"Doctor, how's your case going?"

Fighting the good fight while refusing to be a victim

Dear Friends,

With the recent publicity surrounding the Board of Internal Medicine sanctioning my outstanding physician colleagues Dr. Pierre Kory and Dr. Paul Marik, I figured the time was right to update you all on my case (and thank you for your prayers and inquiries).

Backstory:

The state medical commission adopted — without due process — a COVID-19 misinformation statement which had been promoted nationwide by the Federation for State Medical Boards (itself an organization riddled with conflicts of interest and corruption, as documented in this recent piece by my friend and colleague, Dr. Kory).

Among other things, this defined the use of Ivermectin or Hydroxychloroquine as malpractice (because they were not FDA-approved for this usage) and encouraged members of the public to report such activity… Not too long afterward my name was caught in the dragnet, and several anonymous complaints were made. (Interestingly, none of them were by patients or family members — who were all pleased with the medications and their outcomes).

The board initiated the investigation, turned the case over for prosecution to the Attorney General’s office, and then reconvened as the jury on the whole matter. Hmmnn.…

Verdict? “The Respondent’s license to practice as a physician and surgeon in the state of Washington is restricted and placed on oversight.”

They concluded that my use of Ivermectin, and methods of telemedicine, violated the '“standard of care” and thus created a “harm or risk of harm” for several patients.

To be charitable, I can say that I did (unknowingly) violate certain telemedicine rules by not having a face-to-face (i.e. video call) interaction with each patient (something which had previously been allowed but was changed in 2019). In my defense, I can only say that in the midst of crushing demand, with the limited schedule in my solo independent practice, I created what I thought was a legal mechanism for healthy, asymptomatic patients to receive medication via a phone call and/or email dialogue.

I will not belabor you with all the details, but only highlight some facts from their most serious accusation:

A 74-year-old male patient with a history of lung problems came to me six days after contracting COVID. I was concerned about his respiratory status and outlined a plan consisting of:

• Nebulized medications

• Vitamins and supplements to boost immune function

• Ivermectin

• Purchasing an O2 monitor with instructions to present to the hospital if he deteriorates.

• Follow-up with me in 7-10 days (which he declined).

This gentleman actually did very well after our visit, with a resolving cough and improved energy. Six days later he presented to the ER after declining a bit — though not terribly, since on intake he said he was “doing well” and had not been needing his inhalers.

He was admitted to the hospital where he he slowly deteriorated over the next few weeks. At some point they found his liver enzymes to be elevated, which Doctor #1 said was “consistent with his COVID infection,” Doctor #2 said “suspect due to COVID,” but Doctor #3 (also the prosecution’s chief witness) broke ranks and figured might be from the Ivermectin I gave him two weeks prior. Because of these elevations, they could not give him Remdesevir.

He deteriorated further, and, tragically, passed away. I was faulted because:

• I prescribed Ivermectin “without sufficient evidence that it was an effective treatment for COVID-19.”

  • Really?

• My ivermectin was “possibly” linked to his liver enzyme elevations

  • According to the definitive guide published by the NIH (“Livertox”), “Ivermectin is usually well tolerated, and the liver injury reported with its use has been mild and self-limited in course. Ivermectin has not been associated with acute liver failure or chronic liver injury” (emphasis mine). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK548921/#Ivermectin.OVERVIEW

  • Despite the fact that the first two doctors who treated him did not even mention Ivermectin and wrote in the hospital record that his liver problems were due to his COVID infection. It was the third doctor who thought Ivermectin was likely responsible, filed the complaint, and then became the state’s chief witness against me.

  • Both of the state’s witnesses admitted under oath that they could not definitely say that Ivermectin was the cause of the patient’s liver problems to the exclusion of other possibilities.

  • The hospital gave him several potent medications known to potentially cause liver damage.

• These liver enzymes prevented him from getting Remdesevir.

  • And they consider that helpful??!!

• I did not discuss getting the vaccine with him.

  • Ditto.

• I did not arrange for monoclonals

  • I am a fan of monoclonals and have nothing against them, but they were in short supply at this time, this patient lived hundreds of miles away, and my staff often encountered delays of more than 5 days, with multiple back-and-forth calls, to try and arrange them in such circumstances. Thus, I contend that the best plan for the patient is the one that can actually work, not the one that looks best on paper.

As a consequence, I have been told that I:

• Cannot prescribe Ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 “until such time as the FDA has approved it for such indications.”

  • Let’s just say, I am not holding my breath.

• Must attend three Continuing Medical Education (CME) classes on treating COVID-19, Record Keeping, and Telemedicine.

• Submit a minimum 1,000-word essay, with references, on “how I intend to reshape my medical practice in light of what I have learned from the CME.”

