Is Anyone Else Here Afraid of the Medical Profession?

[leftyladyfrommo]

I have gotten afraid to go to the doctor - unless its something like the flu or a backache or something.

They don't take the time they need to.

They order tests that can be very dangerous. (I have several friends whose lives have been ruined by tests that went wrong).

I am afraid of the side affects of the medicines they tell you to take.

I am just going it on my own.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. No, but I live in a tiny town and have very nice docs at our clinic

[raccoon]

2. I am too. I only go when I ABSOLUTELY have to.

I admit, I'm prejudiced. Some years ago, I had a condition that they didn't help me with at all. For the most part, their treatment was dismissive and condescending.

Now I know doctors aren't ALWAYS like that, and on other occasions, they have really helped me.

BTW I doubt they could do much for the flu anyway. Except tell you to get lots of bed rest and drink lots of fluids.

[leftyladyfrommo]

3. Well - I would go if I broke a bone.

[Skidmore]

4. I'm pretty disgusted with them.

Last year I was sent in for a sleep apnea test and subsequently given a prescription for a CPAP machine. Diagnostic test and fitting and the machine ran in the range of $10,000. If my doctor had bothered to take the time to check my neck and prescribe an ultrasound, my thyroid cancer would have been possibly detected before that test and machine (which I don't need now) were an accomplished fact. I only got the throat check and ultrasound a couple of months later when I started gagging on food when eating and having trouble breathing at times other than being on that machine at night.

[RebelOne]

5. Yes, my feelings exactly.

I really need to go to the doctor for blood pressure medicine, but I hate to because everytime I walk into his office, he wants me to take one kind of a test or another.

[Thtwudbeme]

6. Yes. I was a paramedic (haven't worked in about 10 years)

I noticed in the nineties that Dr.s were starting to pass out drugs...such as antidepressants for people who had experienced a death in the family. They seemed to be saying, "you don't NEED to feel bad..." Well...yeah. Yeah you do. Someone fucking died, and it's NATURAL to feel like crap for a very long time.

Cholesteral...my God---I have a running argument with my Dr. because I refuse to allow him to even TELL me what my level is. I don't give a flying rat's ass, and if it gets to the point where I am in danger, then by all means let me know. Otherwise shut up. People have lived and died for thousands of years without that little piece of stressful information.

Infections---damn. People go in the hospital for something...and never come home because of something they picked up in the hospital. Isn't that scary as hell?

Costs---it's the ultimate US embarrassment in my opinion.

And the new drugs again? Weird....I can't believe the shit Americans are shoving down their throats and the reasons they are popping pills in the first place.

Yes, the medical profession is scary as hell right now.

[leftyladyfrommo]

9. Yea, I have a friend who is head of the lab at a major

hospital here and she won't go - unless she's sick.

She doesn't do the whole regular checkup thing or anything.

I think that those checkups don't really catch anything - and cost a lot of money and agony.

Wierd but I am developing a real phobia about this. I do go get myu mammogram but I really like the doctor there. And my mother had breast cancer. But that was 40 year's ago and she is coming up on her 92nd birthday so I don't think our risk is too great.

[raccoon]

11. Oh, don't you know in the US you take a pill for everything?

"I noticed in the nineties that Dr.s were starting to pass out drugs...such as antidepressants for people who had experienced a death in the family. "

I agree, they shouldn't be writing prescriptions for antidepressants in such cases. Not only that, those things can be a real MOFO to get off.

[donsu]

26. that's why doctors like them - an addicted patient is a regular patient

regular money in the pocket for the dr.

they probably have a printed schedule that tells them how many addicted patients they need to be able to buy a hummer or mchouse.

[Brewman_Jax]

7. Very wary

from having close relatives who have died when Medical Science goes wrong (angioplasty for heart attack gone wrong) or out of options (cancer). They're practicing medicine, which means there's room for improvement.

[savemefromdumbya]

8. You have to make them work for YOU!

that's what they are there for not to just make money! Complain if they don't take the time. I think if you live close to a teaching hospital you get better care.

[sui generis]

10. don't be afraid. Think of a doctor as a partner in your health.

But you have to be an equal partner. If a doctor isn't giving you the time and knowledge you need to be comfortable with an ailment and his reason for recommending the test or treatment that he's recommending, just tell him (or her), or tell him you don't understand or that you are uncomfortable, but you MUST communicate to them.

Family physicians are probably better than a clinical physician for general concerns, and if you can find one that also has D.O. as well as M.D. after their name, those guys and gals probably have the most wholesome and holistic approach to health rather than just take a test and another pill.

Physicians are pressed for time, it's a fact, but if you stand up for yourself and ask for a bit more time and care, they'll usually accommodate. Remember, doctors that choose family physician practices usually got into medicine because they want to be healers, because they enjoy taking care of people.

You would only be shortchanging yourself to take a negative view of the doctor / patient dynamic, instead of taking charge.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[Greyhound]

39. Strike a nerve did I? Well I'm sorry if you're offended, but your post

sounds like the BS the Human Murdering Organizations put into their propaganda. "Think of a doctor as a partner in your health", yes I've enjoyed many partnerships with people that think they're far too important to take care of our clients, and the clients are too stupid to understand what is wrong with them anyway. Where my partner is too wraped up in his personal issues to listen to the client during the interview and makes it clear that the client is wasting his time with all of the complaints because he has already received the 2.5 minutes of attention that has been alloted to this low-profit case. Oh and my favorite partner was the one that couldn't understand what our clients were saying, but didn't want to admit it so, he just nodded his head and did whatever the hell he felt they needed wihtout consultation or even notification.
Most of the Doctors we have access to today are in it for the $, period. They couldn't care less if their patients live or die as long as the insurance pays, and they can't afford a good lawyer.
BTW before you go off on how I don't know what the hell I'm talking about, more than half of my family are Doctors and actively discourage the youngsters in the clan from even considering it anymore, unless they also intend to leave the country to practice.

