Jerry Groopman, a doctor who also writes for The New Yorker, has written a great book on how and why doctors misdiagnose 15% of illnesses, and he finds it’s because of the way they are trained. The name of the book is How Doctors Think, and it explains how certain decision trees lead doctors down certain paths, eliminating potential causes of illness that may actually be the real causes.
Apparently, the book has enough case studies to convince the average reader to talk MORE to the doctor, and help the doctor disregard the “obvious,” even during the very short office visits we all endure today.
I’ll be ordering it and reading it this summer. I already know that alternative practitioners are more inclined to listen to me than allopathic physicians; I’ve noticed this in my naturopath.