Meet Dr. James Delashaw.
He looks like your regular, friendly neurosurgeon. But if you were to have back pain, this man would be your worst enemy.
Dr. Delashaw quickly became a multi-millionaire as Seattle’s “star neurosurgeon,” not because he helped patients, but because he turned spinal fusions into a literal ATM machine.
Patients never needed the surgeries. Complications soared, and staff quit. But money soared even higher, so he was protected—until he was caught.
The truth is, Delashaw is not an outlier—he’s the blueprint for how the entire spinal-surgery industry really works.
And once you hear what happened to his patient, Talia, it will make your blood boil. 🧵
He looks like your regular, friendly neurosurgeon. But if you were to have back pain, this man would be your worst enemy.
Dr. Delashaw quickly became a multi-millionaire as Seattle’s “star neurosurgeon,” not because he helped patients, but because he turned spinal fusions into a literal ATM machine.
Patients never needed the surgeries. Complications soared, and staff quit. But money soared even higher, so he was protected—until he was caught.
The truth is, Delashaw is not an outlier—he’s the blueprint for how the entire spinal-surgery industry really works.
And once you hear what happened to his patient, Talia, it will make your blood boil. 🧵
Spinal pain is one of the biggest medical cash cows in America.
The system doesn’t just mismanage back and neck pain… it literally profits from making it worse.
Weakened ligaments are the root cause of many spinal problems. When they fail, joints wear down, discs bulge, nerves get irritated, and muscles clamp down.
The entire spine becomes a war zone.
So strengthening ligaments seems like an obvious course of action, right?
Yes. Unless your goal isn’t healing.
The system doesn’t just mismanage back and neck pain… it literally profits from making it worse.
Weakened ligaments are the root cause of many spinal problems. When they fail, joints wear down, discs bulge, nerves get irritated, and muscles clamp down.
The entire spine becomes a war zone.
So strengthening ligaments seems like an obvious course of action, right?
Yes. Unless your goal isn’t healing.
The information in this thread comes from the work of medical researcher @MidwesternDoc. For all the sources and details, read the full report below.
midwesterndoctor.com/p/the-many-dan…
midwesterndoctor.com/p/the-many-dan…
Instead of fixing the weakened ligaments, the system reaches for one of its favorite bandages: spinal steroid injections.
They calm inflammation temporarily, but they also weaken ligaments even more, worsening the underlying issue.
Yikes!
It’s a “treatment” that creates the need for more treatment. A perfect recurring revenue model.
And their rise had nothing to do with strong evidence—it was driven by insurance reimbursement.
They calm inflammation temporarily, but they also weaken ligaments even more, worsening the underlying issue.
Yikes!
It’s a “treatment” that creates the need for more treatment. A perfect recurring revenue model.
And their rise had nothing to do with strong evidence—it was driven by insurance reimbursement.
But when insurers eventually lowered reimbursements, the number of injections didn’t go down.
It exploded!
Doctors decided to perform more injections to make up for lost revenue.
When profit per procedure drops, procedure volume skyrockets.
It’s not about health at all.
And that same formula set the stage for something even more dangerous—the highly profitable business of spinal surgery.
It exploded!
Doctors decided to perform more injections to make up for lost revenue.
When profit per procedure drops, procedure volume skyrockets.
It’s not about health at all.
And that same formula set the stage for something even more dangerous—the highly profitable business of spinal surgery.
@MidwesternDoc What’s happening behind the scenes of spinal medicine is much darker than you think. Check out @MidwesternDoc’s full report for more information.
midwesterndoctor.com/p/the-many-dan…
midwesterndoctor.com/p/the-many-dan…
Talia’s story, for example.
She has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome—a condition that actually responds well to non-invasive care.
Instead of trying non-invasive options, she was convinced by Seattle’s star neurosurgeon, Dr. Johnny Delashaw, to undergo a risky cervical fusion.
He told Talia’s family that the surgery went perfectly. But it didn’t.
As she woke up, Talia’s airway began to collapse. She vomited, and she struggled to breathe. Her dad (who happened to be a physician himself) begged hospital staff to take it seriously.
But they dismissed him, too.
She has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome—a condition that actually responds well to non-invasive care.
