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Feeling Used

Watched Side Effects a few days ago and it brought to mind my own visits to the doctor's office over the years. No matter what the issue and what my age at the time, the pattern remained consistent. For each out of bound metric that defines "ideal" health, the doctor who suggest a medication. Had I acted on every prescription that they so readily doled out, I would be on a full regimen of drugs by now - one an hour every hour every day. That would get me really sick too and likely a candidate for various procedures as well. It's been my observation, that the desire to push new, untested, unattested pills reigned supreme at all times. 

Every single encounter with a physician that I have had left me feeling that this person was most certainly not looking out of my best interests. And if I cared for my health and well-being, I was mostly on my own. I refused to take any one of the medicines I was prescribed over all these years and I am okay for the most part. Lately, doctors like to tell me that whatever med they are prescribing, I will need to likely take for the rest of my life - what little is left of it. And they say this without a shred of compassion or concern - it seems like a rather big step from where I stand, creating a lifetime commitment between a person a drug - to be so laissez faire about it never fails to astound me. 

The only two doctors that did not fit this pattern were the my ob-gyn when I had J and J's very first pediatrician. I felt like I was with caring, competent human beings who were not solely interested in getting me latched to a few dozen drugs to make me a gift that keeps giving to them and pharma companies. 

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