Hello, I am new here, but I have been reading this place for the past few months. I couldn't find the proper forum to put this in, so I hope it's the right one!

Okay, that was my introduction. Now for my problem.

Hello, I am a 3rd year student at a Canadian university (in Ontario). I am 20 years old. I am currently studying human biology. But as I inch closer to the end of my undergraduate years, I am increasingly become more and more anxious about my future. I am in my pre-quarter-life crisis stage, with the full crisis just around the corner of my diploma.

I wanted to go to med school for quite a long time, but it was mainly due to my parents coaxing (i.e. brainwashing) me into the idea of it. "Sure" I thought, "I can pull it off." But the past few years, I've grown up a little, you can say. I've realized some things, and have become more aware. I'm starting to feel like this is something that I can't deal with. Why?

The not so obvious reasons-

1. I go to what is considered to be one of the toughest academic institutions in Canada (I got in by mistake, honestly! At least that's what I keep telling myself...). And people slave away to try and get good marks. My GPA is nowhere near med school calibre. There are quite a few reasons behind that, mainly because I work part time and I usually pick subjects I end up hating (not the content, mostly the profs, work load and grading scheme), but I don't have the luxury to drop courses at will because I do not have enough money.

2. The other stresses around med school... Reference letters, MCAT tests, lab experience, etc... I am behind on all of that because of reason no. 1 above. When your life revolves around doing bunch of unpleasant (but not horrible, or annoying, just not great either) things, enjoying life becomes a rarity.

- An interjection -

I do NOT want to be seen as some sort of whiny college student, as that is not what I am. I enjoy learning and becoming a more enlightened person. But when a lot of pressure is put on me to work towards something I am not, A) in an advantageous position to be accepted to, and B) wary, even frightened of it, I might be a session away from a free Xanax refill (I'm kidding, I am really ANTI pills! You will see more below).

So that is the summary of the stressful life of a basic student. And I am sure med school does not get any better. Here are my reasons for being cautious about med school.

1. I volunteer at a hospital, and I see a lot of people whenever I go. And depending where I go, it can get very depressing... Especially in treatment clinics, where patients could be going for the past 20 years to get shots and check-ups and the like. And the systemization in a hospital... The workers have no feeling, they can not risk it. I have yet to have a cordial conversation with a doctor who is not a fresh-faced resident. Many nurses have no facial expression when I talk to them. A lot of the receptionists will talk very nicely with me. I think the pharmacists are the ones with the least human interaction, but let's not go there... The point is, do I really want to work in an environment like that? Day in, day out, looking at linoleum floors and pale walls... The sound of beeps and boops and the very brief exchanges between staff about how things are going in the workplace. I too, would turn into an unhappy machine.

2. I don't know what they've told you about us, but our health system is terrible... In smaller communities with lots of funding (which is common) everything is perfect. But in the large, intercity hospitals, waiting rooms can be a nightmare. Line-ups, overbookings, lack of funding, you name it, it's there. The motto of our system is, "if we don't know what's wrong with you, try again next year!" because booking for anything, even an MRI, will take forever unless you have some sort of priority. But I wonder what happened to the term healthcare... As in, being healthy, and not being in category [X]. Maybe for emergencies, the efficiency is less controversial than diagnostics. In this country, diagnostics are a joke. You aren't considered to be "unhealthy" until "911" has to be dialed. What happened to prevention? Keep this in mind, it will come back later in this post...

3. Drugs! I don't know about you, but pharmaceuticals are a scary thing. Not because I am ignorant about it, but the opposite! I have learnt about it and I can tell you that it is not as sophisticated as you may think. Diseases are broken down into chemical reactions, and drug candidates are found which either inhibit or propagate a desired result. This sounds great, on the molecular level... But when you get to the human level, that's where you get all of the nasty side effects! Of course, risk analysis is done to determine which candidate makes it into the market, once it's past testing and moves on into clinical trials, but the bottom line is, a bunch of numbers and human opinion and motivation is what determines what is "safe" to put into our bodies. I'm not going to knock the history of pharmaceutics, it has been essential in understanding the human body and health. But... The whole process of it is frightening. It is not holistic. Solving a problem temporarily to induce other temporary problems sounds a bit strange to me. I understand the role of it in eliminating an infection or inflammation. But drugs for a chronic or debilitating disease is just so damn problematic to me. Like I said, it just isn't holistic. And don't get me started on painkillers and other neural-related drugs. It's really messy, but I can confirm your ideas about pharmaceuticals. And all those lawsuits, inefficiencies, blech. I'm going on like a broken record.

4. Not the life for me? I don't understand why everything has to be so competitive. Med school, any school, work, ESPECIALLY in hospitals and health care, everyone seems so hostile and territorial. I thought we live in a modern world where we try to enlighten each other? Why do we have to hide things about treating a sick person? I thought we are supposed to help each other out and not be moral/ethical/intellectual elitists about it? And then people complain about the lack of health care in the world. People are self-centered. Maybe I'm just the ignorant one. < The only emoticon I will use in this entire post as I couldn't sum up this expression through words.

