1 Allison Jones 310268141 Allison Jones Patient Advocates in the Internet Age: a threat to traditional notions of authority in health care? Abstract The Internet, with its many modes of publication, has facilitated the growth of high profile patient advocates by giving them a powerful platform from which to be heard. Their success in garnering a sizable audience of chronic health sufferers is playing a central role in challenging traditional notions of authority in the health care field. This paper will specifically look at the example of thyroid disease to demonstrate how the more prominent patient advocates make use of these publication methods and how this has cemented their position as a new form of authority in the health care arena. Research including a review of relevant academic research and study of advocates’ blogs, websites and message boards has provided the insights and evidence for this paper. By looking at the cultural and technological context which has given rise to this development, this paper seeks to demonstrate that the patient advocate is a new form of authority, challenging traditional notions of authority in health care by harnessing publication methods on the Internet to speak to and actively engage with an audience. Medical authority will be defined for this purpose using a philosophical and sociological framework. This paper contributes to the body of related existing academic literature which has examined the impact of the Internet on traditional models of health care. By specifically focusing on the examples of patient advocates in the area of thyroid disease, this paper will demonstrate that traditional notions of authority in health care are being challenged. Keywords: Internet, authority, patient advocate, health care, medical, thyroid, doctor.
The Internet, with its many modes of publication, has facilitated the growth of high profile patient advocates by giving them a powerful platform from which to be heard. Their success in garnering a sizable audience of chronic health sufferers is playing a central role in challenging traditional notions of authority in the health care field.
This paper will specifically look at the example of thyroid disease to demonstrate how the more prominent patient advocates make use of these publication methods and how this has cemented their position as a new form of authority in the health care arena. Research including a review of relevant academic research and study of advocates’ blogs, websites and message boards has provided the insights and evidence for this paper.
By looking at the cultural and technological context which has given rise to this development, this paper seeks to demonstrate that the patient advocate is a new form of authority, challenging traditional notions of authority in health care by harnessing publication methods on the Internet to speak to and actively engage with an audience. Medical authority will be defined for this purpose using a philosophical and sociological framework.
This paper contributes to the body of related existing academic literature which has examined the impact of the Internet on traditional models of health care. By specifically focusing on the examples of patient advocates in the area of thyroid disease, this paper will demonstrate that traditional notions of authority in health care are being challenged. Keywords: Internet, authority, patient advocate, health care, medical, thyroid, doctor.
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1 Allison Jones 310268141
Allison Jones
Patient Advocates in the Internet Age:
a threat to traditional notions of authority in health care?
Abstract
The Internet, with its many modes of publication, has facilitated the growth of high profile patient
advocates by giving them a powerful platform from which to be heard. Their success in garnering a sizable
audience of chronic health sufferers is playing a central role in challenging traditional notions of authority
in the health care field.
This paper will specifically look at the example of thyroid disease to demonstrate how the more prominent
patient advocates make use of these publication methods and how this has cemented their position as a
new form of authority in the health care arena. Research including a review of relevant academic research
and study of advocates’ blogs, websites and message boards has provided the insights and evidence for
this paper.
By looking at the cultural and technological context which has given rise to this development, this paper
seeks to demonstrate that the patient advocate is a new form of authority, challenging traditional notions
of authority in health care by harnessing publication methods on the Internet to speak to and actively
engage with an audience. Medical authority will be defined for this purpose using a philosophical and
sociological framework.
This paper contributes to the body of related existing academic literature which has examined the impact
of the Internet on traditional models of health care. By specifically focusing on the examples of patient
advocates in the area of thyroid disease, this paper will demonstrate that traditional notions of authority in
health care are being challenged.
Keywords: Internet, authority, patient advocate, health care, medical, thyroid, doctor.
10 reasons many thyroid patients are still frustrated, angry, and sick
It’s a continuing travesty, and you see it in patient groups.
i.e. many patients still find themselves sick and disabled, stumbling miserably from one uninfor-med doctor to another…in spite of the wonders of natural desiccated thyroid, the testimony of changed lives, the education of patients thanks to the STTM website & book, and a small but growing body of wise doctors who seem to be “getting it”,
So what’s the problem?? It lays with our doctors and the entire medical profession.
1. Heavy-handed control over your medication: You go to pick up your prescription, and find your medication has been lowered by your doctor without your agreement or know-ledge, as happened to Terry here (scroll down to find her post).
2. Ignorance about adrenal fatigue and treatment: You clearly have an adrenal problem, and one doctor dismisses its existence, another doctor poo-poos the saliva test, another doctor tells you cortisol supplementation is dangerous, another doctor thrusts all his herbal supplements at you, another doctor thinks that 5 or 10 mg cortisol is enough…and on and on and on.
3. Dismissing the Ferritin test: You want to know what your ferritin is, but the doctor’s nurse underscores that they’ve already checked your iron levels, so there’s no need for more testing.
4. Dismissing you: You are wise thanks to reading, researching and living in your own body, yet your doctor calls you a problematic patient on your charts, dismisses you, or gets angry.
5. RT3 huh? You have strong suspicions that your Reverse T3 is too high thanks to adrenal fatigue, low ferritin, undiagnosed gluten issues, or other reasons, yet this doctor refuses to test you, that doctor says an RT3 excess is rare.
6. Look at me! Look at me! You make an appointment with that great doc who has a fabu-lous website/book and who shouts that he uses desiccated thyroid with a big smile…yet any or all of the above and below occurs with him/her or his “trained” associates.
7. Continued worship of the TSH lab test: Too many doctors still think the TSH lab test is from God Almighty. So when you finally start to feel well on desiccated thyroid with a TSH at zero or below…WHAM…you must lower your meds because you are somehow “hyper” in spite of no symptoms to match.
8. Pharmaceutical addicts: You mention your lingering hypothyroid symptoms, and you are bandaided with anti-depressants, anti-anxietal meds, statins, BP pills, pain tablets, acid reflux pills, calcium for your thinning bones…instead of understand that these are ALL side effects of poor treatment or undiscovered issues.
9. The country you live in: The desperation of UK thyroid patients is deep thanks to a thy-roid association and a College of Physicians which tightens the screws if a doctor dares to prescribe a life changing medication with T3 in it. Or just as frustrating, having a government which forbids desiccated thyroid to arrive to you in the mail.
10. Reformulations and Big Pharma apathy: Forest Labs turned one of the most popular and effective desiccated thyroid brand, Armour, into a pill with too much cellulose and too little sucrose , causing a massive return of symptoms in many, sooner or later. RLC also reformulated their Naturethroid, and though some patients still do well on it, others do miserably, and we are left wondering WHAT to take. (Thank God for Erfa’s Canadian “Thyroid”, but will we be able to continue with this fabulous desiccated thyroid product?)
And there are more reasons you might want to bring up in the Comments part of this post.
So you see, it’s no wonder so MANY patients feel forced to self-treat, yet they are also condem-ned for doing so. I refuse to condemn them for exactly the reasons above. Petty. All I ask is that we all try to find a good doc, but it may be quite hard when you consider all the above.
All-in-all, we still have a way to go, baby, and especially with the doctors we try so hard to get help from…but can’t.