5 ms·

Yeah... and hearing some of those being related to the gut. I’ve been diagnosed with a condition this year without real, solid evidence for cause. Seeing some o

Yeah... and hearing some of those being related to the gut. I’ve been diagnosed with a condition this year without real, solid evidence for cause. Seeing some of the brightest doctors try and write off health matters to alcoholism in non-alcoholics was concerning. After even cursory, high-level reading of what those terms mean elf me to believe it’s the favoured diagnosis when they’re unsure of the diagnosis and hesitate at all costs to give the label “idiopathic” if possible because then it really means “we don’t know”. It’s not reassuring.

zdragnar 6y ago
There are a number of "bucket" diagnoses that you can get thrown into once other things are ruled out, because there simply is no way to test to confirm that is what they are. Most mental illnesses, but also physical ones like fibromyalgia and psoriatic arthritis have no definitive test.
- 52-6F-62 6y ago
  The concerning factor for me re: alcoholic diagnosis is that there is typically a baseline for minimum consumption that has been tested and "proven". And that even said baseline isn't necessarily adhered to, and that bucket is used in preference over more accurate, but less resolute, buckets (like idiopathy).
  - hilbert42 6y ago
    I've been reasonably critical of medicos and medical science in posts to this article, but in all fairness I think this sort of thing happens in almost all professions. Everything from time constraints to lack of knowledge to incompetence and or a combination of these is often found in most walks of life. With medicine, we've a terribly complicated field, and like any profession, there is a range of competencies. I recall decades ago knowing a state director of health (the state's top doctor) and he said to me 'if you ever get really sick come to me and I'll put you in contact with the best advice available, as there are too many in this profession that I wouldn't give you a quarter for'. As I said, this is a problem with all professions, finding the best advice available, can, at times, be a daunting experience.
JabavuAdams 6y ago
That sucks. The thing to understand is that the vast majority of doctors don't have the mindset of scientists or even engineers. They're more like plumbers who have to triage/fix 400 houses a day.
- rbanffy 6y ago
  > They're more like plumbers I get that. What I find disturbing is that even when some doctors dedicate their lives to study anatomy, we still find a pair of salivary glands nobody has ever documented. It's not a rare malformation. It's something that's more or less behind each and every human nose on Earth and has been there for thousands of years.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
- 52-6F-62 6y ago
  Oh and I absolutely understand. Especially right now when they’re under an even greater crunch due to the added pressures and constraints added by the pandemic.

zdragnar 6y ago

There are a number of "bucket" diagnoses that you can get thrown into once other things are ruled out, because there simply is no way to test to confirm that is what they are. Most mental illnesses, but also physical ones like fibromyalgia and psoriatic arthritis have no definitive test.

52-6F-62 6y ago
The concerning factor for me re: alcoholic diagnosis is that there is typically a baseline for minimum consumption that has been tested and "proven". And that even said baseline isn't necessarily adhered to, and that bucket is used in preference over more accurate, but less resolute, buckets (like idiopathy).
- hilbert42 6y ago
  I've been reasonably critical of medicos and medical science in posts to this article, but in all fairness I think this sort of thing happens in almost all professions. Everything from time constraints to lack of knowledge to incompetence and or a combination of these is often found in most walks of life. With medicine, we've a terribly complicated field, and like any profession, there is a range of competencies. I recall decades ago knowing a state director of health (the state's top doctor) and he said to me 'if you ever get really sick come to me and I'll put you in contact with the best advice available, as there are too many in this profession that I wouldn't give you a quarter for'. As I said, this is a problem with all professions, finding the best advice available, can, at times, be a daunting experience.

JabavuAdams 6y ago

That sucks. The thing to understand is that the vast majority of doctors don't have the mindset of scientists or even engineers. They're more like plumbers who have to triage/fix 400 houses a day.

rbanffy 6y ago
> They're more like plumbers I get that. What I find disturbing is that even when some doctors dedicate their lives to study anatomy, we still find a pair of salivary glands nobody has ever documented. It's not a rare malformation. It's something that's more or less behind each and every human nose on Earth and has been there for thousands of years.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
52-6F-62 6y ago
Oh and I absolutely understand. Especially right now when they’re under an even greater crunch due to the added pressures and constraints added by the pandemic.