There is more I could say, but I think that sums up my sentiment towards health care. Yes, Imagine that, a science student with a disdain for the modern, scientific method of medicine! But why do I discuss it if I seem to have such contempt for it? Well, because I feel that it is my, calling, at least, part of it is... There is more to this story...

I have been doing Yoga since I was 15. I love it. I love "Hindu" Philosophy. And no, I do not have a drop of Indian or South Asian in my blood. I am what some people may refer to as an "Indo-Phile." I love the culture, nearly everything about India. Yoga is a way of life for me. Unfortunately, I have not been very Yogic or enlightened lately, for reasons mentioned above. And, you know, it's really hard to attain enlightenment with mid-terms on my mind. I also have been very interested in Ayurveda... See? Now it all makes sense

Of course, you may know what my question is right away, and I encourage you to already formulate some answers. But I still have a bit more to say...

It was maybe a bit biased of me to come to a natural medicine forum to ask about a career in Ayurveda, but if I were to come to a premed forum about my above problem, I would get one of two answers:

"Don't worry, just go to school for another 10 years to improve your marks and get more experience."

or

"Give up now, Med school clearly isn't for you, you lazy oaf."

And if I were to even mention the possibility of going to a natural medicine school, I would be laughed out of the forums.

So I'll lay it on already: Would it be worth it to become an Ayurvedic doctor? It's not that I want to become an Ayurvedic doctor because I like Yoga. I feel like being a doctor is my calling... But I want to focus more on prevention and counseling in medicine, rather than intrusive and nitty-gritty things. I feel that the current health care system does not do enough to help health; health is too categorized and objectified. I originally wanted to become a MD, then a natmed doctor, just so I would have more "freedom" when practicing natmed. I want to bridge the gap between scientific understanding and natural medicine, and apply it. I am interested in being holistic. Only two countries in the world do extensive clinical research in natural medicine: India and China. Whenever that research is done here, it seems to be quite biased against it (wink, wink). Is it still worth it to become an MD first? I just feel that it would provide good background for natmed, you know? I would feel that people would take me more seriously. (Yes, that was a bit of a shallow statement).

Surgery is also an option too, but it is longer to learn and a bit off the opposite end of the spectrum of what I intend to do, (but I have been told that I have good hands, especially by a Veterinarian I volunteer for). Maybe that would be further down the road. But first things, first. I have to become a doctor, of some sort.

A lot of alt. med people are labeled as quacks, and I feel that this is unfair. I want to disprove that notion, but if I can't even get into medschool, I guess I'll just perpetuate that stereotype. (okay, I promise, no more emoticons!)
I feel people should be comfortable with other kinds of medicine, the way that has been done for thousands of years, without any pills and the like. Am I getting to you guys?

I want a shred of confidence in that what I want to do could do good for others...

Sorry for the long post, but I had to get that off my chest. I had it simmering in me for a while and I had to get it out. So with that being said, what are your opinions? I'll post more of my story if it comes to me.

and, once again, thanks, and, Hello all! (come on, that one was a given!)

Asking about a med school on this site is akin to asking a redneck where the the best gay/techno bar is.

May I suggest you look at an overseas med school: www.valuemd.com

Medical school may not be for you, but you do get a base of knowledge from it. How you use that knowledge is another matter. Chemistry is a pretty straight forward science. You cannot really fake a chemical reaction. It is important to have a grasp of it, since it is so integral to medicine, and not just conventional medicine.

I use chemistry to find my own treatments, only not to superficially cover symptoms, but to correct systemic problems that contribute to my disease.

The point is that some of what is taught is not bogus, it is not applied in the most beneficial manner.

The assembly line type medicine works well enough for some of the more straight forward type of things. It is when it is applied to more complex problems that it fails to get to the source.

Conventional medicine has its place, but that does not mean you are suited for it. If you do not have an interest in being involved in it, you will likely not be very successful being part of it.

People tell me "you should have been a doctor". I am interested in medicine, but not as it stands today. I would lose my license in short order. There is not a lot of room for innovation in modern medicine. I could not function as a pill dispenser.

Do what you want to do, and you will be happier and likely more successful. If you want to go into some alternative branch of medicine, you probably have a much tougher road ahead of you. I am not sure how your education is financed, but medical school is not cheap, and if you are not going to practice in a conventional manner, you are not going to make the kind of money that will pay back the loans.

The medical school system is designed to weed out most people from medicine. Just the thought of ten years of school, plus the cost, assures most people will not bother. By keeping a low number of graduates, you create an artificial shortage of doctors. The AMA is a doctors organization that likes to keep Doctors in short supply, as it guarantees a high income for them. The onerous schooling requirement assures they will need a high income to pay for the education.

Any competition from alternative medicine needs to be put down to keep this system in place. It is not primarily about the patient, it is about the players involved with the system, and how to best exploit the system.

That is not to say some doctors do not do their best, but I see them as hand cuffed enough to ensure they cannot stray far from the model. When the model works, say for trauma, surgical procedures, broken bones, it works well. The problem is when the model does not work, you still cannot go another route.

