# This is why I hate going to the doctor **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 22, 2014, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253 "2014-08-22T23:46:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/101 "2014-08-23T21:34:57Z")
OK. Here’s one theory. The fish oil contains vitamin D, and the OP had joint pain, because he had a vitamin D deficiency, and had pain from rickets. I realize rickets in adults is pretty unusual, but if the OP is eating the world’s crappiest diet, and also never getting outside it’s possible. Maybe the GNC fish oil has a higher D content than other brands. Since D is not what people take fish oil for (they take it for the omega fatty acids), there won’t be much control over an incidental ingredient like D. It’s also possible he has an underlying condition causing poor metabolism of vitamin D, and eventually the fish oil won’t work. If he went to a doctor, and said “Something in fish oil corrected a problem with pain in my knees, what could that be?” (as opposed to “Fish oil from the GNC cures arthritis.”) That may start an investigation that reveals-- who knows what? before it gets beyond fixing. I wouldn’t count on it though. I think regression to the mean, or a self-limiting condition, explains this better than rickets. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/102 "2014-08-24T01:21:42Z")
> [@7e42](#): > > Doctors don’t seem to know the cause or how to resolve the problem which is why it’s easy as pointless. Atleast act like you know something when someone is paying ,oney to see you > > I can’t tell the clients at my job “I don’t know” So, you want your doctor to make something up when they don’t know? That’s strange. I want my doctor to say, “I don’t know, but let’s find out.” > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > If he went to a doctor, and said “Something in fish oil corrected a problem with pain in my knees, what could that be?” (as opposed to “Fish oil from the GNC cures arthritis.”) That may start an investigation that reveals-- who knows what? before it gets beyond fixing. Surely you’re not saying that a doctor whose patient communicates information with her can do a better job of diagnosis, are you? That the patient should be an active participant in his own health care? Pshaw. Having information just provides static interference with the magic wand, dontcha know. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/103 "2014-08-24T01:45:40Z")
> [@7e42](#): > > what does me working out have to do with doctors stealing money? Probably nothing. I was just commenting on information you brought into this thread. Plus, I think the OP is fucking stupid. > [@7e42](#): > > Doctors don’t seem to know the cause or how to resolve the problem which is why it’s easy as pointless. Atleast act like you know something when someone is paying ,oney to see you > > I can’t tell the clients at my job “I don’t know” Wait, you have clients?! What sort of clients? What do you do? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/104 "2014-08-24T03:06:24Z")
Okay, so don’t go to the doctor. We should care why? ---
**Author:** ![7e42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/51bf81/32.png) [@7e42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/7e42)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/105 "2014-08-24T03:49:10Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > OK. Here’s one theory. The fish oil contains vitamin D, and the OP had joint pain, because he had a vitamin D deficiency, and had pain from rickets. I realize rickets in adults is pretty unusual, but if the OP is eating the world’s crappiest diet, and also never getting outside it’s possible. Maybe the GNC fish oil has a higher D content than other brands. Since D is not what people take fish oil for (they take it for the omega fatty acids), there won’t be much control over an incidental ingredient like D. > > It’s also possible he has an underlying condition causing poor metabolism of vitamin D, and eventually the fish oil won’t work. If he went to a doctor, and said “Something in fish oil corrected a problem with pain in my knees, what could that be?” (as opposed to “Fish oil from the GNC cures arthritis.”) That may start an investigation that reveals-- who knows what? before it gets beyond fixing. > > I wouldn’t count on it though. I think regression to the mean, or a self-limiting condition, explains this better than rickets. No regression, I take it less now than I did a year ago. Last year I needed it everyday but now I can go days without fish oil ---
**Author:** ![7e42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/51bf81/32.png) [@7e42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/7e42)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/106 "2014-08-24T03:50:32Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Probably nothing. I was just commenting on information you brought into this thread. Plus, I think the OP is fucking stupid. > > Wait, you have clients?! What sort of clients? What do you do? Must you be so nasty? