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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Herb Rothschild Jr.: Respecting limits ... A Q & A with Schneider interim director Scott Malbaurn ... Four & Twenty Blackbirds Bakery takes flight to new roost ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Respecting limits ... A Q & A with Schneider interim director Scott Malbaurn ... Four & Twenty Blackbirds Bakery takes flight to new roost ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky Comment By Ross Pelton DailyTidings.com By Ross Pelton Posted Apr. 18, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Ross Pelton Posted Apr. 18, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News I am writing about the article in the Ashland Daily Tidings on April 15 about Dr. Allen Thomashefsky. I am outraged by the biased and slanderous insinuations first reported in Santa Barbara, Calif., and repeated in the Daily Tidings. I have been a patient of Dr. Thomashefsky’s and I have the highest respect for him. I am a registered pharmacist in California and Oregon. I have been a pharmacist for over 40 years, and from 1988-1994 I was hospital administrator at one of the world’s largest alternative non-toxic cancer treatment hospitals in Baja, Mexico. I give this background to establish that I have had a great deal of professional involvement with doctors, hospitals, medicine and health care over the years. Many people don’t realize that medical boards throughout the United States have been unfairly harassing and/or attacking “holistic” or “alternative” physicians for years. In some cases, censorship and punitive action is warranted. However, in many cases, it is purely and simply harassment. In 1987, the federal courts actually found the American Medical Association guilty of attempting to create a health care monopoly. The AMA was found guilty of a) defaming naturopaths, chiropractors and osteopathic physicians, b) publishing and distributing propaganda designed to ruin other health care professionals' reputations, and c) forcing M.D.s to refuse collaboration with naturopaths, chiropractors and osteopaths. Here’s another example. In 1992, FDA agents kicked in the door and entered Dr. Jonathan Wright’s Tahoma clinic office in Kent, Wash., with with guns drawn, terrorizing Dr. Wright’s patients and staff. What was Dr. Wright’s crime? He was importing injectable B-vitamins from England that contained no preservatives . At the time, there were no injectable B-vitamin products without preservatives available in the U.S. Since some of Dr. Wrights’s patients were allergic to the preservatives, he was importing these products from England. There are dozens, maybe hundreds of examples like this. In many cases, the medical boards' actions go beyond harassment to the point of prohibiting the doctors from practicing and ruining them financially. In many of these cases, no patient ever files a complaint. The medical boards just attack them for not following the traditional AMA- and FDA-approved treatment protocols. Yes, many of these doctors are offering therapies that are not officially approved by the AMA, FDA and other groups that make up and govern mainstream medicine. But, it is well documented that mainstream medicine is bordering on total failure when it comes to treating chronic diseases. The United States has by far the most expensive health care system in the world. Yet in a 2014 report conducted by the Commonwealth Fund, which evaluated health care among 11 major industrialized countries, the United States ranked last ! We need doctors who are willing to think outside the box. Dr. Allen Thomashefsky is an example of this type of physician. Some call them “holistic” or “alternative” or “complimentary” doctors. In most cases, these doctors utilize the best of traditional and alternative medicine in an effort to provide their patient with the best medicine. I consider it egregious and slanderous to mention hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV and improper injection procedures in the article on the investigation into Dr. Thomashefsky. I would be willing to bet a lot of money on the fact that no patient will ever contract any of these diseases as a result of being treated by Dr. Thomashefsky. The article in the Daily Tidings did mention that Dr. Thomashefsky is cooperating with the investigators and that he actually hired an infection control consultant to help review their practices and procedures. I would expect no less of him. Although this incident is unfortunate, I am not worried about Dr. Thomashefsky. I am sure things will be cleared up and he will be able to continue to practice medicine. Will his reputation and practice be damaged by this? Probably not much. Dr. Thomashefsky is well-loved and highly respected by 99.9 percent of his patients. He offers treatment patients cannot get from most mainstream MDs. I imagine most of Dr. Tom’s patients know, as I do, that these charges and this investigation are, for the most part, ridiculous. My guess is that maybe Dr. Thomashefsky will have to get a new sink installed in his office. Big deal. This could be accomplished without creating a public spectacle designed to ruin his reputation. A report like this one makes me lose faith in the health and medical boards that choose to publicize an investigation in this manner and in the credibility of the reporters and the newspapers involved. It is largely sensationalism in my opinion. Ross Pelton lives in Ashland. By Ross Pelton DailyTidings.com By Ross Pelton Posted Apr. 18, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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