Medical Science has carried us extremely far over the course of our existence. A trusting physician-
patient relationship is ever so vitally important. Patients choose their doctors for comfort but also
with the understanding of placing an investment within themselves for their care. Science however
it is not enough to always pay the bills. In this world, we rely on those professionals to create that
bond that must exist. That very science however has some implications which are the uneducated
consumers that exist in every industry. Not having any understanding of putting medications in
your body or what types of procedures you are undergoing regardless of medical problem is risky
business. Being blind to those factors put you in risk while even being without medical care.
In today’s COVID-19 world, this has become an ever-pressing issue. This discussion or in some
cases, an argument has come full circle, even winding up to the Supreme Court. Up until this issue,
we have never had such a pressing, media covered topic, which has created a large stir. While I
support vaccination, I do not support government interference in the lives of every day citizens.
Without becoming too political, during this pandemic, the phrase "follow the science" has been a
staple. Meanwhile, in the world of politics, it has been more difficult than ever to know who to
trust hence the hesitation.
Patients often place a great deal of faith and trust in both their physicians and the health care
system to appropriately diagnose and treat their ailments and suggest interventions to screen for
and prevent future disease. Unfortunately, this faith creates a patient population that is vulnerable
to over testing and over treating. Some of this is driven by a health care system that is plagued by
financial greed, and some of this is driven by patients wanting the latest and greatest medical
treatments and technology, especially in the U.S. (Frances, 2013). As a result, patients are subject
to unnecessary testing, unproven methods of treatment, and unethical practices (College Affairs,
2019).
The provision of medical care that is not needed wastes valuable medical resources and
contributes to the skyrocketing costs of medical care (Frances, 2013). Physicians often place orders
for tests that follow established care sets instead of determining what is best for the patient
(Frances, 2013). Meanwhile, the patient blindly follows the physician’s guidance because they do
not understand that more is not always better. One of the most vulnerable populations to blind
faith in medical science is cancer patients who are often asked to participate in experimental
treatment protocols without fully understanding the risks (Kvittigen, 2015). A study performed in
Norway revealed that most cancer patients receiving an experimental medication received
insufficient information from the treating doctor regarding risks and potential complications from
the treatment (Kvittigen, 2015).
Another consequence of too much faith in medical science is a lack of physician and treatment
vetting by patients. We have more information at our fingertips than any other time in history, but
patients are not taking the time to fully research their caregivers or treatment regimens. An article
by Chen (2008) published in The New York Times revealed that most patients do not research
their physician’s training, certifications, and experience; in addition, surgical patients often spend
less than an hour researching their surgeon prior to an operation and spend more time
researching a new car or new job (Chen, 2008). This reveals a lot about where we are as a society
regarding the use of information technology and our priorities. Unfortunately, the U.S. population
is not feeling healthier; in fact, most of the population feels more anxious about their health and
the state of the health care system then at any other time in history (Attena, 2019). I think that
the take home message is this: Do your due diligence when it comes to your health; there are no
excuses for not thoroughly researching your care providers and the treatments they recommend,
and we must take ownership of our health.
When it comes to having too much faith in medical science, I think the issue lies in the expectation
that there will be a treatment or pill for everything. For example, some people may think they do
not have to work out to lose weight because they can take a drug, drink a smoothie, or get
surgery to solve the problem. However, people do not realize the extent of the risks that come
along with medical treatments nor do they fully understand the side effects of poor life choices.
Although there are promises of cancer drugs, that does not mean that activities such as smoking
are then “safe” because there may eventually be a treatment for lung cancer.
Being an active participant in your own health requires a lot of effort and can be difficult because
of the amount of information that exists. For just as many stories, you hear about physicians not
ordering routine tests or missing diagnoses, you also head stories from friends or relatives stating
that they were told they have x condition, and it means y and z for them, but they can barely
remember the medical term the doctor used or tell you anything that they have found via their
own research. Some people have too much trust in their doctors and do not have any sense of
skepticism. Because they talked to a doctor, they think that they must be right or they must be
good, especially if they have a good bedside manner; research has shown that these doctors get
better reviews compared to doctors who may be more skilled but have poorer bedside manner
(Chen, 2008).
Working as a physical therapist I cannot count the number of individuals who have come to their
initial evaluation stating that they do not know why they are here because they are just going to
need surgery anyways or that a surgeon has told them something along the lines of “whether you
see me now or in 15 years, I’m going to see you on my operating table”. Most patients I see do
want to take their health into their own hands which is why they attend therapy to manage their
pain or conditions conservatively. However, there are many patients who fail to ask their
physicians or specialists for more information on their conditions, their treatment options, how
often they see or treat said condition, the techniques or procedures commonly used for treatment
and the associated success rates (NIH NIA, 2020). This is especially problematic as the number of
conditions and treatment options seem to be growing and medical care is not one size fits all.
Patients must weigh their personal preferences and medical history to decide what is best for
them.
Too much faith in something can results in blind faith making someone an easy target to be taken
advantage of, having too much faith in medical science is no different. In the article “Cancer
Patients Have Too Much Faith in Trial Drugs” by Ida Kvittingen she discusses how some of the
sickest cancer patients have unrealistic expectations of being cured and underestimate the risk of
medical drug trials due to their faith in medical science. This is alarming because preliminary
clinical test of medicines rarely gives immediate benefits to participating patients and yet patients
still have enough faith to disregard the negative side effects caused by the trials in hopes that they
will be cured. Too much faith in medical science gives providers, medical facilities, scientist, and
any other title respected in the medical science field the opportunity to take advantage of patients
which could lead to financial repercussions for the patients. When having faith in medical science
it is important that a person does not have blind faith but faith that is backed up with research
and skepticism to an understandable extent.
Kvittingen, I. (2015, August 29). Cancer Patients Have Too Much Faith in Trial Drugs. Science
Nordic. Retrieved from https://sciencenordic.com/cancer-forskningno-medicine/cancer-patients-
have-too-much-faith-in-trial-drugs/1421643
Chen, P. W. (2008, December 18). Do patients trust doctors too much? The New York Times.
Retrieved January 17, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/19/health/18chen.html
NIH NIA. (2020, February 3). What should I ask my doctor during a checkup? National Institute on
Aging. Retrieved January 17, 2022, from https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-should-i-ask-my-
doctor-during-checkup
Attena, F. (2019). Too much medicine? Scientific and ethical issues from a comparison between
two conflicting paradigms. BMC Public Health. 19(97). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6442-9
Chen, P.W. (2008). Do Patients Trust Doctors Too Much?. The New York Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/19/health/18chen.html
College Affairs. (2019). People are Placing Too Much Faith in Medical Science. Do You Agree?
https://collegeaffairsblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/25/people-are-placing-too-much-faith-in-
medical-science-do-you-agree/
Frances, A.J. (2013). Too Much Medicine is Bad for Our Health. Psychology Today.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/saving-normal/201309/too-much-medicine-is-bad-our-
health
Kvittigen, I. (2015). Cancer Patients Have Too Much Faith in Trial Drugs. ScienceNordic.
https://sciencenordic.com/cancer-forskningno-medicine/cancer-patients-have-too-much-faith-in-
trial-drugs/1421643
Onion, Rebecca. “The COVID Anti-Vax Movement Has History on Its Side.” Slate Magazine, Slate,
18 Nov. 2021, https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/11/medical-freedom-covid-anti-vax.html.
