Physicians attempting to smear vitamin supplements
https://opmed.doximity.com/articles/supplements-are-simply-medications-without-fda-oversight?_csrf_attempted=yes
When I read this article it I was irritated. LOOK at the propaganda this article sells. First off, it is an op-ed, so there is no scientific study done here, it is a Urologist’s opinion. She starts off with being asked about supplements by patients. Legit question. A lot of patients ask about supplement options for treating healthcare problems. Sadly, modern medicine is NOT TRAINED in supplements. (Hello Rockefeller thanks for taking that education modality off the table 100 years ago). Then she instantly goes into superiority mode “If I had to guess, I spend at least 3-4 hours per week (which feels like 4-5 hours per day) trying to find respectful ways to answer the same question: “Is there an all-natural remedy that I can take for my medical problem?”. Jerk comment.
Then she compares discussing supplements with a comedian sketch by quoting the comedian “There are no traditional equivalents to modern professions. If your home was burning down, would you call the traditional fireman who may tell you that your home is not burning but being cleansed?" I don’t even know how to reply to that.
She goes on to call it “My gripe” (lord have mercy) “is not so much with the idea of supplements and all-natural remedies but with the public’s perception of it. The pandemic has rattled the public’s trust in medicine but even pre-COVID, there were patients requesting ineffective and, at times, dangerous, treatment for ailments that can be treated safely and effectively with medication”. Oh really. People do not trust healthcare much these days you say? Well I WONDER WHY. Have we not recognized the huge faceplant into the mud that healthcare has been the last 2 years?! I WORK in healthcare and can see the disaster it is. Maybe she should touch on WHY people do not trust healthcare! Oh wait, that would require an actual conversation with a patient. Remember, Rockefeller decided that was not necessary. He wanted physicians in labs doing research with minimal face to face patient time. Also remember, physicians are not going to tell you a supplement to take, BECAUSE THE FDA DID NOT APPROVE THEM SO PHYSICIANS WON’T TOUCH THEM. No money in them. Pharma isn’t getting their cut of the pie if you take a supplement.
*caveat: not every problem can be fixed with a supplement or herbal option. I fully recognize that. BUT…..that doesn’t mean a fancy new branded drug from big pharma will fix it either. Remember, a new drug only has to AT MINIMUM work as good as something else does that is already on the market to get FDA approval to go to market. Which means, it has to just help with symptoms, not cure them.
She goes on to rant about people taking supplements that are not FDA approved, and she will go as far as to show them on the bottle that they are not FDA approved. How people will spend money on supplements but not pay the high cost out of pocket for erectile dysfunction medication that insurance will rarely approve, and blames it on insurance not the physician. That’s partially true, but why does insurance not pay for it? Maybe investigate that? Learn the why??
Quoted from her article “But about half of Americans see professional misconduct as at least a moderately big problem, and many are skeptical that doctors are not transparent about conflicts of interest.” MAYBE BECAUSE WE KNOW THIS HAPPENS! Remember the post about big pharma paying physicians to pimp their drugs at speaking functions and getting paid tens of thousands of dollars a year for that? When you are clearly IN BED WITH PHARMA why do you think half of Americans do not trust you?!?!?!?! A patient comes in, wants to discuss alternative treatment, you belittle them, moan and groan (if you state that 3-4 hours per day feels like 4-5 hours per day of having to discuss this) then we already know you have no respect for your patient, their thoughts, beliefs, and YOU DO NO COLLABORATE WITH THEM IN THEIR TREATMENT. Horrid.
Then she goes here: “I do wonder how we have come to a place where patients would rather take an unproven supplement over a prescribed medication. What is it about those little bottles from the health food store that makes people believe they are more effective than the little orange bottles from the pharmacy? Is it time for all-natural remedies to be held accountable for the outcomes?” Miss Urologist, you have missed the mark so far, I cannot even begin to help you here. One bottle is better than the other? Because one required a copay and a visit to you, with a pharma paycheck for filling that RX, and you collect the insurance reimbursement? Why does healthcare hate alternative medicine? Because they do not make money off of it. And, lets visit the proven angle of the FDA med you want them on. Is it really proven? We already know drug trials are dictated by the pharma companies, data is cherry picked, and FDA meds end up coming off the market for safety issues down the line, so what meds ARE proven really? Assumed safe would be a better position here. Proven……not so much.
Her op-ed was poorly written, not linear in its message, and basically trashes patients who want to explore alternative medications versus traditional big pharma meds. THIS IS A DISCUSSION THAT ANY PRESCRIBER SHOULD RESPECTFULLY HAVE WITH A PATIENT IF THEY WANT TO!!!!!! And if you do not know the answer, tell them that! Go research it! Give them resources to a functional medicine provider who does holistic treatments. DO NOT BAD MOUTH YOUR PATIENTS like this urologist did. I am ashamed and embarrassed for her mentality in writing this article. Righteous and superiority complex.
The comments section was sweet beauty though. Four comments. All APRN’s. And every single one of them STOOD UP FOR THE PATIENT and spoke out against what she wrote. ZERO MD’s bothered to reply or defend her stance. Below is a screen shot of the comments to this article.
And the end of the article had a shameless plug for a thousands of dollars per dose of a brand pharma drug. 🤦🏼♀️
