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Loading...The Doctor-Patient Relationship: Part Three
- Lissa Rankin
- May 14, 2012
- 9:03 am
- 12 comments
Awhile back I wrote an article about how medicine is a spiritual practice, and in response, I received an email from a surgery resident at Columbia University that left me in tears and inspired me to share it.
Those of you who have been following my story know it’s been quite the journey for me to heal my relationship with the medical community. At one point, I wrote about how I was pissed at doctors, but even then, I knew that if I ever wanted to help heal my profession, I’d have to release the anger I felt against the medical profession, heal the post-traumatic stress I suffered from abuse at the hands of doctors, forgive those who hurt me, and open my heart. I knew I was healing when I was able to write this love letter to doctors.
Then, when I got this letter, I felt my heart just melt.
A Letter From A Surgeon
Just wanted to drop you a line and let you know I really enjoyed your article I saw on Dr. Frank Lipman’s website. I am a surgery resident at Columbia, and I have similar frustrations with our health care system. I know you say that the heart of medicine is broken. I would argue in many respects that it’s completely gone. Or at least lost or ignored. The beeping IV’s, respiratory monitors, the drone of the dialysis machine, and the extensive lines and drains that unnaturally sprout from our patients all work in unison to creat a barrier between us and our patients. As our western knowledge expands at an exponential rate and we become more and more technologically advanced we continue to build the wall higher brick by brick further sealing off the humanity of the patient on the other side.
We spend hours upon hours intellectualizing our patient’s disease processes. Breaking them down layer upon layer into organ system, lab values, vital signs, ins and outs and we do little to recognize the very thing that makes them human – the very thing that gives them life and individuality. We limit too much our own definition of “health”. We narrow it to something too simple, such as a rhythm strip or a pulse; to something that denies the vitality that should exist in the definition.
Life and health shouldn’t be just a beating heart, working lungs, liver or kidney, but a whole story. A story of love and passion and spirituality and belief and uniqueness. And we do a disservice to all of our patients when we forget it. They can feel this. You can see the dissatisfaction on their face as we deny them this and separate it from their physical disease. We are in dire need of a change in paradigm. What will it take for us to reevaluate? To realize that it’s broken. The conversation has to start changing somewhere. Thank you for being a spark.
Be The Change
How does epic change happen? (I wrote some thoughts about it here). But essentially, it happens when the consciousness of the collective recognizes the error in how it operates and begins to shift. How can we fix our broken health care system? The surgeon is right. We – both health care providers and patients – must first acknowledge that the current system isn’t working and demand changes that will align us with the truth of how people heal.
It’s time to face the truth and take health care back into our own hands.
What Can You Do?
Start by joining the movement. Sign up in the database I’m collecting of those who want to be part of the change here. When it’s time to take action, we’ll rally.
Print out the Doctor-Patient agreement found by signing up for the database above and invite your doctor to partner with you.
Recognize that, at least a percentage of the time, you can heal yourself. Start making your body your business, rather than handing over 100% responsibility for your health to someone else.
Tap into your Inner Pilot Light. Listen to the messages your body gives you and ask yourself what your body needs in order to heal. (For help connecting with your Inner Pilot Light, sign up for the free Daily Flame.) Once you know what’s best for you and your body, be brave enough to speak and live your truth.
Support laws that will reduce the cost of health care in the US. How broken will our health care system have to get before we recognize this? (I speculate about the answer here). The US spends more than any other country on health care but only has the 8th highest life expectancy. Rising costs of health care have forced doctors to cram 40+ patients into their schedule, and it’s severing the precious doctor-patient relationship. We must reduce the cost of delivering health care by disarming Big Pharma, limiting greedy ambulance chasing lawyers, making health insurance not-for-profit or instituting universal health care, and turning to natural and preventative solutions when possible, rather than going high tech (and high expense) at every turn.
Open your heart. Making change will require all of us to open our hearts, to forgive those who have hurt us, to focus on what is in the highest good, not just for ourselves, but for the collective.
What Will You Do?
