This is such widescale good news, I have no hesitation in just re-posting Dr Rowen’s wonderful and exciting missive. I’m sure he has no issues with me helping tell the world! Read it! You’ll see why…
Letter from an integrative medicine cancer specialist
Well, I had a double blessing this weekend. The first was the indescribable joy of my daughter’s wedding to a wonderful man. Of course, that’s not what this email is about, though. It’s the second wonderful news, which I only learned, on the way home from the wedding.
Many of you know that the widow of a cancer patient I saw about 2 years ago filed a complaint against my license. The patient was stage 4 colon cancer with considerable involvement in his liver and high liver enzymes. His oncologists, who told him that chemo would be worthless, had written him off. I did NOT promise anything at all, except to do the best I could to assist his immune system and hopefully improve the quality of his life. He was actually referred to me for IV vitamin C and integrative therapies. The couple specifically requested these from me. And, the wife signed all the informed consents as witness to her husband!
In a best-case scenario, he only had months to live. The complaint alleged that I “abandoned” the patient, and provided “negligent care” leading to his death, more than 5 months after seeing me. Actually, the medical record showed that the wife called to cancel the appointment for her husband the day we (my wife and I) returned from a heavily announced trip to India. Why? Because they wanted to go to a place that took insurance. We don’t take insurance. And, they knew we were going to India even before they made the first appointment. It was provided to them in writing.
During his three weeks with us, his physical condition improved. He got the IV-C while we were away, self-administered from intense training before we left.
We heard no more from this patient until a complaint came in with the bogus allegations 4 months after he died. Of course I had to answer. And, I didn’t want to waste money on expensive attorneys on a ridiculous complaint. However, there was danger. This man received oxidation therapies, IV-C, supplements, etc. While integrative medicine is protected in California, you never know if there will be a personal vendetta and/or the board going after trivial or picayune garbage like charting defects.
In California, we have a new statute protecting integrative medicine so long as informed consent is given, AND, there is a “reasonable” basis for what you do. A senior person on the staff of the board insisted to me that investigators are trained in this new recognition of integrative medicine. Yet, it’s not until you experience it yourself that you’ll know if it is working or is not working, or how the board interprets “reasonable basis”.
I was called in for an “interview” with a senior investigator and a seasoned cardiologist who does professional questioning at these interviews. I will admit I was treated with dignity and respect. I was questioned on ALL my oxidation methods, the science and rationale, since I did them all with this patient, including direct intravenous gas administration. I was questioned on the supplements, on informed consent, and even charting and signing off on notes (which we had not done always since my wife and I were running a “mom and pop” operation at the time. We know each other’s handwriting (but in reality, the board expects us to sign off). The doctor gave a rather sheepish look when I asked him about the allegation of “abandonment” having provided him with written proof that the couple broke their appointment following a well announced clinic closure, and when they were given all the materials for home treatment, and referral to 2 covering doctors (which they did not take advantage of). He simply shook his head in disbelief at the allegation.
And then, he got a chance to review a case I was simultaneously treating with an identical cancer. Only this patient was 20 years older (76), and his colon cancer with huge mets to the liver was terminal. He had only a few weeks (at best) to live. This man was an Indian swami. Interestingly the complaining widow and her then living husband did meet this man in my clinic, while he was well on the road to recovery.
The cardiologist took a look at the latter case, which included a bleeding cecal tumor, loss of 40% of his blood volume, alkaline phosphatase of 580, and 2 masses in his liver of 11 and 9 cm respectively. The board’s cardiologist looked at the scans and blood tests I showed him proving a 100% remission of terminal end-stage cancer, and shook his head side to side exclaiming, “That’s just unheard of!!!” The swami received similar therapy to what the deceased was getting at the time he was under my care, though swami did not get much IV-C. Swami referred another swami to us with stage 4 melanoma (not end-stage), who is now if full remission as well.
Well, on the way home from my daughter’s wedding, I was informed that the investigator had the courtesy to call my office, and leave a message on Friday, before the weekend, and even in advance of official mail notification, that the board was closing the case.
This is rather important not only for those of us doing oxidation, but also for integrative medicine in California and for treating patients with cancer. Remember, I was questioned on ultraviolet blood irradiation, ozone major autohemotherapy, ozone minor autohemotherapy, IV-C, supplements, and other aspects of integrative medicine. The investigator and the doctor were quite intrigued with much of what we do, including how I analyze dental interference fields, and the prolozone therapy cases seen on YouTube. They had done a thorough job of “investigating” me, inclusive of seeing my YouTube videos (www.youtube.com/user/RobertRowenMD) and seeing if I “advertise”. The doctor was rather shocked that we do no advertising at all, only word of mouth, and listings on professional societies’ sites.
I was rather pleased that if someone should be investigated in California for oxidation modalities and integrative cancer management, that it should have been me, since I am teaching these methods. I am ecstatic that the California Medical Board has shown that it honors both the letter and spirit of the law passed several years ago protecting integrative medicine. This investigation closure should buoy the spirits of all integrative and oxidation doctors in California and nationwide, since it was the first time that oxidation was to thoroughly looked at by a major state, and accepted as a reasonable integrative management.
Robert Jay Rowen, MD
Dr Rowen is offering another “one day hands-on” oxidation workshop next February 2, 2013. Email him at drrowen@att.net, if interested.