raising godzillas

Why some people don't trust doctors; or, why medicine as business leads to woo-woo

As a somewhat natural crunchy person, I know plenty of people who don't trust medicine. I can say myself that in some ways, I don't trust the medical community myself.
But hear what I'm saying.
Do I believe that many of our first world health issues are diseases of lifestyle, of affluence, and should be treated first by lifestyle factors such as eating right, exercising, and not smoking or excessively drinking? Yes.
Are you ever likely to see me going to a chiropractor or acupuncurist? Not in the least.
Do I believe that if that doesn't work, we should be thankful we live in a time of medical advancement and see a doctor and take advantage of scientific advancement to help us with our ills? Most emphatically yes.
But here's where it can fall apart, and send some folks  off to alternative medicine, who might not have otherwise.
Our medical delivery system is not run by doctors or scientists. It's run by BUSINESS people, who care more about their bottom line than  your health. This is bad science. This leads people to take their health care needs out of the medical sphere...which can be the best thing in the world for someone who dealing with lifestyle diseases, but can cause injury or death in other cases. These last 6 months have pointed this up for me so eloquently. I first saw my doctor at the end of December for my issues, and it was not until 6 months later, and over a $1000 out of pocket for visits and tests, that she even got around to "Let's prescribe the pill because it sounds like it may be endometriosis ". 5 days on the pill, my symptoms continue to get worse, I'm still in pain and not pooping, and I'm queasy and headachy, feels like my head will pop off my neck and fly away on top of the rest. Along the way, when prunes have not worked, I have taken the medical advice to take an over the counter laxative. Like almost ALL medication, they make me queasy. (See a trend? Thank God anti-histamines don't make me ill). So, at the DM's suggestion, I started drinking senna tea. It helps more than prunes (though at this point little seems to help in the same manner it did even a month ago) . Pretty minor as far as natural remedies go. I don't consider it a cure, just a way to survive until the next step.
My follow up is at the end of August. Then, if I have not improved and my doctor thinks it's indicated and my insurance, in it's infinite wisdom, approves it, I MAY consider surgery. I say MAY because "Can we afford it?" is a more overriding question than "Can we not afford it?" at this point. The irony is my pain is so VERY specific, I have no doubt at all that if a surgeon could could open me up where I pointed the problem would be found and I'd be healed.
This is not good science.
This is not good medicine.
Do I trust the advancement of medical science? Do I trust that, indeed, medicine could have healed me already? I do, 100%.
Do I trust our profit run medical delivery system to provide that to me? At this point, not so much. Is it any wonder some people give up on doctors?

posted by gojirama @ 10:55 AM