Pineapple Express: Someone Is Wrong on the Internet?

[Mannahnin]

I'm presuming you mean "optometrists" here, by "eye doctors," and not "ophthalmologists." (Though the latter could fall under your "crappy MDs" thing.)

Exactly. An eye doctor we see for routine eye appoints and who writes our corrective lens prescriptions (at least in the US) is normally an OD (Doctor of Optometry, 4 year graduate program after 3-4 undergrad), as opposed to ophthalmologists being MDs specializing in eye care (~12 years or so incl. medical school, internship and residency).

 

[Artamo]

From observation, a lot of those turn out to be doctors of chiropracty. Sometimes dentists, eye doctors, or other medical-related fields misrepresenting the nature of their expertise. Of course there are some crappy MDs out there too.

I always remember reading about Linus Pauling and his idea that you could megadose Vitamin C for better health or worse, his “ideas” on sickle-cell anemia (I will not repeat those here.) Anyone can fall into the trap of thinking their knowledge in one area grants them greater expertise or validity in other areas.

 

[prabe]

Exactly. An eye doctor we see for routine eye appoints and who writes our corrective lens prescriptions (at least in the US) is normally an OD (Doctor of Optometry, 4 year graduate program after 3-4 undergrad), as opposed to ophthalmologists being MDs specializing in eye care (~12 years or so incl. medical school, internship and residency).

My mom was an RN, and when I needed glasses in first grade, she took me to an ophthalmologist. That's probably at least part of how I am able to spell it. These days I see two (one to keep track of my retina, one to keep track of my more-general eye health).

 

[trappedslider]

 

[Willie the Duck]

From observation, a lot of those turn out to be doctors of chiropracty. Sometimes dentists, eye doctors, or other medical-related fields misrepresenting the nature of their expertise. Of course there are some crappy MDs out there too.

hehe, a chance to put on my public health cap.

It is also important to remember that a physician is (predominantly) trained to address an individual patient, mostly pertaining to the specific ailments or concerns of a patient presented to them at the time of their visit. If they happen to have expertise in wider concerns -- like preventing those situations arising in the first place, preventing society-wide outbreaks of those conditions, access to health care, health care financing, running a healthcare organization, or public policy related to healthcare -- those are all bonus competencies that are not assumed in the basic quality of being 'a doctor.' Your favorite doctor may well be very good at what they do, but what they do is not all of healthcare.

 

[CleverNickName]

That was some dude in iron armor who ran through, shot me, and then kept going, straight as an arrow across the parking lot...

(Insert Damage on a Miss joke here)

 

[prabe]

Unrelated to the above: Considering how much I disliked your last project in this vein, no, I will not be purchasing your new project that's being hyped.

 

[billd91]

I think the obtuseness is getting to me.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I always remember reading about Linus Pauling and his idea that you could megadose Vitamin C for better health or worse, his “ideas” on sickle-cell anemia (I will not repeat those here.) Anyone can fall into the trap of thinking their knowledge in one area grants them greater expertise or validity in other areas.

A lot of the MDs who were pumping out COVID disinformation were not immunologists, virologists or epidemiologists.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

hehe, a chance to put on my public health cap.

It is also important to remember that a physician is (predominantly) trained to address an individual patient, mostly pertaining to the specific ailments or concerns of a patient presented to them at the time of their visit. If they happen to have expertise in wider concerns -- like preventing those situations arising in the first place, preventing society-wide outbreaks of those conditions, access to health care, health care financing, running a healthcare organization, or public policy related to healthcare -- those are all bonus competencies that are not assumed in the basic quality of being 'a doctor.' Your favorite doctor may well be very good at what they do, but what they do is not all of healthcare.

My dad also has an MPH, so not only did I get a nice informal medical education, I got a lot of stuff on public health measures as well.

One of his MAJOR mantras- after prevention is cheaper than cures- is that public health policies have saved more lives than medicine ever will. Pharma researchers and MDs may develop a vaccine, but public health officials are the ones who set the policies regarding who gets them and when- especially if they’re deemed crucial enough to mandate inoculations for subgroups or even huge swaths of a population.