We have found ourselves in an unprecedented age in human history. With the Covid-19 issues, political instability, and constant barrage of negativity, we are caught in an age of information and disinformation. This is deja vu, as a little less than a year ago I wrote an email to you entitled “Do you trust me?” The first two lines stated:
“I know misinformation is scary. Which is why it is more important than ever for our biological dental office to stay on top of the research and the science.”
It is still important for me, as a professional, to make sure I have scientific reasoning. However, now it’s important for you to educate and advocate for yourself. Who do you trust? What do you do? Where do you turn? Bring your skepticism and intuition to the table. As many of my patients know, I am a fierce advocate for a few things in life:
- The Constitution-our freedoms, liberties, and God-given rights
- The innocence and purity of heart found only in children
- The unconditional love of a dog (man’s best friend)
- The health and wellness of those around me
In addition, I desire for my patients to take control of their health, to educate and empower themselves to make the best decisions for themselves.
The last few weeks I have been personally hit with a barrage of emails from various organizations and letters encouraging me to “convince” my patients of certain things, to hammer home certain topics and narratives. One in particular even included a document on what to say and how to say it to convince you effectively, and how to respond when you bring up certain key words or “myths” in opposition to their narrative.
This is concerning to me as a healthcare practitioner. I am concerned about the pressure I receive (now more than ever) to pressure you. I have since left these organizations in the last few months, retracting my memberships completely.
My loyalty lies with you, my patients. My oath as I left the institution that started my dental career was to you, not organizations or influential groups that claim to have your best interests at heart. In reality, many times financial gain outweighs patient care (and sometimes even outweighs the truth).
As a result, I want to help empower you to learn for yourselves.
We all learn in different ways. Some of you love to dig into hard, peer-reviewed research, the kind you have to search hard for that doesn’t come across your TV, social media, or even my desk as a dentist. Why you may ask? Well, you be the judge of that but I bet you inherently know the answer.
Others of you like to learn more visually or conceptually, such as from influencers on social media, videos, books and podcasts. Looking for places to start? Here you go:
Telling Casper not to fall off the counter doesn’t really get the message across…letting him fall off does though (just kidding, I caught him by the wrist!). My point is this: Once you experience, read, listen, or watch for yourself the appreciation and knowledge will run deeper than if I just told you. I really wish more health practitioners would take this approach:
Empowering Knowledge OVER Condescending Recommendations
Intuition OVER Fear
It’s only a matter of time before natural health influencers (like myself) are also silenced. If any of this sparks your curiosity or may help someone you know…please share it.
Comments +