Archives

CDC: Flu vaccine’s spotty strength no excuse to skip shot

Leave a reply

CDC: Flu vaccine’s spotty strength no excuse to skip shot

Overall effectiveness against the most widely circulating strain was 47%, but the rate dropped to 9% for older adults, the CDC says.

Neither the flu vaccine nor his expertise in influenza could keep Pascal James Imperato, MD, MPH, from catching the virus this season.

“I came down with the worst case of flu, [and] it lingered for a month,” said Dr. Imperato, who was immunized in November 2012 but became ill in January. “I had chills to a severity I never had in my life, and I worked in Africa for six years and got malaria a few times,” said Dr. Imperato, dean of the School of Public Health at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Dr. Imperato’s case is one example of how this season’s flu vaccine offered relatively low levels of protection for adults 65 and older. Overall flu vaccine effectiveness against the most widely circulating and most aggressive strain, influenza A(H3N2), was 47%. That’s according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published in the Feb. 22 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Among adults 65 and older, however, effectiveness against that strain was only 9%, the CDC report said.

That’s the lowest flu vaccine efficacy the CDC has seen, said Alicia Fry, MD, MPH, a medical epidemiologist in the agency’s influenza division. But she noted that the CDC only recently began reporting specific vaccine effectiveness for the different circulating virus subtypes.

There is no clear reason why this season’s immunization offered such poor protection for older adults, Dr. Fry said. One contributing factor probably is that older adults tend to have slower immune responses to vaccines than do younger people, which means that even after immunization, the elderly often can remain susceptible to the virus, she said.

Another key factor could be that manufacturers stopped distributing intramuscular whole-virus flu vaccine in the U.S. in about 2001 and instead offer only split-virus immunization, said Dr. Imperato, a former New York City health commissioner. He said the whole-virus vaccine is believed to offer greater protection against circulating influenza strains because it contains the entire virus particle. In contrast, the split-virus immunization contains only surface antigens of the virus. However, the whole virus vaccine was withdrawn because of concerns regarding the number of patients who complained of soreness and other reactions.

“The question then is, if the flu vaccine is so weak in stimulating antibodies, is it worthwhile to get it?” Dr. Imperato said. He and the CDC said the answer to the question was yes.

Flu seasons are unpredictable and can be severe, as indicated by CDC data on influenza mortalities. Between 1976 and 2006, there were an estimated 3,000 to 49,000 flu-associated deaths each year, the agency said. This season, there have been 10,227 laboratory-confirmed influenza-related hospitalizations since Oct. 1, 2012, and 81 pediatric deaths due to flu, according to the latest CDC figures from the week ending Feb. 23.

Vaccine still the best tool

Although the flu vaccine is imperfect, it is the best tool available to prevent transmission of influenza, medical experts said. The CDC already is preparing how it will get that message out to older adults before the 2013-14 flu season begins, in light of the widespread media attention that has been given to the latest vaccine’s low efficacy.

“We are concerned that this news about vaccine effectiveness might discourage some older adults from getting vaccinated” next season, said Kristine Sheedy, PhD, director of communication for the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

The agency probably will partner with organizations such as the National Council on Aging to help disseminate their message on the importance of flu vaccine to older adults, Sheedy said. The CDC plans to produce informational pieces and participate in radio interviews about the importance of the vaccine in markets where large elderly populations reside.

DID YOU KNOW:
2012-13 flu shots were only 9% effective in protecting adults 65 and older against the most aggressive flu strain.

Sheedy encouraged primary care physicians and their staffs to urge patients to get the flu vaccine. “Doctors are opinion leaders, and we know a recommendation from them is the most impactful thing.”

She recommended that doctors tell patients, “This vaccine is not what we want it to be, but it’s the best way we can protect against flu.”

To help enhance older patients’ response to the flu vaccine, Damon B. Raskin, MD, an internist in Pacific Palisades, Calif., offers adults 65 and older Sanofi Pasteur’s Fluzone High-Dose, which he said is formulated to provide a strong immune response in older adults compared with traditional flu vaccines. Researchers are studying the impact of this vaccine on older adults’ immunity to influenza.