Instead of trying non-invasive options, she was convinced by Seattle’s star neurosurgeon, Dr. Johnny Delashaw, to undergo a risky cervical fusion.
He told Talia’s family that the surgery went perfectly. But it didn’t.
As she woke up, Talia’s airway began to collapse. She vomited, and she struggled to breathe. Her dad (who happened to be a physician himself) begged hospital staff to take it seriously.
But they dismissed him, too.
Her father knew the risk instantly. Cervical swelling can close the airway. And once it shuts, intubation becomes nearly impossible because the neck can’t flex after a fusion! It was literally a crisis situation.
He begged for ICU monitoring. He begged for a cricothyrotomy kit (the only lifesaving tool if her airway did end up closing).
But hospital staff still repeatedly brushed him off.
Talia’s voice got raspy, her jaw froze, and breathing worsened even more. But the staff insisted she was “fine.”
He begged for ICU monitoring. He begged for a cricothyrotomy kit (the only lifesaving tool if her airway did end up closing).
But hospital staff still repeatedly brushed him off.
Talia’s voice got raspy, her jaw froze, and breathing worsened even more. But the staff insisted she was “fine.”
Talia was not fine. 24 hours later, her airway shut—just as her father feared it would.
Staff tried to intubate her—a physical impossibility under those conditions. Precious minutes were wasted.
Her father begged again for the emergency cricothyrotomy.
They still refused.
After twenty minutes without oxygen, Talia went into cardiac arrest and died.
After she took her last breath, hospital staff finally called for the cricothyrotomy kit.
It wasn’t even in the room yet.
Talia’s father quit medicine then and there.
Even with such a knowledgeable and experienced advocate by her side, the hospital still killed Talia.
Staff tried to intubate her—a physical impossibility under those conditions. Precious minutes were wasted.
Her father begged again for the emergency cricothyrotomy.
They still refused.
After twenty minutes without oxygen, Talia went into cardiac arrest and died.
After she took her last breath, hospital staff finally called for the cricothyrotomy kit.
It wasn’t even in the room yet.
Talia’s father quit medicine then and there.
Even with such a knowledgeable and experienced advocate by her side, the hospital still killed Talia.
@MidwesternDoc The investigation into this surgeon uncovered one of the most disturbing hospital business models I’ve ever seen. Don’t miss it.
midwesterndoctor.com/p/the-many-dan…
midwesterndoctor.com/p/the-many-dan…
After this completely avoidable tragedy, The Seattle Times investigated Dr. Johnny Delashaw. What they found was jaw-dropping.
Before Seattle, he worked at UC Irvine, where administrators openly recruited him for one reason and one reason only: money.
They gave him a $900,000 salary plus commissions on surgeries he performed—and even on surgeries he convinced others to perform!
He became a revenue machine.
He also triple-booked operating rooms, delegated surgeries to trainees, and pushed patients into high-risk procedures they didn’t need.
Because money.
Before Seattle, he worked at UC Irvine, where administrators openly recruited him for one reason and one reason only: money.
They gave him a $900,000 salary plus commissions on surgeries he performed—and even on surgeries he convinced others to perform!
He became a revenue machine.
He also triple-booked operating rooms, delegated surgeries to trainees, and pushed patients into high-risk procedures they didn’t need.
Because money.
Colleagues repeatedly tried to stop him.
They documented reckless surgeries, unjustified surgeries, fraudulent billing (including cases where he didn’t actually perform the operation), and complication rates that were off the charts.
But UC Irvine didn’t seem to mind. In fact, they protected him.
He made too much money—they didn’t want to lose him!
When he moved to Seattle, administrators again overrode internal objections and hired him anyway. Once there, he transformed the neurosurgery department into a conveyor belt of invasive, high-profit procedures.
Complications soared. But money soared even higher.
They documented reckless surgeries, unjustified surgeries, fraudulent billing (including cases where he didn’t actually perform the operation), and complication rates that were off the charts.
But UC Irvine didn’t seem to mind. In fact, they protected him.
He made too much money—they didn’t want to lose him!
When he moved to Seattle, administrators again overrode internal objections and hired him anyway. Once there, he transformed the neurosurgery department into a conveyor belt of invasive, high-profit procedures.
Complications soared. But money soared even higher.
The most egregious pattern involved aneurysm surgeries.