[Orrex]

41. DU you has few cardinal, unwritten laws, but you've demonstrated one:

"The quicker a person accuses an opponent of working for big-pharma/big-medicine/big-retail/big-corporate-whatever, the more devoid of substance is the accuser's argument."

If you can do no better than a rapid personal attack paired with a nebulous "I'm related to doctors" anecdote, you really haven't added anything to the argument.

I'm sure we'd have perfect health and long life if we all just sat around taking our anti-oxidant supplements and digging out the amalgam fillings from our teeth. then. Goodness knows that the "alternative" "medicine" industry would never engage in deceptive practice or seek to profit from its claims, now would it? :sarcasm:

I grant that you made no claim about alternative treatments, but your "most doctors are profiteers" argument meshes very nicely with the standard anti-AMA mantras uttered by advocates of "traditional" "medicines," so I'm justified in making the connection.

[Greyhound]

46. OK fresh start. The amerikan medical profession in general and

the AMA in particular have created through negligence, greed, and the "club" mentality, the feelings and experiences chronicled in the OP and bazillions of other articles, blogs, journals, etc.
The system is failing, plain and simple, and the professionals and gatekeepers just keep "saying no it isn't".
Doctors now work for corporate bean-counters that will decide what, which, and if, treatment is "granted" to patients. I don't know any Doctors that aren't disgusted, pissed, depressed, with the direction we've been taking. Most common statement; "This is not why I went to Medical School".
There is a growing distrust for the profession that is being allowed to fester by the profession for no other reason, that I can see, than profit.

[RazzleDazzle]

54. It's clear you have no biases.

[Orrex]

58. Depends what you mean by "bias"

If you define "bias" as "rejecting the bullshit claims of so-called alternative practitioners who are in fact frauds and charlatans sucking billions out of the credulous and the desperate, all while skirting the law and engaging in practices that would be laughable if they weren't so criminally dangerous," then I guess you can say that I'm biased.

What's it like to be non-biased? I can't imagine.

[winston61]

17. HORSESHIT!!

A load of a pill-rolling hacks competing for the drug company prize for the one who prescribes the most do-nothing medicines

[sui generis]

21. wow what an informed opinion

I guess you know a lot of people in the medical profession.

What I said was not horseshit. You're painting the medical profession with a very broad brush and not a lot of facts.

[winston61]

30. OK, try this-

Ask friend and acquaintances for a medical horror story. I'll bet you get more terror than noble medical professionals healing the sick and afflicted. And ask you doctor when was the last time he took a free lunch or some other perq from a drug company rep.

[sui generis]

32. well since I have very close personal ties to the medical profession

I couldn't agree with you less.

Bad news tends to make the news - and people love to trump with even more horrible stories. Anecdotal stories have nothing to do with actual statistics. Even a common sense approach would tell you that if there were more horror stories than stories of people getting appropriate treatment and healing then we wouldn't have a medical profession at all.

Yes, some doctors get free lunches, and get pitches too. I get free lunches doing what I do, and I evaluate what I hear and decide if it's appropriate to use.

Doctors give out samples, sometimes to see if one drug has fewer side effects than another. Some doctors are shameless promoters and others don't give a rat's ass about anything but appropriate treatment. Not all doctors are cut from the same cloth, and in fact, most doctors actually DO give a damn about their patients.

I just think that a lot of the responses here are spreading prejudicial opinions and disinformation that may keep a reader from seeking treatment, and that would be a bad thing if there was a serious problem.

[RazzleDazzle]

55. Ahhh, he wants statistics. Here's some:

Medical system is leading cause of death and injury in US

Shocking statistical evidence is cited by Gary Null PhD, Caroly Dean MD ND, Martin Feldman MD, Debora Rasio MD and Dorothy Smith PhD in their recent paper Death by Medicine - October 2003, released by the Nutrition Institute of America.

"A definitive review and close reading of medical peer-review journals, and government health statistics shows that American medicine frequently causes more harm than good. The number of people having in-hospital, adverse drug reactions (ADR) to prescribed medicine is 2.2 million. Dr. Richard Besser, of the CDC, in 1995, said the number of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed annually for viral infections was 20 million. Dr. Besser, in 2003, now refers to tens of millions of unnecessary antibiotics. The number of unnecessary medical and surgical procedures performed annually is 7.5 million. The number of people exposed to unnecessary hospitalization annually is 8.9 million. The total number of iatrogenic deaths shown in the following table is 783,936. It is evident that the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the United States. The 2001 heart disease annual death rate is 699,697; the annual cancer death rate, 553,251.

Health Care expenditures in the US have reached 14% of the Gross National Product and a staggering $1.6 trillion in 2003. No wonder, one might be tempted to say. With such an appalling record of efficacy and such an unbelievable death rate for the treatments routinely administered, the current medical system can only be said to be in great need of deep reform.

Certainly it would appear more urgent to investigate the rationale, efficacy and relative cost-effectiveness of pharmaceutical medicine than to legislate restrictive rules for supplements of vital nutrients, as most governments and some international organisations are doing in these times.

