Carolyn Dean MD ND | Thursday, June 18, 2009
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A consulting client from Pennsylvania snapped this blue jay in her yard. She’s told me she’d send me a photo if the bird would ever be still long enough. (Click image to enlarge.)
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A few week’s ago a friend’s father checked into the hospital. He said he felt "tired." A couple weeks later his family buried him.
Sadly, it doesn’t surprise me. The older generation have been given so many nutrient-blocking medications (like antacids) and antidepressants (see Trends in Antidepressant Prescriptions Among the Elderly, The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry). By the time you reach your 50s, 60s and 70s many doctors act as if they are conducting an autopsy when you show up at a hospital.
An autopsy! Have you ever felt like you’ve been treated as if you’ve already passed on? Or possibly you have witnessed this type of approach given to a family member? It’s not in your imagination. It’s real!
The patient has a problem and we doctors are "going to figure out what’s wrong." That’s the diagnosis-and-treat-with-drugs-and-surgery approach they taught me in medical school. It’s very similar to the approach of "they died, what caused it?" that a forensic specialist would use.
"Would You Kindly Fit Into One of
These Boxes We’ve Selected for You?"
Medical doctors start with the biggie… cancer. If they can’t find a growth, then heart disease or diabetes. By the time they’ve gone down the list you’ve been shocked into believing you may carry a whole assortment of horrible illnesses.
And many doctors get frustrated with the patient when their symptoms won’t fit into the cancer box or the heart disease box or the kidney failure box. And the patient now feels bad because they’ve "let their doctor down." For so many reasons they don’t want their doctor to get "mad at them." (When you’ve put your life in someone else’s hands – having them mad at your does feel a little undesirable.)
I dare say patients will comply to the point of a developing cancer or heart disease of diabetes or whichever disease will allow the doctor to say, "That’s it, we found it. Now take this pill."
Or, if they don’t find something, then it’s all in your head and you get to take another kind of pill. That’s what they tried to do to my client in Pennsylvania until she realized that the drugs were creating most of her problems.
Insanity! This is not the time to act "humble" and develop some disease or swallow some medicine that doesn’t make you feel right (and does nothing to cure you, anyway).
Vice versa, we can’t rant about how the medical system has failed us and avoid it completely.
Truth is… even in its current "for-profit" state — we still need it. Especially, as you get older. You need the tests and labs and diagnostic technology. You need the emergency room if you run into an accident. And, in certain cases, you need their medicines.
But You Don’t Need to Play the Doormat
Take advantage of this messed-up health care system to develop discrimination, confidence and self-respect. Don’t blindly follow any doctor – alternative or allopathic.
Remember you have the right to make your own decisions. Remember the doctor is here to serve you, not the other way around. Believe in yourself. At the end of the day your doctor’s not going to suffer the consequences of whatever decisions you make or let someone else make about your health..
P.S. Watch out for my 48-week online health program coming soon. It shows you how to develop the daily health habits that will keep you out of crowded waiting rooms and pharmacy lineups. We’ve received over 150 names for the title of the program. We’ll let you vote for the winner from my top ten choices.
P.P.S. Join the discussion! Please leave your comments about how you’ve learned to deal with the medical system in the comment box below (or if you have any quesiton or other thoughts about today’s post).
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Hello Dr. Dean: Was so happy to find your site – understand you were a colleague of my family doctor in TO (?) whom I have the greatest respect for. I am 76 years old.
I recently went for pre-op assessment (glaucoma surgery) and blood pressure was high, which it always is when I go near doctors or hospitals (white coat syndrome?). Had to wait while a doctor showed up and immediately wrote Rx for blood pressure pills and hydrochloride. I told him I would never take blood pressure pills and he said they would probably reschedule my surgery if it wasn’t down to normal. I went to my doctor who took my bp and said “it’s not that bad” – told me to continue with my healthy lifestyle (exercise, diet, etc.) and start on l’carnitine and CoQ10. What a different approach! Of course they did not reschedule the surgery and all went well. Many would have been intimidated by that doctor, I’m sure. I’m so happy to have my wonderful doctor now. I had one who told me if I didn’t take his pills I would have a stroke when I left his office – that was 10 years ago.