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/107 "2014-08-24T03:52:15Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > GNC fish oil sounds a lot like snake oil. Snake oil’s for hemmoroids. Everybody knows that. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/108 "2014-08-24T03:56:15Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Rather than address all the many levels of stupid being thrown around here, I’ll simply offer my counter-proof. > > A couple of years back, I was experiencing some very unpleasant symptoms you all don’t want to hear about. I went to my doctor, and he ordered some blood tests. The blood tests showed that I was diabetic, which explained some, but not all of my symptoms. I went in for a CAT scan (invented by other medical researchers), which showed that my **pancreas had essentially shriveled up and died** for no good reason. Armed with that hard data, my doctor was able to put me on a regimen of medication that allows me to live a pretty normal life. Without that treatment, I’d probably be dead by now, and my children would be without a father. > > I don’t think my doctor is overpaid. I have never heard of the human body doing this before today!! You must be the one in million people. ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/109 "2014-08-24T04:08:39Z")
> [@7e42](#): > > Doctors don’t seem to know the cause or how to resolve the problem which is why it’s easy as pointless. Atleast act like you know something when someone is paying ,oney to see you > > I can’t tell the clients at my job “I don’t know” Do they really know? Do computer techs know why your hard-drive stops working after 5 years and your other hard drive after 7 years? The difference with human body vs electronics is electronics is easy to work with and open up well the human body is not. And like I say to we have medical tricorder doctors will not know much. And like I say if the family doctor does not know why you have back pain than see a specialists that what they are for.And specialists know more than your family doctor. ---
**Author:** ![7e42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/51bf81/32.png) [@7e42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/7e42)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/110 "2014-08-24T04:32:25Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > Do they really know? Do computer techs know why your hard-drive stops working after 5 years and your other hard drive after 7 years? > > The difference with human body vs electronics is electronics is easy to work with and open up well the human body is not. > > And like I say to we have medical tricorder doctors will not know much. > > And like I say if the family doctor does not know why you have back pain than see a specialists that what they are for.And specialists know more than your family doctor. So the family doctor is for what again? Referrals and Confirmation of what’s wrong right? ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/111 "2014-08-24T04:38:08Z")
Then why not simply stop going to the doctor? ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/112 "2014-08-24T04:43:42Z")
> [@7e42](#): > > So the family doctor is for what again? > > Referrals and Confirmation of what’s wrong right? A Doctor is not scientist.If you want to know why people get sick and how the human body heals it self start calling universities and PHD’s doing research into it. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/113 "2014-08-24T04:44:24Z")
> [@7e42](#): > > Must you be so nasty? What? Oh, I’m sorry, I’ll just go then and let you get back to your totally good-natured 😉 discussion of the medical community. Ta-Ta! ---
**Author:** ![Amberlei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Amberlei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amberlei)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/114 "2014-08-24T07:46:27Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > I have never heard of the human body doing this before today!! You must be the one in million people. Unfortunately not. It’s actually quite common for people with diabetes to have problems with their pancreas. The pancreas cosecretes the hormones insulin and amylin in response to challenge with glucose, with insulin being secreted about 100-fold more than amylin. When a person encounters insulin resistance, more and more insulin is needed, but with increased insulin production comes increased amylin secretion. The body has no use for excess amylin, which therefore remains in the pancreas forming clumps that destroy pancreatic cells. As more and more of the pancreas is destroyed, secretion levels of both insulin and amylin are reduced. I’m diabetic myself, with my diabetes believed to have originated from an allergy to bovine serum albumin (BSA), a protein that is very similar to a surface protein (p69) on pancreatic islet cells. This similarity has resulted in the antibodies that my immune system produces in response to BSA also attacking the pancreatic cells that produce insulin. I’m taking insulin, obviously, but also am now taking an immunosuppressant as well as H1, H3, and H4 agonists. The hope is that by shutting my immune system down almost completely, and avoiding exogenous BSA and it’s analogs, one day my immune system will be able to “reprogram” itself, recognizing the low levels of p69 as normal. Kind of long-winded there, but I think this is a good example of how complicated and intricate the human body is. There are so very many odd things that can go wrong and there’s no way any one physician could ever know everything. It takes teamwork between a patient and a physician, not to mention trial and error, to come up with a viable treatment plan. Oft-times there’s no “cure” to be found, only palliative measures to be taken. