Well Janice, I'm certainly in favor of people performing medicine on themselves AS ABLE__ AND taking responsibility for for their actions.
There are two American professional trends which I object to. One is the proliferation of lawsuits for any and every reason, the other is the exclusivity pedestal the medical profession has put itself on regarding understanding (exclusivity of information), and participation in having availability to treatment.
The litigeous society we have needs balancing from the 'responsibility' side... if a case is frivilous, the loser pays. If the case is harrassment the loser pays. There are many grey areas such as those cases which are done with good intent but fail on technicalities, or by running up against insurmountable legal muscle. Perhaps there could be a court of good intent where one could try to sue for damages from industrial pollution without having to pay the legal costs of XYZ Chemical...
I recently had the flu, for which I prescribed myself bedrest, good nutrition and sleep. I came out of it with a low grade bacterial sinus and upper respitory condition which could easily have benefited from a course of anitbiotics. I don't like them, didn't want them, decided not to... but after having gone through this routine, being able to read the warnings, I ought to be able to self prescribe. The same with those who take prozac and some other drugs which once prescribed are not prone to abuse. We can buy guns, but we can't get penecillin. The doctors get a cut of every prescription through a mandatory visit... which is often so routine the patient could write both the script for medical interview and the pharmacist.
The problem is, we encourage an irresponsible and dependent childlike adult population in this country which the legal and medical professions economically milk as an elitist social group.
Jim
(that's Dr. thank you.) |
