I think we all suffer a little from what Smith calls the “God syndrome” because we all assume the doctor knows much more about illness than we do and that the end result of his diagnoses can often mean the difference between life and death. That’s a big deal to anyone. I’ll never forget my feeling when Dr. Landau first told me that he had discovered some pre-cancerous cells in the biopsy of my prostate. I thought: “I can’t die yet! I’m too young! This is unfair and unacceptable!” I was viscerally mad at someone, but rather than shake my fist at God, I took it out in the privacy of my mind on the doctor and his diagnosis. Ultimately, I’m glad I accepted his suggestion to undergo brachytherapy. It got rid of the cancer and I’m still alive.
I don’t agree with his dismissal of the natural human tendency to empathize with another’s pain. For me it has never seemed “as abstract as the suffering we watch on TV.” (54) Mom and I just finished watching a heart-wrenching documentary on TV about America’s aid to the victims of the Russian famine of 1921, a part of history I was totally unaware of. The photos of starving children huddled in suffocating rooms, sleeping naked on the cold floors with totally emaciated bodies was shocking and outrageous, because the Bolshevik authorities blithely ignored the log jam of trains filled with wheat that stood idle in rail yards for weeks while hundreds of thousands of people starved to death in Eastern Russia.
His observation about the self-awareness that comes with learning more about our illnesses reminds me of Socrates’ most famous dictum: “Know thyself.” Smith seems to suggest that there comes a point where knowing our ills can make us into hypochondriacs, that a bit of self-unawareness is probably healthy. I think pain can become a spiritual problem when it persists, because it forces our focus inward (we can’t stop thinking about it), thereby compromising our capacity to go outside of ourselves, which is the stance of any good person and the essence of altruism. I take my hat off to persons who can remain positive under conditions of terminal illnesses or long-term pain.
And I’m intrigued by his point that persistent illnesses can range beyond their causes, passing through the light of reason “back once more into the dark.” This touches on a problem I have with the medical profession in general, that doctors are trained in exclusively scientific methods, dismissing (as my own family doctor does) alternative modes like holistic medical practices, herbal remedies, and even ancient practices that still have efficacy. I find this attitude arrogant and harmful to the patient by dismissing other possible remedies because they haven’t passed the muster of scientific scrutiny. Not every malady lends itself solely to one regimen.*
Even more problematic in modern medicine are the soaring costs of treatments that are often driven by pure greed (the stranglehold pharmaceutical companies have on the doctors who prescribe their expensive medications and the outrageous costs of one day in the hospital). Not only is it prohibitively expensive, it is dangerous to your health to be in a hospital. I don’t want to go there, but medical costs are a huge problem that will break the bank of our financial system unless we can find a way to rein in the costs of Medicare and Medicaid.
Finally, his reference to the placebo effect is timely and true, because there is so much evidence in the history of medicine that non-physical factors often play a major role in either recovery or death. On the negative side, American soldiers held prisoner during the Korean War simply rolled over and died in captivity because they had lost their will to live. On the other hand, there seems to be ample experimental evidence to suggest that patients who are prayed for during terminal illnesses recover in far greater numbers than those who are not prayed for.
Personal Observations:
I seriously could and well might have become a medical (instead of a philosophical) doctor, had I not had a dream when I was very young. Having lived in the St. George hospital during my year in Kindergarten (my father worked as a fireman at a naval base in southern California during the war), I grew to love the strange smells of disinfectants and the tall men in white coats who were my idols. But I dreamed one night that I was operating on a person, but forgot a procedure and he died. I woke up determined that I could never go into a profession where I might be the cause of another’s death.
One final point: I find it brainless and disgusting that prescription medications sold over the counter and through the media are almost exclusively designed to provide “fast, temporary relief” from what ails you, rather than “slow, permanent relief,” which is what any rational person really wants. But permanent solutions, which focus on treating causes rather than symptoms, would quickly lead to bankrupt companies, whose livelihood is linked to repeat customers. Duh!
*Later in the chapter it seems clear that Smith, while admitting that some alternative methods can be helpful, they can and often are exploited at the expense of the patient’s well-being. True enough, but I have reverted to some herbal remedies and vitamin supplements for the very reason he admits that traditional medical treatments are often harmful and even deadly. I take Nattakinase instead of an 81 mg aspirin each day because the aspirin harms the lining of the stomach. I can thin my blood naturally without that obvious negative side effect. I have stopped taking statins for my high cholesterol because some doctors I trust claim that taking statin drugs to lower cholesterol does not avert heart problems but does harm your liver, often permanently. So, I think the key is to educate yourself and try to make informed decisions by relying on the best of all the available treatments.
Great observations, Dad. The first thing I thought of when the book spoke of the doctor's authority was when I disregarded it in favor of my own understanding of high cholesterol in women. And in study after study that I have read statins don't lower women’s risk of heart disease. I even talked to Grandpa about this to get his take as a chemist and he agreed with me, and also had stopped taking his statins, granted he was close to 90. My point is it hit me that the doctor works for me. They can give me their expert advice but I don't have to blindly do what they say, they are not the boss of me. (Clearly, I have issues with authority.) However, when I gained confidence that I could disagree with my doctor and act in a way that I thought was best, I believe our relationship improved.
Tara:
Dad, I am excited to read chapter 5 after reading your great comments. I totally agree with you about doctors being closed minded. I'm married to one! Don't get me wrong. He's great at what he does but anything not "proven" or "known," to him, is a load of hooey. For example, I've become interested and involved with Doterra essential oils and he teases me all the time about them. But I know they work so I just laugh along with him and accept my title as his semi-crazy wife. I would much rather treat simple ailments with a natural remedy than load up on chemicals that the drug companies are shoving down our throats through shiny commercials and magazine ads when more often than not the real solution is a lifestyle change. They figuratively want us to believe that a band aid will heal a broken arm. Yea, they think they have us over a barrel, but we're not stupid (at least, some of us are not stupid, even though some of us like me are too gullible for our own good). On our hike up Logan Canyon last Thursday, I told mom about my issues with the medical profession and she and I both realized my anger is just below the surface. I tend to overstate the negative. I like doctors (especially our family doctor, Dr. Kennedy), but it's sad that they're not taught some more practical things (like the value of good nutrition) in medical school. Doesn't that seem like a no-brainer? And what's with the food they serve up (throw up?) when you're in the hospital. That's a big red flag in my book.
Anyway, thanks for the reply.
Love you, Dad
No comments:
Post a Comment