Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments
“ Medicine has become a three-way negotiation between you, your doctor, and The Algorithm.”<p>This characterization makes it sound like a good thing.  In reality, the doctor’s responsibility is being pushed to the patient because they are overbooked in the name of economic efficiency.<p>As a patient with complex, non-specific medical condition, I can tell you how miserable this is.<p>I can’t count on doctors _at all_ to move the process forward.  It’s always me, reading articles on PubMed and coming up with ideas.<p>I’m not medically trained nor am I scientist.  It’s a lot of legwork for me normally, but the ways that being sick limits me make it much harder.<p>Further, the emotional and intellectual overhead required to negotiate with medical professionals is high.<p>Back when I could afford to, I saw a neurologist at an office that didn’t accept insurance.  She choose to see fewer patients and give them more time, as well as spend time doing research to look for new clues and ideas.<p>This worked really well and I made progress with her.<p>The rest of the American medical system?  Gatekeepers that block access to potential treatment pathways until you can convince them it’s worth a try.