Oh yeah, that sounds like clickbait if ever there was. Shame on me.
And actually, it’s somewhat of a follow-up to another clickbait-y article posted a few years back, Seven Reasons Why You Need to Learn All You Can about Medicine.
There are a whole lot of things your doctor won’t tell you, and a few different reasons why. Perhaps the biggest reason you won’t hear something you should is because most doctors are strictly limited in the time they have to spend with a patient. It’s unfortunate that Big Business has taken over medical care. It limits discussion of alternative therapies. It limits the degree to which they can get to know you personally. And that is truly unfortunate for all of us.
Doctors aren’t going to discuss alternative medicine options for a couple of reasons. They are unfamiliar with them. Herbal medicine isn’t taught in med school. Rockefeller made sure of that. Even if they have a little familiarity with herbal therapies, they can’t risk the liability and getting sued. And they can’t bill for herbal medicine therapies because insurance won’t cover them, so then most patients will opt for meds that insurance will pay for. So, discussing potential herbal remedies is a waste of time.
Doctors won’t share any information about critical drug shortages because they don’t want to start a panic. You won’t know about children’s Tylenol or ibuprofen or amoxicillin shortages until it’s too late. (So stock up now.)
Most doctors and hospitals won’t share cheaper solutions like sniffing a rubbing alcohol wipe to relieve nausea instead of the usual prescription Zofran which costs a whole lot more (and takes longer to start working), so the hospital can bill the patient and insurance companies for more money.
Doctors won’t share information because they don’t trust you, because they don’t have the time to get to know you. They know you can get antibiotics and other prescriptions from overseas. They don’t know whether you can use them responsibly. How many people do you know who demand an antibiotic for a viral infection? Or who fail to finish an antibiotic course of treatment? What will these people do if left to their own devices? How many people will believe a doctor when he says the illness isn’t strep throat or a sinus infection? How many would choose to use an antibiotic if they thought it would help? If people happened to have antibiotics on hand at home, how many would consult their doctor before using them?
Doctors won’t tell you that often Steri-strips and glue will work as well as or better than stitches. When hospitals can charge more for stitches than for skin glue and Steri-strips, doctors will place stitches whenever possible. If parents show up in the ER, they want stitches; they don’t want the equivalent of a Band-Aid and a kiss and a hefty bill for both. (And if doctors use glue in the hospital, parents may be tempted to do the same at home the next time Junior hurts himself.)
Doctors won’t share the harder, but healthier and safer choices. Remember, they don’t have a lot of time with you, and to be fair, most patients ignore recommendations to eat better, quit smoking, lose weight, and exercise. We don’t want to hear about lifestyle changes. We don’t want to hear about the importance of virtues like gratitude, love, forgiveness, etc., that we already got guilted about on Sunday. We certainly don’t want to pay a big office bill to hear that from a doctor the rest of the week. If we’re paying a bill, we want a pill. Fast-acting, if possible.
So you have to be your own advocate. You have to study, or at least become very familiar with your medical references. You’ve got to know what medical supplies you have and how they can be used.
Be humble. Be teachable. Be inquisitive. Don’t just accept everything you read, including, or maybe even especially, what I write here. Investigate for yourself. It’s the best way to prepare.
Links to related posts:
Seven Reasons You Need to Learn All You Can about
Medicine
Rockefeller’s War on Natural Medicine
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