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/115 "2014-08-24T08:20:34Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > I have never heard of the human body doing this before today!! You must be the one in million people. I don’t know about a pancreas shriveling up for no reason, but my uncle ‘Buzz’ came for Thanksgiving and left 10 months later. He had drunk his pancreas into what the doc called the worse case of pancreatitis he had ever seen [and this was the head of endocrinology at UofR Strong Memorial Hospital.] Apparently he was used for years as a case study for the guys classes. One missing pancreas, one nasty surgical scar, and a lifetime of insulin shots later … On the plus side, uncle Buzz had the top Blue Cross/Blue Shield policy as he worked for them 😃 so it didn’t cost him as much as it could have. [URL=“[http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/](http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/)”] ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/116 "2014-08-24T11:58:35Z")
> [@Amberlei](#): > > There are so very many odd things that can go wrong and there’s no way any one physician could ever know everything. It takes teamwork between a patient and a physician, not to mention trial and error, to come up with a viable treatment plan. Oft-times there’s no “cure” to be found, only palliative measures to be taken. When I first went to the doctor for migraines as a teenager, the best he could offer was a caffeine/ergot pill that could arrest migraines during the aura phase, maybe, but it made me jumpy and nervous, and didn’t work well. I also tended to get the aura as school, and usually didn’t have it with me. I also had darvocet as a pain reliever, and compazine for nausea. They worked pretty well, although not perfectly, but mainly they knocked me out, usually for the night, which was OK, because I always felt good when I woke up, instead of hung-over, which was how I felt when I woke up after a migraine without meds, and that was after a night of several hours of horrible suffering. I couldn’t do homework on migraine nights, so sometimes my aunt had to call me in sick for the morning, just so I could do homework for my afternoon classes. Later, something called Midrin came on the market. It’s Tylenol and a couple of other compounds. It worked really well. It made me feel kind of spacey, but I could usually get things done. Sometimes I needed an hour nap. Apparently some people got really high off it, and there was potential for abuse, so once better medications came out, it was taken off the market. Now there’s something called Imitrex. The first few times I took it, it made my hands and feet tingle, and was a little unpleasant, but that wore off. It knocks a headache right out of the ballpark, and there are no “bounceback” effects (the headache coming back when the meds wore off, which occasionally happened with darvocet and Midrin). I can take Imitrex, wait 20 minutes, and then go on with what I was doing. I’m glad to think that teens who get the kind of migraines I got in high school have Imitrex as a first-line medicine. So, sometimes a doctor can know what’s wrong, but the solution is imperfect. When my grandfather had diabetes in the 70s, he had to be so scrupulous with his diet and insulin, because glucometers didn’t exist. Now, people can test their own blood sugar several times a day-- you don’t just feel like you might be having a crisis, and have to go to the ER. You doctor can work out a formula so you can give yourself more insulin, or a sugar tablet if your blood sugar is too high or low, and diabetics can even occasionally indulge in things like cake on their birthday, as long as they monitor their blood carefully afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/117 "2014-08-24T12:19:09Z")
I had a bout of pancreatitis a decade or so back, though again, no cause was ever found. It’s thought that rather than clearing up, it went into hiding and essentially did a slow burn for all those years until it was basically gone. Type I diabetes is typically caused by the type of autoimmune disorder described by Amberlei, but that’s not what happened with me. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/118 "2014-08-24T13:10:58Z")
