Why I turned to quack doctors and quackery.
When we make a mistake it is often painful to analyze the error. We often chalk it up to "oh I was stupid, or I was young." This trivial non-explanation only obscures the problem making it worse.
Today, I am taking a broader and deeper delve into why I turned to quackery in general, including anti-dentist, anti-doctor, anti-flouride, and anti-vaxxer. First, let's start with admitting that I was an anti-vaxxer but now strongly believe that vaccines save lives.
First, is the idea of a gateway belief. In climate change belief in the 97% scientific consensus effects a wide variety of climate change beliefs. The same with being anti-dentist and anti-doctor. If you think that dentists and doctors are a waste of money, you are highly vulnerable to Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey's anti-vaccine quack propaganda.
How does a person become anti-dentist and anti-doctor? Well for me the simple answer in my opinion is poverty. The more complicated answer is class oppression. Read this article about childhood poverty to understand that poverty is real. [0]
I'll keep the next section brief. Basically, here how it is for the dentist/doctor if you are poor. Walk into dentist, "hey I need a teeth cleaning." Receptionist, okay fill out a whole bunch of paper work, and we will make an appointment. An appointment is made and the paper work filled out. The cost is discussed that you can only afford a cleaning.
Next visit, the hygienist takes one looks at your mouth and says "we need x-rays." You argue saying I'm broke I can only afford a teeth cleaning. After much back and forth about price x-rays are agreed on, but the the teeth cleaning is cancelled. The dental staff attempt to guilt and shame you saying "don't you care about your teeth?"
You make an appointment for 1-3 months in the future. After the elapsed time you come back for a teeth cleaning. Guess what? More x-rays are needed since your mouth has changed. Rinse repeat, until the patient gives up in frustration feeling switched and baited, guilt tripped, and shamed. This is poverty and class oppression.
As some point the patient realizes that dental offices only give x-rays to poor people. That their teeth will never be cleaned and they will never get a cavity filled. In a weird sort of out of touch up-selling the dentist office will then try to sell some $20,000 braces, not understanding if the person cannot afford a $150 teeth cleaning, they sure cannot afford 20,000 orthodox care. The person is now anti-dentist.
The patient realizes that the dentist and staff has violated the Hippocratic oath to first do no harm by bombarding the patient with x-rays and the relentless shaming. See fat shaming to see the harm fat shaming does. This is class shaming and poverty shaming in my opinion [1].
Onto doctors. Doctors only spend a brief time with patients. I've spent $50 for a visit that lasted less than five minutes. Often doctors use prescriptions that are separate. That means the patient has just spend all the available medical funds on the doctors visit, but now cannot afford the medicine. Rinse, repeat this is very similar to the dentist.
The point being is that when you are poor that extra $50-$200 unexpected costs is difficult to absorb. That every penny has already been accounted for with no leeway. The embarrassment of having to put back grocery store items when the total comes up higher than expected.
Now let's focus on quackery and quacks. If the medical system effectively leaves you with open wounds, quacks pour salt on the wounds in the best case scenario. People turn to quackery because they fall into the false dichotomy logical fallacy. If the medical establishment is so terrible, then quackery must be good.
Wrong! Dentists rarely kill anyone with an x-ray. A three minute visit to the doctor's just does not cause that much harm. Let's face it quackery kills. Go to the website Jenny McCarthy body count, or the CDC, WHO, or rationalwiki if you want proof.
That's basically all there is to really. Your trust is already broken by the medical establishment and here comes the snake salesperson full of sweet lies and promises. Quackery is like bacteria seeping into an open wound. Quacks are opportunists who prey upon those asking for help.
What to do, what is the solution then? The solution is science and cost effective preventive care in my opinion. Stick to pro-science sources. Read quackwatch.org and sciencebased medicine. Understand the benefits of vaccines and fluoride. You may not be able to afford to get a cavity filled or to see a doctor about a cough.
Yet, you probably can afford a $3 or less tube of ADA approved fluoride tooth paste and a $45 flu vaccine. Ideally, you would have enough money for the ADA approved fluoride toothpaste, the flu vaccine, and to get all the dental and medical treatment you need. Nevertheless we live in an imperfect world full of poverty and oppression. Therefore, stick to science, openly condemn quackery, and do the best you can.
Thank you for reading. I hope the blog post was not too emotional.
Source.
0. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/by-the-numbers-childhood-poverty-in-the-u-s/
1. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/02/sunday-review/the-shame-of-fat-shaming.html
Today, I am taking a broader and deeper delve into why I turned to quackery in general, including anti-dentist, anti-doctor, anti-flouride, and anti-vaxxer. First, let's start with admitting that I was an anti-vaxxer but now strongly believe that vaccines save lives.
First, is the idea of a gateway belief. In climate change belief in the 97% scientific consensus effects a wide variety of climate change beliefs. The same with being anti-dentist and anti-doctor. If you think that dentists and doctors are a waste of money, you are highly vulnerable to Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey's anti-vaccine quack propaganda.
How does a person become anti-dentist and anti-doctor? Well for me the simple answer in my opinion is poverty. The more complicated answer is class oppression. Read this article about childhood poverty to understand that poverty is real. [0]
I'll keep the next section brief. Basically, here how it is for the dentist/doctor if you are poor. Walk into dentist, "hey I need a teeth cleaning." Receptionist, okay fill out a whole bunch of paper work, and we will make an appointment. An appointment is made and the paper work filled out. The cost is discussed that you can only afford a cleaning.
Next visit, the hygienist takes one looks at your mouth and says "we need x-rays." You argue saying I'm broke I can only afford a teeth cleaning. After much back and forth about price x-rays are agreed on, but the the teeth cleaning is cancelled. The dental staff attempt to guilt and shame you saying "don't you care about your teeth?"
You make an appointment for 1-3 months in the future. After the elapsed time you come back for a teeth cleaning. Guess what? More x-rays are needed since your mouth has changed. Rinse repeat, until the patient gives up in frustration feeling switched and baited, guilt tripped, and shamed. This is poverty and class oppression.
As some point the patient realizes that dental offices only give x-rays to poor people. That their teeth will never be cleaned and they will never get a cavity filled. In a weird sort of out of touch up-selling the dentist office will then try to sell some $20,000 braces, not understanding if the person cannot afford a $150 teeth cleaning, they sure cannot afford 20,000 orthodox care. The person is now anti-dentist.
The patient realizes that the dentist and staff has violated the Hippocratic oath to first do no harm by bombarding the patient with x-rays and the relentless shaming. See fat shaming to see the harm fat shaming does. This is class shaming and poverty shaming in my opinion [1].
Onto doctors. Doctors only spend a brief time with patients. I've spent $50 for a visit that lasted less than five minutes. Often doctors use prescriptions that are separate. That means the patient has just spend all the available medical funds on the doctors visit, but now cannot afford the medicine. Rinse, repeat this is very similar to the dentist.
The point being is that when you are poor that extra $50-$200 unexpected costs is difficult to absorb. That every penny has already been accounted for with no leeway. The embarrassment of having to put back grocery store items when the total comes up higher than expected.
Now let's focus on quackery and quacks. If the medical system effectively leaves you with open wounds, quacks pour salt on the wounds in the best case scenario. People turn to quackery because they fall into the false dichotomy logical fallacy. If the medical establishment is so terrible, then quackery must be good.
Wrong! Dentists rarely kill anyone with an x-ray. A three minute visit to the doctor's just does not cause that much harm. Let's face it quackery kills. Go to the website Jenny McCarthy body count, or the CDC, WHO, or rationalwiki if you want proof.
That's basically all there is to really. Your trust is already broken by the medical establishment and here comes the snake salesperson full of sweet lies and promises. Quackery is like bacteria seeping into an open wound. Quacks are opportunists who prey upon those asking for help.
What to do, what is the solution then? The solution is science and cost effective preventive care in my opinion. Stick to pro-science sources. Read quackwatch.org and sciencebased medicine. Understand the benefits of vaccines and fluoride. You may not be able to afford to get a cavity filled or to see a doctor about a cough.
Yet, you probably can afford a $3 or less tube of ADA approved fluoride tooth paste and a $45 flu vaccine. Ideally, you would have enough money for the ADA approved fluoride toothpaste, the flu vaccine, and to get all the dental and medical treatment you need. Nevertheless we live in an imperfect world full of poverty and oppression. Therefore, stick to science, openly condemn quackery, and do the best you can.
Thank you for reading. I hope the blog post was not too emotional.
Source.
0. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/by-the-numbers-childhood-poverty-in-the-u-s/
1. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/02/sunday-review/the-shame-of-fat-shaming.html
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