When Patients Read What Their Doctors Write
I would imagine a lot of the concern over this is more of the existential fear resulting from the balance of power between patient and doctor than anything else. The Internet started that, with patients able to become much more knowledgable about their own conditions (with the unfortunate side effect of every symptom being cancer).<p>Once patients become knowledgable, the doctor moves from a pillar of all knowledge to a (hopefully) trusted, knowledgable advisor. That change frightens many in the medical community[1], but it will yield better outcomes.<p>My own story is one of overcoming obesity and, at times, nearly crippling depression using that ability to gain knowledge to learn how to feed my body. In the process, I've stopped medications and have had to teach my doctor certain things (like why I'm not gong to either worry about my cholesterol or take any drugs for it).<p>The medical community currently has an abysmal record with treating chronic health problems. There are a lot of reasons for that, but, IMO, the most glaring is people abdicating their health reonsibility to somebody else (whether doctors, pharmaceutical companies, or government guidelines). As people take control back...when they realize they have some control...they will become more healthy.<p>1. Source: my wife is part of that community and sees it regularly.