Justin Fox said:Sean Hernandez5, don't go saying med school is the hardest major—there are plenty of others that'll break you, like law, mechanical engineering, or electrical engineering. Most med students wouldn't last a week in an engineering program because their math skills just aren't there. Comparing difficulty is really just down to preference.
Oh, really? Since when did we start measuring IQ solely by math skills? My take is that if you've got grit and brains, you can figure anything out. Real intelligence is about being resourceful when things get messy—and in our healthcare system, people's lives depend on that kind of adaptability. BTW, I always pulled straight A's in math. 🙂
Justin Fox said:Personally, I see "doctor" as a label for someone who's self-righteous, stuck in their ways, and totally cold—with the occasional exception.
Can't have a single thread without seeing this sentiment...
Justin Fox said:Regarding society at large, I think the absolute priority should be fixing the justice system. Without it, there are no clear rules of the game for anyone, including the healthcare industry.
I wouldn't mind if he just opened a private practice—maybe then he could actually afford to treat me to a decent steak at Chili's 😍 , but let's be real, that position is probably already promised to someone else. 😬
Say what you want, but I’m not buying into a permanent license revocation. He should get a suspension, lose his job, maybe some other penalties—but pulling the license for good? No. Let him go into private practice and let the market decide if he's any good.
If you strip his license permanently, the government just ends up stuck with another unemployed person on their dime. If he stays in private practice and actually knows his stuff, he’ll pay his taxes and everything else.
Besides, I'm sure he’s done plenty of good work as a doctor over the years.
I remember this case involving a child with amelia. The baby was born without legs, even though the mother followed all her prenatal checkups perfectly—everything was documented in the files, including femur length, yet there was no femur. To me, *that* is the real issue, and that’s where a license should be revoked. As for bribery? That's a different story—kick him in the ass, fine him, and make him pay back every cent the state spent on his schooling and training abroad.
northernskipper41 said:consuming massive amounts of protein leads to increased endogenous oxalate production which binds calcium from the blood—but there's already way too much in 3 liters of milk anyway
Three liters of milk has plenty (and honestly, way more protein than I need—sure, the body can convert the excess into energy via glucose, but that’s inefficient for the system and my wallet), but I'm not crazy enough to drink that much. I don't have that much lactase, nor the enzymes to turn galactose into glucose. I'm still young—imagine if I had six banks worth of it, I'd be poisoning myself like I was using rat poison (assuming I didn't scale up the intake gradually)
hm.....🙄 , today's the second time I've had to deal with this milk; I need it for my muesli😛
So, what, if I eat one single bite, am I going to generate enough oxalate to soak up all my calcium and trigger hypocalcemic tetany?? 🤣
Before you start worrying about greens or salads, I'd say you're basically claiming you have negative pressure in your skull—because if what you're stressing about were actually true, everyone would be riddled with oxalate stones everywhere. 👏
Who are these "mueslis" you need to buy milk for?
You don't absorb everything you eat. If you did, calcium wouldn't even be your smallest problem.
Milk has about 3.2g of protein per 100g, while meat is easily at 50%.
I'm not even going to try; there's no point explaining this to you. You need years of university study for this, not a single forum post. Seriously, man, sit down and relax. And 🙈 you clearly haven't a clue!
Scott Allen10, I never once doubted your expertise or how much you care about the job... It was just the mindset you were holding onto that rubbed me the wrong way. Look, you’re entitled to your opinion—and you're totally fine in my book—as long as it doesn't cloud your objectivity. I definitely came on a bit too strong earlier, you know why, so sorry! 🙂
shadowfalcon33 said:This isn't the Hippocratic Oath—it's the Geneva Declaration.
Scott Allen10 shouldn't be judging anyone, but look, Sophia Martinez65, he’s just saying he provides necessary care to every patient. That’s the only thing that actually matters—what Scott Allen10 does—not what he thinks or feels.
This is just the Hippocratic Oath translated into American, though even then it's a modification—the basis for the 1948 Geneva Oath.
