Interesting the changes between today and the late 19th Century...

In virtually every gyn text that I can find in Google books (the old books, that is), an enema is recommended before any gyn exam, to "clear the bowels." It's interesting that nowadays if the word "enema" is mentioned, many ladies panic. I do very much prefer to give a couple cleansing enemas first, and certainly several enemas are needed before an instrumental rectal exam. On the "enemas4fun" board, someone mentioned that the real reason that they stopped giving enemas so frequently was more the labor cost than anything else. That makes a great deal of sense. I think you cheat your "patient" when you don't thoroughly cleanse her as part of the exam. Besides, properly given, they are very erotic for both, although often considered "taboo."

Doctorh2e (my name speaks for itself).

That is an interesting observation. The recommendation of an enema before a gyn exams was also common in the early 20th century. I believe this was because the physical exam was so much more important then that the doctor wanted to eliminate anything like stool in the colon that might interfere with the exam and be misinterpreted as an abnormal mass. Now days it is too easy to do a half-ass exam and then order an ultrasound, CT, or MRI to make sure you didn't miss anything. Another factor is that 50 to 75 years ago enemas were commonly used in the homes and hospitals for a variety of uses and were thus more acceptable to the patient.

In 3rd world countries, enemas are still frequently used for various ailments and they are very effective. I liked the observation that today it is easier to do a half-assed exam and then order the ultra-sound or another hi-tech exam. Why is this? It's easy, $$$. Why would the doctor give a cleansing enema with free water, when he/she can get a cut of the prescription medicine prescribed?

Hello all: This is a pet peeve of mine. On many web sites I've read comments to the effect that doctors take kickbacks from drug companies and pharmacies. I sold pharmaceuticals for 35 yrs., called on thousands of physicians and not once did I ever see or even hear that this was going on.

Think about it, doctors make very good incomes and don't need to increase their revenues by such risky scams. Couple this with the fact that drug companies are the most heavily regulated industry in the U.S. and it becomes apparent that kickbacks are almost impossible.

Many physicians own stock in pharmaceutical companies and may have a propensity to prescribe those companies drugs, but they don't get paid for prescribing any medicines. Where they CAN get paid is if they become a certified speaker for a manufacturer and go to dinner programs and address a group of doctors, locally, as to their experience with the drug in question. The audience knows that the speaker is being paid and that he's going to sing the praises of the product and put it in a favorable light.

So, does the C.B. Fleet Co. pay doctors to use their product? There is no way to even track this,because Fleet's products are over-the-counter. Unless there is a prescription involved, there is no way to determine who originated the order to use a specific product. Doctors don't order bag enemas, because patients hate them, patients don't know how to do them, don't have the equipment won't do multiple enemas, etc. They don't order bag enemas in hospitals, because administration has told them to NOT order any nursing proceedure that is, "labor-intensive". Hence, the Fleet,or the oral PEG solutions like Golytely.

In "I, Claudius..." Robert Graves said that probably, the emperor was poisoned by means of a enema.

Jimmyt44

Are you serious? Doctors don't get kickbacks? What ever. Major whatever. I know several docs. Boy could I tell you stories.

I have my doubts. When I asked my doctor about ED drugs, he suggested Levitra and gave me a sample with 3 tablets. I liked the results and asked for a RX. I was given one for 6 tablets and 5 refills (wow, if only I was so lucky to need that much help). I filled the RX and paid $95 for 6 tablets. ED drugs are not covered by Medicare because people over 65 don't have sex according to government decrees. They don't understand that someone in his 60s can have a lover in his 30s and is trying to have an active sex life. A call to Medicare resulted in the suggestion that try to get more samples from my doctor! I don't think he is benefiting from the drug compnay samples he hands out. But there is still a problem with the drug manufactures. If I had to depend on Medicare and Social Security, I would be homeless and on the street. Somehow, the drug companies rake in millions -- I know because I own stock in some. We need an overhaul of health care. Amen.

P.S. I will continue to pay $16 a pill for an erection. I can afford it. But I do worry about those that are still sexually active, need a little help, but cannot afford it. The government is unreasonable, and the drug companies are greedy.

The parent drugs to ED medication are alpha blocker blood pressure medications. Used mainly now to improve urine flow in men. Flomax is in this group. I seem to recall that Hytain is the $5 per month at Wal-Mart generic form. Medicare will approve you for a month supply of Flomax or the generics forms without question. Not only will your erection options improve, you urine flow will be better and blood pressure drop.

I don't know where you work herd or think I know that doctors get presents from drug companies as well as gifts of home and office goods.

I know a doctor had his Christmas party paid for from a drug company don't try to hide the perks we have to pay for them so keep the song and dance to a minimum

Bagbug, the days of drug companies paying for Christmas parties, taking the doctors and their staff out to dinner, and lavishing them with perks is over.

A law went into effect sometime over a year ago I am guessing by now that no longer allows them to do anything like this. Heck, they are not even allowed to give them pens, paper or any other anything with their drug names or company names on them.