Next season, Dr. Raskin plans to focus on educating his older patients on the facts about flu and influenza vaccine. He plans to tell them, “Just because something wasn’t effective one year doesn’t mean it won’t have more efficacy the next year.” And if that doesn’t sell patients on the vaccine, he will assure them, “Some protection is better than no protection.”

 

Original Article

Dr. Damon Raskin

Not your mama’s MRSA: Why the new ‘superbug’ should freak you out a little

March 12, 2013

Not your mama’s MRSA: Why the new ‘superbug’ should freak you out a little

Just like in those 1950’s horror classics, The superbug has returned with a vengeance!

But in the real world, the superbug is a real bacteria called C.R.E. (carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae) and is among the world-wide “superbugs” that are resistant to almost all antibiotics, have high mortality rates, and can spread their resistance to other bacteria.

This threat is not limited to the USA. The UK is on high alert as well. Two months ago Dame Davies warned British legislators that antibiotic resistance should be added to the UK’s national risk register. The register was set up in 2008 to advise the public and businesses on national emergencies that the UK could face in the next five years.

As bacterial infections evolve into ‘superbugs’ like MRSA, which are resistant to existing drugs, more must be done discover new antibiotics. Only a few antibiotics have been discovered in the last few decades.

“Antimicrobial resistance poses a catastrophic threat. If we don’t act now any one of us could go into hospital in 20 years for minor surgery and die because of an ordinary infection that can’t be treated by antibiotics, And routine operations like hip replacements or organ transplants could be deadly because of the risk of infection,” Davies told UK reporters as she published her report on infectious disease.

These superbugs cause infections of the bloodstream, urinary tract, and bowel. Particularly vulnerable are those who are already hospitalized, as well as the elderly. No surprisingly, the superbugs are the biggest threat to patient safety in the hospital and nothing seems to be slowing their spread.

Pacific Palisades internist, Dr. Damon Raskin, a specialist in geriatric medicine speaks to the ways we contract these hard-to-kill bugs, along with causes and preparedness we need to take.

In treating his older patients, Dr. Raskin, thinks about this danger daily.  “I see many elderly patients succumb to infections, and we need to do more to protect the frail and elderly, especially in light of these newer resistant bugs. One thing we can all do is wash our hands more frequently. Although an easy measure, it is often forgotten and can make a big difference in whether an infection is passed on or not. Also, if you have a family member in a nursing home or assisted living, check to see that they are highly rated by Medicare. Facilities receive regular inspections on items such as cleanliness and hygiene and these can be important markers for the quality of the facility. If at all possible, try to get a private room for your loved one to reduce chances of sharing germs.”

Dr. Raskin adds, “Also patients need to be proactive about not always requesting antibiotics from doctors for their minor colds and sore throats. Fewer antibiotics around will help resistance trends. Finally, if you are going to have an elective procedure in the hospital, try to schedule it for the summer after flu season. This might help reduce hospital infections.”

Original Article

Dr. Damon Raskin

Justin Bieber’s London Collapse Isn’t Surprising: Rihanna, Lady Gaga and More Onstage Stumbles

March 11, 2013

Justin Bieber’s London Collapse Isn’t Surprising: Rihanna, Lady Gaga and More Onstage Stumbles

Other than the disease that compels people to wear pants like this, we know of no chronic illnesses affecting the Bieb.

But there doesn’t need to be a disease here. Celebrities drop like flies when they’re on tour.

Really.

If a star has been on tour, it’s very likely they’ve had some kind of onstage stumble, if not a full-scale collapse. Here’s the proof:

 

 

 

It’s not 100 percent clear what affected Bieber when he collapsed at the  O2 Arena in London. We know that he passed out after experiencing shortness of breath; doctors treated him with oxygen before he finished the show and headed to the hospital.

He’s since made a return to the arena for his next show.

But given the clues we have, it’s safe to assume that Bieber had some combination of dehydration, low blood pressure, low blood sugar, a cold or the dreaded flu.

“I can tell you that the common thread in younger, healthy-appearing people is that they are not getting enough sleep,” celebrity internist Dr. Damon Raskin explains to me. “And probably with all the dancing, they’re getting dehydrated and maybe not eating well enough.

