About Doctors And Medicine

To See A Doctor Or Not To See?
My son is having a fever. And my wife insisted we take him to a doctor. Being a Sunday, his usual doctor was not opened. So, we went to a another one.

I have been to this doctor many, many years ago. (Ya, I hardly fall sick. And I don't like to go to a doctor for minor sickness.) Today, the doctor that attended to me was not in. We saw a different doctor.

When it was our turn, the doctor checked my 4 years old boy. He looked at the boy's nose and mouth. He is having cough, sore throat, flu and fever. The usual combination.

As the doctor looked at my son's nose, my wife said, "he has sinus." And the doctor said that sinus can be control by medication. The medication has to be taken daily and "he will be alright."

My inner bell went off, "What the heck? A four year-old... medication, daily?" This is absurd. Is the doctor a pharmaceutical company's salesman too?

The Doctor And The Car Salesman - Spot The Difference

This is how the industry works. For those who don't know. I will share this with you. My brother was once a pharmaceutical company's salesman. He visited doctors' clinics and offices. Talked to the doctors. Handed them some brochures about the (sometimes) new medicine. Explained to the doctors a little bit about the new drugs. How to prescribe them.

Sometimes these salesmen just do not have the time to talk to the doctors. Either they or the doctors are busy. They may have left the information to the receptionists or the nurses. You can suspect the information are not properly cascaded to the doctors.

Now, get this. The doctors listened to these salesmen about the drugs. The salesmen will tell them how their companies have researched on the new drugs. And sometimes there are side effects of the drugs which they may not revealed.

When the salesmen tell the doctors that this drug is for fever, the doctors believe it. Like the pharmaceutical companies have given mankind a miracle drug.

I have a friend who is a doctor. I asked him. How does he know the drugs are good or not? He just couldn't answer the question. You see, the drugs are tested and researched by the pharmaceutical companies. Not the doctors. The doctors know jack about the drugs except through the salesman's mouth. Or some medical literature that they read. Or some through conference they have attended.

The doctors just prescribed the drugs to the patients. More drugs, more sales for the clinics. More sales, more profits. More profits, happier shareholders. Happier pockets for whoever operate the clinics.

That is also why the doctor brought up the topic on medication for sinus. Trying to push more drugs and help the clinic to make more bucks.

Take this analogy. The car salesman (read doctor). He sells the car (read drugs). And you (read patient) walked into the showroom. The salesman will ask you a few questions and you tell him what kind of car you are looking for.

And the car salesman will tell a little bit about the performance of the car. Just like how the doctor has a little knowledge about the drugs, but not fully. And you are happy and take the car. Some months later, the cars get recalled by the manufacturer... duh?

Think I am exaggerating?

Look at the recent Tylenol drugs recall.

If you are not careful, you might even die from the doctor's medicine. While waiting for our turn, a patient told my wife and I she was given very strong drugs. It made her gums pain. She was there to see the doctor again to demand an explanation.

I think it is not the strong drugs. Rather it is THE drug that is wrong. Sheesh, should have just walked away from the clinic then.

So, what do the doctors really know?

I asked the same doctor friend. How does he keep himself updated with the latest development in the medical field? He said he gets the periodical medical journal. Yeah, but does he read? Do all the doctors diligently read them? They are humans too. They just want to go home and watch TV.

And even if they have read it, the journal may still be full of the orthodox methods. Orthodox method is when you treat only the symptom. How convenient, oh he has sinus, take this and that medicine. What about treating the root cause of why sinus happens? The doctors just don't ask more about a patient's dietary habit. What food to eat, what to avoid.

And talking about food. My wife continued, and asked the doctor. "Can he take soy milk? I heard milk is not good."

I have been telling and advising my wife to wean our child of milk. Whether it is cow's milk or soy milk. They come in a can. And they are processed in factory. Just look at the ingredients printed on the can. Full of chemical names that I don't even know how to pronounce.

My wife just don't believe what I have said. Probably because I don't have an M.D. at the end of my name. Or maybe because I don't charge people money for talking about health. She asked the doctor sort of like to debunk my theory that milk is bad. Still skeptical about what I said. Well, this is not the first time she asked a doctor in my presence. Every time my son is sick, I will tell her about stopping the milk.

Milk from these powder is sweet. And I know for a fact sugar and sweet things are not good.

See articles on milk.

And the doctor said, "Milk is good for everybody. No problem. Why is it not good?"

If everybody does the same thing, does it mean it is good? Many people smoke. Is it good?

I told the doctor. This thing comes in a can. They are processed food. I realized I was talking to doctor with a last century's mindset. And I told my wife, "It's ok, I don't want to talk to him anymore."

See? This is what I had asked just now. Do the doctors read diligently? The knowledge that milk is bad for us has been around for so long. And this doctor just don't read and research enough. Just trusting the pharmaceutical companies and the milk industry.

Living in this capitalist world, slaving away during the day... my son is left to the care of the babysitter and sometimes his maternal grandmother. They feed him cheese (a dairy product - another no-no) in cereal. They give him cookies (sweet stuff). They give him bread (that has milk content). They give him milk because they said "he cries for it." Hey, you are an adult. If you stop giving him, he won't be able to drink it. Let him cry his head off. He will look for better things to drink and eat. Not milk.

So I asked the doctor what made my son sick? Whether it was the heat (living in a hot climate country) and he was not properly hydrated? Well, the doctor conveniently laid the blame on the seasonal virus.

Come on! If it's the virus, then everyone around my son will already be sick! What crap.

A better explanation will be (and I was expecting from a doctor) - the body's immune system is not strong and easily overcome by virus. The body's immune system is not strong because of the crap food that he has been eating.

The doctor even advised my wife not to give my son any fruit when he is sick. Another bell went off. What the...? Food is a natural food. Created by nature. And what is better than that? Milk powder in a can? Medicine in a bottle?

I didn't even bother to ask him anymore for explanation on why he thought fruits should not be taken.

Stop Listening To These Car Salesmen In Doctors' Clothing

At that moment, my ears have completely shut off. I am not listening to anything anymore that came out of his mouth. And that's the reason why I have never trusted doctors' words. And why I don't like to see them. And why I don't want to go to them even when I am sick. I rather take care of it myself.

Healthy dietary habits start at home. You are what you eat. My son has been seeing doctors quite often for fever. I highly suspect it is the bad eating habit cultivated from the adults around him.

As we reached home, my son vomited some of the milk and cereal he took in the morning. If milk is good like the doctor said, why is the body rejecting it via vomit?

Eat healthy non-dairy products. No sweet stuffs. And you will stay away from these lousy doctors for life. Hope you feed your child with natural food - fruits, grains, beans and vege.

Now, let me go and talk to my wife again...

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