One Question

One Question


Medical Gaslighting with Michelle Cox

September 07, 2021

If there was one thing you think society should talk more about, what would it be?


“We all need to take responsibility for our own health and wellbeing”


 


I think one of the worst things when you are ill and no-one can find out what is wrong with you for weeks or months would be the sheer sense of frustration of not getting any answers. It plays on your mind and starts to affect your daily life. And if you’re in pain, it’s far worse.


 


Gaslighting is a term that’s commonly used in toxic relationships, where a person manipulates their partner into doubting their own perception of reality by saying things like ‘You're being unreasonable’, ‘You're crazy’, ‘ That never happened’.


 


Medical gaslighting is a thing and more literature is now coming out about this horrible situation that many people, unfortunately, find themselves in. Healthcare providers are human and they can have unconscious biases that cause patients to be mistreated. Research tells us that women are more likely to be told that their pain is ‘psychosomatic’ or influenced by emotional distress. In some studies, it was found that women waited sixteen minutes longer than men to receive pain medication when they visited an emergency room.


 


Women have rarely been studied in detail by medical science and were not even included in clinical trials until the 1990’s. There’s a lot to unpack here...have a listen for more!


 


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This is a short episode where I’m challenging you to think a little differently about your body and how you treat it. It’s not about badmouthing general practitioners and ridiculing the medical fraternity. It’s a centuries-old notion that doctors are healers and near to gods, but they are mere mortals and their expertise is limited. My crusade is to help you realise that you need to create a working relationship with your medical professionals; surround yourself with a ‘team’ that ensures your body runs as efficiently as it possibly can.


If you’d like to read the book “Doctors are not gods” in full or you think it would be good for someone you know, you can find it at all online book stores or purchase it here at the Wabisabiseries shop.


 


 


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If you have a burning topic you’d love society to talk more about, or know someone who’d be great to come on our podcast, drop us a line at hello@wabisabiseries.com