“They’re eating quickly on the road. And if they get low blood sugar or low blood pressure, they can have these episodes of passing out or fainting. He needs to be drinking at least an 8-ounce glass of water every 2 or 3 hours.”

Raskin also gently reminds us that “this is also a bad year for respiratory infections and flu.”

 

Whatever is going on inside the Bieb, know this: He is not alone.

Lady Gaga almost collapsed onstage during a New Zealand concert in 2010. She’d previous cited bouts with “exhaustion.”

Rihanna did the same thing in 2008 while performing “Umbrella” in Sydney.

Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan experienced “blacking out and wiping out,” in his words, in 2010.

 

Original Article

Dr. Damon Raskin

Practice Transformations: How to Set Up a Concierge Practice

Leave a reply

Practice Transformations: How to Set Up a Concierge Practice

 

Internist Floyd Russak is not so different from most of you. He practiced in the fee-for-service reimbursement environment for nearly three decades, and over that time he saw the duration of patient visits dwindle — and along with it, the relationships he felt he could build with patients and the quality of care he felt he could provide them.

“It seemed like over the years the insurance companies were really pushing us to see more and more patients, reimbursements had gone down a little bit, and in fact they were auditing us all the time for if we spent more than 15 minutes with a patient … I just didn’t feel like I could do good internal medicine with patients who were fairly sick in 10 to 15 minutes,” says Russak.

He thought about changing careers, even retiring. Then he thought about concierge medicine. But like many of you, he had serious concerns. “At first I really didn’t want to do this to be honest, this concierge thing,” he says. “I felt it was elitist, I felt I’d be abandoning some patients, I felt really bad about it.”

Still, in July 2011, after four years of careful consideration, Russak flipped the switch. “I realized that it was really the only way I could afford, with declining reimbursements, to provide good care for several hundred people rather than providing just moderately mildly good care for 2,000 people like most doctors are doing now, and like I felt I was doing,” he says.

Whether you’re on the brink of going concierge or you haven’t even considered it, understanding the many different and developing practice models is crucial in this changing healthcare environment. Here’s a closer look at concierge medicine and how the shift to it influenced Russak, his patients, and his revenue.

Broaching the subject

Switching to concierge doesn’t necessarily mean opening a completely different practice. In fact, Russak remains in his old Highlands Ranch, Colo.-based practice with his three partners (one of whom he hired just prior to transitioning). He’s just reimbursed differently than them and he sees fewer patients. “It’s actually very hard to start a concierge practice ‘de novo;’ you really need to be practicing for many years and have a significant following,” says Russak, noting that he had about 1,700 patients and a long waiting list for appointments prior to transitioning.

To create a financially viable concierge practice, he knew about 200 to 300 of his patients would need to make the switch with him. “I think the biggest fear is, ‘What if I start this party and nobody comes?'” says Russak. He says a big help in easing those fears — and getting patients on board — was SignatureMD, one of many companies that helps physicians transition to concierge practice. Before the shift, it conducted an “extensive survey” of Russak’s patients to determine if enough would be likely to join a concierge practice. In addition, it placed a SignatureMD staff member in his practice during the five months prior to the switch who spoke to each of his patients about concierge and whether it was right for them.

Mixed reactions

Ultimately, nearly 300 of Russak’s patients decided to make the transition (many of his remaining patients chose to be followed by his two partners, who were eager for new patients). “I really thought I’d get a lot of kickback from patients saying, ‘Oh, Russak, you’re only doing this for the money and you’re abandoning me,'” he says. “I think out of 1,700 patients … I only had one patient that was a little bit offended that I was doing this.”

In exchange for expanded access to care — including faster appointment bookings, house calls, and longer visits — Russak’s concierge patients pay a $1,500 annual fee. They also have regular insurance and use it to pay for services the same way they would in a typical fee-for-service practice.

While the fee is “nothing to sneeze at,” Russak says it was affordable for most of his patients. He also provided scholarships to those who couldn’t afford it but whom he felt would benefit greatly from it. “The ideal patient, I think, and the one who signed up the most was someone … [aged] 50 and above — who has several medical problems and needs to come in multiple times a year, often on short notice,” he says.

