Sanjay Gupta's Honest Words - Atrial Fibrillati...

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Sanjay Gupta's Honest Words

jeanjeannie50 profile image
42 Replies

Sanjay Gupta has posted the following statement on Facebook this morning:

Having spent almost 28 years in Medicine, I have come to the following conclusions:

I believe that the healthcare industry rarely ever provides healthcare. Instead it provides disease management by using expensive and potentially harmful pills to mask symptoms.

Secondly I believe people come to see doctors to be engaged, educated and empowered rather than being given a set of pills before being shown the door.

I think lifestyle management is perhaps the single most effective therapy in medicine and yet largely ignored because it is boring and not as profitable as promoting the newest and often most expensive tablets.

I do believe that high quality reliable jargon-free information about health should be available at no cost to everyone in the world. Unfortunately many people rely on google to answer their questions and are often left confused and anxious because of the unreliability and variability of the quality of information

I think the media, the pharmaceutical industry and often the healthcare industry profit by promoting fear rather than providing reassurance and empathy.

I want to do things differently. I want to use the power of the internet to provide everyone with a high quality reliable and evidence based resource for medical information. I want to impart knowledge in an empathic and reassuring manner.

I want to empower patients to take control of their health by addressing their lifestyles and preventing disease from happening in the first instance.

Most of all, I want people to stop being fearful and anxious about their health by getting them to focus on improving their quality of lives and living fearlessly.

Sanjay Gupta

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jeanjeannie50 profile image
jeanjeannie50
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42 Replies
BobD profile image
BobDVolunteer

Amen to that.

Finvola profile image
Finvola

Wow - Dr Gupta has certainly lived up to his ideals as expressed in the third last paragraph, as far as I am concerned.

Nowhere does he criticise us, the patients but often, people actually want the reassurance of a prescription and will be quite put out by reassuring words and explanations.

Great philosophy.

Maggimunro profile image
Maggimunro in reply to Finvola

Very true Finvola.

I was a practicing physio for nigh on 25 years and often patients felt “cheated” if I didn’t manipulate, massage or attatch them to a machine. “But all I got was advice and exercises” was frequently voiced. It felt sometimes as though they absolved themselves of any responsibility for their own health. It was up to the NHS to cure them, with minimal input on their part.

We have a national sick service not a national health service

Fastbeat profile image
Fastbeat

Wow ,well said and what most of us think.

mrsg46 profile image
mrsg46

How lovely to hear such enlightened thoughts from a doctor, if only it were part of the ethos of our healthcare system.

seasider18 profile image
seasider18 in reply to mrsg46

I think that many doctors and nurses believe that but ruling bodies and management have a different agenda.

Trish5 profile image
Trish5

Thank you Jean. He really is incredible, this guy. Wish I could find a doctor like that, most of the doctors I've seen would go under the definition of his second paragraph.

Trish x

Ktomoph_ profile image
Ktomoph_ in reply to Trish5

ditto!

gemsmum profile image
gemsmum

Thank you again for posting, I am not on Facebook so dont see any of this. Wish he was my Doctor as I am sure many of us do, regards Heather

stevie11 profile image
stevie11

Love it great stuff Jean i am an Aussie and it seems its the same the world over...

patton profile image
patton

Agree totally.....his videos are brilliant....well said Sanjay!

CaroleF profile image
CaroleF

I follow Dr Gupta on FB too and was going to post his message here - until I saw this. What he says makes a great deal of sense but I wonder whether a significant part of the problem is the lack of time that GPs, and consultants too, can afford to devote to an individual patient - in the UK NHS. I guess it's a lot quicker to say, "Here's a prescription" than to discuss lifestyle in depth and I suspect that's what many patients are looking for too - a quick fix. Re-education needed all round, I think.

At my last appointment with a cardiologist the final question I asked was, "What can I do to help myself?" The brief answer given was, "Cut down on alcohol." He hadn't asked anything at all about my lifestyle so wouldn't have known whether I am a heavy drinker or teetotal. That was it; nothing about diet or exercise, nor even a handout with information about helpful websites.

seasider18 profile image
seasider18 in reply to CaroleF

How different from the very old pipe smoking in in surgery Scottish doctor I had in the 1960's who prescribed moderation in all things and an excess of alcohol.

CaroleF profile image
CaroleF in reply to seasider18

Yes. I had a wonderful, caring GP in the 1970s who chain-smoked his way through consultations. Sadly, he died young.

I'm a firm believer in 'moderation in all things' too; not so much in 'an excess of alcohol' ;-)

seasider18 profile image
seasider18 in reply to CaroleF

We can hazard a guess as to why he died young. Gone are the days when doctors used to be featured in cigarette adverts.

However my smoking, drinking one lived into his 90's and had not been long retired. He only gave up his practice when his wife who was his driver died. I was never sure if he didn't drive or thought that his blood alcohol might be a tad high. .

Primetime165 profile image
Primetime165 in reply to CaroleF

I agree with you that a large part of the problem relates to time constraints. however, I would not expect a GP to be an expert in AF. He/she may have a certain speciality they are interested in and its up to the patient to ask which doctor in the practice(assuming there are several as in many practices these days).

