18.
“I worked as a healthcare productivity analyst. Academic medicine has removed the incentive for physicians and caregivers to interact with patients. While at the University of Texas Medical Branch, we conducted a research project on the border between Texas and Mexico. We were looking for evidence that patient care improved through interaction with physicians. To do this, we divided patients into two groups. One group was seen as usual. The other was by a physician called a curandero. The curandero is known for personal interaction and touch with patients as opposed to ‘routine’ care by other physicians. The finding indicated that a patient who was seen by a curandero was in physical contact with the physician throughout the visit. The doctor greeted them with a hug or handshake and often touched their arm or held their hand throughout the exam.”
“At the end, instead of writing a prescription, they GAVE the patient a pill, by taking it out of a bottle, putting it in the patient’s mouth, and giving them water. This pill was a placebo with no healing effects. In 95% of comparisons, among patients given a prescription for REAL medication to be filled at another location and taken at home, those given the placebo by the curandero reported feeling better within 24 hours. The patients, using a pharmacy, took several days to report any relief from symptoms.”
—Anonymous, 80, Tennessee