Some people are just born with an incomplete or absent pancreas. There’s a really devastating trisomy (Down Syndrome isn’t the only trisomy, it’s just the most common survivable one), trisomy 3. It usually causes deafness and blindness, neurological deficits that result in diagnoses of MR or autism or both, failure of the adult teeth to develop, and stunting of the endocrine organs, so that people have poorly functioning or absent pancreas, and thyroid glands, and are usually very short, because sometimes they have underactive pituitary glands. Anyone can develop Type 1 diabetes by having their pancreas go kaput-- it can even happen from an infection, but because some people are born with a defective pancreas from poor blood flow during fetal development, or just some idiopathic reason (or an unidentified genetic cause), Type 1 is often called juvenile diabetes. I read recently that because kidney patients on dialysis often also develop diabetes (I don’t know why-- Psychobunny?) pancreatic transplants have been done in kidney-pancreas dual transplants. No one gets just a pancreas, because taking insulin is preferable to taking immunosuppressants, but when someone will be taking immunosuppressants anyway for the kidney transplant, and the kidney and pancreas come from the same donor, apparently it’s a good option for the patient. That is, if the fish oil doesn’t work. The GNC fish oil. ---
**Author:** ![Lonnie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc79bd/32.png) [@Lonnie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lonnie)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/119 "2014-08-24T15:27:40Z")
I have only skimmed parts of this thread so this may be a repetition. I am not surprised that fish oil helped your osteoarthritis. It reduces pain and swelling. Taking responsibility for your own health and searching for answers yourself along with the expertise of your doctor is the way to go, as you found out. But natural answers such as fish oil and herbs do have side effects the same as drugs, so you do need expert help from your doc. For nutritional help you need a preventive type doc who specializes in body chemistry. M.D., ACAM DIPL. Or an ND or Nutritionist might help. M.D. Doctors do not claim nutrition is their area of expertise. Disclaimer - I am not a doctor or nor will I benefit in any way from this post. I am also NOT recommending any of the therapies mentioned but am trying to dispense information that has helped me over the years. Fish oil is beneficial for all parts of the body - joints, brain, and arteries to name three. It thins the blood and has other interactions so be careful not to take high doses. Fish oil contains Omega 3’s which are essential fatty acids, so-called because you need to get them from foods. Other good oils are olive oil and those from nuts, flax, and other sources. Humans today eat too many inflammatory oils such as from corn, sunflower, and others from the omega 6 category. Soy is a top allergen. Oils adulterated by heat, frying, and hydrogenation, are the worst, except maybe for rancid oils. Eating small fish not farm-raised and not containing mercury is good but usually that amount of EFAs is not sufficient. Here are articles from Web MD as a summary. [http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-993-fish%20oil.aspx?activeingredientid=993&activeingredientname=fish%20oil](http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-993-fish%20oil.aspx?activeingredientid=993&activeingredientname=fish%20oil) > **[Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Fact Sheet](https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/omega-3-fatty-acids-fact-sheet)** > > Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for good health. WebMD explains how to make sure they are part of your diet. People also take MSM for joint pain, but that only helps if your body is deficient in it. Others take GHC 500 a glucosamine, as well as fish oil, for joint pain and swear by it while others say it does not help. ---
**Author:** ![Lonnie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc79bd/32.png) [@Lonnie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lonnie)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/120 "2014-08-24T15:29:32Z")
To OP - Western medicine and doctors are very efficient when treating acute disorders and diseases. They operate on hearts, remove cancerous kidneys, repair cataracts, and remove painful gall bladders caused by stones. They have treatments for Rheumatoid Arthritis. They do hip and knee replacements. The list goes on. They also learn from experience, the same as everyone. New advances are made every day. For this they are paid, and earn every penny of it. They have huge overhead. They are not overpaid in comparison to other professions in my country. If you are from the US, you already know your healthcare system could be better but the system you now have was a big compromise and even that was hard fought-for. Western doctors are not as good with chronic disorders and pain control, other than pain meds. Most are not well trained in nutrition, although some have supplemented their education. See above post re Preventive and Complementary Care doctors. We also have paramedicals such as physiotherapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, Practitioners of Chinese Medicine and so on to supplement the doctor’s expertise. Your doc might have referred you to one of them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253.md?page=7)