Share your thoughts. Tell us how you’re taking action or tell us your story here.
With hope,
****
Lissa Rankin, MD: Founder of OwningPink.com, author of Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof You Can Heal Yourself (Hay House, 2013), TEDx speaker, and health care revolutionary. Join her newsletter list for free guidance on healing yourself, and check her out on Twitter and Facebook.
Read more: General Health, Health, Life, Mental Wellness, broken, costs, doctors, healthcare, Lissa Rankin, medicine, Owning Pink, patients, pink medicine
Lissa Rankin
Lissa Rankin, MD: Creator of the health and wellness communities LissaRankin.com and OwningPink.com,author of Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof You Can Heal Yourself (Hay House, 2013), TEDx speaker, and Health Care Evolutionary. Join her newsletter list for free guidance on healing yourself, and check her out on Twitter and Facebook.
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people are talking
Interesting theories & as many opinions - no need for another from me.
Geez Barbara L ...,your list included every single person I know so there you go.
I'm delighted! Thanks a bouquet-full for a bevy of simply ways to take a small amount of flowers, a…
It is a bit scary since it could happen to anyone. Thank you for sharing.
....already have too much noise............I like my quiet time.
12 comments
+ add your ownWho ever asks their doctor how they are feeling? Are you sure its only doctors who don't relate well? Could we patients also be at fault when it comes to communication?
Do you arrive with your list of symptoms written down? (hopefully some online research as well). Are you honest with your doctor and do you always answer his questions honestly?
Doctors do have to see a huge number of patients each day - and remember that men have great difficulty multi-tasking. (think of occasional emergency calls and other interruptions during the day).
I respect my doctor and I respect the fact that he helps people who are less fortunate.
Occasionally, I have had a problem with inefficient office staff - but only because my culture is different in that we were encouraged to think of about how to do things better. We were also rewarded for that in the workplace. Individual responsibility was automatic.
I'm impatient with regard to inefficiencies. After experiencing another problem, yesterday I asked one staff-member : "Do you know why that step needs to taken?" Firstly, she denied that function was part of her responsibiliities - although her colleagues had told me what her function is. Then she confessed that she didn't know why a certain procedure had to be taken. For years she had never had the interest in finding out more about her job, so chooses to operate like a robot. No wonder things fall apart.
It takes time for a doctor to get to know your ailments and make referrals. Sometimes, you don't have that time as you are really sick and end up in emerg. seeking a better opinion. I just wish my doctor would figure it out before I'm forced to take drastic steps!
I only have "relationships" with my chiropractor and massage therapist/acupuncturist. MDs rush you in and out and treat you like a number. I will try any and all alternatives before going to an MD.
I spent several decades in clinical medicine; there are all too few medical professionals with which I feel are trustworthy enough for my taste. The profession has evolved, actually devolved into a assembly line type of treatment and services. Patients are not approached as humans, but numbers on a to-do-list. I am aging out of blind faith in medicine.
Never mind...I found one and two....down at the bottom under a picture.
I have a awesome Dr. She is always for medical reform. would not trade her for anything.
Peace
Never mind...I found one and two....down at the bottom under a picture.
I would like to read part 1 and part 2. Where are they please?
I'm taking this article to my doctor to read.
I worked in the medical field for over 30 years, my whole career, and the old time doctors thought they were gods and were mostly greedy pricks. However, the young doctors are trained differently and they get paid a LOT less now. The young doctors as well as the nurses are trained in good customer service and the majority of them are very nice. In this day and age of competition, they will get fired if they aren't. I have Kaiser and they send me a long survey rating my doctor visit so they keep tight control over their employees. This way they have documented evidence of problems simply by continual feedback from the patients. The old days of "doctor is god" are over. Also Kaiser IS pushing preventative care.
They got a new computer system which gets rid of a lot of paperwork and also your whole medical history is ONLINE for the doctor to look at. This has increased efficiency immensely.
great article!!!
I hate my doctor, all he does is write RX. He doesn't listen, and when he does he thinks I'm nuts!
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