Why are Doctors so Dumb?

By Jo Ann LeQuang

The medical profession does not have a great track record. Way back in 1850, a European doctor named Ignaz Semmelweis was branded by his medical colleagues as “insane” for recommending that doctors wash their hands between medical procedures. Around 1900, doctors promoted a cough medicine known as Heroin (yes, the same stuff). In the 1930s to 1940s, doctors promoted cigarette smoking as a weight loss method and even appeared in ads. Today, we see doctors eager to medicate active little children and to prescribe pain killers rather than lifestyle modifications to their obese patients struggling with pain. Really, when is the last time you ever had a doctor talk to you about nutrition and exercise? American loves physicians like TV’s Dr. House—a misanthrope and drug addict who knows science and hates his patients. Not all doctors are like him—but physicians can be imperfect. Here are seven reasons why doctors are dumb and what you can do about it.

Doctors Think Differently about Health

Doctors think differently about health than you do. Take a common side effect of surgery: nausea and vomiting. Most surgical patients hate throwing up with a passion, but for many years doctors more or less overlooked this because nobody died of it. It took the pioneering work of some physicians like Dr. Patricia Kapur to get physicians to take this problem seriously. Your doctor thinks in terms of life-and-death, not your momentary comfort. Here’s what to do: Speak up. Voice your concerns. If you’re in the hospital, tell the nurse, the doctor, and anyone else and enlist your family and friends as your advocates. If you are taking drugs or treatments with side effects, tell your doctor. You can also tell the Food and Drug Administration (they monitor that kind of thing). If your doctor is oblivious to your comfort, find another doctor or get insistent. A recent paper in the medical literature said that pain relief for patients in hospital ought to be a “fundamental human right” rather than a nicety.

Specialists

Specialists rarely see the big picture. Medicine today is highly specialized and specialists do not always work well together. In fact, a big problem in modern American medicine is that it is so compartmentalized that nobody has the big picture. Specialization is good because it allows doctors to gain tremendous expertise in a narrow field. But they sometimes miss the forest for the trees. Here’s what to do: You keep your eye on the big picture or find a family member who can do it if you’re in the hospital. This means that somebody needs to keep tabs on everything from food intake, hydration, urinary output, medications, side effects, pain levels, and patient comfort. If you are dealing with a chronic condition, you keep your eye on all aspects of your health, including your sleep, weight, exercise level, stress, and so on.

Doctors Like to Prescribe Drugs

Doctors like to prescribe drugs. A lot of people assume this is all about nefarious “big pharma” but I have a much more simplistic take on why doctors like to give us medications. First of all, many medications work and work amazingly well. Second, medications are very easy to stop and start. A doctor can prescribe a drug and, if it doesn’t work or you don’t tolerate it, discontinue it and try another. And third, their patients like drugs. Many people want a “magic pill” to make everything better. Nobody wants to hear they need to cut out sugar, hit the gym harder, and get more sleep; most patients would rather take a miracle arthritis pill. Here’s what to do: Next time your doctor reaches for the prescription pad, ask if there are lifestyle modifications that might be tried before you try a drug. Then wait and pick the doctor up off the floor. Nobody ever says that to them! Many physicians are proponents of non-drug therapies, but most patients don’t like them!

Doctors Do Not Know What it’s Like to Be Patients

Doctors do not know what it’s like to be patients. Being a doctor all day long, it gets easy to think, “This person has cancer” or “That guy has Parkinsons.” Sometimes this casual matter-of-fact attitude comes out in their conversation. If they have a patient who is diagnosed with cancer, fails surgery, and then dies—this is nothing new. Your doctor can sound cold, unfeeling, and harsh. Maybe he or she is just a jerk. Or maybe your doctor cannot really relate to you the way you think. Here’s what to do: If you are faced with a serious disease or chronic condition, try to find a local support group. You know who “gets” patients? Other patients! For instance, an online support group for people with pacemakers and defibrillators (PacemakerClub.com) offers no medical advice but allows people who share this disorder the chance to meet each other, swap stories, and encourage each other. If you are dealing with serious health issues, your friends and family are good sources of help and kindness; support groups can be encouraging; but your clinical team may only be able to offer you medical help.