Positive results

The ability to spend more time with patients is leading to a number of improvements at Russak’s practice. To name a few:

It’s led to more personal care. “I’m able to provide a level of care for patients that you can’t provide in a busy office,” says Erica Panter, Russak‘s personal assistant and front-desk manager, who formerly worked on the fee-for-service side of the practice. “I can tell you about their dogs and grandchildren and everything in between, and the patients really, really appreciate it.”

It’s led to more “thorough” care. “I feel as though we can be extraordinarily thorough with testing, with conversation, and with just getting to a conclusion a lot more specific to the patients,” says Camille Kaminga, Russak‘s nurse.

It’s led to higher-quality care. Since patients receive 24/7 access to Russak, he’s able to coordinate their care much more effectively. For example, an elderly patient recently called him one evening because she had a fever and a bad cough. In the past, he would have sent her to the emergency room, she would likely have been treated by someone she did not know, and she may have been admitted. Instead, Russak sent a nurse to her home, arranged for a mobile X-ray, and checked-up on her later that evening. It turned out the patient had a small pneumonia, which could be managed at home. The patient “can say, ‘Yes, I’d rather stay home,’ and I can say, ‘OK, I’m going to arrange to have a nurse from your Medicare, or even my own nurse, come out and see you every day until you’re better,'” says Russak. “I think that ends up being actually better care.”

Give and take

While it’s clear patient care has improved, Russak says “it’s a mixed bag” when it comes to the transition’s effect on revenue. “If anyone goes into this thinking, ‘I’m going to make three times as much money and my life’s going to be easy,’ I think they’ll be a little bit disappointed,” he says.

While Russak receives an additional $1,500 per patient, one-third of that goes to SignatureMD annually, 20 percent goes to the practice as additional contribution to overhead, and some is lost through scholarships. He’s also treating fewer patients, so his payer-based revenue has declined. Overall, however, he says his income from his patients is up 20 percent.

The shift has also had a mixed influence on his work-life balance. As mentioned, since he sees fewer patients, he works fewer hours each week (about 40 hours instead of 50 hours). But at the same time, since he is always accessible to his patients after hours, he no longer splits call with his partners. “Except for the two weeks I’m on vacation, I take call 365 days a year 24/7,” he says. “You’re always on call and have to be available, so that’s a little bit harder.”

New model, different patients

For internist Floyd Russak, who recently transitioned to concierge practice, the new model of care has led to some interesting side effects. Since patients most attracted to concierge tend to have complicated medical conditions, the typical patient he sees has changed. “I’m really doing what I was trained to do,” says Russak. “I’m seeing the sickest internal-medicine patients with interesting major problems and people who really appreciate what I’m doing — and I’m really helping them. Whereas before, I was just trying to get through the day and at the end of the day I’d feel exhausted … and wasn’t sure I was really getting to the bottom of everything and getting to know everyone.”

The new model is also bringing Russak back to the roots of primary care. “Before I was booked up six weeks in advance because I had such a full practice, so if someone had a bad cold or a cough or even pneumonia — almost anything that was acute — they would see one of our [nonphysician providers] or one of my partners,” he says. “Now, I’ve almost had to [have] a little bit of retraining because … [patients] can get in to see me the same day, or the next day.”

 

Original Article

Signature MD

 

“Drunk Indians” Is Not Funny; Addiction Experts Speak Up

March 7, 2013

“Drunk Indians” Is Not Funny; Addiction Experts Speak Up

“‘A furnace full of drunk Indians’ – that’s how a character on the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly characterized Arizona and the first inhabitants of our land,” says Richard Taite.

 

Celebrity doctors with television deals and cavalier Hollywood writers for sitcoms have done serious damage with their remarks about addiction and treating addicts in public view for ratings and money, according to Richard Taite, a recognized leader in the recovery community, the author of a new book on addiction (“Ending Addiction for Good: The Groundbreaking, Holistic, Evidence-Based Way to Transform Your Life”) and the co-founder and CEO of Cliffside Malibu, a leading treatment center in Los Angeles.

