Secret #5 Your agenda is not going to match your doctor’s agenda.
From 11 Secrets of the Healthcare System Exposed
Here’s a plausible example:
Maybe you scheduled an appointment because IBS is ruining your life. Your doctor acknowledges this, but can’t help but notice that your blood pressure is through the roof, much higher than your last appointment two years ago. That’s going to take some priority, even though you don’t feel symptoms from it (and why it’s called the “silent killer”).
You’re worried about shitting your pants at work and your doctor is worried about your stroke and heart attack risk. Both are extremely valid concerns.
But given the limited time, you’re most likely to get just pharmaceutical band-aids.
I’m not against using band-aid medicine, I just don’t agree when it’s the only solution offered. There’s almost always a deeper issue. But, when the doctor has 10 minutes to work with, there’s no time to dig into the fact that you’re tossing and turning at night because your brain can’t shut off from work, and that you deal with the stress and anxiety by hitting that vape pen and shoving garbage into your face-hole for that brief “feel-good” fix, while simultaneously self-loathing, then wind down with a bottle of merlot at night — all of which are contributing to both your IBS and high blood pressure. There’s so many layers, but only time to address the surface ones.
A system rigged to prioritize acute care is a system rigged to provide only band-aids for chronic care. And well, the only preventative measures they push are the ones that CMS pays for (see secret #6.)