I am a member of several chronic pain patient (CPP) support groups on Facebook. And due to the opiaphobia and propaganda spread nationwide across all parameters, I am seeing a lot more hatred and anger toward the medical profession. I find it necessary to try to explain the medical profession of the 21^st century to whomever will listen.  I think many of you will find this very informational. I don’t necessarily agree with the situation we have today, and have many suggestions.

1. Medicine is a business. Gone are the days of the self-sacrificing family doctor who did house calls for a fresh-baked pie.

First, in order to be a doctor, a person has to put off making a living for 8-10 years over other professions. During that time, the person accrues 6-figure debt, which then takes years to offset. Then, if a person is self-employed, during the actual working years, they also have to consider saving money for retirement. Yet, income is fixed due to government insurance setting the amount that a doctor can earn for everything they do, from $3.00 for a lab draw to maybe $75 for a long office visit. Yet, at the same time, expenses go up without limit, with computer patient records and billing being required, as well as other office expenses.

In order to provide a living for themselves and their families, this situation has forced more doctors to become employees of hospital clinics.  In fact, most doctors are now employees, and hospitals are in it for the money. The doctor gets instructions to order all the tests possible, refer everyone to every possible specialty associated with the hospital, because the hospital makes money with that. If a doctor doesn’t do it, they are fired. And most hospitals have non-compete clauses so that the doctor cannot just continue their practice on their own. Most hospitals now, in order to avoid government prosecution and because they are actually in on the government agendas, instruct their doctors not to prescribe opiates. So that is not the doctor’s fault.

It is no longer safe to be an independent physician. Because the government, AMA, insurance companies and pharmaceutical industry have an agenda worked out between them, and good, caring patient-oriented independent physicians are not playing the game, they are targets. You can see from the list of doctors attacked on my website, that they are all independent physicians. Rarely do you see a hospital-employed physician being targeted. But does that mean you should pick hospital employees as your physician?  I think not. Because their priority is not you.

Solution:  People in America should support and go to independent physicians only. Independent physicians should not accept insurance at all. And when they get attacked by the government, juries need to acquit them, realizing that they are being attacked simply because they work for the patient, and not for the government agenda supported by the hospitals. Purchase insurance for only catastrophic issues, not health maintenance. Use Health Savings Accounts for routine health care.

2. Standard of Care is not Patient Oriented. Physicians depend on “standard of care” as determined by their medical peers. And right now, due to the propaganda machine, standard of care is to NOT prescribe opiates. If a doctor waivers from that standard, they open themselves to attack by the medical boards, which are simply an arm of the government, not a patient-oriented “best-care” modality. So again, the individual doctor is not at fault for the negativism against opiates. They are doing what they are being instructed to do through CME (continuing medical education).Solution: People need to learn the truth about the REAL cause of drug abuse, and then educate their legislators, doctors, and anyone who will listen.  Until the use of opiates is again part of “standard of care”, CPPs will continue to find themselves being undertreated.
3. Dependence on Medical Education. Half of what doctors are taught in medical school is wrong, and they don’t know which half. Allopathic medicine maintains disease, it doesn’t search out the cause to cure the disease. But doctors who do learn cause and treat it with alternative concepts, even diet, are not adhering to standard of care, and are “guilty” of insurance fraud, as defined by Medicare law, in the use of “unnecessary” treatments, or sanctions by their medical board. So don’t expect your doctor to give you natural recommendations, or promote anything that will cure your disease.Solution: Get every state legislature to approve homeopathic and naturopathic medical practice. Then align yourself with a natural physician. They know as much as allopathic physicians as to physiology and drugs, but they have even more knowledge because they know herbs and other remedies that help instruct the body to heal.
4. Not enough hours in the day. CPPs expect doctors to join forces to fight the government machines.  In order to make a living and pay their bills, doctors work 12-16 hours per day. There is not enough time for them to get political. They don’t understand what is happening even to their colleagues that get attacked. Their primary instinct is simply survival in an environment of seeking out an easy target, and they don’t want to be next.

Solution: CPPs should not be attacking physicians for doing what they think is right. They have been fed propaganda just like the rest of the population. Instead, again, CPPs need to learn the truth–what we teach–and spread it.  We will be offering ecourses in the near future on natural healing, drug abuse/addiction, and ending the War on Drugs.  Get on our mailing list below so you get the notice when these ecourses are available. Join Doctorsofcourage to end the attacks on drugs, doctors, and pain patients.