The premise of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” is a prime example of questionable medicine according to Taite, who has come out strongly against Dr. Drew Pinsky’s attempts to help addicted stars achieve sobriety.

Mr. Taite refutes Dr. Drew’s claim made yesterday on Dr. Oz’s television show that treating addicts (celebrity or otherwise) on a TV show does not impact in anyway the outcome or quality of their treatment.  Mr. Taite believes Dr. Oz’s viewing public deserves an educated second opinion to what appears to be Dr. Drew’s contention that flies in the face of all medically accepted practices in the treatment of substance abuse.

“Please keep in mind that this honest difference of opinion is not in any way directed to Dr. Drew personally, but rather at his brand of reality-show-cum-addiction treatment,” says Mr. Taite.

In question, here, is whether the pursuit of profit has superseded the genuine interest of the patient.  Mr. Taite has labeled this kind of TV as “addictainment.”

Adding further fuel to this fire is the sitcom “Mike & Molly” on CBS.

“‘A furnace full of drunk Indians’ – that’s how a character on the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly characterized Arizona and the first inhabitants of our land,” says Richard Taite.

“Not only is such a characterization insensitive and blatantly racist, but it also stigmatizes a whole group of individuals and helps keep them out of treatment. Such offhanded remarks are more than hurtful; they identify all Native Americans as poor, addicted and on the fringes of society. For someone who wants help overcoming addiction and may have little access to the best recovery methods, these kinds of statements can further demoralize them, keeping those in need from help.”

Mr. Taite adds, “There are twenty-one federally recognized Native American tribes in Arizona alone. Native Americans suffer higher rates of poverty, suicide and addiction than the average population, yet too many do not have adequate access to top-notch care.”

“This leaves the entire population vulnerable,” says Constance Scharff, PhD, Addiction Researcher for Cliffside Malibu. “The devastation of addiction on individual lives is compounded by abuse and neglect often suffered by children at the hands of those who are addicted. It is both insensitive and reprehensible to ridicule a group suffering these kinds of social problems.”

Taite continues, “It seems there is a culture in our media that seeks to ridicule or exploit addicts. In a time when reality shows like Celebrity Rehab are plagued by horrific death rates among former cast members and shows like Mike & Molly ridicule those in need of help – we must suggest a reckoning with regard to how addicts are portrayed on television. With accidental overdoses of prescription drugs alone reaching epidemic levels, these ‘jokes’ simply are not funny.”

 

Original Article

Cliffside Malibu

Adrienne Maloof latest ‘Housewives’ casualty, not returning to Bravo series

March 5, 2013

Adrienne Maloof latest ‘Housewives’ casualty, not returning to Bravo series

Bravo hasn’t asked Adrienne Maloof back for Season 4 of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”

 

The spin is that Maloof and Bravo each came to an accord that they would not be in business together, but UsMagazine.com and Celebuzz are contending that the network dumped the daughter of mega rich Lebanese-American beer distributor-turned entertainment and sports mogul George J. Maloof Sr.

We already know that Camille Grammer is done with Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Celebuzz reports that Bravo “fired” Maloof, while other websites are claiming it was a mutual parting of the ways. Maloof had a messy divorce from plastic surgeon Paul Nassif last year, and is dating Sean Stewart, son of rocker Rod Stewart who is 20 years her junior.

Nemesis Brandi Glanville told Hollywood Gossip.com:   “Yikes, it’s a bad visual for me. The whole thing….It’s just something about those two people.”

Glanville added, “It just makes me want to throw up in my mouth a little bit and swallow it.”

The current state of the “Real Housewives” in the 90120 has one actual REAL housewife of Beverly Hills from the 60s and 70s, Grace Robbins, the wife of Harold Robbins, who sold near a billion books that were turned into movies, shaking her head.   “I’m sure Adrienne Maloof is a lovely woman who is going through a lot of changes in her life. That being said I feel that the show will be all the better without her. Just don’t sue me for saying so!”