"I swear by Apollo Physician, by Asclepius, by Hygeia and Panacea, and by all the gods and goddesses, that I will fulfill this oath and these duties to the best of my ability and conscience. I will honor my teachers as my parents, and treat their children as my brothers and sisters, and if they wish to learn this art, I will teach them without fee or contract. I will allow my own children and my teacher's children to participate in lectures, training, and all other aspects of knowledge. I will teach those students who have sworn this oath and entered into a formal agreement, and no one else. I will establish my rules based on my own strength and knowledge for the benefit of the patient, protecting them from anything that could harm them or cause injustice. I will never give a deadly poison to anyone, even if asked, nor will I advise someone how to do so. Likewise, I won't provide means for an abortion. I will live a pious life and practice my craft with devotion. I won't perform surgery on bladder stones, leaving that to specialists. Whatever house I enter, I will act for the benefit of the patient, avoiding any damage, especially avoiding the seduction of women or men, whether enslaved or free. Whatever I see or learn in the course of my practice, which should not be openly disclosed, I will keep secret. If I keep this oath and do not break it, may I lead a happy life and enjoy the respect of people forever; but if I break it and swear falsely, may the opposite befall me."
redheron8 said:Three liters is way too much. Milk is high in protein, and when you try to absorb that many proteins at once, the body actually pulls calcium from your bones to process it. So milk does the exact opposite of what the commercials claim—it doesn't give us calcium, it takes it away. That’s why we have this weird paradox in the American diet today: we're drinking more milk than ever, yet osteoporosis rates are still through the roof.
You're reaching a bit there. 😬 My physiology and biochemistry are a little rusty, but if I remember correctly, calcium absorption and protein absorption work through completely different mechanisms—they aren't tethered to each other like that. Unless you're talking about calcium bound to plasma proteins, but even then, your logic doesn't really hold up.
The reason we see osteoporosis is simply because we're better at diagnosing it now. It's like saying people die from cancer more often today. Sure, it's true, but back in the day they just died from *something* else and nobody bothered to call it cancer.
Shtefitza said:The best way to deal with frustration is through humor—even if it’s dark. But you shouldn't take it out on people in the exam room. Why shock the audience on a forum? Why go looking for negative attention? And why give someone who's feeling suicidal any reason to try an "effective" method next time just to get validation from some guy on a message board?
Susan Martin24 said:Eeee... but as a preventative measure, while everything is still healthy... it can help. Exercise works wonders, increases elasticity, wooow... 🙂
I’ve heard that actually triggers hemorrhoids—since those are just cushions that prolapse. Wild sex can tear the elastic tissue that holds them in place, and then they’re stuck hanging out forever. Apparently, that’s what they say in a small town too, so... hey, do what you want. I bet 🙂 Susan Martin24 knows better than anyone, given her history with abs. This guy who mentioned it is an abdominal surgeon, though we couldn't tell if he was being serious or just messing with us.
kemik, please write hemorrhoids instead of hemoroids. That's how you spell it.
Scott Allen10 said:...And then some idiot who can't handle life decides they want to end it all with one shot to the head, a slit throat, or just a handful of Tegretol and Apaurin—leaving their parents, kids, and spouses in total darkness... Looking at someone fighting for their life after getting hit by a car, I just see another coward who swallowed a bunch of pills and devalued life itself.
Both sides are sick!!! You have no idea what drove that "idiot" or "coward," as you call them, to such a desperate act. They are seriously ill, regardless of how much you choose to ignore mental health. If they were sane, they wouldn't be doing this.
Scott Allen10, you've disappointed me 👎 — you're looking at this through a very primitive lens.
Anyone attempting to harm themselves or anyone else is mentally ill. And that's something that can actually be treated.
Honestly, I’m just let down by FFE and Scott Allen10!!!
I can't believe people on this forum are actually discussing how to "elegantly" end it all using cheap, over-the-counter meds. The second that 'Tylenol abuse' thread popped up, I found myself wondering if anyone would actually have the nerve to write about overdosing and the resulting liver toxicity.
