# I'm really sick of people quoting their doctor as some kind of authority **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 21, 2013, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958 "2013-02-21T10:04:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/1 "2013-02-21T10:04:19Z")
“Yea my doctor said tramadol gets turned into synthetic heroin in the body” "If he really said that he is badly misinformed, here is the metabolic pathway of blah blah which as you can see does not involve “synthetic heroin” whatever that is. “Well he is a doctor and that is that” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/2 "2013-02-21T12:34:33Z")
IMHO, my doctor is some kind of authority on medical matters. That doesn’t mean he can’t be wrong, like any other authority. When I complain to my doctor about constipation, he always says I should drink more water. It certainly makes me pee a lot but has no effect on constipation. I recently read in The Science Times (NY Times Tuesday supplement) that it does not, in fact, have any effect. So my doctor is wrong. Nonetheless on medical matters he gets the benefit of any doubt unless proven otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/3 "2013-02-21T13:03:38Z")
Yes, doctors can be mistaken about things, but I usually find that these types of “quotes” are paraphrases or misinterpretations by the person making the statement. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/4 "2013-02-21T13:10:19Z")
What about my chiropractor? ---
**Author:** ![JLRogers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@JLRogers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JLRogers)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/5 "2013-02-21T13:12:48Z")
Not only are chiropractors not an authority on anything, you are made less credible by your admission that you have a chiropractor. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/6 "2013-02-21T13:27:09Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > What about my chiropractor? I swear, I attended a presentation at work in which a chiropractor claimed to have cured a kid of his peanut allergy. I wish to hell I’d recorded it. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/7 "2013-02-21T13:27:30Z")
> [@JLRogers](#): > > Not only are chiropractors not an authority on anything, you are made less credible by your admission that you have a chiropractor. That’s not what my acupuncturist said. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/8 "2013-02-21T13:30:42Z")
Physicians are generally correct about medical matters that pertain to their daily practice. Their level of accuracy starts going down when the subject involves areas outside their field of expertise\* and plunges to the level of the general public (or below) in regards to non-medical questions. When “my doctor” is a naturopath, chiropractor or lawn doctor, their views on medicine are considerably more suspect. > [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > When I complain to my doctor about constipation, he always says I should drink more water. It certainly makes me pee a lot but has no effect on constipation. I recently read in The Science Times (NY Times Tuesday supplement) that it does not, in fact, have any effect. So my doctor is wrong. Not exactly. Dehydration is one of many [potential causes for constipation](http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/constipation/). _“Research shows that although increased fluid intake does not necessarily help relieve constipation, many people report some relief from their constipation if they drink fluids such as water and juice and avoid dehydration. Liquids add fluid to the colon and bulk to stools, making bowel movements softer and easier to pass. People who have problems with constipation should try to drink liquids every day.”_ Obviously, this is unlikely to help if one’s constipation is caused by factors unrelated to fluid intake. \*physicians can still be dunces in areas directly related to their supposed field of expertise. Example: Republican Congressman [Phil Gingrey](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/republican-akin-partly-right-rape-comment), who defended Senate candidate Todd Akin’s comments about a woman’s body “shutting down” after rape to prevent pregnancy. _“I’ve delivered lots of babies, and I know about these things. It is true. We tell infertile couples all the time that are having trouble conceiving because of the woman not ovulating, ‘Just relax. Drink a glass of wine. And don’t be so tense and uptight, because all that adrenaline can cause you not to ovulate.’ So he was partially right, wasn’t he?” Gingrey said."_ Gingrey has been an OB-GYN since 1975. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/9 "2013-02-21T14:47:07Z")
