As I’m traveling Asia, I get ill and find myself in need of more help than what a handful of painkillers can offer. So, I end up in a hospital in a foreign land. Two hospitals to be exact, in two different countries; my illness relapses after crossing borders. Westerners always have this idea of healthcare only being decent in their home country. All other hospitals, especially those in exotic places like Asia, are filled with cockroaches and re-used syringes. Whilst it is true that budgets are tighter and not most facilities you encounter are in need of some TLC, overall the reception and care is great. Except for one element, but it’s not even exclusive to developing nations.
I Forgot To Eat Apples
I’m rolled into the first doctor’s office with symptoms of severe headache, fever, nausea and couching. The initial diagnosis lands on meningitis. My spouse and I face each other with a happy frown, knowing it’s probably not meningitis and tell the doctor to delay jamming a big needle into my spine; at least until more common causes are ruled out. My blood is taken and tested for dengue, signs of inflammation and other infections. When the results come in, the large dose of painkillers I took earlier kicks in and I feel a lot better. Clearly we can rule out meningitis. The tests also show negative for dengue or any other sign of viral infections. The cause of my ill-being is still a mystery. They send me off with a handful of antibiotics and immune suppressants to cover all bases.
My spouse knows a thing or two about healthcare, having a masters in ortho-molecular care. And so does her mother, who has a life-long career working in hospitals. Both call out the bullshit advice of the antibiotics and the immune suppressants. What are the doctors even smoking? Destroying my gut microbiome without a valid reason whilst putting the brakes on my entire immune system? DO THEY EVEN WANT TO HEAL PEOPLE?
My second hospital visit runs a similar course. Our concerns land on deaf ears. Despite us suspecting a viral infection, they only test for bacterial growths. Before the test results come in, they send me off with similar antibiotics and immune suppressors as a catch all.
Rebel Rebel
In the end none of the hospital visits or medications alleviated my pains. I take the prescribed medications for about a week without much improvement. Much to her credit, my partner steps in and fetches medicine in accordance to the cause she had suspected from the beginning. It wasn’t easy as you can’t get the anti-viral medications she wanted for me without a doctor’s note. At least not officially. Luckily we are in Asia and just like in Pirates of The Caribbean, rules are more like suggestions.
When one pharmacist reluctantly tells you no, there’s another one around the corner that sells you what you need.
No questions asked. I take the new medications, ditch the “official” ones and show improvements within 24 hours.
You’re On Your Own Kiddo
My partner hates doctors. Not just the four we visited in Asia, all of them. Even the western educated ones. Why?
Cause they’re blind, and deaf. They don’t listen to patients. Are to much in a rush, too convinced of their own opinions or selectively downplay symptoms. And according to her, worst of all, they don’t really know how to heal people. Their main job is to fix symptoms, not the true underlying causes.
And this brings me to my wider point, the death of the expert. What do you do when you can no longer trust the advice of someone who is expected to have a high degree of insight into a specific subject? When doctors no longer look at what you eat or (don’t drink) but rather hand you pills. What do you do when forests are cut down for green wind turbines? What do you do when your savings are handed to failing financial systems that have lost your savings?
Without my partner being a health expert herself, my discomfort had probably carried on for several weeks until my immune system slowly cleared the illness on its own. Bear in mind that I was unable to concentrate, had goo in my eyes, was incapable of reading and my mouth and throat were so infected that eating anything besides soups amounted to mild torture.
A failure of authority figures pushes people to become self reliant. It shows up in trends like homesteading, crypto currencies, doomsday prepping, cottage-core, alternative medicine… A fallback on figuring it out yourself and building the knowledge (or doing the research) oneself.
Tick Tick
But not everyone has the time, energy or finances to invest in a wide array of skills.
And that’s when the shoe drops. I fear most of the people that fail to level up their personal skills, i.e. health, finances, relationships and plenty more; will face severe road bumps in their lives. Their life quality and opportunities will crater, much like people in under developed nations suffer from bad leadership, bad financial institutions, bad healthcare, bad law enforcement, emotional abuse, …
As the chasm slowly grows, … which side will you be on?
What efforts will you put in to make it to the other side?