I Recommend...

I'm putting all my cards on the table up front. I've had some not so good experiences with doctors and medical treatments. In fact, I have to think really, really hard to come up with a good experience. In 2020, the distaste was so pervasive I decided the only way anyone was ever getting me to a doctor was if I was unconscious and unable to make decisions for myself. So why am I recommending doctors??

Because Joette Calabrese has taught me something amazing. Doctors have their place. That's the important thing to remember-they have their place. They are not God. They do not know everything. They make mistakes. They are trained up in what I view as a bit of a crooked establishment. They are human. But, many of them are good. What makes a good doctor in my opinion? First, and foremost, the desire to help. If there is a desire to make $$$$$$$$, that automatically raises a red flag for me. How do you know when you are sitting down with one of those doctors? Well, there will be signs. But, let's focus on what a GOOD doctor looks like. They listen. Really listen. I think we can all tell when we're being listened to and we're not. Good doctors care. They want to get to the bottom of a problem. They offer opinions with humility, recognizing they may not have the best answer. They do not assume they are the expert in your life, though they may very well be an expert in something. Oh, and they're funny. If you're lucky.

So, in my humble opinion, here are the things I would see a doctor for:

1. A Diagnosis-if I have no idea what's going on and I need a professional with cool equipment, I might choose to go see a doctor.

2. An Opinion-doctors have been through a lot of schooling, and they do have knowledge that is valuable and respectable. I think sometimes it's good to get a first and second and even third opinion from a variety of doctors.

3. An emergency. Western medicine is very good at emergency care. If I, or a member of a family was facing a life-threatening emergency, you bet I'd be headed to the local hospital.

4. Necessary surgery-and I mean necessary. I'm speaking from experience because I've learned through a little bit of study that hernia repair surgery is not actually necessary (as long as it's not an emergency). Our bodies are capable of healing from an internal tear just as they are capable of healing from an external tear. This is not something the doctors who diagnosed and "treated" my hernia shared with me. In fact, it's not likely something they ever learned. And now I have lifelong complications that could have been avoided. So make sure it's necessary.

5. Honorable mention to eye doctors because that is something we need in my family at this time and there are probably other specialists other families need on an ongoing basis.

I used to think that doctors knew more than I did. That they had my back. That they had the answers and treatments I needed. Now I think differently. Doctors are humans doing their best in a job like the rest of us. I know best about me and my body and have my own back. I do my own research about answers and treatments and include God in my decisions because He knows the most and loves me the best. But here is a huge shout-out to good doctors, because I know they're out there. THANK YOU!