Fuck doctors.

[Moxie]

c-section time! = one of the highest mother/baby mortality rates in the world.

Scheduling early childbirths are thought to be linked to higher infant mortality, but I'm not aware of the c-section process itself being any more dangerous for the baby than being squeezed through the vagina.

Mississippi has the highest infant mortality, nearly twice as high a rate as in 8 other states.

Mississippi = highest obesity, highest concentration of blacks, highest poverty


In general, the greater access to medical care, the more and more rates have gone down :

 

[shindig]

^^ so your surgery did not fix the pain? it returned?

It worked for 8 weeks before the pain came back as bad as ever. I almost feel like the 8 weeks of relief was more due to shock on the body(increased adrenaline) and lingering anesthesia.

 

[shawnhag]

This is all Bushes fault.

 

[vikingred]

This is all Bushes fault.

Nah, bro. Bush was down.

See what James David Manning has to say:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1sJDhJ-6iE]The Best of Pastor Manning (version 1) - YouTube[/ame]

 

[stefanie]

Aww second that is really sad, I'm so sorry

Truly: FUCK DOCTORS

My mom is caring for my grandmother who has Alzheimers, despite being confused sometimes and not being fit to be on her own any more my grandmother is happy, active and in excellent shape. The woman worked on a farm her whole life, she would chop wood every morning for her stove!

This is a irrelevant to the larger discussion, but have you ever tried getting your grandma an mp3 player or CD player with some of her favorite songs from when she was younger? Or old radio shows, if she was into those? There's an increasing amount of research to suggest that it helps improve mental state in people with declining mental function due to Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia.

My dad has run nursing homes my entire life (the good kind), and my mom spent many years as an activity director. I used to track down a lot of old songs, albums, and old radio shows for their residents and my mom said even the Alzheimer's patients were transformed when they listened to the things they loved when they were young. She also spent a ton of time gathering items from the 1920s-50s to hang from the walls and she would encourage residents to share memories they would recall based on their presence. A few references, if you're interested: 1, 2.

 

[bluechinagroup]

As a son of a Doctor, it really pains me to hear this. On the other hand, my beloved Dad (who is no longer alive) did say most American doctors are idiots. Considering that my Father has a PhD (taught medical students in university) and an M.D., he can say this with some authority.

As an immigrant my Dad really had fight much harder to be a Doctor in America in the first place. The system is rigged against foreign doctors and favors lazy American doctors who probably couldn't pass the exam my Father had to go through. Foreign Doctors are required to take a special exam that American doctors are exempt from. It has a reputation of being extremely difficult.

Sorry you guys had such a miserable experience. My Dad's patients loved him, and my Dad loved them. Whenever he was home, he always talked about his patients like they were his friends. His patients would often give him interesting articles to read, and he would share them with Mother and I.

Anyway I hate the American health care system and the American government. That's why I packed my shit and left.

 

[geofferson]

After telling my family doctor that I switched to a plant based diet, she got a confused look on her face and asked "but then where do you get your protein from?". I replaced her the following year with a new family doctor (much younger) but she wants to pump me full of flu shots and other vaccines. From my experience, most doctors in Canada are conditioned to work inside the pharmaceutical-industrial complex. I'm now looking to replace my new family doctor, but I've taken control of my own health matters and I'm hoping to avoid hospitals entirely unless its an emergency. There are some good doctors working outside of the system, but they aren't near me, so I only follow their work through various publications. I'm so glad my wife (she's 7 months pregnant) and I found a good midwife! I highly recommend going that route for low risk pregnancies.

 

[Hurr-Durr]

Haha, for those that think the high cost of medical care is because of doctor's extravagant salary - consider this: Only 8% of total healthcare cost goes towards physician compensation. And given how rigorous medical training is, and how many years one has to devote to just become eligible to practice medicine, the high pay may not be entirely unjustified.

