Positive Energy

Positive Energy or Common Sense?

On the radio a psychologist spoke about she has changed her practice from standard psychological approaches to "Positive Energy."

She gave two examples:

1. When a patient tells her that they are having a side effect from a medication, instead of not believing the patient and saying, that is not in the PDR so it can't be true" (Physician Desk Reference).

I hope that all doctors believe their patients.

An example of why anytime a patients says they are having a side effect, I believe them is that when Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) first came out there were patients who complained about flushing, chest pain, palpitations, anxiety, shortness of breath (dyspnea), throat constriction, and hivs (urticaria), which we now recognize as the immediate postinjection reaction that occurs in 16% of patients (and along with lipoatrophy is the greatest side effect of GA).

As a friend of mine commented: "Drugs may work or they may not, but they cause side effects 100% of the time."

2. She said that she herself had been through tough psychological times, and she made this sound like it was the exception, rather than the rule.

That isn't true.

- Dr. Daniel Kantor, MD BSE
Medical Director
Neurologique

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