-- more more --
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2003/10/29/medical_system_is_leading_cause_of_death_and_injury_in_us.htm


WP,pg1: Data Show Scourge of Hospital Infections
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/12/AR2005071201555.html?sub=AR
By Ceci Connolly
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 13, 2005; Page A01

Nearly 12,000 Pennsylvanians contracted infections during a hospital stay in 2004, costing an extra $2 billion in care and at least 1,500 preventable deaths, according to state figures released yesterday that officials say represent a conservative measure of one of the deadliest problems in modern medicine.

As the first state to collect data on hospital-acquired infections, Pennsylvania has put hard numbers on a troubling phenomenon that until now has only been estimated. Even so, the true infection rate and cost is probably much higher, the report's authors said, because of underreporting by many hospitals. The actual tally could be as high as 115,000 infections, based on billing claims the hospitals submitted to insurers, the report said.

"Pennsylvania is 4 percent of the population, which means you may have an additional 100 people dying per day" nationwide because of hospital-acquired infections, said Marc P. Volavka, executive director of the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, the agency that issued the report. "That comes to an additional $50 billion" in medical charges in the United States annually, he said.

As health care spending has skyrocketed, employers, which often pay the bills, have begun pressing hospitals to work to reduce a variety of mistakes -- from incorrect medications to avoidable infections -- to improve care and reduce costs. As part of that effort, Pennsylvania began last year to require every acute care hospital to report the number of infections contracted in the hospital in four major categories: surgical, bloodstream, pneumonia and urinary tract.

The mortality rate was highest -- 32 percent -- for patients who developed pneumonia while using a ventilator. The most common were urinary tract infections transmitted to patients using a catheter. The average cost to treat a Pennsylvania hospital patient who developed an infection was $29,000, compared with $8,300 for those who did not, the report found.

"Each quarter, the number of reported infections went up, and that trend we believe will continue in 2005 as more and more hospitals realize they need to come into compliance," Volavka said.

Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta has estimated that as many as 2 million infections are acquired in hospitals each year, resulting in 90,000 deaths, said Denise Cardo, director of the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion.

more.... and an interesting graph at the bottom

[Pavulon]

33. Next

time you are broke as shit and crash your car and crack your head open you will be transported to a hospital where you will receive lifesaving treatment. CT scans, surgery, and recovery. You may get a bill but you will be treated with the same care as a person who has insurance.

Not all docs are GPs. Not all GPs are script happy. Most non family med doctors have little contact with drug reps.

I am not a doc but take free lunches from vendors at least once a week. That is how the game is played. That does not mean I will buy their equipment.

[Greyhound]

40. Where you will be stabilized and, since you have no $ and no insurance

you are shipped off to, usually, the county hospital where you get to experience uncounted hours of runaround and waiting until you are told that there isn't enough money left in the budget this year to take you case, I guess you should've been injured earlier in the fiscal year, sorry.

[winston61]

12. learn these letters-- HIPAA

Not only is health care in the toilet because of costs, but your medical records will soon be available to anyone with the purchase price. And I mean anyone- your employer, your banker, you mortgage holder. Much like what credit reporting agencies do now with your credit score, pending legislation will make your health records an open book. This will all be done behind the smoke screen of putting medical records on-line for supposed better and faster treatment. So from now on not only will strangers know every detail of your credit history, they will also know everything you have ever revealed to a quack. Have you ever been treated for an emotional or mental illness? Have you ever admitted to a doctor that you smoked a little pot or sniffed a little cocaine? Ever been treated for alcoholism? Have you got heart disease? High blood pressure? Has anyone been following what the attorney general in Kansas has been doing? He is harassing women's clinics to get records of women who had abortions in order to determine if any underage girls have had the procedure. He claims that any sexual activity of a minor is a crime. But he's only picking on abortion clinics, not every other ob/gyn clinic in the state. Smell a rat? If he get the HIPAA rules he wants all he has to do is call the records up on his office computer. This is all traceable to the Repukes contention that the right to privacy is a fantasy. Any info that the state wants about you is fair game. Think about that the next time you want to tell your doctor how you really feel.

[sui generis]

27. fear fear fear

I'm sorry, you aren't expressing a balanced opinion. I agree completely that privacy is an issue and I am utterly absolutely against national medical records or even shared medical records without explicit case specific consent, but the rest of this fear mongering has nothing to do with the OP's post.

She's uncomfortable with doctors, and she's avoiding seeing one as a result. What do you recommend she do? Sit around and complain about the state of the world?

Advising someone not to see a doctor is the same thing as giving medical advice by the way.

[winston61]

29. it's not fear mongering when it's true-

Try this- pick up the phone and call you congressional represenative. Ask them what is in the HIPAA legislation and ask about the chages the Bush admin. has already made.

[sui generis]

34. it doesn't respond directly to her concern though

she was worrying about the Doctor/Patient interaction.

It's a different problem altogether. Here's another one:

Big Pharma promotes independent studies to see if lower thresholds of things like, say, blood pressure or cholesterol levels, respond to early bp intervention with long term benefits. They then turn around, even with marginal and highly subjective interpretations and convince the major publicly traded laboratories to change (lower) their threshold designations on standard workups for serum cholesteral, clotting factors, etc.

As it turns out, the doctor then has to make a decision: if a patient outcome can be improved (according to lab work and professional trade journals) by medicating a lower threshold, and the doctor does not, isn't the doctor engaging in malpractice?

