Reflections on 15 years of practicing medicine
Education goes in both directions during the most worthwhile doctor/patient interactions. These are the most important lessons I’ve learned.
Fifteen years ago this month I was first licensed to practice medicine. In that time, I’ve had long talks with 1000s of patients, and over many 10,000s of interactions with patients, I have learned this:
1) A sedentary and pharmaceutical lifestyle is the most certain path to a slow, agonizing death. In order to avoid this path, you must do the opposite.
2) Resorting to pharmaceuticals is a neglect to fully consider exercise and / or nutrition, specifically and appropriately applied to the needs of the individual.
3) Vaccines create even more new problems.
We're all just bags of chemicals, undergoing complex interactions. Those reactions are affected by medicines, foods, passing pathogens, hugging our pets, even our thoughts. It's unfortunate that most doctors limit their practice to adjusting a few of these with select pharmaceuticals and procedures. But they're specialists, and trained in a specialized subset of possible chemical manipulations. The complexities make comprehensive understanding difficult. Eventually (soon!) we'll have AI support to broaden treatments, but until then we're on our own to look beyond medical orthodoxy.
Happy anniversary!
I'm glad I've discovered your substack. You represent a sane and sober voice in direct care that I don't get to read enough of. (I highly recommend looking into Sebastian Rushworth of Sweden if you're not already familiar with him- you are definitely of a kind).
I agree that dietary interventions are much more sustainable and healthier ways to address longitudinal health.
I assume (correct me if I'm wrong) that you agree that the focus on saturated fat in diets has been a misguided fixation. Do you feel the same about cholesterol? What are your usual recommendations to patients as far as addressing "high" cholesterol in their diets?