Posted by bleauberry on November 22, 2009, at 7:33:16
In reply to the English stiff upper lip., posted by manic666 on November 18, 2009, at 13:50:43
I think the stiff upper lip attitude might be partially a component of the culture, as you said, but I think the primary underlying reason is the medical system itself...politicians, office workers, and beaurocrats playing doctor when they don't know a thing about treating real patients or the complexities of disease.
There is not a single country on the planet with a nationally run health care system that is not drowning in the problems it creates...shortages, rationing, removal of the incentive for people to enter the medical profession, removal of the incentive for medical professionals to become talented, and boatloads of rules and regulations telling medical professionals how to treat, who to treat, all enclosed within restricted boundaries.
Even primitive societies can do better, because they have immediate access to the substances and knowledge passed on through centuries. Every time a "medicine man" dies, it is like losing an entire library of information gathered over many generations.
But as you stated, in a free enterprise system such as USA, there are still people who cannot be adequately treated. You mentioned SLS. It probably includes most of here actually. It is not the fault of the medical system or the culture, but the lack of human knowledge of disease. While we like to think we are experts and often take that stance, we are in fact in the infancy stages of learning biochemistry and medicine. There is so much we don't know and so much to research.
When someone runs into a rock wall, whether it be due to a national health system's attitude, or a disease not responding to treatment we "assume" should work, I think (personal opinion) it is mandatory...absolutely mandatory...that the patient become their own advocate and their own expert. The worldwide web allows that to happen.
Some of the most remarkable recoveries occur when patients research and treat themselves, after doctors have said there is nothing more they can do. Or sometimes when someone has seen 10 doctors over 15 years and they are still all guessing and not getting anywhere, the patients that take the steering wheel are the ones that get better. The ones that leave it in the hands of the doctors are the ones that stay sick and get sicker.
Thankfully I think more than half of medical cases do not fall into that category and are successfully treated. But when there is a roadblock, you and you alone have to take control of your own destiny.
The TV show Mystery Diagnosis is one example. Patients make their own discoveries and treatment suggestions when multiple doctors fail them over many years. The worldwide web is overflowing with similar stories in areas of cancer, Lyme, FM, CFS, MS, skin infections, depression, schizophrenia.
The doctor's brain has no more potential than your own for figuring things out or deciding the next course of action. And sometimes less.
We difficult cases have to become our own advocates, our own doctors, our own prescription writers (mailorder or herbs). Why? Simple.
Because no one else is going to do it for you!
poster:bleauberry
thread:926141
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20091117/msgs/926518.html