Michael D. Lockshin, MD

Guarded Prognosis:
A Doctor and His Patients Talk About Chronic Disease and How to Cope With It

ISBN: 9780809053452
ISBN10: 0809053454
Published: Farrar Straus & Giroux
Publish Date: 1998-06-01
Pages: 288
Binding: Hardcover
Dimensions: 1.01 L x 6.31 W x 9.31 H

Description:
When individual and broad social values clash, who should determine the course of action? An important new voice, Michael Lockshin, M.D., speaks out on health care in America today. A noted physician with broad experience in treating long-term, incurable patients, Lockshin shows exactly how our health-care system could be more efficient, less costly, and more humane.
 

Imagine waking up one morning and feeling achy all over. As days pass, the achiness doesn’t go away, and you begin to feel tired, too. Your doctor can’t tell you exactly what’s wrong. So you go to a specialist, but the cause of your symptoms remains a mystery. Dr. Michael Lockshin, director of The Barbara Volcker Center for Women and Rheumatic Disease at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, says the culprit is often an autoimmune disorder. Patients go from doctor to doctor, often for many months, until they are finally diagnosed with one of about 80 chronic illnesses that fall into the cateogory of rheumatic, or autoimmune, diseases. "You cannot underestimate the impact these disorders have on patients, 75 percent of whom are women," Lockshin notes. "The pain and other symptoms are compounded by the fact that they are often told it’s in their head." Autoimmune diseases affect more than 12 million Americans and usually strike without warning. They include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and scleroderma, as well as a host of other ailments. Although these disorders are not well understood, what doctors do know is that the immune system — the very mechanism designed to protect the body against disease — turns on itself, attacking the joints, skin or other organs at random. Still, it isn’t all bad news. Lockshin says that while there is no cure, researchers have made great strides in keeping symptoms in check with new medications, such as Enbrel to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Lockshin, a rheumatologist who has become known as a champion of women’s health issues, recently testified before Congress to raise awareness and increase funding for research into autoimmune diseases. While acknowledging the importance of research, he never loses sight of the patient. In his book, Guarded Prognosis, Lockshin discusses the physical and psychological toll of chronic disease and argues for compassion for the patient who must navigate an increasingly complex health care system. His colleagues chose him as one of the top ten researchers in women’s health in a survey that appeared in a popular women’s magazine. At a recent two-day conference entitled "Gender, Biology and Human Disease" at the Hospital for Special Surgery, dozens of experts from around the country discussed why women are more susceptible to certain diseases. "It was always thought that hormones were responsible," he explains. "There’s going to be an explosion of new ways to look at gender and disease that have never been considered before. And we’ll probably find that hormones are only a small piece of the puzzle." Lockshin says researchers are investigating how other factors, such as genetics, pregnancy and infection may play a role in triggering autoimmune diseases. Once scientists gain a better understanding of what causes these disorders, they can improve diagnosis and treatment and maybe find a cure. About Hospital for Special Surgery Founded in 1863, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is a world leader in orthopedics, rheumatology and rehabilitation. HSS is nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics, No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report, and has received Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. In the 2006 edition of HealthGrades' Hospital Quality in America Study, HSS received five-star ratings for clinical excellence in its specialties. A member of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and an affiliate of Weill Medical College of Cornell University, HSS provides orthopedic and rheumatologic patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital at New York Weill Cornell Medical Center. All Hospital for Special Surgery medical staff are on the faculty of Weill Medical College of Cornell University. The hospital's research division is internationally recognized as a leader in the investigation of musculoskeletal and autoimmune diseases. Hospital for Special Surgery is located in New York City and online at www.hss.edu. New York, NY—March 1, 1999 See the complete news release on the Hospital for Special Surgery’s web site

Follow the links below to the Hospital for Special Surgery web site and read Dr. Lockshin’s articles about Sex and Autoimmune Disease:

• Autoimmune Disease: Does Sex Matter?
  Current Theories
• Gender and Rheumatoid Arthritis
  Summary of a presentation at the Living with RA Workshop at HSS

Grateful for the extraordinary care they have received at Hospital for Special Surgery, Maria and Morris Coppersmith have chosen to name the Hospital in their wills.

“My wife and I want to leave our estate to organizations that have made an impact on our lives, such as HSS, especially because we don’t have any children,” says Mr. Coppersmith.

In 2002, Mrs. Coppersmith was diagnosed with a rare but debilitating condition that caused numbness in her legs and arms. After undergoing a series of unsuccessful treatments at another hospital, she was referred to Michael Lockshin, MD, a rheumatology specialist at HSS with a keen interest in Mrs. Coppersmith’s condition. Dr. Lockshin would eventually become Mrs. Coppersmith’s primary care physician. In 2005, he enrolled her in a clinical trial measuring the success of a new therapy for her illness.

“Dr. Lockshin is one of only a few physicians who is familiar with Maria’s condition,” Mr. Coppersmith said. “Under his care, she has found both comfort and relief.”

Born in Colombia, Mrs. Coppersmith immigrated to New York nearly 44 years ago, where she pursued a career in the textile industry. She met Mr. Coppersmith when they lived in the same development in the Bronx, the borough in which he was born and raised. A graduate of Stuyvesant High School and City College of New York, Mr. Coppersmith worked as a mechanical engineer for R. Hoe and Co., where he designed printing press machinery for the New York Times and color presses for Conde Nast. He joined the engineering department at Con Edison in 1971 and remained there until his retirement in 1991. Today, the couple shares a passion for camping in places such as Canada, Mexico, and California.

The Coppersmith’s thoughtful bequest to HSS will serve as an important source of support for future basic science and clinical investigations into rheumatic diseases undertaken by Dr. Lockshin and his colleagues. “I am confident that every penny HSS receives from us will be used in accordance with our wishes,” Mr. Coppersmith remarked.

See the complete news release on the Hospital for Special Surgery’s web site