41 Secrets Your Doctor Would Never Share

Found this article and thought people who frequent this forum would appreciate or be interested in some of the info in this article.

The article is from the "Readers Digest" website and it asked Doctors to tell it like it is, and they put 41 of the answers in this article, here are a few of them.

41 Secrets Your Doctor Would Never Share

Does your doctor always get pages when your in the examination room?

I used to have my secretary page me after I had spent five minutes in the room with a difficult or overly chatty patient. Then I'd run out, saying, "Oh, I have an emergency."
--Oncologist, Santa Cruz, California

Nice to know the doctors don't really want to hear what you have to say.

Do you ever question your doctors diagnosis?

The most unsettling thing for a physician is when the patient doesn't trust you or believe you.
--Obstetrician-gynecologist, New York City

Because doctors NEVER make mistakes!

Do doctors only prescribe drugs when you need them?

Sometimes it's easier for a doctor to write a prescription for a medicine than to explain why the patient doesn't need it.
--Cardiologist, Bangor, Maine

So, some doctors just prescribe drugs as an easy way to get you out of their office!

Does your doctor give you "FREE SAMPLES"?

Those so-called free medication samples of the newest and most expensive drugs may not be the best or safest.
--Internist, Philadelphia

Always looking out for your well being, well, I guess some are anyway.

Did your doctor tell you that some drugs may cost you more out of pocket money than just the cost of the drug?

Taking psychiatric drugs affects your insurability. If you take Prozac, it may be harder and more expensive for you to get life insurance, health insurance, or long-term-care insurance.
--Daniel Amen, MD, psychiatrist, Newport Beach, California

Hey, it doesn't cost them anything, why should they bother opening up another whole can of worms that you might actually want to talk to them about, he's too busy for that sort of chit-chat.

Is your doctor REALLY prescribing you the best drug for your condition?

Ninety-four percent of doctors take gifts from drug companies, even though research has shown that these gifts bias our clinical decision making.
--Internist, Rochester, Minnesota

I guess you had just better hope that the drug company that has the best drug for your condition is giving gifts (or can you call it bribes) to your doctor.

I was being a little sarcastic with my remarks, well some of them anyway!

Some pretty insightful information on how doctors feel about their patience and other things, if your somebody who has to see a doctor a lot, this article is well worth reading.

[edit on 6/14/2008 by Keyhole]

I have ZERO trust for Allopathic medicine.
I practice naturopathic, and have since I was 16.
I'm 37 now.
Healthy as a horse.
You'd have to kill me to get a pill in my mouth, or let a doctor near me.
I'd rather bleed to death in the street. Better than being admitted and getting an antibiotic resistant bacteria.
GEEZ!

I haven't been to the doctor in 5+ years. I have never had a flu shot for as long as I can remember. I've never had the flu either. If I'm dying, then that is something different. i will never volunteer to have some drug injected into me without my consent. I don't trust the current setup of healthcare!

Originally posted by AccessDenied
You'd have to kill me to get a pill in my mouth...

What about an herbal extract capsule? Tea stains my teeth.

reply to post by apc


List of extra ingredients required for it to be in capsule form, and the benefits would have to greatly outweigh the cons of ingesting it.
Even the most highly praised naturopathic and homeopathic remedies, can have side affects .

Ah yes. I took doxycycline for a nasty infection and developed intracranial hypertension (elevated fluid pressure on the brain and optic nerve... bad). After stopping the doxy I took horse chestnut extract which rapidly reduced the pressure in my head and stopped the cluster headaches I was having, but it did upset my stomach a bit.

If not capsule then what method of ingestion would you suggest? Tincture? I have found echinacea tincture to be much more effective than in pill form.

reply to post by apc


Yes..that works. But again in moderation, especially if you have never taken it before.
My family has a history of allergies. So Iam always careful of trying new remedies.
However, I have found, that just a few common things seem to work over a broad spectrum off illness, so we rarely need anything else.
Just always keep garlic (fresh) for colds, flus, and infections.
And Ginger root for making tea for upset stomachs, and combined with fresh garlic chicken soup,this takes care of chest colds quite well.
Easy as pie.

Edit to add..only take echinacea for a few days..then not again for about 3-4 weeks.
It loses it's potency if taken all the time.

[edit on 15-6-2008 by AccessDenied]

Yeah I never take it for longer than two weeks. Usually one bottle is what I call a full course. When I was prescribed those antibiotics I asked the doctor if echinacea would help and he abruptly said no. When I developed the headaches and stopped taking the doxy I started a course of echinacea and it knocked out the last bit of infection the antibiotics were having trouble getting anyway. I don't intend to go back to that doctor again.

Originally posted by Keyhole
Those so-called free medication samples of the newest and most expensive drugs may not be the best or safest.
--Internist, Philadelphia

I have avoided any "Free Samples" because in many cases they are new and unproven medications that they are trying to get out to the main population.