Original Article

Grace Robbins

Former Child Star, Treatment Center Attack Dr. Drew Pinsky Approach

February 25, 2013

Former Child Star, Treatment Center Attack Dr. Drew Pinsky Approach

 

A former child star has taken aim at the tactics used by Dr. Drew Pinsky from VH1?s Celebrity Rehab and the philosophy of the show itself.

Commenting through a publicist to The Inquisitr, Dr. Damon Raskin, medical director of addiction at Cliffside Malibu Treatment Center and former child star, called it “disheartening” that treatment “would be compromised for entertainment purposes.”

“The most important part of treatment is the trust that develops between doctor and patient, and this cannot happen in front of the public on television,” Raskin said, adding that it was “appalling that we as a society can encourage this voyeurism in the name of helping people.”

Raskin continued: “Real rehab is done in private, getting to the real root of addiction with medical and psychological help, and not to treat addicted celebrities as ‘special’ by putting it all out there for the world to see.”

Richard Taite, president of Cliffside and author of Ending Addiction for Good, agreed with his medical director’s assessment.

“It’s truly repugnant that the general public isn’t afforded the opportunity to understand exactly why this type of exploitation is so harmful,” Taite told The Inquisitr. “A few years ago … I saw an episode of Celebrity Rehab and was so bothered by it that I sent out a press release inviting anyone currently on the show to come in to Cliffside Malibu free of charge for real treatment. I knew just from watching one episode that that show was  going to end up really harming people.”

Tate and Raskin, a former child star on Eight Is Enough, have pointed to the five deaths that have occurred in the last two years involving former cast members of Celebrity Rehab as proof, and even former pop star Richard Marx has taken aim at Pinsky, comparing his work to that of “Kervorkian.”

Pinsky has steered clear of taking responsibility for the show’s questionable track record, keeping his comments centered on the McCready tragedy.

In an interview with People, Pinsky said McCready “was fearful of stigma and ridicule” and added that “she agreed with me that she needed to make her health and safety a priority.”

“Unfortunately it seems that Mindy did not sustain her treatment,” Pinsky added.

The McCready funeral is set for Tuesday, February 25, in McCready’s hometown of Fort Myers, Florida, The Associated Press noted.

Do you believe Dr. Drew Pinsky is using troubled child stars for TV exploitation, or are his efforts well-meaning?

Cliffside Malibu

Original Article

 

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills update: Glanville NYT bestseller, Maloof may quit

February 21, 2013

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills update: Glanville NYT bestseller, Maloof may quit

 

 

E! Online is exclusively reporting that the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Adrienne Maloof may leave the cast, as her nemesis and fellow cast mate Brandi Glanville climbs the New York Times bestseller list with her tell-all “Drinking and Tweeting and Other Brandi Blunders” book.

Glanville appeared at a packed Barnes & Noble bookstore in the Los Angeles Grove last night, meeting a real housewife of Beverly Hills from the 60s and 70s, Grace Robbins, the wife of Harold Robbins, who sold near a billion books that were turned into movies.

Notably at this event, Lita Weissman, the Barnes & Noble book event manager, announced that Brandi Glanville had cracked the New York Times bestseller list.

Grace Robbins (L) at the Feb. 20 book signing with Brandi Glanville (L)

 

Producers of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills are looking to bring some new ladies into the mix, but are having trouble attracting serious contenders, a source exclusively tells E! News. Already announced was that original cast member Taylor Armstrong appears to be on her way out.

Meanwhile, Brandi Glanville appeared on Howard Stern’s show on Tuesday, and the outspoken “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star spoke candidly about the show’s salaries, lamenting that the more senior “Housewives” make $250,000 per season.

“I want what they’re getting, cause I feel like I work hard,” explains Glanville, who says of her co-stars, “They are just c*nts.”

While none of the ladies have responded officially to that slur, sources tell E! News that producers do not want Armstrong to return and that Adrienne Maloof might be exiting the reality hit as well, but the show’s producers are hoping she sticks around, and brings her new man, Rod Stewart’s son Sean Stewart, with her.

But why is Maloof reluctant to return?

