Question Your Doctor

Curious if your doctor bias about their recommendations for your health?

When you go to a doctor, do you “accept” what the doctor says as “fact” or do you ask for clarification? Asking “why”, or “why not” to your doctor can shed a lot of light and help you make more effective health decisions.  If you don’t ask doctors questions regarding their recommendations, you may not know their motivations or influences. Over Christmas dinner with friends, I had the pleasure of speaking with a friend (who is also a patient in my practice) and works in a medical doctor’s office in Fort Collins. She mentioned to me that recently her doctor had some back pain.  Several of the staff members including my friend said to the doctor “you should try a Fort Collins chiropractor”.   Each staff person had a recommendation for several credible Fort Collins chiropractors they could refer their doctor. The doctor declined any recommendation and instead chose to deal with the problem themselves. I respect the fact that all people, including doctors have a choice in life. However, there is a rub . When a doctor, perhaps YOUR doctor, has and persistent point of view about chiropractic for example, it’s often based on their personal OPINION that is not on FACTS at all.  Their personal thoughts and opinions have influence on what they claim to understand, recommend or avoid. When prejudice, judgment or bias affects someone other than the doctor themselves, it’s outrageous and unacceptable, but you may never know about their motivation or influences unless you drill down and ask questions and hit a nerve. Asking questions like “What kind of problems do you refer for Fort Collins chiropractic care?” may produce some interesting and unexpected conversation. What about what’s best for the patient? Over the 20+ years I am in active practice, I have heard many patients and doctors staff alike make statements like “Dr. X doesn’t believe in chiropractors”, or “Our doctors do not refer to Fort Collins chiropractors”. “First do no harm” How is it possible that the patient’s best interest is in mind when clearly a doctor’s unwritten office policy is that they flat out “do not refer to Fort Collins chiropractors”? The Hippocratic Oath all doctors, including chiropractors take says “First do no harm”.  Isn’t injecting a doctor’s personal prejudice and lack of appropriate recommendation have the potential to do harm?  How about harm in the form of prolonged unnecessary suffering and pain, unnecessary medications, expensive tests and treatment and irradiation from extensive x-ray and CT scans?  What if chiropractic care is the best and only conservative choice, but your doctor’s bias will never have you know the truth? Harm also extends beyond the patient. How about what family members endure while their loved one suffers sometimes for years? Maybe the doctor had a patient or family member who went to a Fort Collins chiropractor who didn’t get better, got worse, or had their healthcare grossly mismanaged. Does that mean that all chiropractors are bad, and ineffective?  Worse yet, are they all quacks and unethical, and should never referred to because they have no value to patients?  Of course not. Teamwork Instead of being adversaries, I believe it’s time MD’s and chiropractors become teammates, and work together by collaborating on case management to better serve patients and the community. Fort Collins Chiropractic offers tremendous benefits as does medicine. This evening I spoke with one of my patients who is a pharmacist at a local hospital. I told her how much respect I have for her knowledge and what she does to help people.  She “got it” and thanked me. Equally, I also respect physicians for what they know and do for people. Bottom line: If you tell yourself something long enough you believe it, and speak of it as if it’s the truth.  While doctors are bright and intelligent, they, like anyone, can be blind to their own prejudice and bias. The issue is in the impact this has on patients receiving the type and quality of care necessary for their condition based on facts and truth compared to mere bias and opinions.

Frustrated finding a chiropractor in Fort Collins who will listen and take time with you?

Call our Fort Collins chiropractic wellness center at 970-493-3100 and schedule an appointment today. We offer a complimentary 20-minute consultation including free x-ray/MRI review to determine if we can help you. Sit down with Dr. Gil and see how you feel working together. No strings, No pressure. No charge. Simply our experience working to help you.

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