we have to do a fairer job of sharing the planet’s finite resources.”

You can find out more at: www.worldvasectomyday.org, including links to the film’s trailer. They need money to finish this important film. I donated already, and hope that you will also consider supporting this film—because it is time for men to share the burden of family planning!

© Richard Grossman MD, 2013