I am always in awe of modern medicine. Ever watch a movie from 50 or more years ago? If it had any sort of medical plot line you might be as astonished as me to see how primitive things were just a few years ago. My how people suffered. Today, technology and chemistry has erased many kinds of suffering that were uncommon and untreatable just a few decades ago.
Having said that, I am equally in awe how quickly modern medicine has moved away from a compassionate side to become generally a money making machine. Marie Curie, Alexander Fleming, Jonas Salk; blessed people all. I could be wrong, but I don’t thing they strived for riches in their quests for their respective discoveries.
This financial side to medicine has become so transparent it is almost comical. I see it every time I visit my HMO. The doctor always seems to have a script to follow. If I don’t follow the script he seems truly stumped. I recently went to see him about something I was concerned about. When I asked him what he thought it was he answered “Oh. I don’t know.”, and changed the subject. He didn’t know because it didn’t follow the modern American medical script for high BP or high cholesterol or any other thing they could quickly prescribe never ending money making medicine for. Go in for a hang nail leave with a prescription for Lipitor.
And don’t get me started on their newest money maker: Physical Therapy. I’m old enough to remember when it used to be used for rehabilitation. Now it is a cash cow. I’ll never forget going to the doctor for pain in my knee. When he prescribed physical therapy I wasn’t sure what it would be like but I sure didn’t expect what I got. I was expected to ride a stationary bike for 30 minutes while my twerp of a “therapist” sat on his ass and read PEOPLE. They were charging me big time of this “therapy”. After 5 minutes I told him to stick it and walked out never to return. I took tylenol and carried on.
Now I see why people turn to alternative medicine.
Dear old Dad always used to tell me, “If you go see a doctor, you will always be sick.” I didn’t understand what that meant when I was a kid but I get it clear as a bell now.
The Fat of Now 