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Maggie's avatar

It is extremely weird that Casey Means did 4.5 years of a surgical residency and didn't graduate. The most likely explanation is that she was told she wasn't up to snuff, the program didn't want to graduate her, and she knew a resignation would look better than a termination. It is also extremely weird that she has no active medical license. Many states will grant an active license to anyone who has completed just a year or two of residency, if there are no red flags. This kind of suggests there are red flags. It could be competency-related, or personal issues, or that something went really off the rails at her residency.

Also people who really want to address the roots of chronic health tend to gravitate towards primary care specialties and not high-paying surgical subspecialties (this isn't at dig at surgical subspecialists, I love you guys!) It's just that her whole story doesn't add up. It all points to a picture of an incompetent woman (despite the academic pedigree) couldn't hack it in the real world and now, either through a combination of self-delusion and ambition, has decided to cash in on other people's ignorance. She'll fit right in with Oz and RFK.

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Jerry Norman's avatar

Conservative faculty at some prestigious places (recall Stanford had a robber baron legacy) routinely refused to let women finish dissertations etc. Women were made to do certain work, over and over, no matter how stellar, while guys of the correct striping were allowed to skate through. Some faculties improved. Some did not.

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Kate Fall's avatar

Great minds think alike! I was just posting something similar. Her Stanford story doesn't add up at all.

I should probably add, though, that meditation has a lot of clinical evidence behind it. I'm not sure we should lump it in with magic mushrooms.

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Maggie's avatar

I felt compelled to write this, even though I really wanted to debate whether Pope Leo is a Cubs or White Sox fan (I've heard it both ways!)

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Colleen Kochivar-Baker's avatar

The magic mushrooms are also piling up some good outcomes with research to back it up in the areas of PTSD and early childhood trauma.

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Kate Fall's avatar

I should look into that.

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Oblique Irony's avatar

Yeah, look up some stuff by/about author Michael Pollan. One of his appearances on NPR's Fresh Air would be a sound, compelling source that is not at all woo-woo, if you know what I mean.

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steve robertshaw's avatar

Her background is also giving me vibes similar to the Desantis appointment of Joseph Ladapo as Florida surgeon general. Ladapo is far more of a bureaucrat and politician than someone knowledgeable of basic science and medicine.

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Maggie's avatar

I've noticed sort of this trend (personally and more broadly) where there's this subtype of doctor. They are used to being the smartest person in the room, and then they get to medical school or a prestigious residency and they are no longer the smartest person in the room. They seem to disproportionately come out of surgical residencies. (Which makes sense. They've been told they're special since kindergarten, and then all of the sudden people are telling you that you are the most incompetent member of the team for 14 hours a day). They cope with this by adopting a bunch of contrarian opinions and weird moral posturing to convince themselves that they are on a different level than everyone else.

Functional Medicine is chocked full of these people (and I say this as a physician who incorporates dietary and exercise counseling and meditation and MBSR into my practice).

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Slide Guitar's avatar

Or, like Dr. Oz, who was considered a gifted surgeon (once), they realize there's WAY more money to be made as a con artist: for the first few guys in, at least.

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Energenesis's avatar

Am I a Weirdo because I work with a lot of Functional Med Docs? I have been to a few Neo-Pagan ceremonies (Like one Sunrise in Stonehenge in England) Am I weird because I believe that children should be vaccinated when they can walk and their mother is in the doctor's office with them. Do I believe you should try the least invasive treatment first before surgery. YES..If this character wants to help people eat better and do more exercise. I could say yes to her while loathing ALL her bosses! This job could be done with a PHD in public heath. Not necessarily a Physician.

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Maggie's avatar

It's not weird to see a functional medical doctor, and I do massive amounts of lifestyle counseling and have a public health degree. Your belief that children shouldn't be vaccinated until they can walk is not based on evidence, and vaccinating children as infants has saved millions of lives. If you think your feelings outweigh the overwhelming amount of data on that subject you're not weird, you're something else entirely.

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Mike Lew's avatar

I'm sorry you're not near me. You sound like a fantastic physician!

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Mike Lew's avatar

Whoa! We all know the administration's dislike of DEI. Surely they wouldn't promote an incompetent woman! 😀

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Frau Katze's avatar

If she’s diehard MAGA they might.

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Maggie's avatar

They must promote only incompetent women to prove the DEI is as bad as it sounds!

If I want a cabinet position I'll shoot my cat and then aquacompost it on YouTube to show people that I'm a serious person.

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Mike Lew's avatar

Aquamation is legal for pets in PA. 😀

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JF's avatar

Actually, I have requested that my offspring try to find composting for my dead self when the time comes, if it’s not too much effort. There are some licensed facilities in the adjacent State of Washington. I’ve even started a poem about it . . .

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Mike Lew's avatar

It's legal in 12 states. Hopefully, more to come.

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Kate Fall's avatar

My husband and I have had this conversation. In the end, I decided I'll be dead and what they do to my body is probably none of my business, but if he doesn't want me to try and compost him if I live longer, he'd better speak up.

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Mike Lew's avatar

If going down the drain isn't legal, up the smokestack it is for me. 😀 I'm done with my remains at that point.

All of this is after they re-use any spare parts. Be sure to talk to your family if you want parts donated. The little drivers license sticker doesn't mean squat if your family opposes the idea.

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Maggie's avatar

Split the difference: Viking funeral!

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Katherine B Barz's avatar

The burning boat is a Hollywood construction not historic.

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Dave's avatar

As a descendant of vikings, I find that very disappointing.

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Katherine B Barz's avatar

Sorry Dave. I liked it too!

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Mike Lew's avatar

The permitting for that is somewhat complicated. 😀

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JF's avatar

I regret that I won’t be there to marvel at the process. But I can still think of it as my final gift to Mother Earth to avoid all the chemicals typically used. Maybe it’s more like reparations than a gift.

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