Posted by firefly:

My opinion is, anyone who disses doctors is a total idiot. Anyone who doesnt realize that they are some of the most important people on this planet is simply ignorant as to what they do.

Ill be the first to admit that drug companies rape the market to make more money. But in the the process they save millions and billions of lives. None of us would be alive today without the advancements in medicine and pathology that doctors and yes drug companies have given us.

You can pooh pooh and call yourself a man all you want, but in the end of the day, the doc is the one who will keep you from soiling yourself while he helps your body heal. To deny the brilliance of these people is not only sad and mundane in the extreme, but also enormously ungrateful.

Be cautious when citing my words, firefly, because I never dissed doctors. I have great respect for them and their life saving abilities (pimple popper MD, just kidding). But I do see a fault in the system-- not exclusively medical nor political. Doctors today suffer, suffer as much as their patients, as they are pushed beyond their limits by a litigious society, a disgustingly unhealthy society. Doctors of all specialties must have tons of second-rate humans at their door step every day-- begging for the next Great Pill that will let them slouch away on their couch and watch TV.

This IS about being a MAN. It's an ideal, of masculinity, that we must strive for, I believe, if we are to lead healthy lives. There are so many wrong paths-- think drugs, porn, organized crime-- these days that a person can get easily lost. Fitness is the guiding needle. Strength, growth through suffering a Modern Warrior makes-- not the latest in Pill technology.

So I love doctors, one of the most if not the most revered profession of all time. And modern medicine-- all for it, because I might have a serious injury one day. But this overuse and abuse of doctors must stop if one is to live a healthy life, doctor or patient.

edit:

About 'drug companies saving billions of lives'-- yea? At what cost? What good is a life that is so miserably wretched, made so by superfluous pills? Have you ever known anyone on anti-depressants, for example? Even better, have you ever subjected yourself to the 'miracle of modern psychiatry'? It's not a life saver, but a life changer-- and while it may 'extend' a person's life, or a billioin persons' lives, what kind of 'life' is it really extending?

Cycling, fitness, strength, suffering-- bravery. Where are these ideas?

[Edited by - orangeblobman on 08-25-2009 6:20 PM]

Doctors may be brilliant, but I dont trust them at all. When I was 14 I was told that I had a genetic condition that would limit both the quality and duration of my life. But even at that age it didnt make sense, the symptoms didnt seem to apply to me. Nevertheless they told me to take some pill for the rest of my life with all these weird side effects. My mother and I decided not to listen to them, and I didnt take the pill. The diagnosis did prevent me from attending West Point tho, which was always my dream to go to growing up.

Now as an adult newer technologies prove that Im fine. No problems at all. If I had listened to this guy I would be popping heavy drugs and not engaging in any physical activity.

With doctors it is always CYA. I dont trust them at all. They can show me the results of tests and ill make my own decisions.

Never fully accept the first opinion on anything of even the faintest significance when it comes to a doctors diagnosis.

THey call it "practicing medicine" cuz its not a perfect science. When they get it right we expect it but when they don't we get all critical.

"don't eat gluten" scenario is one where perhaps the outcome is what is most important. Eventually he got it!!! It sucks when they can't get it right off the bat but if you just accept the "opinions as fact" then your destined to fail.

No, you don't leave anyone in the hospital alone but at the same time the hospital do wonders. I got family who thru the miricle of good procedures in the cardio dicipline have outlived previous generations. That and good diet and excercise!

but we all have stories of success and failure of the system. It ain't perfect and it never will be!

You guys in your twenties are very tough! So were lots of dudes.

Society abuses everything.

When you go from doctor to doctor the cummulitive effect gets lost. They all apply their diciplines but then it turns into its own recipe. We need a "coordinater" to help keep all egos in check!

But medicine is often a process of elimination. Thats why its "Practiced".

The last doctor says "why on so many meds?" is evident by seeing 15 docs who have not figured it out yet.

I hate to use the show "House" as an example but on most episodes they take stabs and what they "Think" it might be an run tests.

A few months ago my 5 year old dog was dying and they could not figure it out. With about 24 hours left I mentioned a symptom he exibited and the vet excused herself as I said somthing that inspired her, likely to check a reference, and came back to say if its "addisons disease" we can save him and he'll be fine. After a few weeks of running all kinds of tests and treating symptoms costing $1500 it was infact that, and the little guy in 48 hours was running around and being his usual self. Now a dog is a differnt situation as they can't talk about their symptoms but it was a process of elimination. It was thought to be infections, cancer, etc but we only went on symptoms. If I did not mention it what I thought was irregular he might have been toast. In hindsight they should have gotten the diagnosis earlier but its rare. As we come to find out its fairly common in the breed but there are many breeds and finding a breed specific Vet is not common.

Problem with dogs and no insurance is one has to be real about what you spend on them also. We love the dog, but if its cancer we let him go. You don't cure it in animals, you only prolong the agony and spend money to buy time.

Bottom line is we saved him.