Being immersed in fertility stuff the last six years has made me realize how ignorant GP’s and OB’s are when it comes to female issues. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard or read about someone who is having trouble getting pregnant and their doctor doesn’t see any problem because they have 28 day cycles. Or an OB will order a test that is supposed to be performed seven days past ovulation and tells the patient to get it done on day 21, because obviously every woman ovulates on cycle day 14. Or how about my sister who is 24 being told by her GP that she needs a hystorectomy to treat her endometriosis? Crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/10 "2013-02-21T16:36:25Z")
> [@The NIH](#): > > _“People who have problems with constipation should try to drink liquids every day.”_ My doctor’s lawn doctor recommends that all people should try to drink liquids every day. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/11 "2013-02-21T16:36:35Z")
I’ve been misquoted by patients so often that sometimes I’m tempted to tell them something really wacky to see if it gets turned into something sensible. Me: “Sorry, Mr. Jones, but you’ve got mambo dogflap in the banana patch. Again.” Patient talking to spouse later: “Doc said I needed to lose weight and exercise more.” So I first suspect the patient is the one who’s confused when I hear an absurd statement attributed to a doctor. But I’ve also gotten to know enough doctors well enough that I’m not surprised to discover they really did say something blindingly dumb. Often even in the area of their own expertise. I’m not infallible in that area myself, by any means. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/12 "2013-02-21T17:49:09Z")
I thought of this thread when I saw today’s big ad in USA Today for “Bambusa Miracle Socks”, invented by a chiropractor to send healing anions into your feet, increase blood flow, aid diabetics and maybe even promote world peace (I didn’t get that far in the ad). Now _there’s_ an authority. I wouldn’t trust a vascular surgeon who was promoting miracle anionic socks on the basis of testimonials, but a chiropractor? You bet. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/13 "2013-02-21T17:53:13Z")
‘Bambusa’? Like, pronounced almost exactly like ‘bamboozle’? You have to wonder if the guy did that on purpose. Like some kind of personal in-joke. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/14 "2013-02-21T17:56:21Z")
No, [it’s a real thing.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bambusa) (Though how you make socks with bamboo is another question entirely, so it may be a different thing.) ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/15 "2013-02-21T18:19:53Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > When “my doctor” is a naturopath, chiropractor or lawn doctor, their views on medicine are considerably more suspect. By which you mean, should be dismissed out of hand. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/16 "2013-02-21T18:31:58Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > (Though how you make socks with bamboo is another question entirely, so it may be a different thing.) You make bamboo socks out of [bamboo yarn.](http://www.yarn.com/webs-knitting-crochet-yarns-fiber-bamboo/) ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/17 "2013-02-21T19:25:10Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > By which you mean, should be dismissed out of hand. My alchemist objects in the strongest possible terms. ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/18 "2013-02-21T19:44:37Z")
I have had to deal with a lot of doctors the past couple years, and I have been very unimpressed with the level of knowledge of their field that most of them had. Of course, I earned my degree from Google Medical School, and few of them actually had any familiarity with or interest current scientific research. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/19 "2013-02-21T20:07:44Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > IMHO, my doctor is some kind of authority on medical matters. That doesn’t mean he can’t be wrong, like any other authority. Exactly. If my doctor isn’t any sort of authority on medical matters, why on earth am I going to him? I should just stay home and WebMD my symptoms and order my self-prescribed medicine from shady Russian pharmacies. Instead, I see a doctor precisely because I’m trusting him to know more about medicine than I do. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958/20 "2013-02-21T20:09:31Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > No, [it’s a real thing.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bambusa) (Though how you make socks with bamboo is another question entirely, so it may be a different thing.) It’s marketing double-speak, renaming rayon to appeal to the environmentally conscious consumer. While rayon can be made from bamboo and many other sources of cellulose, it’s so heavily modified that it’s really a stretch to call the resulting fiber “bamboo”. Chemically speaking, rayon is bamboo in exactly the same sense that you could call cellophane “cotton”. The FTC considers it [deceptive labeling](http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/08/bamboo.shtm). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-really-sick-of-people-quoting-their-doctor-as-some-kind-of-authority/650958.md?page=2)