A good doctor would say you should be consistently above median threshold in the threshold range for those factors before even considering medication, and a really good doctor would say to do lifestyle changes first and see what impact that has before ever prescribing a pill for cholesterol or high blood pressure if it was merely in range. Some doctors are lazy, others are pure clinicians, but a good family physician is generally more holistic.

My advice was to seek an appropriate physician that she could be comfortable with and trust rather than avoid treatment altogether.

[leftyladyfrommo]

49. I had a doctor I really liked - he took too much time.

But he got kicked out of the clinic. Or just left in frustration and I don't know where he went.

The clinic here is just huge and I really think the doctors have a time limit. I always feel so pressured shen I go that I don't feel like I can waste the doctor's time with my complaints. So I just don't go.

If I get sick I would get myself up there. But I am fortunate to have lived my 57 years with really not one illness. It runs in the family. The women live to be in their 90's and just are not ever sick. So I am really blessed.

But medicine does scare me now. Big corporations just should not be running the show - and I'm afraid they are in a lot of cases.

It seems like the good doctors who really are trying to do their best just don't last.

[Greyhound]

13. I view allopathic practitioners as mechanics, if I break my arm I'll go

to them confidant that they will set it properly and have the mechanical skill to ensure I'm not permanently disabled. OTOH if I'm just sick I'll go to an alternative healer that helps support my body in healing itself. I fear the pharmaceutical industry and its associated pushers, they churn out their concoctions with little testing and no concern for the results. I won't take anything developed after about 1980 or so, that's when the re:puke: administration abdicated its responsibility to protect us from the shitheads in Big Pharma. BTW Rumsfeld, and Cheney, and others I'm sure, were heavily involved in that whole debacle (FDA de-regulation).

[laruemtt]

14. i do medical transcription for

five docs, and they are all different from each other with varying slants on what medical care consists of. the newest one seems to be very health oriented and working as a partner with the patient to help improve their health. the others to be truthful are what amount to drug pushers. you're not sleeping? here, take ambien. you're retaining water? here's some lasix. your husband just died? here's some lexapro. everything is solved with a pill instead of finding alternative means of correcting the problem or maybe trying to find out why you're having the problem in the first place, e.g. salt intake related to water retention. it's pretty hard for me to keep my mouth shut sometimes...............

[RedOnce]

38. Interesting post...1 out of 5

"...one seems to be very health oriented and working as a partner with the patient to help improve their health."

I wonder if this is typical.

[chat_noir]

15. not afraid, but certainly more cynical

Months of painful physical therapy for a frozen shoulder (adhesive capulitis)*, when it could have been (and eventually was) completely cured by "surgery". Actually, it wasn't even a surgery, simply a manipulation under anesthesia.

When the same symptoms appeared in the other shoulder, I began my own physical therapy (movement instead of protecting the shoulder), and it never progressed.

[seabeyond]

18. i am not afraid. i dont trust. i have had things with me and both

children over the last couple years. none of it has been diagnosed. lots of money, blood, tests, prodding and poking, and nothing.i have never used doctors until i had babies in my thirties. i really am feeling like they are a waste of time and money. that has been my experience. except with the birth of two babies.

they readily run a bunch of tests to look at numbers instead of the sitting down and listening. they get paid for a lot of unnecessary test, less time with patient and easy undiagnosed, or misdiagnosing, because they are counting on test or xray, ...

[sui generis]

36. yes but a negative test is better than a positive test

you gotta admit!

Again though, the patient has to speak up. Ask what tests the doctor is ordering and why he thinks they are necessary. Question her. You ARE paying for it so get the most out of it.

If a patient is unwilling to go halfway, I can assure you the only thing a doc has left to figure things out is tests and numbers - they're not so great with telepathy.

;)

and yes, there are some cads out there who really are out just to rack up dollars. That's why you should shop around first, compare notes with friends, etc. The most important thing in the absence of other information is, how do YOU react to your doctor? Is it something the doctor does, or says, or doesn't say? Then how do you correct the part you're responsible for? Are you stressed out by not knowing something? Do you feel like you have unanswered questions or concerns? Those are things you can attempt to correct with a good doctor. Also communicate - some people love to take pills for everything and get angry when the doctor doesn't prescribe anything. Tell him if you'd rather try everything else first and ask for his recommendations. Ask him what he would do if he had those symptoms. Interact.

If he doesn't answer questions or brushes you off, get rid of him and tell him why you're doing it. Maybe it will improve everyone's experience.

[OneBlueSky]

19. I learned long ago that I am the one who makes decisions . . .

about my own medical care . . . if a doctor prescribes a drug, for example, I won't take it until I've done my research, looked at alternatives and, if necessary, gotten a second opinion . . . same thing with tests -- especially the expensive ones . . . they better be for a damned good reason, or I'm not playing . . . this attitude frustrates my doctors sometimes, but I feel a hell of a lot more in control of my own life . . . and if they don't like it, I can always find other doctors . . .

[fishnfla]

20. It weren't a lawyer who saved my wife and daughters life

it weren't a politician or a cop. It wasn't a friend, neighbor or family member neither.

It was doctors and nurses. Because we trusted them we got better care.

The thing I fear most is ignorance and stupidity.

Good luck to you

[donsu]

22. yes

never trust - evaluate everything they say for logic and reason and ask as many questions as you need to obtain info. that satisfies you.

be double careful about taking medicine. read the fine print even if you have to use a magnifying glass.