 

[Zaino]

After telling my family doctor that I switched to a plant based diet, she got a confused look on her face and asked "but then where do you get your protein from?". I replaced her the following year with a new family doctor (much younger) but she wants to pump me full of flu shots and other vaccines. From my experience, most doctors in Canada are conditioned to work inside the pharmaceutical-industrial complex. I'm now looking to replace my new family doctor, but I've taken control of my own health matters and I'm hoping to avoid hospitals entirely unless its an emergency. There are some good doctors working outside of the system, but they aren't near me, so I only follow their work through various publications. I'm so glad my wife (she's 7 months pregnant) and I found a good midwife! I highly recommend going that route for low risk pregnancies.

Good for you, im right behind you a few steps, but ill get there !

 

[Djshorty89]

Went to a doctor here in Canada and asked for blood test as well as a vitamin d test. She told me "why do you need a vitamin d test, we don't even test old women with bone problems for vitamin d deficiency." I told her I just want it done and I'll pay the costs for the test. So I ended up paying for the test and lo and behold my vitamin D is half the minimum it should be. Not to mention I have high cholesterol (5.33) and my liver enzymes were close to double what they should be.

Anyway, now I just do most of the research myself and don't really trust what doctors say. They pretty much had no idea why my liver levels were high and I went to multiple doctors. I'm going to go see a naturopath soon as they seem to be more in tune with current research, and are more into preventative health care.

 

[Hurr-Durr]

do most of the research myself and don't really trust what doctors say.

QFT.

I bet almost everyone browsing this forum has deficiency of Vitamin-D. This is because we all work indoors and we need daily exposure to sun-light in order to acquire Vitamin-D.

The alternative would be to take Vitamin-D tablets but that's just a stopgap measure and not recommended for the long-term. Because taking tablets puts extra burden on your liver.

 

[geofferson]

Dr. John McDougall on Vitamin D. He makes the most sense to me...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2zCUyppVd0]MCD Sunshine & Vitamin D - YouTube[/ame]

QFT.

I bet almost everyone browsing this forum has deficiency of Vitamin-D. This is because we all work indoors and we need daily exposure to sun-light in order to acquire Vitamin-D.

The alternative would be to take Vitamin-D tablets but that's just a stopgap measure and not recommended for the long-term. Because taking tablets puts extra burden on your liver.

 

[-joe-]

I replaced her the following year with a new family doctor (much younger) but she wants to pump me full of flu shots and other vaccines.

So your goal is to find a doctor that won't try to give you flu shots?

 

[geofferson]

My goal is to find a family doctor that isn't pill/injection obsessed and respects/understands the role of nutrition in human health; including how to build a strong healthy immune system naturally without interventions via drugs/shots. It seems the doctors in Canada aren't incentivized to keep you healthy without some drug company getting involved.

So your goal is to find a doctor that won't try to give you flu shots?

 

[tangy]

As someone who is a few months away from graduating pharmacy school - my backup, as I originally went to be a pediatrician - this thread has everything.

Comedy, tragedy, drama, broscience, hypocrisy... you name it. Awesome stuff.

There are quite a few bubbles in here that need bursting, but instead I'll contribute by asking...

If you honestly believe you are capable of diagnosing your own health issues - why are you seeking a physician? With the internet, you can:

- easily look up signs and symptoms to determine what you might have
- determine the best therapeutic approach... pharmacotherapy, natural health products, etc.
- order brand-name remedies that can be shipped right to your door... even pharmaceuticals if needed

...so, why bother? Why seek the expert if you think you can do it better, faster, easier, cheaper, etc. without them?

Interested to hear these responses.

 

[tangy]

It seems the doctors in Canada aren't incentivized to keep you healthy without some drug company getting involved.

While it's true that most provinces monetize prescribing, the primary challenge is that physicians are trained to diagnose first with therapeutic knowledge a distant second (if at all). Most medical schools give fewer than six weeks of instruction in pharmacology and/or drug therapeutics and virtually zero in preventive care measures such as food intake management.

Thankfully this trend is turning around. Alberta has been leading the charge in allowing pharmacists to prescribe medications: https://pharmacists.ab.ca/nPublic/PharmacistPrescribing.aspx and other provinces will need to follow suit simply due to health care costs swallowing more and more money.