I have many friends who are on pills for blood pressure, cholesterol, sleeping, etc. etc. They never question their doctor and like you say – “don’t want to offend them”. I will forward your site and hope to educate them and understand that we are responsible for our health.
Thank you for being here.
8 yrs ago, at 52, I went to the doctor for a physical after 7 years. She, get it she, asked me why I was there? I said my 81 yr old Mother found out I had not been to the doctor for 7 yrs and was worried, so I came to put her at ease, and I had been having some symptoms of Peri Menopause. She asked if I still have my period, I said yes. She said come back when you have not had you period for12 months and into Menopause and we will see what we can do. I though s— you I will never be back and I hope you have the worst peri menopause ever, of cousrse a typical perimenopausal woman’s reaction, don’t mess with me lady. I never went back to her or any other Dr. for awhile, and worked it out as best I could with some natural things.
Hi Dr. Dean,
Thank you so much for your work! And thanks also to those like Dr. Mercola, who is also working to provide us with information. Knowledge is power and the Internet has been a huge boost to us all for taking our health into our own hands.
In my facilitation work however what I see mostly is that we can be very afraid of confrontations…of not trusting ourselves with how to disagree and / or work on compromises – especially with those in authority like doctors.
Once I realized this basic core fact about myself I worked on creating positive outcomes for confrontations I might need to work through – and the most important/largest place is likely with our doctors/standard medical staff. I have been blessed so far with not needing much in this way but I have learned that when I go into a doctor’s office, even for a basic checkup, that I want to go armed with lots of the latest information.
My husband had a fairly major surgery last year and without going into details, I knew that raw honey would be far better for him on a surgical wound than what they’d provided. The 2 doctors laughed at me when I suggested this to them – but I took that in stride, said I would send them clinical research on raw honey for wound healing, was scrupulous about getting really great info to them and when next they saw my husband, they told him if he wanted to use honey, they were OK with this! This from some of the most conservative doctors in one of the top hospitals in the country.
His wound healed well, without the skin graft they were expecting to need for him.
I also did subtle energywork for my husband, before, during surgery and afterwards – surgery went so well they needed less time than estimated, and recovery went incredibly well. The hospital staff didn’t like to see me doing anything like this but too bad for them….because in the end, it IS about OUR body and OUR health, not theirs…I endured a large confrontation with the charge nurse over this at the ICU. But my husband has healed well and that is what we care about.
I will be 70 yrs. old in Sept. I am taken for about 45- 50 yrs. I have not been to a M.D. for illness in about 35 years. I did however break both feet in 08′ and had to have surgery. You are so right, they put me through a battery of tests an The doctors was very surprised that I healed so quickly and was not on any prescription drugs. He was not interested in what caused the rapid recovery. The answer was ” keep on doing what you are doing”. Or please don’t make me learn anything that might cause me to lose some money!
Dr. Carolyn. I know you studied meds at Dal.Are you a Cape Bretoner?
If so. I’d love to see you come here and do a few lectures. Our doctors would be enlightened.
Evelyn
Hello Evelyn,
Thanks for the invite! I’m a Newfie, actually, but I grew up in Nova Scotia and did medicine at Dalhousie in Halifax. It was THE toughest med school in North American. In our second year we had to pass third year American Boards to enter into our third year!
I’m living in Maui now, and a fair distance from Nova Scotia! But I will be offering an online year-long health program in the next few weeks that should fit the bill. I’ll also be offering teleseminars that go with the program. So, stay tuned!