[stellanoir]

23. I've never responded well to western allopathic meds

and always have used herbal supplements.

I sprained my middle finger a few years ago and went to a hand specialist for an Xray as I was sort of concerned since it was triple its normal size. The Doctor is a friend of my family's. He came into the room pointed at my finger and said, "See that finger? That finger is pissed." He gave me some samples of Vioxx. I took one and felt, "This stuff is crap." So I went home waited a few hours and saw no change. The next day I took some Yunnan Paiyoa. That's an Oriental botanical over the counter medication that increases circulation and reduces inflamation. The swelling was redecused markedly within two hours.

Then last year my ingenius kid collided with another kid playing hockey and split his eyelid just below his eyebrow and the school nurse recommended stitches so we troddled off to th ER. We waited about 4 hours and a doctor came in looked at the wound and said he would glue it back together. I wasn't aware that such a glue existed. I later learned that the glue is chemically identical to Krazy Glue. The bill for that treatment was almost a grand. I thought sheesh I could have done as good a job in my kitchen for next to nothing and far less hassle.

The whole system is a mess.

I've a client who had both knees and hips replaced over the last decade. So she was on Vioxx for more than a few years. Two summers ago she had a massive heart attack. Other than her joint problems she had been healthy as a horse. Merck had known of the coronary damage caused by Vioxx for five of those years.

It's criminal. Now with 4 corporatists on the SCOTUS we have less recourse than ever.

It totally stinks .

[Orrex]

44. A bit of a leap, there.

That's an Oriental botanical over the counter medication that increases circulation and reduces inflamation. The swelling was redecused markedly within two hours.

That's a great example of the classic coincidental fallacy, post hoc ergo propter hoc. You're claiming that, because the swelling went down after taking a botanical substance, it went down because of that botanical substance. You have no idea if the botanical had any effect at all, but you choose to believe that it did, and that's where your inquiry apparently stopped.

Did you do nothing else to treat your sprain? Elevate your hand? Put ice on it? Soak it in cold water? Take aspirin or some other anti-inflammatory? Drink a lot of tea (a diuretic)? Even assuming that your account is literally true, we have no way to conclude--based on your single, anecdotal sample--that the botanical had any effect at all. All you can verifiably claim is that your swelling diminished after taking a botanical supplement. You can't verifiably claim that the swelling diminished because you took the supplement.

I wasn't aware that such a glue existed. I later learned that the glue is chemically identical to Krazy Glue. The bill for that treatment was almost a grand. I thought sheesh I could have done as good a job in my kitchen for next to nothing and far less hassle.

It is likely that the Krazy Glue in your kitchen differs somewhat from the brand used by the hospital. Double-check the ingredients, consider http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/msuperglue.html">this information, and please think very carefully before you apply adhesive to any person's eye.

I've a client who had both knees and hips replaced over the last decade. So she was on Vioxx for more than a few years. Two summers ago she had a massive heart attack. Other than her joint problems she had been healthy as a horse. Merck had known of the coronary damage caused by Vioxx for five of those years.

Again, this is post hoc ergo propter hoc. The story lacks adequate information to provide a real conclusion. "Healthy as a horse" is not a meaningful description and certainly insufficient for an informed response. The potential causes of heart attack are many and subtle, and it's close to impossible to idenfity the cause of a heart attack.

I'm sorry that you've had negative experiences with medical professionals. I've had bad experiences with a car mechanic--does that mean that everyone should just stuff some herbs up their cars' tailpipes the next time the "Check Engine" light comes on?

[Angry Girl]

45. Everybody should carry Yunnan Paiyao in their first aid kit

It's been called the Chinese miracle drug and was used extensively during the Vietnam War to heal gunshot wounds and open cuts. During the Ming Dynasty the stuff was more valuable than gold. It's also referred to as Tian Qi, depending on the literature.

Yunnan Paiyao is used for wounds and hemorrhaging, as well as pain, although it doesn't turn off the pain centers but instead brings circulation and therefore oxygen to the injury. It is supposed to be quite effective in reducing severe menstrual cramping. It reduces healing times from surgery because it mends blood vessels and also expels pus and counteracts toxins.

Yunnan Paiyao is often sold as a bunch of little pills and one big red pill, the big pill to be swallowed ASAP in case of traumatic injury. (Obviously, if this happens, please also get yourself stitched up by a doctor!) Then you can sprinkle the powder directly on the wound site daily and take about 4 little pills between meals. Continue this regimen until healed. Bruising, scarring, and healing time will be diminished significantly.

Although the ingredients are still officially a secret, it is said to be made from a combination of raw and steamed tinechi ginseng.

There is also a Yunnan Paiyao "liquor" that is made in conjunction with some other herbs. This is supposed to be good for dispersing blood clots and easing the pain of rheumatism and arthritis.

NB: There may be contraindications if you're pregnant (don't know for sure).

[RedOnce]

47. Cool, thanks for introducing me to this herb!

I will check it out.

[Warpy]

52. Some of that Chinese stuff is amazing

When my asthma gets out of control, I use a powder that was prescribed by a Chinese herbalist. It is without a doubt the nastiest substance I have ever ingested, and that includes peyote. It is truly awful, even when I put it into a capsule to choke it down. However, it does a great job on my variety of asthma and is a hell of a lot cheaper than using inhalers 24/7/365. What little I know about herbal medicines would indicate one of the ingredients is dried, powdered gecko. Blech. I believe it. It contains no ma huang, though, which I can't tolerate.