Pity really, drug reps had the best pens ever.

Mashie: You're talking about the P.D.M.A.; Prescription Drug Marketing Act, which started in 1978 and each year got increasingly strict in what itt allowed companies to do. Thanks to Henry Waxman, (D) Rep. from Ca., we weren't permitted to do many things that other industries still do all the time.

When I was a District Sales Mgr., one of my reps. came up with an idea of having a skiing party for Dr.'s and their families. We would feed them all a dinner, have a Dr. give a lecture to the physicians, then everyone (Dr.'s, wives, kids) would all go skiing on our dollar. Our legal dept. shot it down as a violation of P.D.M.A.

Taking Dr.'s to a country club for a nice lunch, lecture by an authority on a certain disease, then an afternoon of golf, all paid for by a drug company was standard all the time. P.D.M.A. stopped that cold.

Ohio State Univ. Hosp. made it a rule that no hosp. employee could have on them any pen or note pad with a drug co. message. They even had a Gestopo to sneak around and look for violators, who would have to explain where they got the contraband.

You could go on ebay and see a nice collection of Viagra pens for sale.(Pfizer had someone monitor the site and track down the sales rep. who had done this and they were fired.)

More to our interest, C.B. Fleet Co. had little "Eneman" plush dolls shaped in the form of a Fleet Enema, that they gave out to Dr.'s. You can find these also on ebay.

When I sold antibiotics, we had a product that would kill a bacteria called "B. Cat." We gave out stuffed kitty cats with a neck band that said "Tame the wild B.Cat.-CEFTIN". Docs with little kids hounded us for these. We were ordered to send all of these back to the main office. So, yes, the pharmaceutical industry IS the most heavily regulated industry in the U.S.

Jimmy,

Thank you for the information. Interesting.

I have to admit, I have bought my fair share of drug rep pens on ebay over the years. I find a few that I like and I stick with them. My two favorites were the red and white Vytorin pens and the teal blue and white Chantix pens. Bought box after box when I could find them.

I still have a lot of them and I cherish them with my life actually, lol. Everyone at work knows my pens and a lot of people have a habit of walking off with them just out of habit, but everyone knows that I will come looking for it and I will take it back from them. My children also know that they are not to be in my box of drug rep things if they value their lives, lol.

I was always so surprised at how expensive one single Viagra pen would go for on Ebay though. I had seen one pen and pencil set go for almost 200 bucks once. Granted it was a Parker set which are expensive anyway, but still. And to think that I had probably 20 of those sets in my posession at one time or another, lol.

When the final date came down with the drug reps, as in the last date that they would be allowed to be giving out the pens and stuff, my doctor/boyfriend coaxed all the drug reps to give them anything and everything they had left in their warehouses, and they did. They brought load after load in. He currently has one of his extra exam rooms filled with drug rep stuff.

Hehehe, needless to say, whenever I go and see him I like to go "shopping".

The reps still bring his office lunch about 3 times a week, I'm not sure how they are getting around that, but they are. Most recently, at my doctors office I was there for an appointment and the rep brought in a huge box of muffins. I know the shop where they bought them and they probably had 150 bucks worth of muffins in that box.

I wish, really wish that law would be thrown out. Honestly, a doctor isn't going to write for a drug just because he's using a pen with the same logo, or eating one of the muffins the rep brought in. Seriously.

I was in my docs office when a drug detail girl (very pretty) gave him a box of Cialis samples. I almost cried when he looked the expiration date and threw them in the trash!

I don't think any doctor is really influenced by detail men (girls) except as a source of information about new products.

Jimmyt44 wrote . . .

This is a pet peeve of mine. On many web sites I've read comments to the effect that doctors take kickbacks from drug companies and pharmacies. I sold pharmaceuticals for 35 yrs., called on thousands of physicians and not once did I ever see or even hear that this was going on.

Of course many of us are aware of kickbacks to physicians to plug their drugs, but rarely does this habit get brought to light by the news media. Well, here you have it, folks:

https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/county-coroner-fails-to-disclose-thousands-in-pharmaceutical-company-payments/article_cac51b84-a734-11e8-ba68-e7167d6f2b59.html#utm_source=lancasteronline.com&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletters%2Fnews%2F%3F-dc%3D1535283026&utm_medium=email&utm_content=read%20more.

Surely this is merely the tip of the iceberg. Working in the sales department for a pharmaceutical outfit is not the same as knowing what goes on in the accounting department.

I'm more concerned about the insurance companies "gaming " the system than the doctors

They are better capitalized, hold a better position in the market and have more resources to get away with "gaming" than anyone else up and down the chain!

Drive into most American or Canadian cities and except for a few "landmarks" like the Seattle Space Needle or the CN Tower In most cities the tallest building downtown is one of three things. An Insurance Company a Bank or a Telephone Company.

None of which actually make anything!!!!