It surprised me, because I’m quite sure you’re not ignorant about it at all. You have an awareness of the fact that healthcare is an inexact science, where people, needs and demands are balanced and prioritized within a finite capacity of time, energy, funding and experience. Where we have way more questions than answers and sometimes decisions must be made between several sub-optimal choices that are preferable only to not doing anything at all. Where the reality is that external pressures and considerations impact us all despite our best endeavours.

You clearly have experience working with the general public and know how demanding and difficult they can on occasion be – just ask any taxi driver or check-out chick or anyone working with people. Imagine how far up the emotional volume is turned when the issues are to do with health, illness, people’s children, unsolvable problems, life and death… How impossible it is to be everything people want, or do everything that someone desires or expects in our consumeristic day and age. How when sometimes patients don’t hear what you’re saying despite every effort of communication – and then next week they angrily state “you never told me!!”… How sometimes someone must be the messenger of the bad news…

Of course we learn and practice communication skills, wholistic health care, non-conventional medicine, patient-centered practice and a whole endless host of other things to try and do better in some of the areas you mentioned in your posting. Maybe sometimes the fact that you don’t see it or sense it or realize it, stems from your prejudice against us, rather than our deficiency?

You rightly value motherhood very highly – perhaps one of the times you felt that a doctor wasn’t as immediately responsive to your requests as you would have liked, maybe that doctor was busy mothering her own child? Or isn’t that allowed? Perhaps she was spending time in a necessary long conversation with another equally deserving patient? Perhaps she needed a lunch break at 4pm or she would be no use to anyone? How to balance such competing demands?!

I don’t think I’m god’s gift to the planet, I’ve never stolen anything, I spend stacks of time with health care users and I would say that most are thoughtful, considered people trying to understand health issues and personal medical and mental health problems as best they can. They take an active interest in their self care and prefer to be well informed about the pros, cons, limitations and scientific evidence behind any of my suggestions.

So it’s a shame that things aren’t like this in your experience. I don’t wish to change your mind about me, I wouldn’t try to. I sense there are bigger issues at play for you. But I would hope that you and your readers would take an atom of encouragement from my report that, contrary to your perception, the majority of doctors I’ve come across (and I’ve worked in 3 countries) have been motivated by altruism and a desire to make a positive (if imperfect) difference in the world. Most of them freely acknowledge their limitations – professionally in knowledge and practice, personally, and in dealing with people. And many set to do what they can do improve their areas of deficiency.

You might also be minutely encouraged to hear that even today I’ve been involved in teaching the next generation of doctors at my local university, and even today the tutorials explored issues surrounding disability, philosophy of “diversity” and why it’s a good thing, communication skills, reflective practice, self care and support for children with special needs – and some of the input came from parents. We certainly don’t have all the answers but we’ll try to explore the issues.

Anyway, sorry but I’m not comfortable to leave my name. I will say that I’m a female GP working on the East Coast of Australia. I’ll be working tomorrow morning – yes, Saturday, – hoping not to wow patients with my knowledge (inadequate as it may be), not to boss them into anything, not to stroke my own ego or amass my fortune, but simply to show some care and support and a few evidence-based medical ideas alongside people as they pursue their own heath priorities and strive for personal fulfillment.

Good luck to you. I hope all that negative energy flowing at the first whiff of a doctor finds peaceful resolution in your life.

PS: On a literary note, when you spout vindictive generalizations along the lines of “These doctors thought they were God’s gift to mankind”, “All of them were shameless thieves”, “Healthcare users are overall the most mindless bunch of people ever to populate this earth,” you communicate your point of view less effectively because the reader is alienated. If they can identify even one example to the contrary of your statement, or even entertain the thought of a possible contradiction to your claim, they begin to mentally question your argument and authority, and wonder about the underlying issues that lead you to make such over the top statements. So take a deep breath, tone it down a notch and you’ll be more persuasive. Don’t let too much emotion ruin an important conversation!

Thanks Katy! We also tried Ambertose with Loren, but at that stage he had the ulcer and it was too acidic for him. I wish we could have pursued that.

Jacqui, we also experienced periods of regression, but overall we’ve done ABR for only a year before Loren died. So I think we saw a lot of gains initially. I still believe in this therapy very strongly. I had cell salts which I used on both kids and found them remarkably effective. Would have loved to talk to Alex Sutton, but had the impression that the costs would have been prohibitive.

Gary Martin is a naturopath running Living Valley Springs Health Retreat in Aus. I’ve listened to a series of talks by him on health and they make an enormous amount of sense. The website is:
http://www.lvs.com.au/

We are still on the ABR marathon. Moo goes through stages where he makes jumps and then regresses a touch whilst we go through the next “stiff” stage. It’s frustrating but at least we know we are going in the right direction. I’ve been meaning to do another post on improvements from ABR but each time I do, I seem to jinx us. Hence, my reluctance.

We also have him taking cell salts through Alex Sutton and that appears to be helping with his overall health. I found Alex to be great to talk to and discuss issues with. Fiona is probably going to send me an email answering this question, but who is Gary Martin?

Thank you for asking.

Jacqui

Fiona

Fiona