Like I said some complementary medicine is great stuff if you're not too sick, and my asthma is generally quite mild.

[Angry Girl]

59. At least you don't have to drink a tea made from it!

That would be truly horrid!
Gecko is used a lot in treating some types of asthma! :P
Here's some info if you're curious:

http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/herbcentral/gecko.html
http://www.tcmtreatment.com/images/diseases/bronchial-asthma.htm
http://www.planetherbs.com/showcase/docs/tcm.php

[blue in ohio]

25. Emergency?

I sat in an urban ER waiting room for seven hours last week with my g/f. Nobody even came to check
on her and when I asked if she would be seen soon they told me that the new medicare/aide was backing them up and that I should sit down and shut up. By the time I left I was surrounded by eight cops who were trying to arrest me for disorderly conduct? There is no compassion in the medical industry and I think it's more the fault of pharm co.s and Frist's family than the doctors.

[Pavulon]

28. No, but you have to shop around

My wife is a doc so I get referrals from her.

Before I met her I would go to the doctor only when I was really sick. More of a guy thing.

However if I was on my own I would keep trying until I found a doctor who treated my they way I expected. I would also let them know what I expect from them.

You do not have to accept medications from them, or tests, or any other treatment. They are there to help you make an informed choice.

[EFerrari]

31. Yes. n/t

[tammywammy]

35. Not at all

I've been going to my regular doctor for over 15 years now. He knows me inside and out. He's never prescribed anything that wasn't necessary. All the other doctors I've been referred to by him have also been excellent. medicine, unless absolutely

I've been going to the same Ob/Gyn for a few years as well now. She gives me a few free "samples" of my regular birth control when I visit her. There's only one of it's kind, so it's not like she's pushing one over the other.

My best friend is in medical school to become a DO. I can tell you from knowing her and many other the people she goes to school with, they're all doing it to help people. Also, she's never had a pharmaceutical rep come in her class to tell them which drugs are good and which aren't. It's not like medical students are being indoctrinated by big pharma.

If you don't like the way a doctor is treating you, then find another. Get referrals from friends and family. If you lived here, I would totally recommend my GP to you, because he's a good caring doctor.

[trotsky]

37. Not me.

I think "going it on (one's) own" is far, far more dangerous than almost anyone in the medical profession.

Is our medical system perfect? Are there only noble and decent people working in it? No way, on both counts. But that doesn't mean I'm going to scrap it all.

[RazzleDazzle]

56. No, it's not.

For some things, yes. For many other things, absolutely not.

[Warpy]

42. Docs have faced the same speedup that nurses got hit with

in the late 1980s. They now have to see at least twice as many patients in order to keep the same income in terms of purchasing power. That makes them as rushed as they were when they were interns and residents and in the meat grinder known as a teaching hospital. They aren't blowing you off, they really don't have the time to make nice. They need to read your lab work and do the examination and write the report.

Your best defense if you get sick enough to require medication is to do your homework on Medline or other sites so that you KNOW what to expect in side effects and what constitutes an adverse reaction that would cause you to stop taking the medication. Your best defense here is education. Prevention Magazine, however, is not education. Sorry about that.

Your best defense should a doctor determine you need surgery is a second opinion. Tell both docs you are looking for a second opinion (but don't tell the second doc what the first doc said). If they agree, then you probably do need the surgery.

Your best bet should you be hospitalized is to have friends and family who are willing to take turns sitting with you. Staffing is so awful in most hospitals that formal visiting hours have been abandoned and are used as an excuse to send exhausted family members home for a nap or to evict misbehaving visitors. Nurses recognize that a family member at the bedside can be their first alert that something has changed in a patient's condition.

Our system is broken and you are right to be cautious. However, rejecting the whole system and crawling off to die if you have a serious illness is just plain silly. It still works more often than it doesn't, and the statistics are still in your favor. All tests and treatments have a risk versus benefit equation, and the statistics all favor benefit. There is always risk, however.

Approach allopathic medicine cautiously while our system is broken for ordinary people but use it if you need it. That's the best advice I can give as an insider.

[RedOnce]

43. Sounds like great advice to me!

[Celebration]

48. If I need to go to the doctor

Generally, I go to the acupuncturist instead. It feels great-- I always feel better going out than going in, and they have herbs if I need them. The wait isn't long. I like the way they diagnose. "Your liver meridian needs weakening." I can relate to that type of diagnosis. They never send me out for tests. I have a favorite energetic therapist too, that does NAET, and also do that on myself and for friends. Once I went to the acupuncturist after the opthamologist for a herpes lesion on my eye. Good grief my vision improved immediately. My daughter stopped getting chronic sinus infections when she started acupuncture and NAET. Of course they can't set bones. But any other ailment I opt for acupuncture--nervousness, pain, whatever. Oh I do go to the dermatologist occasionally if I need to. I do a lot of self doctoring. I had to wrap my friend's broken finger when she didn't have money to go to the doctor. I must have a knack.

[Tracer]

50. Afraid??!! They saved my life!

- I was PROMPTLY seen by Doc #1(gynecologist) who diagnosed possible ovarian cancer.

- I was PROMPTLY operated on by Doc #2 (oncological surgeon), who sent me IMMEDIATELY afterwards to

- Doc #3 (Oncologist) who spent TWO HOURS with me explaining my options and treatment.

If these guys hadn't been on the ball, my outcome would have been dire, instead of the good results they predict for me.