Once we get to a system where everyone works their core competency - physicians diagnose, pharmacists prescribe, nurses manage, dieticians fix intake issues, midwives deliver, etc. - things will work far more efficiently. Sadly, due to unions and other special interests, this will likely never happen.

 

[Hurr-Durr]

Dr. John McDougall on Vitamin D. He makes the most sense to me...

MCD Sunshine & Vitamin D - YouTube

Very good advice! I agree with him that natural (sunlight) Vitamin-D is the way to go, not pills.

 

[MentalyDisturbd]

If you guys need blood tests done and don't want to go to the doctors or have them rape you on fees. Go to privatemdlabs.com they also have a 15% off voucher running all the time. They have blood tests for everything, you can get anything tested that you would normally through labcorp just like if you were going through your doctor, you can order vit. d tests, testosterone, liver, lipids etc. etc. Just to give you an idea. I went to my urlogist and she wanted me to do a blood test and she did a CBC (complete blood count), testosterone, and thyroid. I can get this exact same test done through privatemdlabs for about $120.

After I got back from the urologist about a week later I get my results and I also get a bill in the mail for $350 just for the blood test! I know in the grand scheme of things it's chump change but, I'm just saying this for the fact of how much the doctors office upcharges you. That's not including my visit with her that cost me another $200 just to see the doctors face. I also don't have insurance.

When I went for my follow up visit with that doctor I did my own blood test at labcorp through privatemdlabs and brought it in with me to discuss it with her. Or else they were wanting to take blood from me again but, I said no and she looked over what I brought her, accepted it and kept a copy of it.

I'm going to sound like I'm promoting them now but, I don't have any affiliation:

I need a blood test done tomorrow, so just a few minutes ago I went on to their site ordered the usual hormonal test to check my testosterone, e2, CBC all for $50. They e-mail you a requisition form to print out and bring it with you, I can go to my nearest labcorp any time, no appointment necessary. I'm just going to drop in tomorrow give blood and I'm out in 5 minutes. Also, you get your results emailed to you usually within 24 hrs. but I think they say 72 hrs. but it's almost always quicker. I've even received my results on the weekend before. It's quicker than getting them done at my doctors which usually takes a week.

 

[geofferson]

My wife and I only need a decent family doctor ON RECORD so we can get certain requests handled (Ex. blood work via a lab) and referrals to specialists if needed. Outside of that, I really only use my family doctor for a physical check up every other year.

As someone who is a few months away from graduating pharmacy school - my backup, as I originally went to be a pediatrician - this thread has everything.

Comedy, tragedy, drama, broscience, hypocrisy... you name it. Awesome stuff.

There are quite a few bubbles in here that need bursting, but instead I'll contribute by asking...

If you honestly believe you are capable of diagnosing your own health issues - why are you seeking a physician? With the internet, you can:

- easily look up signs and symptoms to determine what you might have
- determine the best therapeutic approach... pharmacotherapy, natural health products, etc.
- order brand-name remedies that can be shipped right to your door... even pharmaceuticals if needed

...so, why bother? Why seek the expert if you think you can do it better, faster, easier, cheaper, etc. without them?

Interested to hear these responses.

 

[tangy]

The alternative would be to take Vitamin-D tablets but that's just a stopgap measure and not recommended for the long-term. Because taking tablets puts extra burden on your liver.

Absolute broscience. All current evidence suggests that supplementation with Vitamin D at levels below 10,000 IU / day (some suggest this could go up to 50k or 100k IU/d) is perfectly healthy.

Unless you have some form of underlying liver disorder or are taking something that is affecting your 25-hydroxylase enzymes responsible for metabolizing vitamin D all available evidence indicates you are in zero danger from supplementing at < 10,000 IU / day for the rest of your life.

Also, just FYI you really should understand mechanism of action before you talk out of your ass and well above your pay grade. Your liver is responsible for metabolism of vitamin D regardless of the source, so your theory about "stopgap measures" makes no sense. If vitamin D was toxic to this imaginary person, it would be toxic when obtained from sunlight: