Is your doctor a hammer and you're a nail? Here's some insider's advice coaxing patients to be more wary and skeptical of medical advice. Should you trust your doctor? Absolutely. But you need to serve as a spirited advocate for your own health or bring one with you. Ask your physician for the evidence. Sometimes, his medical advice may result more from judgement and experience as there may not be available medical evidence to guide him. Make sure you have realistic expectations of the medical out me. And most importantly, try as best you can to verify that the proposed solution is targeted to your problem. Is Your Doctor a Hammer? Consider a few hypothetical scenarios. A 66-year-old patient has chronic right lower back pain. Physical therapy has not been helpful. Radiological studies show a moderate amount of hip arthritis. A hip replacement is flawlessly performed. The orthopedist discharges the patient from his practice. The pain is unchanged.
MD Whistleblower presents vignettes and commentaries on the medical profession. We peek 'behind the medical curtain' and deliver candor and controversy in every post.