Friday, September 23, 2005

DEGREES, COMPETENCY AND QUACKERY

A college degree is no guarantee of competency or integrity, especially when you're seeking help medically. Don't just complacently agree to do what the doctor tells you to. Their advice may cure or kill slowly, by degrees. (Pun intended, if you please,)

A symptom misdiagnosed may be the most serious mistake a doctor can make when a life's at stake. So take a doubting view of the advice you follow or the pills you swallow. And get a second opinion or more before running to the pharmacy, and always ask the doc a lot of questions and suggestions, demand in-depth consultation time before you pay the MD a single dime.

And never shrug and say, "Why should I care? I'll send the bill to Medicare."

Some patients blindly trust, just shrug their shoulders and accept the possibly inept specialist whose advice consists of drugs and pills and tests that run up doctor bills. And don't just be impressed by a crowded waiting room or a look of doom upon the patients faces. They're just the type a quack embraces. Doctors can do no wrong? If they live long, the physician was absolutely great. If they die too soon, it was just fate. If they cling to life, live on and on, keep breathing artificially even though they should officially be declared dead, it's just like the doctor said and watches as the survivors nod: "I did my best. The rest was up to God."

In most cases we will never know, could they have survived and thrived reasonably pain free as loving members of their family? Or was it right that they should die? Was it caused by quackery or God's decree?

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home