By Michael Dorausch, D.C.
Who says medical doctors don’t want to work with chiropractors? While I’ve been in practice the number one type of medical doctor often seeking referrals from my office has been orthopedic surgeons and neurologists. They offer steak dinners and other incentives in hopes of introducing local chiropractors to the latest surgical procedures in spinal surgery. No worries by me, I’ve made quite a few referrals to local medical doctors, and they’ve made plenty more chiropractic referrals, back my way.
In the past two weeks I’ve seen an increase in medical marijuana marketing materials showing up at the office. It’s one of those things that I’d suspect both medical doctors and chiropractors across the US would shake their head at in disbelief. In case you are not aware, prescriptions of marijuana written by medical doctors for medicinal purposes, are not at all uncommon in the state of California.
To the left is a screenshot from one of the postcard like medical marijuana marketing materials I’ve received. One medical clinic sent a very detailed guide on prescribing marijuana for patients, not by chiropractors, but by medical doctors. They are looking for referrals and are hoping we send patients to their way.
For people that are used to the saying no to drugs message or the drug-free message, seeing even images of marijuana may be bothersome. To think that health care professionals are actively seeking referrals in order to get cannabis into the hands of more people, may really be throwing some people for a loop. But it is what it is.
Since I’m not sure which other states in the nation offer legalized marijuana when prescribed by medical doctors, I figured I’d share this information, even just so people can understand how different healthcare practices can potentially be, in the state of California.
Below is information from one of the letters my office received from a group of medical doctors providing marijuana prescriptions in three major California cities.
The letter reads as follows…
You or your colleagues may have chronically ill patients who are resistant or non responsive to their current treatment. As you may know, Proposition 215 and SB 420 were passed by California voters allowing qualifying seriously ill Californians the use of cannabis medicinally as an alternative medicine. At [medical clinic name witheld] our mission is to provide patients with a reliable, quality medical evaluation. Patients are evaluated to determine if their medical condition may benefit from a trial of medical marijuana or other alternative treatment protocols in a safe, confidential, and professional environment. Here at [medical clinic name witheld], we are committed to providing patients with both resources and support.
Some of the conditions that would qualify patients are: Cancer, H.I.V., chronic pain, Glaucoma, Anorexia, Arthritis, Insomnia, Multiple Sclerosis, Nausea and many others. Under these laws, California physicians are able to recommend the medical use of Cannabis as a form of treatment. You may find more information regarding the laws and our services on our website. We have found that by integrating traditional Western medicine with alternative treatment modalities our patients can benefit from a better treatment outcome and hence a better quality of life. We have physicians located in Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Diego and Palm Springs to provide patients with a complete medical evaluation. If you or your patients have the need for any additional information please feel free to contact us. We appreciate your time and support and hope to have the opportunity to work with you in serving patients in our community.
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Whether people like it or not, health care in America is changing.
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