"Earth Blood" - A Shaman's magic blend of all natural / organic ingredients

It’s amazing what you learn from other cultures – in this case a magic health potion. But that’s the fun that comes from traveling with an eye for health and an appetite for adventure.

There’s a reason why I love Cozumel. It’s a beautiful island off the eastern tip of Mexico, the site of ancient Maya ruins, has perfect weather and accessible beaches. Also it helped that I was there week after week.

Lucky me, I worked on a cruise ship and Cozumel was one of our ports-of-call. Beautiful places leave lasting memories, but so do some of the people you meet along the way. Flavio was one of those.

I became acquainted with Flavio, a native Mexican who was working in one of the Cozumel shops. He was of Mayan descent in his early thirties tall, with bush hair, was anorexic thin and quite interesting to talk to.

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One Wednesday, our day in port, I stopped in his shop and he invited me to see his home. He was remodeling his place and also promised to make me a special health drink called “Earth Blood.” (more…)

With a little help from her friends - a patient gets needed hip replacement surgery in Costa Rica

The onset of a disabling condition requiring hip replacement surgery has created a mountain of pain and frustration for a Sarasota, Fla. woman whose friends have raised the money to send her to Costa Rica for a hip replacement.

Cherie Downie was laid off from her employment last February.  “I’ve worked in non-profit helping people for about 25 years,” said Downie, and I had no health insurance when I got laid off. 

She’s 64 years old, but she feels she can’t wait another year until she’s 65 and on Medicare to get the operation she needs.  “I need my life back,” said Downie, “I’m in excruciating pain which is getting worse by the day.  It’s a bone-on-bone situation and has been for about a year.” 

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The following interview was conducted as Cheri Downie and her sister were preparing to fly to Costa Rica on July 4^th for hip surgery. (more…)

A day in the life of Dr. Carlos Troconis Chief Cardiac Surgeon in Santiago, D.R.

Its 12:45am and I am in the Pediatric ICU unit of Hospital Metropolitano of Santiago, Dominican Republic; side by side with Dr Carlos Troconis, a dedicated pediatric heart surgeon who toils in this hospital to save lives.

Dr Troconis and I spent the day together visiting HOMS, the newest hospital in the Caribbean basin. A spectacular modern, digital, 250 bed hospital facility. We finally sat down for dinner at 10pm and headed to his apartment when the cell phone range and he was called to treat a child in serious condition due to Dange Fever.

While not a cardiac case, and therefore it is doubtful that he will even get paid; Dr Troconis is often called in the middle of the night to help save a child’s life. The handsome man, with silver hair, drops everything and hurries to perform complex interventional and surgical procedures on small babies and children.

Earlier in the day, we responded to an urgent call to evaluate a case of a 9 month old baby from Trinidad who needs cardiac surgery.  Dr Troconis our lead surgical medical director in the Dominican Republic, is pleased to help, responding to a higher authority. Carlos has been toiling for seven years to build a great program in Santiago, the second largest city in the D.R.  It is finally coming together.

Dr Troconis is one of some ten doctors who work with us to ensure that the highest standards of quality are applied in the care of our patients. He is a professional of the highest caliber. The type I would want to operate on my kids.

Its 1am…there is no end in sight to this case . . . and we have a full day tomorrow. 

Its now 1:30am, while Dr Troconis waits for the anasthisiologist, we make a run for the apartment. He drops me off and returns to the hospital. I go to sleep at 150am. Carlos has a white night. Another day (and night) at the office.   To be continued. . .

Medical Tourism - the buzzword that opens the door to search for all types of medical travel

The phrase began as a buzzword coined by travel agents to describe combining a vacation with a light medical procedure – resulting in such significant savings that you could cover the cost of your entire vacation. 

Dental tourism is a good example of the use of medical tourism.  Dental tourism is still the “toe in water” experience for a person’s first medical traveller trip across a border to shave several thousand dollars off the “parts list” they get from their local dentist. 

I think it’s fair to say it’s ”sticker shock” that first motivates people to take an interest in medical travel. 

Dental Towns like Algodones, Mexico, have grown up to serve this “medical vacation” need.  You’ll find hundreds of seniors and people of all ages, Europeans, Canadians and Americans all walking the streets and visiting with locals in between dental appointments and visits to the pharmacies and eye glass doctors. 

By contrast, this is not the same reason why a medical traveller would go to Tijuana – but then Tijuana has a different offering, as the article on “For heart surgery, head for the border?” published 7/19 on Marketplace.

And hence the “fuss” over the term Medical Tourism being used to loosely describe the wider scope of medical travel, for example major surgery. 

Is it Medical Tourism, Medical Vacation, Medical Travel, Surgical Travel or Health Travel? (more…)