Skip to main content

How did we get along before the advent of the internet?

In my last post at the Medical Blog Network, I talked about patients being proactive, and sharing responsibility for their care. Even Steve Beller PhD talks about it in his latest post. But none of this could have been remotely possible without the aid of the internet, and it's ability to put us in easy contact with doctors, patients and others experts around the world to fill voids and keep up with the latest research.

So I can't help but ask myself, how did we ever got along before the internet?

I don't know how many of you in the cyberworld were around prior to the internet becoming part of US and world culture. I know that I was, but what is so amazing about that statement is, I really can't remember what it was like without the aid of the internet. The internet has become such an integral part of my life, I really can't imagine a time without it.

How did we make airline reservations? How did we figure out how to get from point A to point B? How did we get along so well without email? But worst of all, what did people do when they got sick before there was an internet? How did they know whether their doctor was prescribing the correct treatment protococals? How did they keep up with the latest advances in medicine? How did they even know if they were diagnosed correctly?

I bring this up, because of my experiences with the internet. If it weren't for the internet, I would have had to put my full blind faith and trust in my doctor. Even for the most competent of doctors, can you imagine the pressure that put them under! No wonder so many of us still think of them as gods.

Because of the internet, I learned doctors are not gods. The are actually human beings, possessing the same human frailties and capable of the same mistakes as the rest of us. It was because of the internet I discovered that my first oncologist had little idea of what he was talking about, and wouldn't even listen to the contradictions I put in front of him. He obviously thought of himself as a god, or he didn't make use of the internet.

So as I was reflecting on world events this morning, I thought I would give a special thanks to all those who helped develope the internet, including the military establishment that provided the motivation for its developement. The internet just may be the single biggest factor effecting change to the face of US health care than any other single factor.

Cross posted on the Medical Blog Network - A Patients Journey
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The green tea phenomenon

Despite being a heavy drinker of green tea since my diagnosis, mainly for its cancer prevention, and hopefully cancer curing qualities, I recently have developed a new found enthusiasm for green tea. Now whether it has been the green tea I have been drinking for the past 6+ years, my heavy exercise routine, or just pure chance that has kept my MCL stable, or at least [very] slow progressing, for the past 7+ years is certainly open to debate, but based on past research, I have chosen to believe green tea has at least helped to some degree. So what has given me this new found enthusiasm? Well, a friend of mine, and cycling buddy, was recently diagnosed with bladder cancer, and knowing my daily regimen called to ask my advice on green tea. He had already done a lot of research on the subject, so when I told him my obsession with green tea consisted principally of drinking the least expensive, decaffeinated green tea available (Trader Joe's brand of 18 tea bags for $3, and more recentl...
10 comments
Read more

Alternative treatment blowback

I received some interesting criticism the other day for my stance on alternative therapies. I ......... cannot for the life of me understand why you would not use supplementation and then use an over the counter poisonous liquid which has proven liver toxicity. Especially while taking a statin. She was referring to the use of an over the counter cough medication, I have been taking to help ease the symptoms of my upper respiratory infection. I did this once and vow to never use it again! I have gotten off Lipitor by using Nicotinic Acid and getting much better results but still use COQ10 to protect Liver as you must do while taking Statins. If you are not using CoQ10, I urge you to research this issue. MCL reduces your D3 and should be taken everyday! I use 5000mgs a day. I was sorta taken aback. She was partially correct. I'm against taking supplements, but when necessary I don't have a problem taking over the counter medication, when my ailments finally get the better of me. ...
7 comments
Read more

When is enough, enough?

Today I learned, Lance Armstrong, the most drug tested athlete in the history of sport, is being accused of doping, again . This time by the US Anti Doping Agency (USADA), who claim they have collected blood samples from him in 2009 and 2010 that were “fully consistent with blood manipulation including EPO use and/or blood transfusions.” Really! What took them so long? The French have been trying to make allegations of drug doping stick for years, ever since he won his first Tour d'France, but to no avail. And now the USADA claims to have evidence to support that claim, and they've waited almost 3 years before releasing this evidence. Needless to say, I am skeptical. Then there's this from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO): Increasing the federal excise tax on cigarettes by 50 cents per pack eventually would increase Medicare and Social Security spending, slightly. Eventually? What is the CBO suggesting here? That we should encourage smoking, because if we don't, in...
11 comments
Read more