Aloha
Carolyn
Yes, I knew that you are a Newfie.I watched an interview with you on You Tube. My dad was a Newfie also…from Fogo Distric,t but since there are Deans here in C.B., I thought you might be one of them.There is a Dr. Dean ,a dentist. I taught his daughter in Grade One….smart girl with a Grade Seven reading vocabulary in Grade One.I also have a lovely old radio/record player which I bought from a Dean Family in Sydney Rivermany years ago and it’s in my summer bungalow at Mira ..just a couple of bungalows away from a bungalow that was once owned by a Dean Family.. It still works.
I’ve bought a couple of your “Miracle of Magnesium” books…one for me and one for my doctor,Dr.J.Archibald.He’s a Dal Med Graduate also and quite possibly attended Dal at the same time as you.
Hi Evelyn,
Ah, but my maiden name is Wheeler, so now you’re going to have to search through all the Wheelers you know!!
Aloha
Carolyn
No, I don’t know any Wheelers .The Deans of Cape Breton are all of Newfie background so your husband must have Newfie in the background also.
I just watched your mini videos on magnesium.
What’s your view on small cell lung cancer patients taking Cisplatin chemo.?I recently found the following website article and wonder how many cancer patients on cisplatin get magnesium. I know my 70 year old brother who died last month didn’t get it . He died in his sleep at home …just stopped breathing like Michael Jackson.They also had him on oxycotin like they say about Michael Jackson.I heard about more than one whose heart stopped suddenly while on oxycotin or oxycodone.I think it’s criminal to allow that drug to be prescribed. I had a reaction from celebrex a few years ago and it nearly paralysed me. Since then I’m strictly on natural substances and they put me back on my feet.I don’t know if my doctor appreciates that. I always send him whatever I find on Dr. Dean to let him know that all doctors should be learned in both conventional and natural health methods and materials.Ihad asked him if he went to Dal with you but I will now have to ask again as you would hav been Carolyn Wheeler instead of Carolyn Dean at that timme.Right?
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=18227946
Hi Evelyn,
I look at cancer partly through the lens of Total Biology and German New Medicine. A balance of mental, emotional, and physical treatment is always the best approach. And in physical treatment I recommend natural treatment until the point where a person needs to use drugs.
I went to Dal as Carolyn Dean from 1970-1978. I was a child bride! LOL, and I’m still married, to the same guy, 42+ years later!! Top that!!
Dal Med school was so tough that we HAD to pass third year Medical American Board in second year. Then I did my Clerkship at McMaster in Hamilton and my internship at Mount Sinai in Toronto.
Aloha
Carolyn
I agree and I would like to see Integrative Oncology here in Cape Breton but my Naturopath says that we won’t see it as the conventional doctors will do what they can to stop it.I believe that in Halifax they are now allowing some complementary doctors into the hospital but the patient or his/her private insurance has to pay for it as it’s not covered by our provincial medical services.Last year the government did legislate naturopathy but that’s as far as it got.The B.C. government is now allowing naturopaths to use the hospital labs and to write prescriptions once they have taken a course in drugs.I don’t want drugs but I sure wish my senior’s mediplan which I pay yearly would allow my supplements since I don’t use medications but I doubt if I’ll ever see that.
Did you know Dr. Reinhold Vieth at Mt. Sinai? I take the vitamin D which he uses in his clinical trials.Ddrops.It’s liquid and tasteless. I put the drops on my meal each day. It’s working fine for my RA. It has made me feel a little stronger and steadier on my feet and it, along with my other supplements especially magnesium has eased the pain greatly.God’s medicine has it’s benefits.
Hi,
I was speed reading (my version) through some comments. I just got through reading your Miracle of Magnesium book & thought I’d look up your website. I have been through all of Dr merry go rounds & have found Dr. D’Adamo thanks to a display in Borders. I would like to say thank you for what you stand for. It gives me hope & strength to keep on going.
I noticed you sign off w/ Aloha. Are you from Hawaii ?
Hi Joyce,
Mahalo for your post.
Yes, I’m happily living in Maui via Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Toronto, and New York.
You can see lots of pics on my blog and in my new health program being announced in a few days!
Aloha
Carolyn