A cardiologist is a different matter. If they do not have time to speak at length then why not some written information/ websites etc-. or better still a consultation with a cardiac nurse practitioner . In my experience their help and information is of great value.

Finally, as patients we need to ask questions. Not everyone wants to know or is capable of understanding in which case being bombarded with information can be very scary.

aika profile image
aika

A REMARKABLE GENTLEMAN HE IS THAT COMMANDS UTMOST RESPECT.

irene75359 profile image
irene75359

Brave man. Thank you jeanjeannie50

doodle68 profile image
doodle68

I agree with so much of that which Doctor Gupta says unfortunatly he is just one small voice in a loud world.

Ktomoph_ profile image
Ktomoph_ in reply to doodle68

Hi doodle.....with respect....I think that it is FORTUNATE that this one small voice IS speaking up in our loud world....and doing so from experience of whats going on....

seasider18 profile image
seasider18 in reply to Ktomoph_

BBC should give him a slot in Trust me I'm a doctor.

Ktomoph_ profile image
Ktomoph_ in reply to seasider18

oh absolutely!!! I would hazard a guess that he prob has been approached, but prefers to care for his patients....would love to have him as my GP..

Janco profile image
Janco

Amen!

souljacs4 profile image
souljacs4

Wonderful man forward thinking and not afraid to speak his mind.

cassie46 profile image
cassie46

I was watching one of his videos last night on Pace and ablate, something I have to consider. I got more info and answers on there than anywhere else that I have researched and explained in simple terms too. Keep up the good work.

Right on Sanjay! Medical training focusses on a definition of health as 'ensuring an absence of symptoms' rather than 'creating a sense of wellbeing'. This is at the root of the problem and feeds the greed of big pharma.

For somebody who has been through this training to understand that is pretty remarkable and a great credit to the man.

Ktomoph_ profile image
Ktomoph_

brilliant!! thankyou Jean so much....I would not have seen this if you had not posted it....such a fan of Sanjay!

jeanjeannie50 profile image
jeanjeannie50 in reply to Ktomoph_

Me too. I truly believe he really cares and wants to help people.

CDreamer profile image
CDreamer

Couldn’t agree more! Good for him to be so out about it.

We need more people like Dr Gupta.

One of the GPs in our surgery is leaving for private practice after training in functional medicine - because evidently it is ‘incompatible’ with working in a GP surgery financed by NHS.

I find the state of our medical care in a very sorry state and worsening.

Barb1 profile image
Barb1

Very well said

BobD profile image
BobDVolunteer

Years ago I had a lovely old GP and I went to see him with a problem (cant even remember what it was ) and after listening he gave me a prescription but also said "now then what is going on in your life?" He then spent a few minutes probing before we noted the " the problem" and he gave some advice and I left. Not many like that. Sadly he had a massive heart attack aged 57 and had to retire early. Didn't affect his love of fast cars as his wife was the top person on Hodgkins Disease in UK at the time. Lovely caring couple! Luckily his replacement was just as caring so there are plenty out there.

seasider18 profile image
seasider18 in reply to BobD

Most nowadays are afraid to ask such a question.

secondtry profile image
secondtry

Lifestyle Management, Lifestyle Management......, all please keep repeating when you get up every morning in the bathroom. Thanks Jean.

GrannyE profile image
GrannyE

Thank you for that. You are quite right. It seems to me that you are going down the Functional Medicine route where they look at the whole person. I have AFib and have just had an ablation. Since May have stopped having sugar and gluten and I do as much exercise as I can without bringing on the breathlessness/tachycardia etc. Have also been taking supplements including magnesium. Is there anything that you would recommend we try to do to help ourselves to stay as well as we can?

wbabbott profile image
wbabbott

Very good advice - now lets follow what the good doctor has to say. Warren

Refreshing approach......thanks Jean, and thanks to Dr Gupta and Steve112 for posting the videos.....

Alemo27 profile image
Alemo27

I am sure that most of the Doctors are thinking in the same way, as dr. Gupta .But they can't act this way!!

Requirements to follow the Governments' rules and regulations are prevail.

Therefore, as long as the HEALTH CARD number registered, the dr.get paid.

1. More patients to see- more money to get .Time management for patients is not exist.

2. Referrals money for the medication prescriptions. More-is merrier.Not bother to evaluate the needs for it later.

As a result, the patients need to educate themselves and come to a doctor with as many questions, as related to individual health problem.

There is a saying -if the patient more intelligent, to communicate with doctors is harder. If it is fact , change the doctor.

The health coverage system will never change.

NOT ENOUGH SOURSES!!

bennie06 profile image
bennie06

Roll on the day when AI will be assisted by robotics and the requirement for human contact made redundant. Beware of synthetics who blink twice rapidly. (Only Joking).

Cortis profile image
Cortis

Thank You! That is the best piece of writing I have read since being diagnosed with PAF some 6 months ago.

jeanjeannie50 profile image
jeanjeannie50 in reply to Cortis

Sanjay Gupta is the most amazing cardiologist and I envy anyone who has him as theirs. The words are so true and exactly how a lot of us feel.

PleasantPink profile image
PleasantPink

Love this & absolutely TRUE !

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