“The truth is that Adrienne is fed up of all the drama taking place with Brandi [Glanville]. She is considering not returning as she wants to concentrate on her businesses and she doesn’t want to be pulled down into the whole mess with Brandi again,” one source explains. “What happened over the last season with her kids has really upset her.

Maloof isn’t the only one frustrated with Brandi Glanville, E! claims producers are “upset” with her “because she’s talked about her salary. None of the Housewives are allowed to discuss the money that they make from the show.”

Armstrong will be exiting the show over her alleged drinking issues. “The producers are being nice to her as they want her to leave the show gracefully and not turn on them and run to the press,” an E! source spills. “But they definitely do not want her back.”

No one wants to be on this show it seems. E! reports from a source: “They are having problems finding new members for the cast as barely any of the women they have approached want to do the show,” a source reveals. “It’s not fun anymore. It seems dirty and nasty. And not something real Beverly Hills women want to get involved in. The catfights are too nasty; it’s not classy and not something they think will be good for them.”

It is rumored that Dana Devon, the former host of Extra, may join the fray. “There have been talks,” E! confirms.

Original Article

Grace Robbins

 

As Mindy McCready marks the FIFTH ‘Celebrity Rehab’ cast member to die, an expert calls the show a ‘farce as a foundation for treatment’

February 20, 2013

As Mindy McCready marks the FIFTH ‘Celebrity Rehab’ cast member to die, an expert calls the show a ‘farce as a foundation for treatment’

 

Since Mindy McCready’s death from apparent suicide on Sunday night, attention has turned to  Dr. Drew Pinsky’s VH1 reality show “Celebrity Rehab”, after it emerged that she was the fifth member to die after supposedly being treated on the show.

“I think “Dr” Drew Pinsky should change his name to Kevorkian. Same results.” singer Richard Marx wrote on his Twitter page.
After receiving some backlash, Marx amended his claim: “I went too far with the Kevorkian crack. It is, however, my opinion that what Dr. D does is exploitation and his TV track record is not good.”

Sar far, Rodney King died in 2012 after drowning in his swimming pool. King’s autopsy revealed he had a mixture of cocaine, alcohol and marijuana in his system at the time, which contributed to his death. And Grease actor Jeff Conaway, who was a participant in season one and two, died in 2011 of health complications he apparently contracted from years of substance abuse.

On the season in which McCready appeared, two other people succumbed to their addictions. Mike Starr, bassist of the band Alice in Chains, died in 2011 after a drug overdose, and former “Real World” cast member Joey Kovar died in 2012 from opiate intoxication, believed to be in the form of a prescription painkiller he was taking.

With the total number of five people, who were part of the television show, ending up dead as a result of their addictions in the last two years, the backlash is understandable.

It seems that Dr. Pinsky’s rehab treatment on his TV show, which many professionals deem damaging and more for entertainment purposes than actual treatment only benefits the doctor, the production and the network.

Richard Taite, CEO of Cliffside Malibu Treatment Center is at pains to point out that rehab treatment for entertainment purposes is wrong,  as it does damage to already damaged people.

“Mindy McCready’s death is certainly a tragedy and one that was perhaps preventable if she had gotten real treatment,” says Richard Taite, co-author of the best selling book, Ending Addiction For Good. “Celebrity Rehab is a farce as a foundation for treatment. It is at best info-tainment – a television show that exploits the fragility of individuals who are in desperate need of help. Recovery does not happen in twenty-one days for individuals suffering profoundly from multiple disorders, such as Mindy McCready, and it does not occur under the view of millions of television viewers. One of the main needs any addict has is to develop a sincere, trusting relationship with a therapist and privately uncover the root causes of their addiction. This does not happen in a television show where addicts are part of a ‘cast’ and followed by television cameras 24 hours a day everywhere but in the bathroom! Those who suffer from depression, suicidal ideation, and addiction need long-term, private support in a safe environment. It is tragic that Ms. McCready did not receive that level of care.”

Dr. Drew, for his part, said he contacted McCready last month after her boyfriend’s death.

