WHEN DID I BECOME A DOCTOR?

I've done it myself.

I'm as guilty as the next person.

We really need to find a balance.

The vaccine issue the past few weeks has been a real eye opener for me. It isn't about vaccines because, for me, there is no debate. When my daughter was close to having her baby she asked me to get the Tdap vaccine. It's a Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis vaccine. 

I didn't even hesitate.
I'd do that, and more, to keep my grandchild safe.

It seems that we are on information overload. We don't trust doctors, medications, pharmaceuticals, corporations or vaccines. I was reading a forum posted by Fibromyalgia patients and there was a person that was having chest pains and slurred speech. She was asking what she should do. What? WHAT?

Get to the emergency room.

Pronto.

There were people that were diagnosing her. It might be a side effect of medication or costochondritis. Seriously? I didn't even know what that was. I had to look it up. When we get to the point where we are asking others for a medical diagnosis we have gone too far. I know that it's frustrating to find a doctor who is sympathetic and understands this mysterious and symptom-fluctuating illness. I get that. 

But.

It's at the point it is just ridiculous. We are heading back to the dark ages where medicine was equated with witchcraft. We are not doctors and to distrust everything that the medical community has done is just stupid. That mentality could have life threatening consequences.

It's become the "thing" to question everything. Now, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I get my blood tests before my appointment and look up anything that is out of range and get information about it. This way, I feel, I have some background and can ask some intelligent questions. More than once, my doctor (who I adore) has looked at me and asked how much I googled everything. 

Ok....he got me.

But I do respect his opinion.

I didn't go to medical school. I may know some jargon and have information galore at my fingertips. Having said that, I don't know how it's supposed to fit together. I can't take a few articles from online "experts" and throw out everything that legitimate science has dictated. Reading a few clinical trials does not make me an expert. I don't know what has been acknowledged and what has been discarded by the medical community. I know that discoveries are made all the time and things change. They may find that they need to change formulations on certain vaccines. But the bottom line is that they save lives. You never want to see an infant struggling to breathe because they were denied a vaccine on philosophical exemptions. It's terrifying.

We need to stop playing doctor.

It's unsafe to diagnose each other. I saw an article where diet helped cure someones pancreatic cancer. Steve Jobs thought that way too and put off a potentially life saving or life prolonging surgery. If it were that simple every disease would be cured. I'm not saying that diet and supplements don't help. I think they do but everything needs to be in balance. 

I've got some thyroid issues and autoimmune issues along with the Fibromyalgia. If a diet could cure it I'd be back in the saddle in no time. Again, all this helps but to discard medical science in favor of "natural" cures to me is foolishness. It isn't just to be in favor of it, it's to have disdain if you choose something else.

Like I said, I'm as guilty as the next person.

But when it comes to diagnosing someone on a forum?

My name doesn't have M.D. after it.

To me, that is more like Q.U.A.C.K.

Just sayin.........