[Orrex]

51. Congratulations on the good prognosis!

That's great news, and it poignantly offsets the fear-mongering horror stories all too common in this forum.

And congratulations also on reaching 1000 posts!

[Dogmudgeon]

53. Nope. And why be miserable, anyway?

People give physicians waaaay too much authority, and as a result, either idolize or hate them. It led to the start of the modern health-care crisis, but most physicians cleaned up their acts in the 70s and 80s. Today, it's the bean-counters who like to pretend they're God Almighty, MD. So it's not just arrogant jerks playing with your life anymore, it's arrogant QUACKS.

The best approach is to educate yourself in the basics of medicine (in spite of the hype, it's really not all that complicated, especially if you read consistently over time) and have a collaborative relationship with your personal care physician. And don't put him or her on a pedestal -- it only leads them to the temptation to piss on you.

"Alternative" medicine is worth looking into, but keep in mind there is a lot of nonsense mixed in with the valuable stuff. I have had extensive experience with it, and the best alternative medical advice I know is to exercise, cultivate an enjoyable life, and not to worry too much. If you're worried about medicines you don't take or procedures you don't need, you're worrying too much.

It is impossible to avoid danger in life, whether it's in medicine, non-orthodox healing, or even using the bathroom. Intelligence, self-possession, and determination are the best ways to live a long and healthy life. Eat more vegetables, find exercise that you like (dancing, bicycling, walking, whatever you enjoy), and don't smoke. Sex also helps. Volunteer at the local Democratic HQ instead of stewing over Little King George's perfidy. Make sure you occasionally watch a comedy or a movie where stuff blows up and the bad guys fall off of a building.

And if by chance something goes wrong and you die anyway -- well, it happens to the best of us. Life is too short to be miserable -- be a happy warrior. And besides, if you live happy, you will achieve victory over the rat bastards whose mission is to make you fearful, frustrated, and sick.

--p!

[HysteryDiagnosis]

57. Not so much anymore, cuz whatever they can do, glyconutrients

can pretty much undo... liver damage, kidney impairment, this and that....

[Quakerfriend]

60. I, too, am afraid of the medical profession and I AM A MEDICAL

PROFESSIONAL!

I'd say that, it was in the mid-80's that things really began to change. Prior to this time we were, for the most part, proud professionals who showed compassion and empathy, and searched for the proper diagnosis and cure with each individual's needs in mind. I know things can't be generalized this way but, this is how I remember things.

Then along came 'managed care' and this began what I feel has been a rapid decline in medicine in the US. I don't have to tell you, you all know what came with this: Hospitals kicking patients out when their 'length of stay' was up, cut backs in basic services- less nurses, aids, hostesses to help serve patients food etc, etc.

And, with gov't approved changes in the way teaching hospitals did business came Big Pharm. The business of Big Pharm roared in like a lion. Medical research, once highly prestigious and ethical, became poisoned (in my opinion) by the sexy drug industry. Scientists competed with the drug lords for NIH funds etc, etc. IT ALL BECAME ABOUT THE MONEY for many doctors. They courted drug companies with the opportunity to gain prestige thru connection to ivy league med schools, and pocketed big money from the industry in return- All with the encouragement of hospital CEO's.

My hospital then put in place a large and widely advertised ethics dept. In my opinion, this served as 'good cover'.

I did clinical research for one of the most prestigious hospitals in the country. 2nd only to Johns Hopkins in NIH funding. Considered first, in genetics and AIDS research.

At this point I honestly saw myself as being on the 'cutting edge of medicine'. Sat on the committee for review of all research done in the hospital on humans.etc.

THEN, at age 38, I found out I had advanced, and widely metastasized, breast cancer (stage III-IV). I thought I was invisible. I went to all the right doctors, some of whom were my friends from the hospital.
Suddenly, I realized that I was 'on the other side of the fence'- They could barely speak to me. (Looking back, I realize, that it was just too painful for them.)

I made a very tough decision to go against all that I had done career-wise and GO WITH MY INSTINCTS. I went to a hospital in Mexico- And, to make a long story short- I was completely well in less than 5 weeks- ANd, that was eight years ago!

The people in Mexico were extraordinary. Loving, compassionate doctors. It was a very healing experience to be cared for in Mexico. The therapists, doctors, administrators all were wonderful.

I think what has happened in the US is that our social fabric has worn very thin. We have so many financial concerns that we no longer have the time to care for others. It is very sad indeed.

[RedOnce]

62. This is quite a story! Thank you for posting it. I would love to hear

more about your experience in Mexico if you would like to share. I seem to have lots of questions. Are you or your family from Mexico? How did you feel about doing this? How did you select the right hospital? What treatment did they use? How much did it cost? Was there any follow up after the 5 weeks? Etc.

[Warpy]

64. I found the same thing to be true, and it did start in the 80s

when DRGs came in, limiting the money Medicare would pay for treatment based on diagnosis, alone, denying the fact that different people require very different care. It was cookie cutter, one size fits all medicine, and it didn't work for 90% of the patients.

The shootdown of Hillarycare made things even worse, when the concept was expanded to include managed care, meaning some remote bean counter in an insurance company got to decide whether or not a doctor's instinct in prescribing tests and treatments was correct. This is nuts. Medicine is as much art as it is science, and a gut feeling generally leads a practitioner to pick up on things that are completely different from what a patient may think he has. Insurance companies fought like hell against universal coverage, but they sure loved that managed care bullshit. Now not only did they get to deny coverage, they also got to deny care, the best of all possible worlds for a profit driven system!