“When I heard she was struggling, I did reach out to her and urged her to go to take care of herself, get in a facility if she felt she needed,” he said. “Her biggest fear was the stigma of doing so and what people would think if she, God forbid, took care of herself. And this to me is the most distressing part of this story. She is a lovely woman, we have lost her, and it didn’t have to go down like this.”

What do you think? Should the show be pulled given people’s health and life are at stake?

 

Original Article

Cliffside Malibu

Addictainment under fire: ‘Celebrity Rehab’ a disaster for many, addiction experts blast show

February 20, 2013

Addictainment under fire: ‘Celebrity Rehab’ a disaster for many, addiction experts blast show

 

The entire premise of “Celebrity Rehab” is under fire with the recent suicide of country artist Mindy McCready, the fifth cast member death of Dr. Pinsky’s questionable treatment reality series on TV which many professionals deem damaging and more for entertainment purposes than actual treatment.

Mindy McCready, 37, is the fifth person who has appeared on “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” to die in the past two years.

The former country star apparently took her own life and killed her dog too on Sunday at her home in Heber Springs, Ark. Authorities say McCready died of a suspected self-inflicted gunshot to the head and an autopsy is planned. She left behind two young sons.

McCready had attempted suicide at least three times since 2005, as she struggled to cope amid a series of tumultuous public events that marked much of her adult life.

Speaking to The Associated Press in 2010, McCready said: “It is a giant whirlwind of chaos all the time…I call my life a beautiful mess and organized chaos. It’s just always been like that. My entire life things have been attracted to me and vice versa that turn into chaotic nightmares or I create the chaos myself. I think that’s really the life of a celebrity, of a big, huge, giant personality.”

Other “Celebrity Rehab” deaths include Joey Kovar, a member of MTV’s “Real World: Hollywood” died last August at the age of 29 of “opiate intoxication.” Kovar was on the series with McCready on the show’s third season in 2010.

Also dead: “Celebrity Rehab” Season 2 cast member Rodney King, dead at 47, his demise an accidental drowning, with alcohol, cocaine, marijuana and PCP found in his system.

Another “Celebrity Rehab” second season star was “Taxi” actor Jeff Conway, who died at age 60 in May 2011 with opiates and other drugs in his system.

Another third season “Rehab” cast member was Alice In Chains bassist Mike Starr, who died at the age of 44 in March 2011, addicted to heroin and other drugs and died of a drug overdose.

As the death toll among former “Celebrity Rehab” cast members grows, the question of whether the show does more harm than good, and if these addicts are truly getting the treatment they need is at the forefront of addiction specialists’ minds.

Dr. Drew, who treated the deceased cast members, released a statement after McCready’s death to People magazine:

“I am deeply saddened by this awful news. My heart goes out to Mindy’s family and children. She is a lovely woman who will be missed by many. Although I have not treated her for a few years, I had reached out to her recently upon hearing about the apparent suicide of her boyfriend and father of her younger children. She was devastated.”

Richard Taite, CEO of Cliffside Malibu Treatment Center, has a strong opinion about this pattern of failure celebrated on the smallscreen for entertainment.  He also co-authored the best-selling book, “Ending Addiction For Good.”

“Mindy McCready’s death is certainly a tragedy and one that was perhaps preventable if she had gotten real treatment,” says Mr. Taite, founder and CEO of the elite Cliffside Malibu addiction residential treatment center.

“Celebrity Rehab is a farce as a foundation for or example of treatment. It is at best info-tainment – a television show that exploits the fragility of individuals who are in desperate need of help. Recovery does not happen in twenty-one days for individuals suffering profoundly from multiple disorders, such as Mindy McCready, and it does not occur under the view of millions of television viewers. One of the main needs any addict has is to develop a sincere, trusting relationship with a therapist and privately uncover the root causes of their addiction. This does not happen in a television show where addicts are part of a ‘cast’ and followed by television cameras 24 hours a day! Those receiving real treatment do not have to seek refuge in a bathroom to get a few minutes to process their feelings alone! Those who suffer from depression, suicidal ideation, and addiction need long-term, private support in a safe, secure environment. It is tragic that Ms. McCready and the four other addicts who have died after being on Celebrity Rehab did not receive that level of care.”

 

Original Article

Cliffside Malibu