A safer, less invasive approach existed, but Delashaw pushed for the riskier, more lucrative one. He increased its use fivefold.
Complications skyrocketed—again.
Colleagues actually fled the hospital.
Yet administrators rewarded him, paid him over $2 million a year, and even after a medical board investigation, he walked away with no sanctions!
The system protected him every step of the way.
Profit over people to an extreme.
A safer, less invasive approach existed, but Delashaw pushed for the riskier, more lucrative one. He increased its use fivefold.
Complications skyrocketed—again.
Colleagues actually fled the hospital.
Yet administrators rewarded him, paid him over $2 million a year, and even after a medical board investigation, he walked away with no sanctions!
The system protected him every step of the way.
Profit over people to an extreme.
Contrary to what most people have been led to believe, hospitals don’t reward safety. They reward revenue.
Unethical doctors thrive because they bring in money. Ethical doctors get punished when they threaten profits.
Because it’s a business model. It’s not about healing. Healed patients mean lost customers.
Unethical doctors thrive because they bring in money. Ethical doctors get punished when they threaten profits.
Because it’s a business model. It’s not about healing. Healed patients mean lost customers.
This same thing played out during the COVID pandemic.
Doctors who tried to save patients with low-cost treatments were silenced.
Doctors who followed deadly but profitable protocols faced zero consequences.
Hospitals even coordinated legal strategies to stop the use of ivermectin! Despite court-ordered cases having a 95% survival rate!
Doctors who tried to save patients with low-cost treatments were silenced.
Doctors who followed deadly but profitable protocols faced zero consequences.
Hospitals even coordinated legal strategies to stop the use of ivermectin! Despite court-ordered cases having a 95% survival rate!
@MidwesternDoc Think spinal surgery is always necessary? Think again. The real data will stun you.
Don’t miss the full breakdown from @MidwesternDoc.
midwesterndoctor.com/p/the-many-dan…
Don’t miss the full breakdown from @MidwesternDoc.
midwesterndoctor.com/p/the-many-dan…
So what does the evidence say about spinal surgery?
Spinal surgery, especially fusions, is nowhere near as effective as most people assume and are led to believe.
Only patients with pain plus clear neurological deficits consistently benefit.
Yet thousands of surgeries are performed on people who don’t fit that category.
And during Dr. Delashaw’s tenure in Seattle, rates of medically unjustifiable lumbar fusions surged!
Spinal surgery, especially fusions, is nowhere near as effective as most people assume and are led to believe.
Only patients with pain plus clear neurological deficits consistently benefit.
Yet thousands of surgeries are performed on people who don’t fit that category.
And during Dr. Delashaw’s tenure in Seattle, rates of medically unjustifiable lumbar fusions surged!
Spinal surgeries can be put into the following three categories:
• Emergency fracture repairs—completely necessary
• Laminectomies—often effective, especially in the lumbar spine
• Fusions and hardware-heavy procedures—the most dangerous and least justified
People absolutely exist whose lives were positively transformed by surgery. But far too many lives have been negatively transformed.
And they almost always say the same thing: “If I could go back in time, I’d never have done it.”
• Emergency fracture repairs—completely necessary
• Laminectomies—often effective, especially in the lumbar spine
• Fusions and hardware-heavy procedures—the most dangerous and least justified
People absolutely exist whose lives were positively transformed by surgery. But far too many lives have been negatively transformed.
And they almost always say the same thing: “If I could go back in time, I’d never have done it.”
The long-term risks of fusions are absolutely brutal:
• Loss of mobility
• Adjacent vertebrae breaking down
• Hardware failure
• Repeat surgeries
• Chronic pain
• Nerve injury
• Arachnoiditis
• Metallosis from toxic implant metals
How many of these patients are fully informed of the risks before agreeing to the surgery?
Some patients even get counterfeit hardware or components that were never properly tested. Hospitals use them because they’re profitable. Patients rarely know what’s being implanted into their spine.
• Loss of mobility
• Adjacent vertebrae breaking down
• Hardware failure
• Repeat surgeries
• Chronic pain
• Nerve injury
• Arachnoiditis
• Metallosis from toxic implant metals
How many of these patients are fully informed of the risks before agreeing to the surgery?
Some patients even get counterfeit hardware or components that were never properly tested. Hospitals use them because they’re profitable. Patients rarely know what’s being implanted into their spine.
