The Vow Of Do No Harm vs. The Pride Of Make No Mistake

Most people are unaware that medical errors kill anywhere from 44,000 to 98,000 Americans each year. With a statement like that from an expert panel formed by the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, the truth could very well be that your doctor, instead of healing you, is possibly harming you. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1117251/

With that score and a global pandemic, you may wonder how good your chances of survival really are! The medical mistakes are far more insidious than the COVID-19 virus.

 

Unacceptable Yet All-Pervasive

According to the chairman of the 19-member panel that concluded the aforementioned effects of medical errors, William C Robinson, president of the W K Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan at the time, “These stunningly high rates of medical errors—resulting in deaths, permanent disability, and unnecessary suffering—are simply unacceptable in a medical system that promises first to ‘do no harm.’”

In large part, the errors are a result of what physicians are taught. This was addressed in a New York Times article back in 1999, entitled “Do No Harm – Breaking Down Medicine’s Culture of Silence.” The article states that, “Physicians are taught that it’s your job not to make a mistake. It’s like a sin. The whole concept of error as sin, as a moral failing, is deeply ingrained in medicine, and it is very destructive. It means people cannot talk about it, because it is too painful.” I acknowledge this to be true. And this is in large part why I parted ways with the mainstream medical community very early on in my career.

 

Blame vs. Responsibility

If a physician is taught to do no harm and not to make mistakes, that is a terrible bind. It seems the fear of making mistakes has won out in our society. Combine that with a culture that is more impressed with high-tech surgeries and pills that promise instant relief instead of actually discovering what is at the root of a patient’s actual suffering/pain/malady, and you have got yourself one heck of a mess.

Responsibility for one’s well-being is not a one-way street. Patients are taught to believe that doctors are like gods. Far too many people take no responsibility for their health and place 100% of the responsibility on their physicians. Yes, doctors are educated about the human body, however, we are intuitive beings, and we know that our miraculous bodies are self-healing if we would only tune into the true source of “dis-ease.” And, if only doctors were trained to tune into the true source of their patient’s “dis-ease.”

Way back in 1999 when the expert panel did the research that revealed the number of people dying annually from medical errors, the same study stated, “Besides the glaring errors, like when Willie King had the wrong leg amputated at University Community Hospital in Tampa, Florida, in 1995—the panel found that more than 7000 Americans died each year as a result of “medication errors,” which included the prescribing or dispensing of the wrong drugs. For example, the panel said, pharmacists often had difficulty deciphering the illegible handwriting of doctors who prescribe drugs.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1117251/

Today we know that the number of deaths due to the dispensing of drugs has increased significantly due to the opioid epidemic.

Health is our greatest wealth, and we are individually responsible for the maintenance of our human bodies. Yes, we do need guidance by someone educated about the inner workings of these amazing creations called bodies. However, we can’t just turn ourselves over and expect doctors to make miracles happen if we constantly abuse our health by eating unhealthy foods, smoking, drinking, not exercising and engaging in dangerous behaviors.

No matter how good a mechanic is, you don’t expect miracles if you keep driving your car into a brick wall. Likewise, you can’t blame doctors if you don’t take responsibility for your health. That doesn’t make doctors less responsible when they make mistakes. They must own up to their mistakes too.

 

Work With Doctors Who Work With The Self-Healing Wonders Of The Human Body

There are extraordinary physicians who do not practice according to the mainstream medical guidelines. I know because I am one of them. Integrative healthcare practitioners (also known as “Complementary” or even “Alternative” physicians) are topics you can look under to find a physician who will work with your body’s natural healing system to restore your health and well-being. If you are really ready to take responsibility for your health, don’t keep doing what you’ve been doing. Clearly, it isn’t working, and the majority of doctors are not going to suddenly be open about making mistakes. So, give me a call and let’s get you on the road to feeling better than you’ve felt in years.

 

Heed These Take-Home Lessons:

First – Healing means regaining and maintaining more robust vitality, not just reducing pains or disabilities to some tolerable levels… Second – Amateurs practice until they get it right; professionals practice until they can’t get it wrong. Third – As famed oil field firefighter Red Adair cautioned, “If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.”