What changes would I like to see in western medicine? I have an inkling of what changes my higher self would like. But this posting is more of my reactions to my recent experiences.

I know it would help immensely for every aspect – administrative, legal, insurance, medical doctors (MDs), nurses, lab technicians, pharmacists – to let go of the materialist mindset. It’s utterly ridiculous to confine medicine to only what can be seen and tactile requirements. The effects of thoughts and feelings have been proven for way to long to continue to be so ignored. A recent MD actually did not trust her own ability to hear that my lungs were clear. And actually, she didn’t even seem to believe the chest x-ray she pushed so hard for. She knew it was bronchitis and not pneumonia, but she kept wanting to talk about pneumonia. It was beyond frustrating.

It would also help for administrative, legal and insurance personnel and the MDs to admit how broken the current system is. Some of the responsibilities and power that should be shared with nurses and pharmacists is all placed on MDs. And we simply do not have enough MDs to handle the demand. I only get to see and talk to my primary physician once a year. The rest of the year he is too swamped and overwhelmed for me to have any communication with him. That’s insane. I’ve needed things for a month already and it will be more than a month before my annual appointment. Messages to his nurses prompt a phone call to me, IF I’m able to answer the phone at the time. And if I do get to answer, typically the suggestion is to go to urgent care.

The Urgent Care system is also so broken and easily overwhelmed.

I wish we could return to the days when all I needed was a good registered nurse. She could see me when I needed to be seen. She could diagnose and prescribe medications. I rarely needed to see my primary for anything. Now, I’m supposed to see my primary for everything and he is completely unavailable at all times that would be useful to me. And he doesn’t know who I am, what my history is, or even what is in my chart.

And why in the world has the United States never allowed pharmacists to prescribe? That is and has always been just pure insanity.

The other thing is how compartmentalized everything is now. When a surgeon is done, they’re done; regardless of whether there were any complications or even just simple questions. When one situation affects another situation; that’s completely ignored.

For some completely unknown reason that certainly had nothing to do with common good, state legislation increased the amount that MDs could be sued for and sent the cost of malpractice insurance even higher and our state lost 30% of its doctors. The system was overwhelmed and broken before that. Now, ridiculous doesn’t even describe it.

For the decision makers to admit how broken their current system is would help immensely.

And we haven’t even mentioned actually caring more about the patient than about insurance and legalities. It would be phenomenal to be considered a person again. And then maybe I could even be seen in a holistic manner of approach. Western medicine has times of brilliance, but it is ignorant of and ignoring way too much to be of much use to clients in its current state.