• Pay a $5,000 fine to the commission.

Apart from how this personally effects me, this is a matter of grave concern for all doctors and patients everywhere.

Why patients should care:

• When doctors are censored and disciplined for reasonably dissenting views, how can you know you are getting access to the best ideas?

• Do you trust the FDA to act in your best health interests?

In the words of Dr. Paul Marik, “Let doctors be doctors”, and in these eloquent words from Dr. Kory,

"This fight is about more than just our right to speak—it's about protecting the future of healthcare. When doctors are silenced for questioning the prevailing narrative, we all lose,” said Dr. Pierre Kory. “We must ensure that medical decisions are guided by expertise and evidence, not by fear of reprisal. Our commitment is to every physician’s freedom to practice medicine based on what they know is right."

Why healthcare providers should care:

The Commission has drawn an alarming line in the sand by defining “standard of care” as being what the FDA approves. This is curious because the FDA does not even take this responsibility for itself, having stated that  once it approves a drug, “a physician may prescribe it for uses or in treatment regimens or patient populations that are not included in approved labeling[i]”, and again, “healthcare providers generally may prescribe [a] drug for an unapproved use when they judge that it is medically appropriate for their patient.” Nothing in the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”) “limits the manner in which a physician may use an approved drug[ii].”

---

[i] FDA Drug Bulletin at 5, April 1982

[ii] US Food and Drug Administration, Understanding Unapproved Use of Approved Drugs “Off Label”, Feb 5, 2018

If the Commission were to be fair and consistent with this logic, then they should be prosecuting all doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and hospitals who use any medications in a manner not expressly approved by the FDA. (Why stop with Ivermectin?)

To not do so indicates either cowardice, gross inconsistency with a special animus towards Ivermectin (“Winner, winner, chicken dinner!), or a dangerous legal precedent that opens the door to potential future prosecution of the medical community. As Dr. Marik stated in a recent FLCCC webinar:

“True progress in medicine depends on the free exchange of ideas and the courage to challenge established norms,” said Dr. Paul Marik.

“Without open scientific debate, we risk losing the opportunity to discover better treatments, such as proven repurposed drugs for new viruses, and to provide the best patient care and save lives. It's essential that we continue to discuss and debate all perspectives if we are to uphold the integrity of our profession.”

What we are doing about it:

• Our organization has planned ahead and we are able to continue to help people via our First Nations Medical Board certification (!) (Thank you, Dr. Kory, for making us aware of this option.)

• We are fighting back legally: I am listed as the chief plaintiff in a little piece of jurisprudence called Turner et al. vs. Washington Medical Commission lawsuit  (accompanied by fellow intrepid doctors like Dr. Renata Moon, Dr. Ryan Cole, and Dr. Richard Wilkinson). Now that all hearings are finalized, we will be petitioning the court so that the suit can proceed.  We hope to be able to prove that the WMC applied a rule without using the proper procedure, thus invalidating the cases against all of us.

• I tried to withdraw from the Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and received this response:

Hello,

I have confirmed that we do not currently have an option to withdraw or resign from board certification. The applicable option remains to allow the certification to lapse. Also, depending on the outcome of the WA Medical Commission, the board may, at its discretion, revoke certification.

You may review our policies here.

Thank you,

So that’s an interesting concept for an organization: You can never voluntarily leave, but they indefinitely reserve the right to sanction you…

In any case, dear friends, we are not going to allow ourselves to feel victimized and bitter, okay? Cause that’s not good for the soul.

Let’s make living well and being healthy the best revenge.

So raise a glass (of purified water, Kombucha or healthy smoothie, haha..), grab some nattokinase or NAC, get that cabinet stocked with some IVM and HCQ, and give 3 cheers for the freedoms and opportunities we still have before us, by the grace of God.

Deal? Deal!

With Very Best Wishes for Your Health and Wellness,

I Remain, Most Truly Yours,

P.S. Learn How To Remove the Spike Protein from your body

P.S.S. Do you need to arrange preventative options for COVID-19?

Or active treatment for COVID, Long COVID, or vaccine complications?

About Dr. Turner:

Michael K. Turner, M.D., is a graduate of Stanford University, Harvard Medical School and The Mayo Clinic. He practices Integrative Medicine in his own national concierge practice, providing personalized approaches (including hormones, sleep, recovery, nutrition, supplements and exercise) to help people achieve their optimal state of health. Called “genuine”, “caring”, and “the best doctor in the world” by patients, he brings a high degree of empathy, trademark optimism, and a holistic approach to patient care. He brings a passion for excellence to everything he does. He believes in living and modeling a healthy, balanced lifestyle.  

What would it feel like to be as healthy as you could possibly be?

I would be glad to connect with you at www.MichaelTurnerMD.com