As normal everyday working Joes and Janes it’s so easy for us to sit here and judge Hollywood doctors who befriend celebrities and write prescriptions for them that they may or may not need but have you ever dealt with an HMO? On an HMO, by the time you GET the medication that you NEED, you are almost DEAD! If authorities want to investigate illegal medical practices they should start with HMO’s. I don’t know which is worse.. having the medications you DON’T need or not being able to get the medications you DO need. BOTH would seem to be cause for some people dying unnecessarily and I’m sure it has happened. In addition, I have known people who have had HMOs and watched them suffer needlessly just to see a specialist for something minor.
Celebrities on the magnitude of the late Michael and his sister Janet deserve to have anonymity when it comes to their medical issues. Chances are, it’s not going to happen if they use their real names or if they casually stroll into a medical office in ANY city to be treated, ESPECIALLY in Hollywood. When you really think about it, if they have a medical issue, what hospital or doctor’s office in the world could Michael or Janet have gone to and not be recognized? The reporters, tabloids and blogs can be beasts and on most occasions in Hollywood they are staking out medical office locations in the hopes of getting a picture and information of a star who may be ill. In some cases they even go through a celebrity’s garbage to see what they can find. The reporter business has become so big in Hollywood, with the advent of blogs making the competition fierce, that ruthless independent reporters and photographers have joined in on the trend, damn near quadrupling the amount of paparazzi that now man the streets of Hollywood in search of a lead. Getting the story or picture has become the drug of choice for the paparazzi and this is their addiction. With the potential money they could make from the right picture, it’s easy to understand their desire.
Celebrities are all about image but they desire a level of privacy which is often the trade off for their celebrity, it’s not guaranteed but they fight endlessly to have it. If their medical information gets out it could hurt their careers so they must protect it. To a large extent, it is necessary that they have personal relationships with doctors. The problem starts when the relationship takes a turn and the doctor is in awe of the Hollywood lifestyle and wants more high profile clients and he knows the way to get them is to befriend his current celebrity client and give him or her what she wants. We have seen this take place with plastic surgery. The trend has gotten entirely out of hand in Hollywood, leaving many women, with a mad desire to remain young and beautiful, looking like transvestites.
Danger lurks when the doctor and celebrity patient relationship becomes a referral business to other celebrities. Sure, I could see how the celebrity could not be feeling well and call the doctor for a prescription and ask for it in an alias and the doctor would grant it and Deepak Chopra is right, it’s no different than buying drugs off the street. Nevertheless, the stress of touring, constant dancing and performing has to put an incredible working toll on the body that will eventually demand medical intervention, at times even abusive intervention. None of us can relate to that and the only reason I can is because I’ve been around the Hollywood scene for so many years. Just about every celebrity I have ever met, including Janet, are always cordial but there is a wall that will only let you in so far, they don’t often trust ANYONE and with good reason so why would they trust the people in a doctor’s office setting?
Finally, none of us know what it is like to be an iconic superstar or even a star (unless you are one). The demands and the pressure with each project has to be incredible and stressful but all we see is the end result, the smiles the waves and the laughter. You would be amazed at what goes on behind the scenes. I don’t know what the toxicology reports will reveal on Michael, then again I have an idea. I can only say, whatever the outcome… none of us can ever know what it was like to be him.
So true, and on point once again Kev!
[...] More info…As normal everyday working Joes and Janes its so easy for us to sit here and judge Hollywood doctors who befriend celebrities and write prescriptions for them that they may or may not need but have you ever dealt with an HMO? On an HMO, by the time you GET the medication that you NEED, you are almost DEAD! If authorities want to investigate illegal medical practices they should start with HMOs. I dont know which is worse.. having the medications you DONT need or not being able to get the med [...]
Again very well stated and on point!