West Hawaii Today featured a sad headline on Sept. 6.
A dedicated doctor in Kona, Dr. Clifton Arrington, has been portrayed as fraudulent with prescriptions. Why must a professional man who has devoted his life to healing others be portrayed in such a manner? His guilt has not been proven, so why are accusations being strewn across the front page? I understand news must be reported, but why in this manner?
Dr. Arrington is not a pill-pusher. I know this to be true. After I was in a car accident and in a great deal of pain years ago, Dr. Arrington did not offer me pain pills. Instead, he gave me a referral for acupuncture. Dr. Arrington is a doctor who uses alternative methods for healing. For instance, he helped my mother’s joint pain with chelation therapy, he helped her fatigue with hormone therapy, and he never once exhibited “ageism” toward her like many doctors do nowadays.
He treated her like she deserved to be healthy at any age. He always took time to listen to her, and whenever she needed an emergency visit, he never failed to squeeze her into his already full schedule.
For many years, Dr. Arrington has arrived at his office before 6 a.m. to treat his aids and cancer patients and help them live more comfortable lives. He did not hand out pills to them; instead, he performed chelation therapy and gave them vitamin shots.
Perhaps the real criminality here is the underlying suspicion toward a doctor who has dared to heal in unique ways. And yes, there were times I needed a prescription from him over the years.
When my sister was run over by a car and killed, I called Dr. Arrington because I felt cold and I was turning numb all over. He told me to come in immediately, and he gave me a small prescription for the shock I was in.
That prescription helped me get through one of the darkest periods of my life. When I went to him once because I was in unbearable pain with a seasonal sickness — I couldn’t eat and couldn’t sleep — he gave me half a prescription to get through my difficult time.
His act was merciful. This doctor, whether healing alternatively or writing prescriptions, has shown gentle compassion and caring toward his patients for many years. Dr. Arrington did not deserve to be arrested in front of his patients at his office. He has been a popular doctor, one who has helped many people over the years. One year, he won Peoples’ Choice for being the best doctor in West Hawaii, and his walls are lined with the art his patients have given him in gratitude for his dedication to them. To this day, his schedule is booked far ahead with the appointments of people who count on him, young and old alike.
Yvonne Jayne is a resident of Kona.