dimanche 4 novembre 2007, par
This morning, I re-read, corrected and improved my article on the debate which took place following the projection of the film Sicko. My 10h30 patient arrives at 10h... No problem, I interrupt my work to take care of this new belly and rid its colon of what is blocking it.
The lady of some sixty years has a very fat belly. I palpate it while telling her that she must understand right away that she can not expect her swollen belly to disappear in an hour ! She had told me that she could only take one colonic hydrotherapy session because she was going away.
« Where do you live, Madam ? »
« I am French, and have lived in New York for the last 30 years and, even though we have the best medicine in the world there, I always get treated in France and specially in Nice »
She explains to me that Americans all think that they have the best medicine in the world. I reply that indeed the medicine is very good in the United States because they have lots of money and very good specialists, they are very rigorous, they have to be very careful not to make mistakes for fear of litigation, to which people turn readily. But what about the health system ? Is medicine affordable for everybody ?
« No, everything is very expensive there, that is why I prefer to be treated in France where I have an insurance which reimburses my expenses without any problems »
So, of course, I asked her if she had seen the film « Sicko », by Michael Moore ?
« Oh no, I don’t like Michael Moore, he criticizes America too much, he doesn’t like America ! »
« Dear Madam, if he didn’t like America, he would live somewhere else ! His film was only made to encourage the evolution of your health system. And if one day your treatment is reimbursed there, it will be partly due to him ! His film is funny and intelligent and he explains many things that you don’t know about and that will be extremely useful to you. »
I finally persuaded my French New-Yorker patient to go and see Sicko ! She will come back to see me in January 2008 on her next visit to France to continue her colonic hydrotherapy, we will be able to continue the debate !