Scott Allen10—I know you aren't a doctor, and as for FFE, who knows. But here is the Hippocratic Oath for those interested:
"I solemnl y swear to consecrate my life to the service of humanity. I will apply my knowledge and abilities to the welfare of those for whom they are called as a service. I will maintain in my life and practice the integrity and honor of the medical profession. I will do no harm and will abstain from whatever is injurious. I will hold in reverence whatever is due to my teachers, my mentors, and my colleagues. I will treat my patients with dignity and respect. I will respect the privacy of my patients. I will not permit considerations of race, creed, color, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, or social standing to influence my decisions. I will respect human life from its beginning. I will not allow my medical knowledge to be used in opposition to the laws of humanity. This I solemnly pledge, freely and upon my honor."
To me, that's sacred. But clearly, to Scott Allen10 and FFE, it means nothing. Suicide is a cry for help—it's literally written in every psychiatry textbook out there. Scott Allen10, who are you to judge whether someone is a coward or not? You obviously have no clue what depression actually feels like. And unless you’ve passed a psych exam, you don't know anything. Besides, you aren't the one providing the antidote, pumping a stomach, correcting ABGs, or intubating... you aren't, because those are jobs for actual doctors!!!
Someone very dear to me attempted suicide once. We went through hell together, and even now, I still get stressed thinking about that call from the hospital. Luckily, it was a drug with an available antidote—there isn't one for Tylenol. Fortunately, thanks to having a psychiatrist in the family, intensive psychotherapy, and pharmacotherapy, that person is doing well today. They're happy, optimistic, and actually value their life. If it had been a different medication, though... God forbid...
I can think of at least 17 other ways someone could take their own life, but luckily I have a conscience, and for me, the Hippocratic Oath is sacred. FFE, I don't know if you ever took it, but I know Scott Allen10 certainly didn't.
Justin Fox said:Jose Miller3, I actually filed a complaint against you—asked for your moderator status to be stripped. Crimson: I don't give a damn about your petty grammar corrections. New Yorker, acting all high and mighty: if you can't handle being proven wrong about medical facts, stop quoting my posts. Go pick flowers or something. Your attacks on me are pathetic—if anyone here needs psychiatric help, you’re first in line. Learn how to admit when you're wrong. I don't care if you're a doctor; you aren't God.
And this post of yours:
Justin Fox said:Honey, you've lost the plot. What Nobel laureates? What Bauustell construction? Where is this nonsense coming from? I'm not selling anything. You clearly think I'm some nemesis from your past, but—get this—you're wrong again.
New Yorker is wrong? A doctor is wrong? Yeah, sure. Not the first time, either. They mess up, then try to mask it with arrogance and sheer emptiness just to maintain some imaginary sense of importance.
The rest of your posts are just all about you!!! 😬
And I don't mean using Arslan's name as a synonym for an episiotomy—I'm talking about a literal Arslanectomy...
You really crossed the line this time, Justin Fox! I won't even get into it, but you seriously overdid it. Poking your nose where it doesn't belong. Your posts aren't exactly going to change society overnight. I'll ask you again: what is your actual problem with doctors?
I didn't read the whole thing—too long. You aren't a doctor, you've never even seen a birth, so how can you pretend to be an expert here? When a baby is born, they're cyanotic—completely blue, looking like a little alien—and it takes a minute or two before they actually turn pink. Delivery needs to be fast because that tiny thing is in hypoxia. That's why the abdomen is pressed; it's to make things easier for both the mother and the baby.
Checkups are done by hand... doctors gauge dilation by how many fingers fit, which determines when labor can actually get moving. Yeah, it's done by hand. How else would you do it? Use a trocar from the inside?
I'm sure the doctor was just being malicious and stitched her up without any numbing agents... Give me a break. Lidocaine kicks in instantly; if she wanted to use it, she could have. I don't know if they performed an episiotomy—not wasting my time quoting all that—but if they didn't and the perineum just tore, we're talking maybe two or three stitches max. It's just that some women make a huge production out of it, while others breeze through without a hitch.
