Good article in the New York Times, today.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/16/opinion/statin-side-effects-cancer.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
Regards, Elaine
"doctor google" is liar ? - yes.
"doctor google + pubmed" is a real saviour - yes.
If people read "pubmed" docs via google search, i guess that is way better than real doctors.....especially when it comes to rare diseases.
This forum is the proof that many patients here are able to tell their horror experiences with their doctors.
I for one find that all relevant pubmed papers confirm that i have sjogren for sure......my other friends on this forum confirm that i have sjogrens. but multiple rheumatologists still do not agree that i have sjogrens.....and they neither do they have alternate diagnosis to suggest.
I'll second the idea that the article is trying to get across.
We often look to what others have to say when trying to figure out how best to approach treating ourselves. Human nature. The trouble is, that is sometimes to our very own health's detriment. When it comes down to it, the general population are not board certified Doctors/Specialists. (Not that what is shared on forums is not of value, quite the contrary).
For instance, in general discussion here, a lot of folks refer to immune modulating medications as "Big Guns" or "immune suppressants," both which carry a largely negative connotation.
This language turns a lot of people off from considering such treatments, in many cases from which they stand to benefit.
After all, we have a lymphoproliferative disease with guaranteed side effects that impact quality of life beyond that of what most medications could even potentially do. Yet many defer such treatment out of a sense of "fear."
Fear is a heck of a thing, and can cause a lot of irrational actions... That applies to a lot of things in life beyond just dealing with health concerns.
Most of you know my aversion to medical doctors and my continuing search for alternative medicine that will help. If you search for your symptoms on google, because of the way the search algorithms are written you may not get a correct diagnosis. John Hopkins typically uses two symptoms to direct you to several possible diagnosis that may need to be resolved before you get an acurate diagnosis. Other tests have to be run to verify exactly what you have. The Mayo Method, when properly executed, uses a committee to reach a diagnosis. Mayo does not believe in AI diseases. The homeopathic method looks at a lot of symptoms and does a statistical analysis to determine what you have when properly executed.
Some doctors diagnose on common symptoms that are going around. This approach minimizes testing that would prove their diagnosis and is promoted by Insurance companies.
I suggest that you always get a second opinion. As an example, I had blood coming after a bowel movement a couple of times. Homeopathic gave me a list of 4 options. Two options were probable, Hemorrhoids and Anal tear. One possible option was cancer. I called the VA hot line and they sent me to the ER, It was on the weekend and urgent care was not open. No hemorrhoids were found. I am going to a specialist for a consult but I am leaning to the tear option and not giving in to fear. It is the option that hit the most statistical symptoms.
A general search provides what most people look for. In an MIT test form the 70's, Medical Doctors were 60-70% accurate on know cases. An AI system, (Probability on two symptoms) prove to be 80-90% accurate. The AI and the doctors did not have any fluid tests. John Hopkins say these results and changed how they were teaching. Mayo has minority opinions as part of their process. A second or third opinion is always valuable.
Great article thanks for sharing!
Caroline, I haven't posted to you for a while. Sorry to hear you are feeling yukky.....no fun and especially during the holidays. I hope that you can enjoy your time with the family. We already had our Christmas. I took family out to eat and we all enjoyed it. The grandsons really did cause there was a pool table there and that kept them busy for a long time. Went and opened presents at one sons after that. Short and sweet.
The Christmas holidays are so much different since my hubby passed away and I miss being in my own home and cooking for the gang. I always tried to have a ton of potatoes and gravy as my 3 sons really scarfed that down. People don't cook like that anymore and I miss it.
Please take it easy and don't overdue so you don't get more flare. Have a great Christmas...Hugs Irish