I think the “don’t trust but verify” mantra doesn’t apply neatly to medicine. Although true doctors are fallible and work in adversarial environments, with incomplete information and imperfect solutions for imperfect patients (encompassing the entire bell curve), representing all of them as scammers or unethical is ignorant, dark and unfortunate. It’s true, like anyone, doctors can be manipulated by incentives and coercion, but they can also be motivated by compassion and purpose. Selecting a physician is not an easy task— finding the right blend of bedside manner, humility and skill takes effort and confidence. But it’s possible to find good people still trying to do the right thing, despite “the system” being cruel, corrupted and impersonal. For example, the bitcoin devs naturally get much praise for championing freedom. But what about the rest of the devs that are creating digital surveillance prisons? Are all computer devs evil? Of course not. Yet doctors have been lumped into one homogenous batch of bad actors, mainly because of MSM portrayals of doctors advocating for mandates. But they didn’t show the countless who were against them (I am of course one of them). The mandates are a black stain on the profession, and on vaccines, but there should be deep reflection if the entire medical industry and it’s players are a net bad.

I operate on complex illnesses where it’s (nearly) impossible to bring a layperson “up to speed” in time for their life changing/saving surgery. I do my best to consent and explain the risks and benefits. I actually encourage second opinions and try to direct curious patients to sites that I think are less biased and educational. I’ve had many patients resistant to my recommendations, and that’s ok, but I make sure to be clear what my recommendations are/were for fear of liability, which no surprise, is a another problem I/we have to contend with. Absolutely people should “DYOR” but if you really believe the whole system is corrupted, what good is that going to do? And reading one or two studies without expertise is quite challenging, even for a physician, and often times does not translate well to a non-index patient in the real world. Moving to research that only confirms your worldview is fraught with risks, and when it’s your health (or a loved one’s) the risks are high.

I think most who write on

statements like these are either misguided or confused, and likely have been blessed with optimal health, youth, genes, etc, while (hopefully) making productive lifestyle choices (which I agree the profession & the “system” could do better with).

I’ll finish with the “the don’t trust verify” mantra. At some point, you have to trust. That’s just how life is. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to understand, question, feel empowered and be aware of the risks— but at some point you have to trust another to help. Trying to be your own doctor is having a fool for a patient.

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