I'm not surprised you got better care in Mexico. Their allopathic hospitals are nearly equal to ours in terms of equipment, their docs and nurses are well trained (I've worked with them), and they haven't yet been infected with the horrors of sucking profit out of the sick. A lot of people who have the means are going to Asia or India for elective surgeries, just for that reason. Medical care in this country sucks unless one is wealthy enough to afford concierge care.

The caveats I listed in my earlier post are true: research your medications, get second opinions, and if you must be hospitalized, get friends and relatives to stay with you. Those are the best strategies I can offer to help you survive what has become of medical care in the US.

[leftyladyfrommo]

70. Thank you. That was very interesting.

[FM Arouet666]

61. Damn scared, but I would not go it alone.

I am a surgeon and I could make your hair curl at some of the things I have seen gone wrong. There is no 'tiny' procedure, EVERYTHING has a risk. I have seen a patient die after gall bladder surgery, complications after an angiogram, infection, bleeding, death and mayhem. Yes, you have reason to have concern.

Are your doctors to blame? The majority of docs do take the time, the problem is that the system is a mess.

My malpractice insurance is about 100,000$ a year, no claims, no injuries. I would estimate that half the tests I order are CYA tests. Scary proposition if your the patient, isn't it? I live in constant fear of being sued, every patient is a potential lawsuit, medicine should not be this way.

So what can you do? Go it alone? No! Be informed, you have the greatest source of information the world has ever known, the Internet. I love patients that research things, get second opinions, know what modern medicine has to offer and what to avoid.

Everything has risks and benefits, your doctor may judge something to be a greater benefit, you may elect to accept his or her judgment, but doing so armed with as much information as possible will make that decision easier.

[RedOnce]

63. Nice to hear the doc's viewpoint. Any ideas about how to fix it?

"CYA tests" "every patient is a potential lawsuit" WOW, how does this affect your attitude towards and your relationship with your patients? It sounds like you are forced to practice "defensive medicine" to coin a phrase.

[beam me up scottie]

65. Of course he's forced to practice defensive medicine.

Look at all the anti-science idgits out there telling patients not to trust their doctors or modern medicine.

Every story about a negligent doctor is played up in the media, while the vast majority of competent and caring professionals get ignored.

I don't know how to fix it, but I do know I can do my part by being educated and not expecting my doctors to perform miracles.

It's my health and my doctors are my allies, not gods or medical mafia hit men.

[FM Arouet666]

66. Defensive medicine

Yep, and the profession is not what I expected. I wanted to be a doctor since I was about five years old, now I am looking for any excuse to get out of medicine. Fix it? I haven't a clue, and to be honest I just don't care anymore.

[RedOnce]

67. I'm sorry that it has come to this...to see your dream destroyed.

[Quakerfriend]

68. I feel for you, too.

I know the years of hard work. The many sleepless nights. And, the risks you are exposed to daily re:blood borne illnesses. It's such a kick in the teeth to be saddled with outrageous malpractice insurance, after all. Unfortunately, many people do not realize the debt in student loans that some doctors have today. I hope you are OK in that dept.

All I can say is that somethings got to change in a big way soon. The 'crisis' in health care can't last forever.

[Lefty48197]

69. Not me. I hold the medical professionals in very high regard

I've worked around many professionals in the health care industry over the year, and I just have the highest regard for almost all of them. Their jobs and working conditions are very difficult, they are very talented, and all are without a doubt, committed to their professions.

[yurple]

71. It's even worse...

It's bad enough that the rate of medical errors is as bad as it is. About 100,000 die in HOSPITALS ALONE as a result of them, each year! What makes it even worse is that this Administration, big business (including the Chamber of Commerce as one of the worst culprits), and many in Congress are trying to take away people's rights to seek recovery in courts when they are harmed by medical malpractice or unsafe drugs. It's all part of corporate America's efforts to limit liability of big companies. In the process, they are not only denying people's legal rights, but trying to deny the most severely injured people fair compensation. The methods vary. They try to "cap" compensation to malpractice victims. They try to "pre-empt" state law so people can't sue if the FDA approves a drug label (and we see how effective the FDA has been). They give legal immunity to drug companies (e.g., for defective pandemic flu vaccines, even if the manufacturer was reckless).

True, most doctors are hard-working, professional, and competent. And we should be grateful for them every day, as well as medical advances. Most medical malpractice is committed by a small number of doctors. But due to a lack of self-policing and lax disciplinary measures, they are allowed to repeat their behavior over and oover. But the fact that most doctors are good doesn't mean we should roll over and let corporate interests go after vulnerable patients when they are negligent.

Doctors have been fooled into thinking they pay high medical malpractice insurance because of lawsuits. It's simply not true. They are getting ripped off by insurance companies that charge rates based on regular investment cycles. It's a shame that doctors buy into the "tort reform" arguments. By doing so, they don't help themselves or the patients they work so hard to treat.

[Quakerfriend]

73. Well you are certainly right is this regard-

The insurance industry is the problem. As long as the *admin (and Clinton, before him) allows the Insurance industry to go unregulated we all suffer.

At least Clinton cared to protect patient privacy and also put The Family Leave Act in place!

[Odin2005]

72. The only people I know that are afraid of doctors...

...are the people who believe the BS of alternetive "medicine" snake oil salesmen. The alternetive medicine scammers are no different than than the "faith-healing" fundy wackos, out to con stupid people for a quick buck.