Metal poisoning from implants is especially terrible.
These metals can corrode—INSIDE THE BODY—then enter the bloodstream, and trigger neurological and immune problems. Many doctors don’t recognize the symptoms.
At least one patient suffering from this horrible side effect chose medically assisted suicide after being told her illness was “incurable.”
Her symptoms were textbook metallosis, but no one realized it.
Profit, once again, trumped patient safety.
She wanted to solve her pain and ended up taking her life in the end. The healthcare system failed her. An absolutely tragic story.
These metals can corrode—INSIDE THE BODY—then enter the bloodstream, and trigger neurological and immune problems. Many doctors don’t recognize the symptoms.
At least one patient suffering from this horrible side effect chose medically assisted suicide after being told her illness was “incurable.”
Her symptoms were textbook metallosis, but no one realized it.
Profit, once again, trumped patient safety.
She wanted to solve her pain and ended up taking her life in the end. The healthcare system failed her. An absolutely tragic story.
What we need to understand about the spine (and the entire body) is that it’s not just structural—it’s energetic.
And metal hardware disrupts your energetic flow.
One vaccine-injured patient’s neurological symptoms were eventually traced back to a fusion site. A skilled Chinese medicine practitioner restored function by unblocking the Qi in that area.
You don’t have to believe in energetic medicine to see the outcome.
The body reacts poorly when its central structural and energetic highway is locked down.
And metal hardware disrupts your energetic flow.
One vaccine-injured patient’s neurological symptoms were eventually traced back to a fusion site. A skilled Chinese medicine practitioner restored function by unblocking the Qi in that area.
You don’t have to believe in energetic medicine to see the outcome.
The body reacts poorly when its central structural and energetic highway is locked down.
If you’re ever offered a spinal surgery—especially a spinal fusion—do your research, get a second opinion, and try available non-invasive options first.
Unless the problem is truly urgent—or neurological deficits are clearly present—surgery should be your last option, not your first.
Thankfully, many spinal conditions respond remarkably well to conservative non-invasive care.
The problem lies in the fact that conservative care isn’t profitable, so you rarely hear about it.
But if your goal is to heal, that’s where you should start.
Unless the problem is truly urgent—or neurological deficits are clearly present—surgery should be your last option, not your first.
Thankfully, many spinal conditions respond remarkably well to conservative non-invasive care.
The problem lies in the fact that conservative care isn’t profitable, so you rarely hear about it.
But if your goal is to heal, that’s where you should start.
The most effective approaches for spinal conditions include:
• Skilled spinal manipulation (performed by someone who doesn’t use aggressive “popping”)
• Correcting muscular imbalances like upper-cross syndrome
• Decompression techniques to relieve disc pressure
When done properly, these can resolve or dramatically reduce pain.
If issues persist, look at regenerative therapies for ligament instability and deeper muscular dysfunction.
The most important thing to remember is that most cases can be resolved without surgery. You just have to find what works best for your particular situation.
• Skilled spinal manipulation (performed by someone who doesn’t use aggressive “popping”)
• Correcting muscular imbalances like upper-cross syndrome
• Decompression techniques to relieve disc pressure
When done properly, these can resolve or dramatically reduce pain.
If issues persist, look at regenerative therapies for ligament instability and deeper muscular dysfunction.
The most important thing to remember is that most cases can be resolved without surgery. You just have to find what works best for your particular situation.
America’s spinal-care industry is built to maximize revenue, not positive outcomes.
Many doctors push high-risk procedures, and the industry punishes anyone who threatens the profit pipeline.
Patients believe surgery is recommended for their benefit because they trust the system.
But the harsh reality is that most spinal surgeries are performed because they are profitable, not because they are necessary or lead to healing.
And once you enter the surgical pipeline, the consequences can unfortunately last a lifetime.
Don’t be a victim. Take back control of your health.
Many doctors push high-risk procedures, and the industry punishes anyone who threatens the profit pipeline.
Patients believe surgery is recommended for their benefit because they trust the system.
But the harsh reality is that most spinal surgeries are performed because they are profitable, not because they are necessary or lead to healing.
And once you enter the surgical pipeline, the consequences can unfortunately last a lifetime.
Don’t be a victim. Take back control of your health.
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