Seattle Times- Why We Do Not Trust the Medical Profession

Published Jun 8, 2009

299 Posts

I want everyone to know that many of my family members are in the Nursing profession. I love medicine and science. My Dad is a Chemist and my brother is a Physicist. My B.A. is in Government and Economics. I have noticed that many in the medical profession engage in stereotypes. My R.N. sister was told by a Nurse sitting on two chairs because of her weight, that my niece, who is as thin as a rail, was overweight. I am sure you can imagine what my R.N. sister told that nurse in response. I worked with a gentleman who is 5'8" 375, 66 years old, without any medical conditions, can you explain this to me? Yet, I have a benchpress of 330 x 20, I am mostly muscle mass and I am on dialysis. I played offensive line and I wrestled heavyweight, and in my last employment position, I walked two hours per day. While I think the world of so many nursing people, I think a few in the nursing profession should live by their own rules. More than a few nursing profession are "Do as I say, Not as I do." Yes, physicians exhibit the same behavior, telling people to lose weight and lower cholesterol, while they are grossly overweight, and stuffing hamburgers in their mouths. Do they really believe that they are fooling the patient? Many outstanding hard scientists do not agree with the current weight loss and cholesterol obsessions.

I wonder how some of you will feel someday when you are the patient? Yes, many patients are NOT the brightest rock in the box. However, when I come to a medical office and I see loud advertisements for the drug company, I do not trust you. According to many senior endocrinologists, most people do not become diabetics until after the age of 50. The hospitals are making huge profits from weight loss surgery with lasting damage to the patient. I wonder whatever happened to the motto of, "Do no harm?" Yes, I do agree that Nurses are undercompensated, for many reasons. Yes, patients need to do more to protect their health. However, the medical profession needs to engage in sound hard science, not sloppy clinical trials and studies that only serve to create wealthy stockholders for the drug companies.

I would agree that modern insulin is outstanding and that product should create wealthy stockholders. If the patient is receiving large benefits, the Nurse, Physicians, and drug company should be rewarded financially. I believe that the free market will greatly enhance the medical profession and the patient. Socialized medicine will result in great sufferings for the individuals on dialysis and for the chronically ill, along with the elderly. Quite honestly, I do not believe that the government should have any role in medicine. I am not a fan of government or private insurance. How many people on this board call the auto insurance company for a flat tire? No, I am sure you do not, because cost outweighs benefit. I would propose that each American would pay the first $1,000 of their yearly health care costs. In fact, under 1 percent of Americans pay $1,000.00 per year for their health care. In establishing a reasonable deductible, this would leave extremely large sums of money to care for the chronically ill and the elderly, this is compassion.

There are many things that could be done that would enhance the wages of the medical profession, provide compassionate care for the patient, and eliminate shortages in certain medical specialities. These actions could be taken without excessive rises in health care spending. Regulation=cost. With the government mandating that insurance companies cover every procedure under the sun, insurance policies for a family have increased to be out of financial ability to pay. Any company must charge enough to cover expenses and make a profit to stay in the marketplace. Eliminating regulations will elimate enough costs to enable individuals with serious medical conditions to obtain health insurance. In doing so, this will create enough profit incentives to create new medical technology in dialysis and other serious medical conditions.

Mark

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/sick2.html