[lit-ideas] Re: Which Doctor's Excuse?
- From: "Andy Amago" <aamago@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "lit-ideas" <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 19:44:05 -0400
> [Original Message]
> From: Eric Yost <eyost1132@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: 9/8/2006 11:46:59 AM
> Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Which Doctor's Excuse?
>
> >>Other than antibiotics for infectious bacteria, which are
> becoming increasingly less effective anyway, the body for
> the most part heals itself.
>
> "Yep by cracky, them Injuns done shot me good with arrows.
> I'll just hole up for the winter and heal me a bit."
>
Ever hear of superbugs? Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
is an especially major problem in hospitals. Someone I knew had had a
bypass back in the 90's. She spent three months on an intravenous
antibiotic, self administered at home, for a bug, possibly MRSA, she picked
up in the hospital at the graft site. It's back to the future with the
more advanced hospitals screening patients at admission for infection so
they can be quarantined, and promoting hand washing by doctors and staff,
which is not routinely done. So when Injun shoots you with arrow, you
clean it good with soap and water and hope you don't land in a hospital.
And hope your tetanus booster is up to date.
>
> >>much of what doctors offer, or used to offer, is
> basically touch and a semblance of caring, coupled with
> placebo effect, which is what shamans offer.
>
> "Ernesto's having his diabetes treated by Lowbar the Shaman,
> who travels to the spirit world, far beyond the Isles of
> Langerhans, to bring down his sugar level."
>
>
If Ernesto didn't eat himself into a stupor and if he put down the six pack
and put on his running shoes and ran in them, maybe he wouldn't have
diabetes. The vast majority of diabetes cases are due to overweight, and
losing weight is the only way out of that. In fact, one could argue that
overeating is an eating disorder, which is to say, an emotional problem,
for which a shaman is better suited than a western doctor who shoves
insulin at the guy and basically enables his overeating and underexercising.
> >>Nowadays American doctors offer unnecessary tests and
> lots of drugs which they prescribe on behalf of pharma.
>
> "Old Doc Sawbones didn't follow the AMA Guidelines for
> treating Sarah, so she called 1-800-Ambulance Chaser. Now
> Sawbones' malpractice insurance is through the roof."
>
CYA is a problem in medicine, yes. Even so, a lot of doctors drum up
business by ordering tests. I don't have any explanations for why
malpractice insurance is so high. The cynic in me says that insurance
companies will simply charge what they can get away with. Plus doctors are
inept and some are downright criminals, sociopaths. I know of one doctor
who has nine cases against him. It's guys like him who might drive up the
rates for everybody else. Of course obstetricians have high rates. Also,
it might be a reflection of the broken trust between doctor and patient.
Doctors are, or used to be, surrogate parents to a large extent. That's
gone, and given how little responsibility for self care that people take
upon themselves, they may be unfairly targeting doctors. Blaming lawyers
is a red herring.
------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
Other related posts:
