Ah…. The days where a small cut could mean amputation……
I am really glad I live in the 21st century
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A very close friend, who I’ve known since kindergarten and who I’ve done a lot of really dumb shit with, is a doctor. While I realize he passed med school and is good at his job, I also realize he does the best he can with A) guidelines in his field and B) what he knows. The fact I’ve seen him in Van Wilder scenarios just kind of takes the veil off of it all.
Like any service, and I view doctors as a service more so than an authority, I do my own research, self advocate and ask for the why behind what behind their theories and recommendations, then pick one that I like and I choose to trust them.
TRT is a big one with wildly swinging opinions on dose, application frequency et cetera. I found a doc who basically gives me free rein as long as my labs aren’t going sideways and I’m good with this approach. It doesn’t lose the forest through the trees but also isn’t off the rails irresponsible with cholesterol values/blood pressure et cetera. I trust this approach.
As an aside, he’s open to tracking the effect of supplements and we’ve systematically added some of the popular ones to see what happens. Nothing happens, lol. At least nothing measurable. On full panels.
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100%. I actually said “their modern role is just misunderstood” for those exact reasons.
With so much knowledge and information being accessible, jumping to a tablet (that may come with it’s own problems) for something that may be preventable with lifestyle changes makes absolutely no sense for long-term health. It’s a system set up to mask symptoms rather than fix them. People will still trust a doctor more than themselves though.
I wonder how many identify themselves as having “clinical” depression and take an anti-depressant or anti-psychotic each day? All whilst continuing to drink 30 pints of alcohol a week, live off takeaway food, surround themselves with assholes, and not exercise?
Sure, it’s productive in that it stops them thinking suicidal thoughts but it’s only masking things that are not right in their body and need fixing. In the same way the obese family will go to a supermarket and stack Prilosec on top of their chocolate and fizzy drinks. A doctor hasn’t got the time or the know how to coach somebody through a healthier, more permanent solution. They don’t need to be accountable for that. We do. We do because we all have the ability to expand our knowledge on our own bodies.
(just to add, this is not me saying that there aren’t people who need specific treatments or tablets, of course there are)
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Agree 100%. I don’t think people realize that doctors work for you. (well maybe they are greatly influenced by insurance companies but that’s for a different day.)
Point being, I have 2 doctors, one GP that works with insurance and one that I pay cash for. Guess which one gives me better care?
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Rub some dirt (bug and animal feces) on it. 
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I do! I am fortunate to work in a prehab/rehab facility into occupational health, meaning we deal with anything related to work - illness and/or health. Being part of a brilliant team of physios, psychologists, nurses and coordinators - Result in me being able to do my part (which is broad but for my selection) and also learn from my co-workers.
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That is fantastic, good for you. Genuinely.
Sadly the majority of people don’t get access to that. And whilst there are doctors that go the extra mile, a lot of the time that’s simply not how it goes.
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Over 200,000 people a year die as a result of “medical error.” Around 1000 are killed by police…the vast majority of whom were violently assaulting police…
Trust them quacks??
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I mean, to be fair… for the most part police aren’t dealing with people that have serious health conditions.
They’re also not dealing with violent suspects, but I digress… just shedding light on a troubling trend.
And I agree, as well.
As someone with an undergrad and masters in political science, the amount of people I see who feel entitled to have an opinion on politics and question those who serve that role has me absolutely not shocked to observe the same thing when it relates to medicine.
The lack of trust is fairly equal, and most likely just a manifestation of Dunning Kruger
Hell, think of how many kids question Jim Wendler on 5/3/1, when the dude has legit squatted 1000lbs and coached hundreds of athletes successfully.
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same goes for economics topics. “it’s all supply and demand”
It also goes the other way. My friends in econ often get family members asking about investment, accounting and pretty much anything else that involves money.
I’m not sure I follow. Are you saying having an opinion on politics is an act of entitlement? And that questioning those who serve (I’m reading this as elected politicians) is analogous to questioning the expertise of doctors? Sorry if I misread.
In keeping with the analogy, I am saying that doctors are not the only profession that get questioned by those lacking a formal education or experience in the subject matter, and that, much like how many feel entitled to an opinion on medical practices without such credentials, so too do people do the same about politics. Wanting to emphasize that it’s actually not a situation unique to doctors. Like @anna_5588 pointed out: we see it with economics, and like I pointed out with Jim Wendler, we see it with physical training as well. We see this with MANY fields aside from just doctors.
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Sure, but it’s a very different situation for a general practioner. Jack of all trades, master of nothing. A person invested in their condition whatever that may be is actually pretty likely to know more than the doctor in a typical practice. I guess the correct analogy here would be asking Jim Wendler for advice on becoming a great water polo player. It’s linked to physical training but it’s a level of speciality you simply wouldn’t expect him to have. You can be great at what you do, but an average person can have more knowledge on things more relevant to them. The trouble is many people see doctors as a catch all authority.
If referred to people more specialized in the field you are seeking, then sure… you better be listening. However some doctors will literally google your condition in front of you - which is fair enough sometimes. They simply can’t be expected to know everything. I’d rather do my own research than leave it to their guesswork, and then go through them to try to speak to the more relevant people.
So yeah, if this thread was about GPs… I would use them as a gateway to getting to the right people and nothing else.
This looks familiar
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outside of dealing with acute injuries, the main problem with licensed docs in most of the developed world is that they are chained to what is generally called standard of care. which is usually a cookie cutter approach to any issues, mostly pills. depressed? ssri’s. anxious? ssri’s. low energy? run some basic blood work (don’t even check Testosterone) - you are fine - all in your mind. cancer? yeah we know that nobody survives this type of cancer with chemo/radiation: here is chemo/radiation for you. list goes on.
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“I’m all out of ideas so you’re making it up”.
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I have a secret to share (as a GP for my first speciality). I bet you never knew that many GP’s “specialize” in certain areas of their profession?
You become good at what you practice and have an interest in (apart from what you see over the years).
I can recall the andrology GP (who even wrote books re TRT), the cholesterol PhD GP (who also wrote a book on lipids), the ortho GP (who mastered the art of OMT as far as it went, like many physios), the diabetes freak GP (became PhD in medicine as well as making a study in support of a new diagnostic system), the ADHD GP (who also made this subject his PhD), the asthma/COPD expert GP, the diver’s expert GP, the national tobacco expert GP…
Not forgetting a couple of GP collegues who “collected” 4 different specialities in total (which is a rare combination)!
None of the above tells you whether this doctor is right for you or not - But it may prove there are different breeds in the GP community. But, at the end of the day - If your GP turns to Google for answers - You know we have a problem…
So, where do I fit in all this, you may wonder? Let’s just put it this way: I do my outmost to remain a voice of sanity - In a world gone mad.
I also see the things you see…
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Fortunately, with welding the only opinions I ever really hear are from other welders. And they are uniformly “You suck! I woulda…” .
And in turn I also am quite certain that they suck, and I woulda…
Its how we make each other better. 
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