Before I met renowned MD, Norm Shealy, an expert on this site, I seldom questioned doctor’s protocols. Like most of us, I was raised with a belief in the medical community. They had the knowledge, the talent, and the desire to create wellness and I was ready and willing to do as instructed by them. But I have come to know that in part and in total, this is not always the case.
A family member has been struggling forever and been to tons of doctors, received tons of diagnoses and treatments. We have been sent on a wild goose chase with supposed experts. And we have come to realize that just because doctors have written books doesn’t mean they have all the answers – although the authority they impose might make it seem otherwise.
My family member was misdiagnosed and medicated to the point of danger.
My instinct told me there was something wrong; but every time I approached this with the doctor I was met with criticism for meddling and reminded that I was not a medical professional. I felt a welling up of anger and frustration as I observed the patient spiraling out of control; yet my pleas to this well-known doctor were met with detached dismissal. The patient felt beholden to this doctor who explained all her issues were attributed to a certain ailment which required a certain drug. Every incident of her distress was related to his diagnosis.
Not only did he put her on a drug that was relatively new, but he increased the dosage when symptoms were exacerbated and then added additional medicine which we just found out enhances the effects of his so called miracle drug. The result was symptom exacerbation and near catastrophe.
Fast forward to her having three outrageous “episodes” and, intensely worried, I sent out a request to professionals I respected for advice and assistance. She ended up, thank God, at a place where the first day they recognized that she had been a victim of being overly and wrongly medicated, and this had gone on for a long time. In fact they knew this renowned doctor and had treated many of his causalities, and said what I had felt, “That he looks at everyone through a narrow lens.” I feel this is an epidemic of ego; ego in not being able to see a broader picture of who the person is holistically as well as ego in focusing only on what is comfortable and familiar to the practitioner.
There are so many wounded healers in every profession and it prevents them from being able to really be of assistance because if their protocol is questioned, their wound prevents them from seeing other possibilities and the bigger picture.
Lack of knowledge and treatment when dealing with a patient’s well-being is breaking the Hippocratic Oath! How many doctors prescribe meds when asked without really investigating the situation. The fact is, medicine can harm you more then not; it can launch you into psychosis, suicide and depression. Combinations of medicines are even more lethal. Yet I know many doctors who will call in whatever you desire, especially the concierge doctors.
There are so many people who have been harmed by benzos. The current information being released clearly states that they can plummet you into a more depressed and anxious state as well as being outrageously addicting. Coming off so many of these drugs is dangerous and agonizing.
I sit here and am so sad that years have been wasted and lost in this person’s life due to the lack of vision, the smugness, and the ego and lack of overall knowledge of the doctor who had been in charge.
So beware, even if it is a so-called renowned medical doctor. Do your homework, follow your intuition, and do not make pharmaceuticals the first choice. And if they are needed, and often they are, find a wise, compassionate, holistically-oriented doctor who does not ascribe to any one specific protocol but whose mind is open to seeing you as an individual, not a peg to be fit into his or her familiar protocols.
