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Medicine and religion have much in common - - so much in fact that some misguided people confuse them or substitute one for the other.  In medicine the patient looks up to the doctor.  In both medicine and religion faith, trust and obedience are important elements of the relationships.  I would not be surprised to learn that some people have more faith in the doctor than in the deity.

Medicine, because of the factors listed above, has great potential for good.  It also presents opportunity for unscrupuous practitioners to do much harm.  Modern technology presents the opportunity to increase the effect of both the good and the harm.  For that reason alone we must all be vigilant.  We must stay in control of our health care programs or make sure people that are fully trustworthy are acting in our stead.  To do otherwise is to possibly invite disaster.

Finding a great doctor, nurse or medical practitioner is a wonderful experience.  Being able to fully trust someone is therapy in itself.  For example, for the child, the "mental" healing begins when mommy asks, "where does it hurt?".  The trust that most children put in mom is vital to hope and quick recovery.  Being able to trust the doctor, the nurse, the medical practitioner is so very vital.  Even if the illness is considered "terminal" the knowledge that someone trustwrothy is doing all he or she can makes a whole world of difference.

Most medical professionals invest dearly in their profession.  The time and financial commitments alone are tremendous, not to mention the often sacrifice of personal wants in deference to the profession.  The rigor of the study and often torturous schedule of the subsequent training can take their toll.  So, medical professionals should be respected, highly respected.  Historically, respect has attended the profession.  Occasional "bad apples" notwithstanding, the profession has enjoyed centuries of honor with the level of regard sometimes approaching reverence.  The 21st Century has revealed some disturbing trends in the medical profession and those, among other issues, will be addressed here.

The articles will touch on topics such as untrustworthiness, lack of respect for life, outright killing of patients, profiteering, drug-pushing, improper experimentation, improper diagnostic procedures, demand vs. capacity, the "Melting Pot Effect", and many other troublesome 21st Century medical-related issues.

If you are just passing through and do not plan to return for the "meat" of the discussion, please note the following suggestions:

1.  Make finding trustworthy medical help a top priority.

2.  Find the trustworthy medical help early - - do not wait until you become ill - - have a "Medical Team Plan" drawn up and filed away (hopefully you will never need to deploy the entire plan but if you do it will be there).

3.  Verify the trustworthinesss of your Medical Team (the team you have listed in your "Medical Team Plan") with medical professionals that you know and FULLY trust.

4.  Keep tabs on the "mortality rates" of the members of your Medical Team - - find out how many of their patients live and how many of them die - - find out ages, length of treatment, average amount of time in hospital, average amount of time in intensive care unit (this is very very important), conditions under which they died, age ranges, races, economic "class", etc.

5.  Research characteristics of medical tests and procedures throughly before taking them.  Make sure you understand EXACTLY what is to be done - - do not rely on the name of the test (for example, an "Echocardiogram" is more than merely listening to the sound of your heart, it is really an ultrasound procedure and it can (at least for some people) result in tiredness (immediately following the test) and researchers could probably point out other possible undesireable effects.