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Ha! We were never told anything like this in Chiropractic school. I wonder if the patients knew what was happening if they would take them...but so many are on them, and it seems difficult to just stop taking them...so many further ill effects...

Reading up on so much information these past 6 months has made me wonder whether I CAN go back to doing 'Chiropractic' in the way I'm expected to. How can I help my patients when I will have to tell 90% of them that they're doing ALL the wrong things?! I won't have any!! I guess that leaves me more time to write my books etc. Silver lining.

Anyway, this is the conversation that a doctor has never had with his/her patient: "You have X. You've got it because of a combination of genetic and environmental factors. If you keep on living exactly how you're living, it'll only get worse. So change how you think & act. Here's a ream of information [cue Dr handing the patient a wad of actually useful and true info]. Now go do some reading and make better life decisions. Let me know how you're getting on in 3/6/9/12 months. Toodles."

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It's a real dilemma for practitioners. Unfortunately the infantilising model of modern medicine - "I'm the really smart doctor who knows exactly what to do to 'fix' you, and you're a stupid rube with no agency over your own life" has bled out into other professions.

The osteoporosis drugs are a real trap. I think that it is possible to get people off them safely, but only if they're 100% committed to doing everything that they need to do to strengthen their muscles and bones and minimise their risk of falling - eat right, no smokes, no booze, get outdoors daily and/or take vitamin D, falls-proof the house, and most importantly, daily muscle-strengthening and balance-improving exercise. A small minority of people will commit to doing this. As for the rest of them...

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Yes, you hit the nail on the head. Almost all of them will decide it is too much hard work so they'll just stay on the drugs, thankyou very much. And anyway, I think to at least some degree, many patients even enjoy being ignorant and unable to comprehend the complexities required to navigate Health. It's all too often just lumped together and put in the 'too hard' basket, so people just palm off (what should be) their self-responsibility to a practitioner, and get on with doing whatever it is they'd prefer to be doing.

My job the last 16 years has made me realise just how lazy people really are! I've come to understand that they're often willing to squeeze half a lemon in water 15 minutes before eating each main meal so as to not need their anti-reflux medication - but they'll only do this for a week or three; after that it's too hard. I've come to understand that if I give exercises, they have to be S-I-M-P-L-E or else they won't get done. I've come to understand that people will ONLY quit smoking when they want to, and although most will cut down the alcohol, they will not quit it altogether. If on the rare occasion they DO quit, it'll only be temporary, even if they get great results like sleeping better, no snoring etc from not drinking! People are lazy hedonists for the most part.

I really like the information you get across, Robyn, and I'm the type of person who'd do all the right stuff to get myself better - but I'm the doctor!! I was already one of the healthiest people in my clinic - and I'm including kids here! And yes, I usually DO know how to get people to fix up their lives - from which segment to adjust to lifestyle issues. But getting people to adhere to these changes? Well, that's where Free Will comes it, doesn't it?! :-D

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Geez, it's depressing, isn't it? I spent the first 15 years or so in clinical practice feeling inadequate because I couldn't persuade every single client to make the diet and lifestyle changes that they needed to make in order to recover their health. I thought it was my fault - I didn't explain it well enough to motivate them, or I hadn't figured out the exact button to push. Then I stumbled across evolutionary psychology and personality psychology, and slowly it dawned on me that a) the modern world presents supernormal stimuli that fool people into thinking that things that are terribly bad for them are actually good (because they feel good) and b) only a tiny percentage of the population has sufficient conscientiousness to make comprehensive lifestyle changes, and stick to them, unless they're in a completely supportive environment all the time. I still feel sad that I can't help a lot of my clients to help themselves, but at least I don't feel guilty about it.

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I'm shocked - surely these 'wonder' drugs are the answer and its not another case of profits before patients by big pharma and their hypnotised sales agents called doctors? (LOL) Good to be aware that snake oils and quackery are alive and well still. Enormous thanks Robyn for yet again shining light in the dark place called modern medicine.

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I know - it's so surprising, isn't it ;-)?

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Excellent stack and so important! Thank you. I’d like to see a similar run down on Aromatase Inhibitors prescribed for breast cancer survivors.....IMO the risks clearly outweighs the benefits.

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Thanks for the great suggestion. I'll aim to cover this soon.

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Wonderful! There is complete lack of personalized medicine in this area. If you need a resource and would like to contact me let me know here. I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and have taken a personalized holistic approach designed to correct the estrogen metabolic pathways instead of taking AI’s.

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Are you familiar with Ray Sahelian's work in this area?

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No—-but I will familiarize myself with him now! Thanks for tip 💕

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