What did those doctors do to you to make you so bitter? Was this back in the States or somewhere in Australia?
Ethan Smith76 said:I got an X-ray and the diagnosis is spondylosis, spondyloarthrosis, and osteochondrosis at the L5-S1 segment. I have a rough idea of what that means, but I’m wondering what the move is here. Can I dodge surgery and manage the pain just by changing my lifestyle and grinding through physical therapy—or is it better to skip the torture and just get the operation over with? I'm 31. I haven't seen a specialist yet, just the X-ray results. If anyone has advice...
This is Ethan Smith76's question, and this is your response:
Jamie Clark74 said:When I ask a specialist about how a disease is progressing, I don't ask "optimistically"... I ask what's written in the report "realistically"... because that's the reality I have to live with. Just like the sun rises and sets every day regardless of how you feel—there are no "miracles" where things just magically change. I lived in "optimism" for a long time... realism is the right word. Optimism is just expectation and lying to yourself.
Sure, optimism has its place in life... just like reality does.
Not once when I went in for surgery did we talk about being "OPTIMISTIC"... we talked about REALITY... which I accepted OPTIMISTICALLY and ended up getting wrong. When I see a pulmonologist regarding asbestosis, we look at the reality... my breathing capacity and the spreading plaques and asbestosis...
Optimism is a nice word and it gives hope... but realism is what actually is. Sometimes people with realism are much stronger than optimists... because they aren't waiting for a "miracle."
I wish I were an optimist too... but most importantly, it's WILL... that's the strongest thing there is. It's what knocks down walls, what lets you endure the pain, what gets you through that last yard when you think you can't make it to the bench to sit down... not optimism. As you get older and more experienced, your priorities shift from optimism to realism, and finally to sheer will... once you lose that will, you've got nothing left.
If you still don't realize you're off-topic... anyway, I'm off-topic now too, so I'll stop the tangent here, Jamie Clark74. 😉
PS True, this isn't the first answer to Ethan Smith76's question... but instead of sticking to the topic—which is spondylosis, spondyloarthrosis, and osteochondrosis—you veered way off into your own asbestosis, arachnoiditis, and whatever else, and that's exactly why you got flagged for this thread. 😬
Jamie Clark74 said:When I ask a specialist about how my condition is progressing, I don't go in asking for the "optimistic" version—I ask for what’s actually going to be signed on my medical charts, the "realistic" version. That's the reality I have to live with. Just like the sun rises and sets every day regardless of how you feel... there are no "miracles" where everything just suddenly changes. I spent way too long living in "optimism." Realism is the right word here. Optimism is mostly just wishful thinking and lying to yourself.
Sure, optimism has its place in life... just like reality does.
Every single time I went in for surgery, we didn't talk about being "optimistic"—we talked about the REALITY. And I made the mistake of accepting that reality with an optimistic mindset. Now, when I see a lung specialist regarding my asbestosis, we look at the facts... my breathing capacity and the pleural thickening from the asbestosis...
Optimism is a nice word and it gives you hope, but realism is simply what is. Sometimes people with realism are much stronger than the optimists... because they aren't sitting around waiting for a "miracle."
I wish I could be an optimist too...😁...but more than anything, it's WILLPOWER. That's the strongest thing there is. It’s what knocks down walls, what helps you endure the pain, and what gets you through that last yard when you think you won't make it to the bench to sit down... not optimism. As you get older and more experienced, your priorities shift from optimism to realism, and finally to pure willpower. Once you lose that will, you've got nothing left.
😎
Jamie Clark74, what you wrote here is completely off-topic. That’s exactly why you were moved to the other thread to post stuff like this. 😁
Ethan Smith76 said:That’s not what I meant—just trying to see if anyone else is dealing with similar issues, how they manage, and what kind of stuff works regarding exercises, swimming, and all that.
And you stumbled right onto Jamie Clark74😲—the guy who’s got an answer for everything, even when he doesn't, and let's be honest, optimism isn't exactly his thing.😬 If you want to pick his brain, he’s got his own dedicated thread, so just head over there.