3 ms·

omg. If you did everything a doctor suggests you do without a critical ear, you'll probably die younger. You just care an lot more about the results and have

omg. If you did everything a doctor suggests you do without a critical ear, you'll probably die younger. You just care an lot more about the results and have more time to focus on researching just one person's condition. But you're also a lot more likely to be kidding yourself than a medical professional is. But I think sometimes they just keep that to themselves sometimes because it's too hard to challenge an idea a patient has locked on to. No easy answers.

p1necone 7y ago
I get the impression that Doctors prescribe things/give advice under the assumption that most patients don't care about the details, and aren't likely to stick to any long term plans. I wish there was an easy way to communicate to a doctor that I'm willing to research things, and to stick with better diets/excercise in the long term if that's the best fix for me.
- Sacho 7y ago
  I don't know how medicine is practiced in other countries, but finding a doctor that shares your philosophy about treatment and sticking to them seems like a problem best solved at a local level. In my country, you are assigned a GP, but can switch with a specific administrative form. There are several well-known(via word of mouth) GPs in my town that have people deliberately switching to them due to the way they practice medicine - less short-term treatment, conservative prescription of medicine(especially antibiotics and painkillers), focus on lifestyle/diet changes and regular check-ups to catch serious ailments early. The GPs will also recommend particular specialists who have a similar philosophy. Mind you, this kind of treatment is far from controversial. I've talked to some of these doctors and a common problem they have is justifying their costs - e.g. a patient comes over, they listen to the symptoms and examine them and prescribe...toughing it out and maybe changing your diet a bit. People feel like they're not getting their money's worth("I already know that!"). There's also plenty of people who are looking for a quick fix - e.g. I'm under so much stress at work now, I just need a pill, I'll fix my life later. There's also plenty of people who think they can follow a strict regime and make lifestyle changes, but just can't, and it ends up being a resentful relationship with the doctor(the doctor feels like the extra time they put in is wasted, the patient may rationalize the failures as the treatment just being ineffective, etc). All of this points to me that this is something best decided on an individual basis, when the doctor and patient have a good relationship.

p1necone 7y ago

I get the impression that Doctors prescribe things/give advice under the assumption that most patients don't care about the details, and aren't likely to stick to any long term plans. I wish there was an easy way to communicate to a doctor that I'm willing to research things, and to stick with better diets/excercise in the long term if that's the best fix for me.

Sacho 7y ago
I don't know how medicine is practiced in other countries, but finding a doctor that shares your philosophy about treatment and sticking to them seems like a problem best solved at a local level. In my country, you are assigned a GP, but can switch with a specific administrative form. There are several well-known(via word of mouth) GPs in my town that have people deliberately switching to them due to the way they practice medicine - less short-term treatment, conservative prescription of medicine(especially antibiotics and painkillers), focus on lifestyle/diet changes and regular check-ups to catch serious ailments early. The GPs will also recommend particular specialists who have a similar philosophy. Mind you, this kind of treatment is far from controversial. I've talked to some of these doctors and a common problem they have is justifying their costs - e.g. a patient comes over, they listen to the symptoms and examine them and prescribe...toughing it out and maybe changing your diet a bit. People feel like they're not getting their money's worth("I already know that!"). There's also plenty of people who are looking for a quick fix - e.g. I'm under so much stress at work now, I just need a pill, I'll fix my life later. There's also plenty of people who think they can follow a strict regime and make lifestyle changes, but just can't, and it ends up being a resentful relationship with the doctor(the doctor feels like the extra time they put in is wasted, the patient may rationalize the failures as the treatment just being ineffective, etc). All of this points to me that this is something best decided on an individual basis, when the doctor and patient have a good relationship.