“Should patients expect their doctors to be living examples
of their life’s work? ”
I lose respect for people who are obviously lazy about their health, but
this holds true for everyone. Doctors should not be held to a
different standard.
You laminate your lab results and show them to patients? I think this
is prideful at best and insulting at worst, as though they are a badge
of your good choices in life. If you are ever unfortunate enough to
develop something serious (diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cancer) and
the gluten-free diet is not enough, I **wouldn’t** say it’s your own
fault and you should hand in your medical license. I would hope that
the experience would strengthen your empathy toward your patients, that
it would make you a better doctor and not an imperfect and damaged one.
Some doctors might give excellent advice and take great care of
patients, but could have their own personal vices, such as smoking or
liking ice cream too much. So what? They are people too.
I’m happy you’re so healthy and that your style of medicine (gluten free
for asthma and whatever else) works in the sphere of your own personal
health. But your health, or any doctor’s health, in no way affects my
opinion of how good or misguided you or they may be. Personally, I’ll
continue to judge my doctor by her empathy, intelligence, and the
quality her advice, not by whatever medical pitfalls she may or may not
run into. I hope your readers do the same.
My reply to Erin:
Posts are inherently unable to capture all the details
necessary to give an entire message. I
could not agree with you more about having an empathetic, intelligent physician
at your side as you work through your health or disease. To clear up matters, my personal history of
health and disease is not picture perfect and the laminated labs mentioned in
the post illustrate my laboratory abnormalities, some improving, some not so much. My life story is no different than the
patients I care for- diagnoses that changed my world and ‘treatment options’ that did not work for me. Many patients at our practice find credibility in that. I also must actively work to modify those factors that contribute to my diagnoses through lifestyle choices that I do have today and now.
Actually during medical school and residency, I thoroughly
enjoyed my caffeinated sugary sodas as they washed down my one late night meal
consisting of mega burritos and multi-pack tacos. I was diagnosed with insulin resistance
during medical school and still had no idea that my lifestyle was the major
contributing factor. I thought it was my
genetics just coming into play as part of my medical destiny! I am not immune from the unhealthy cues
pervading our society.
How did I come to learn of another way of thinking? My patients thank goodness. By listening, I learned of some ‘natural’
ways to manage disease and symptoms and consequently pursued higher education
of these therapies. Those early moments
of awareness are still clear in my memory and I utilize them to connect with
patients that desire a lifestyle-based approach to use less medication or feel
better with their disease or symptom.
Clearly, the acquisition of optimal health is not 100%
within our control and placing ‘blame’ or ‘judgment’ on another individual
(doctor or not) if they don’t or can’t achieve it is not the name of the
game. Compassion is the operational tool
to understand a particular patient’s station in health or disease and guidance
through information and encouragement is the implementation strategy. The intent of the post is to challenge
readers to define their stance when choosing their physician (especially those
that manage your chronic diseases).
However you decide to weigh in on the matter, it’s progress when you make
your choices with intention. In an ideal
world, there is a perfect doctor for every patient. Here’s wishing you find one as close to your
definition of that ‘perfection’ as possible!
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of their life’s work? ”
I lose respect for people who are obviously lazy about their health, but
this holds true for everyone. Doctors should not be held to a
different standard.
is prideful at best and insulting at worst, as though they are a badge
of your good choices in life. If you are ever unfortunate enough to
develop something serious (diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cancer) and
the gluten-free diet is not enough, I **wouldn’t** say it’s your own
fault and you should hand in your medical license. I would hope that
the experience would strengthen your empathy toward your patients, that
it would make you a better doctor and not an imperfect and damaged one.
Some doctors might give excellent advice and take great care of
patients, but could have their own personal vices, such as smoking or
liking ice cream too much. So what? They are people too.
I’m happy you’re so healthy and that your style of medicine (gluten free
for asthma and whatever else) works in the sphere of your own personal
health. But your health, or any doctor’s health, in no way affects my
opinion of how good or misguided you or they may be. Personally, I’ll
continue to judge my doctor by her empathy, intelligence, and the
quality her advice, not by whatever medical pitfalls she may or may not
run into. I hope your readers do the same.
My reply to Erin:
Posts are inherently unable to capture all the details
necessary to give an entire message. I
could not agree with you more about having an empathetic, intelligent physician
at your side as you work through your health or disease. To clear up matters, my personal history of
health and disease is not picture perfect and the laminated labs mentioned in
the post illustrate my laboratory abnormalities, some improving, some not so much. My life story is no different than the
patients I care for- diagnoses that changed my world and ‘treatment options’ that did not work for me. Many patients at our practice find credibility in that. I also must actively work to modify those factors that contribute to my diagnoses through lifestyle choices that I do have today and now.
Actually during medical school and residency, I thoroughly
enjoyed my caffeinated sugary sodas as they washed down my one late night meal
consisting of mega burritos and multi-pack tacos. I was diagnosed with insulin resistance
during medical school and still had no idea that my lifestyle was the major
contributing factor. I thought it was my
genetics just coming into play as part of my medical destiny! I am not immune from the unhealthy cues
pervading our society.
How did I come to learn of another way of thinking? My patients thank goodness. By listening, I learned of some ‘natural’
ways to manage disease and symptoms and consequently pursued higher education
of these therapies. Those early moments
of awareness are still clear in my memory and I utilize them to connect with
patients that desire a lifestyle-based approach to use less medication or feel
better with their disease or symptom.
Clearly, the acquisition of optimal health is not 100%
within our control and placing ‘blame’ or ‘judgment’ on another individual
(doctor or not) if they don’t or can’t achieve it is not the name of the
game. Compassion is the operational tool
to understand a particular patient’s station in health or disease and guidance
through information and encouragement is the implementation strategy. The intent of the post is to challenge
readers to define their stance when choosing their physician (especially those
that manage your chronic diseases).
However you decide to weigh in on the matter, it’s progress when you make
your choices with intention. In an ideal
world, there is a perfect doctor for every patient. Here’s wishing you find one as close to your
definition of that ‘perfection’ as possible!