[syracusa]

This was a good post and I agree with most of what you said.

I have learnt the value of taking responsibilty for my own health, even learning about medicines, conditions, studies, etc - a lot of stuff that only med school people would have studied in the past.
Nowadays - you have to - otherwise you stand the chance of getting mega-screwed.

But then again, I have a PhD in a somewhat scientific field...so I don't find it teribly hard to make sense of, and keep up with all this medical stuff, studies, what sounds true and what is bullony, etc.

But are you sure that people with fewer educational resources would be equally capable of taking this kind of responsibility for their own health, just to keep the doctors in check?

If by taking responsibility you mean "don't stuff your face with fries and hamburgers and exercise", I agree. But beyond this - you need to be able to understand some scientific language...and not everyone has that advantage.

However, I am deeply convinced that the percentage of people who go to med school for money and prestige in today's US society far surpasses the percentage of those who go out of love and dedication for the profession, that is, those who have healing and doing good (out of pure humanity) as their primary purpose, as opposed to making a lot of money off of people's suffering.