Comment: This is a well-written article examining some of the issues people with unexplained illnesses face in the medical profession. Aside from the "disbelief" that many doctors give unexplained conditions, this article is an eye opener to other factors such as the economics and workload issues behind tossing these patients to the wayside. Dr. Natelson gives some advice as to how to handle this as he feels it's only going to get worse. He has some interesting insights. I highly recommend reading the full text at the link below.
Lost in a System Where Doctors Don't Want to Listen
By Benjamin H. Natelson
Sunday, August 3, 2008; B03
I'd like to tell you about one of my patients. She's the kind of patient that I enjoy seeing but that many doctors go out of their way to avoid. This means that she's also the kind of patient I worry about most -- a patient who in the near future may be stranded without proper care as fewer and fewer doctors, constrained by time and the economics of our health care system, are willing to perform the fundamental task of diagnosing difficult or unclear medical problems.
