I agree. I was against vaxxines my entire career. But the knowledge I acquired about vaxxines was the result of my own vaxxine injuries that forced me to take a second and deeper look into the issue beyond the narrative that is promoted in academia. To say I was shocked is a gross understatement. Narrative bias is strong and embedded within may different genres of professional level career venues. Getting my own colleagues to listen was more challenging than educating my patients.
Trying to stay off the state medical board radar over the vaxxine issue along with others, like fluoride, was challenging. That is why not many of us could make our voices heard without running the risk of being the victim of wack-a-mole by the state professional boards. I simply handled my stance within my own practice sphere and kept my head down. Thankfully, I had a large cohort of patients that lived off grid or semi off grid. We were on the same page. This lessened the risk of complaints being filed with the board. However, not all of us could do it this way. I had several colleagues that owned practices that were more in public view because of the nature of the therapies they offered - like cancer. Several of them had their licenses suspended and their practices shut down until they were able to run the legal system gauntlet to get their licenses reinstated and their practices reopened - all on their own dime. It was a process that could take several years. The state medical board, that is charged with protecting public health, cared nothing about the patients that were suddenly left to try and find treatment elsewhere. This is not good when you have a life threatening condition like cancer and are in the middle of treatment. When the medical or dental board comes in to shut you down, you are given no warning. They show up and give you about 10 to 15 minutes to clear out your patients and then that's it. Close the practice and wait to hear from them. A vague notice is placed on the doors and patients are left to wonder what the hell.
All this being said, I do not condone not standing up for patient welfare, but I do understand the pressures facing these professionals that do understand there is a choice. Some, believe it or not, are ignorant and go along with the narrative. They see no conflict. But for those that do have the brains to see the harm, the decision to flush a career that took a great investment of time and money is not an easy one. They are often carrying a huge amount of debt for that career and there is no forgiveness for walking away - not to mention the personal impact on their lives and their families. This caused many as you stated, to take the knee. I am not so easy to condemn those stuck between a rock and an even harder rock. Any decision they make is not going to be a good one. They can stand up and do the right thing, destroying their lives in the process, or they can look away thinking they can deal with the psychological trauma that results from the realization of possibly causing harm to patients.
My advice to the public is to support those that have taken the risk and sacrificed their careers for the public good. Many need our help. I was lucky because I was on the verge of retirement anyway when the shit show started so it was much easier for me to simply bow out. I had made the decision years ago that if I was ever forced or heavily coerced to knowingly harm my patients, I would walk away. It was not the first time I have had to make a career change in my life. Yes, it is tough - but possible. I made a change in my late thirties and I was the old timer in my classes compared to the youngsters. For many, medicine is all they have known and not everyone has the courage to leap off the cliff wearing a blindfold. The unknown is often more frightening than the bad you do know.
We as a society are going to have to deal with the challenges left behind in the wake of this disaster. Yes, there needs to be justice. But justice not tempered with mercy is not who we are as a people. Finding the balance between the two for the good of the entire society is what will be required to fix the problems that led up to where we are and the problems we will face in the future. A temporary administration of justice without fixing the underlying problems will only lead to something like this happening again. A pendulum that swings too far the other way is still not balanced. We will have to find a middle ground somehow. We must hold the real culprits to account without throwing everyone under the bus. There are a lot of victims here - even among professionals. It is going to take all of us to remedy what ails us.
I agree. I was against vaxxines my entire career. But the knowledge I acquired about vaxxines was the result of my own vaxxine injuries that forced me to take a second and deeper look into the issue beyond the narrative that is promoted in academia. To say I was shocked is a gross understatement. Narrative bias is strong and embedded within may different genres of professional level career venues. Getting my own colleagues to listen was more challenging than educating my patients.
Trying to stay off the state medical board radar over the vaxxine issue along with others, like fluoride, was challenging. That is why not many of us could make our voices heard without running the risk of being the victim of wack-a-mole by the state professional boards. I simply handled my stance within my own practice sphere and kept my head down. Thankfully, I had a large cohort of patients that lived off grid or semi off grid. We were on the same page. This lessened the risk of complaints being filed with the board. However, not all of us could do it this way. I had several colleagues that owned practices that were more in public view because of the nature of the therapies they offered - like cancer. Several of them had their licenses suspended and their practices shut down until they were able to run the legal system gauntlet to get their licenses reinstated and their practices reopened - all on their own dime. It was a process that could take several years. The state medical board, that is charged with protecting public health, cared nothing about the patients that were suddenly left to try and find treatment elsewhere. This is not good when you have a life threatening condition like cancer and are in the middle of treatment. When the medical or dental board comes in to shut you down, you are given no warning. They show up and give you about 10 to 15 minutes to clear out your patients and then that's it. Close the practice and wait to hear from them. A vague notice is placed on the doors and patients are left to wonder what the hell.
All this being said, I do not condone not standing up for patient welfare, but I do understand the pressures facing these professionals that do understand there is a choice. Some, believe it or not, are ignorant and go along with the narrative. They see no conflict. But for those that do have the brains to see the harm, the decision to flush a career that took a great investment of time and money is not an easy one. They are often carrying a huge amount of debt for that career and there is no forgiveness for walking away - not to mention the personal impact on their lives and their families. This caused many as you stated, to take the knee. I am not so easy to condemn those stuck between a rock and an even harder rock. Any decision they make is not going to be a good one. They can stand up and do the right thing, destroying their lives in the process, or they can look away thinking they can deal with the psychological trauma that results from the realization of possibly causing harm to patients.
My advice to the public is to support those that have taken the risk and sacrificed their careers for the public good. Many need our help. I was lucky because I was on the verge of retirement anyway when the shit show started so it was much easier for me to simply bow out. I had made the decision years ago that if I was ever forced or heavily coerced to knowingly harm my patients, I would walk away. It was not the first time I have had to make a career change in my life. Yes, it is tough - but possible. I made a change in my late thirties and I was the old timer in my classes compared to the youngsters. For many, medicine is all they have known and not everyone has the courage to leap off the cliff wearing a blindfold. The unknown is often more frightening than the bad you do know.
We as a society are going to have to deal with the challenges left behind in the wake of this disaster. Yes, there needs to be justice. But justice not tempered with mercy is not who we are as a people. Finding the balance between the two for the good of the entire society is what will be required to fix the problems that led up to where we are and the problems we will face in the future. A temporary administration of justice without fixing the underlying problems will only lead to something like this happening again. A pendulum that swings too far the other way is still not balanced. We will have to find a middle ground somehow. We must hold the real culprits to account without throwing everyone under the bus. There are a lot of victims here - even among professionals. It is going to take all of us to remedy what ails us.