$20.00 FEE?

What's up with that on the Heart Rythum board.  They charge you 20 bucks to post!  That is nuts.

[surfgirl]

Yeah, I know.  Do you suppose they want to discourage the whiners?  Address you questions to me, I will answer for only 15. :)

[Thatch]

Every post, or just to join?

Thatch

[Ihatepalps]

Yup, every post!  I don't think they will get a lot of questions.

I loved your post Surfgirl.  That was priceless.

[Thatch]

I guess the doctor that answers the question gets a cut. Everybody needs to make a living, but that seems kind of mercenary to me.

Get your picture in Doctors Of Fortune Magazine!!!

Thatch

[Thatch]

I don't know if this would be helpful to you or not, but years ago I was getting an extra electrical pulse in the bottom of my left ventricle that sometimes made my heart feel like it was break dancing inside my chest. This was years before I ever touched a computer and I did my research in books. To augment my pharmacutical protical I decided to make Hawthorn the base of a heart tonic and for the arrythmias I used something called Scotch Broom. The arrythmias did go away, though I was later damaged by using Vioxx to treat sciatica. This plant is very specific and is not to be confused with Broom or Butchers Broom. I don't recall the Latin name of Scotch Broom off the top of my head, but if you have an interest I will hunt it down and post so you can read about it yourself. As some completely useless information it is the (I believe) the plant that is on the coat of arms of Henry VIII.
There are some very interesting plant extracts a very high quality and fair price on the market that can be used in conjuntion with and augment a number of heart medications. For instance the Hawthorn I mentioned is a vasodilator that tones the heart muscle, helps control blood pressure has a slight diuretic property and I have been using it for approx 16 years in conjuction with Digitalis (originally made from Foxglove) an ACE inhibitor, and for the last decade the Beta Blocker, Coreg. Gotu Kola is supposed to be great for the health of the walls of your arteries and veins, cinnamin can help control blood sugars, there is a member of the mint family that has properties simular to that of a beta blocker and it helps to burn fat.
Of course you shouldn't trust me and look up everything and cross reference like crazy and ask all kinds of questions before ever taking anything. My wife tried taking SAM-E and it made her boobs grow, my cardiologist prescribed a common potassium sparing diuretic to me that made my boobs grow. Surprise! June 24th 1991 my GP gave me some samples of some drug to slow down my rapid heart beat after missdiagnosing my CHF and I died and then was briught back in the ER of Doctor's Hospitol here in Dallas. I don't take anything at face value and am always prepared to yell for help. So I am not prescribing anything to anyone, but will be happy to share what has worked for me and what hasn't.

Thatch

[Michael J. McWilliams, M.D.]

The format is set up like the cardiology heart forum.  There are still two questions per day that are free; additional questions are $20.  If you look at the days when there was no charge for questions, there were 9 questions -- to read and post quality responses for that many questions is time consuming.  While I enjoy running the forum and answering questions, I could not keep up with that sort of pace and maintain the integrity of the forum.  The choice was to either close the forum after two questions or to allow additional questions, for a fee.

[heartfluttersflyawayplz]

yeah but you still cant talk to others like this forum, you can ask a question but , when we just want to talk to others we have to come here so this forum is better

[heartfluttersflyawayplz]

that just means we have to all come back to this forum .lol

[Thatch]

Your time and knowledge are appreciated. It costs me $25 to get into see my cardiologist and I can't do it butt naked like I am now.

Thatch

[finetilthree]

I appreciate the service that you provide regardless of the fee being charged.  I hope the system works and that you continue to feel that you are providing a service that really does make a difference in the lives of people and that your work is not being taken for granted.  There are certain people on here that love to make snide remarks, apparently even directed at the docs! A million thanks are what you deserve.

[Awake and Unafraid]

Thanks for a good laugh!  I can already see the sales of SAM-E tripling as we speak!  

Butt naked?  That's hilarious!

[surfgirl]

maybe not so hilarious............I have never seen him...........LOL.

[Momto3]

Once again, thank you for offering to fill the void on this forum.  Your kind and very thorough responses are highly regarded by many of us.  

BTW, I'm a lifelong Clevelander recently transplanted in NC!  Nice place : )

[maggiemag]

There are a number of forums that charge for each question, like the GI forum.  And that guy isn't even a board cert. gastroenterologist, I don't think.  Everyone just be glad they have the option to even ask a thing, much less over and over.  And surfgirl, I'll do it for $12!

[surfgirl]

Punta!

[surfgirl]

ooops...........typo....I meant Puta..LOL.

[Carey01]

You can still respond in the topic and talk to others -- you just cant start a new thread.

[va_tony]

I was amazed to see so many questions submitted AND answered during the first few days of the Ask A Doctor Heart Ryhthm forum.  Obviously, ForumMD-MJM was giving very generously of his time to get the new board off the ground successfully. I for one am very appreciative that he did that. I'm sure eveyone else here is too.

IMO it's very sensible to limit the number of free questions to two so that we don't wear out the good doctor's enthusiam for medhelp. Also a $20 fee for additonal questions still represents practically a pro bon service by ForumMD-MJM relative to his usual and customary professional fee. Hopefully, it will make some think twice about asking a redundant question but still not be too high for someone who has an urgent need to ak a question (we all do from time to time, usually just before/after a procedure or doctor's visit).

[Thatch]

I always write down a list of questions before I go to the cardiologist, write stuff down while there and have never got out with all my questions answered. I was looking for answers when I found this place a week or so ago. I know it sounded like a joke but I really do appreciatte the fact that I can get a professional opinion for less $ than my regular copay without leaving the comfort of my office Lazy Boy chair.

Thatch

[FLBrat]

and just think, you dont even have to get dressed!