If you decide to go into conventional medicine, go with one of the specialties that do work within the given system. Anesthesiology works, and pays very well. Anything to do with trauma is generally pretty successful. Don't bother with treating disease, as you find that frustrating, given the confines of what you are able to do.

Just some ideas, you know what you want to do, you just have to dig it out.

Dan

@saved1986

Oh I didn't really want to see which med school I should go to... I've already read enough about that. I was just wondering if it would be worth it for me to go to an alt. med school. But thanks! Nice to meet you.

@D Bergy, or Dan

Thanks... That is a depressing thought (about the doctor shortage). Trauma/Emergency medicine never really appealed to me, but I have some friends who like the idea of it. But I can see how it can be successful (as I said in my original post, here "unhealthy" is defined by a 911 call... a bit of an exaggeration but you get the point).

I just hope I'm not naive to think that it is worth something to go into alt. medicine to focus more on therapy and preventative medicine. I'm not really worried about money, I believe that if I like doing something a lot, it becomes a life for me. Maybe I won't go to a "conventional" med school. But I still feel like it is possible to change the "system."

So, in other words you want to be a healer. Med school is controlled by big pharma, however if you go with an open mind, you will learn basics and can do research on your own for healing therapies as opposed to allopathic/big pharma. In the US there are MDs that practice alternative medicine but they are very few in number. Many chiropracters do it and have better success.

Do not get the idea you will cure in large numbers, because if you do, you will get shut down. Medicine is a money game.

If you are naive, then go with it. Youth has not yet been beaten down like this old grand father. Optimism is a powerful driver, and gets things done. It is always more important to do what is right for you.

I admire someone who does not place money ahead of everything else. If that is where your interest is, then you have your answer. Maybe you should talk first hand with some alt med providers, and see what they have to say. Nothing like experience to get an accurate picture.

The system will change, as more of us drop out of the conventional medicine system for preventative medicine, and treating disease. The conventional model has little to offer on those points.

Money is the driver behind medicine, and as the money leaves the system, the system will have to change to get it back. People are not as passive about health care as they used to be.

Good Luck with your new career, which ever way you decide to go.

Dan

I gather from what you have said you what to help people and that is nice. One way to do that is to be a doctor. Trauma medicine is one way to do that with conventional medicine but you mentioned that's area did not interest in and the pill pushers you have encountered seemed cold and aloof.

As has been mentioned it takes a lot of training and expense to be a pill pusher. Plus the controls placed on them are rather strict. If a person come to you with problem �A� you are to prescribe pill �B� and it does not matter if you know that Pill �B� will not work. It is all you are allowed to prescribe or even suggest. From what I read again I gather you what to do more then that. Thus following conventional medical training will apparently not allow you to do what you would like. Now if whatever job you go into if you want it to be more then �just a job� it is going to have to something want to do it and enjoy doing it.

Alternative medicine has been around for a long time and it starting to become more popular. This is causing people to look for those that are really knowledgeable in it. But it is not an easy road to follow. Conventional medicine doesn�t want anything to do with it, insurance will not pay for it, main stream media will call you a quack. Still it would be a most challenging field to get into but it�s unlikely you would ever make tons of money doing it.

Mad scientist is correct. As a doctor, if you realize statins are nasty and do not reduce the heart disease rate, it does not matter. If a patient comes in with even slightly high cholesterol and you do not prescribe one and he dies of a heart attack a month later, you will be sued.

I just ran across this article on Dr. Mercola's site. It highlights why many doctors are unhappy.

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...heir-work.aspx

Please allow me to begin reflecting on your question with a short story. When I was in my early twenties I was studying to be a nurse. I realized I was not suitable for that profession and just got a general studies degree and was done with it. Now being much older i regretted never becoming a nurse, basically because the job market in the USA tanked, and a good job is now hard to come by. After much researched I was shocked to find out, as you had said, the situation in medicine right now. I am glad I never got my nursing degree. In the least while you are young, establish a way to earn a living. BTW, here in the US doctors do not make that much money, and have lost much of the respect that they would receive 20 years ago. I would strongly suggest that you pursue Ayurvedic medicine. It is hard work as well. You can make a comfortable living. It is more of a lifestyle than a job, and you can really make a huge difference in peoples life. Herbalist are not as much called quakes as other professions. Good luck, maybe I will run into you over in India at some point.

I would advise against any conventional medical profession unless you lack ethics and seek to actively hurt other people. Lately I have been listening any Dr. Bruce Lipton talks I can download onto my Ipod. He points out that you always hear the medical community talk about "how to utilize" stem cells. Stem cells exist throughout the body, but the way the medical community presents the issue, we are in need of them to monetize this innate piece of us to be able to heal ourselves. However if the stem cells are not there to be used by our immune system to heal ourselves, why are they there? Do we even need these people to help utilize our own stem cells? The problem is that we have limiting beliefs preventing our mechanisms for self-healing. From a young age we are conditioned that every-time we are sick, our body has no innate ability to heal itself, we must always rush to the doctor. However of people who are sick, upon deciding to drive to the doctor immediately feel relief from their ailment before even seeing him! That is because their body only begins to heal itself when they decide upon going to the doctor. Lipton also says that the whole field of medicine, biology, etc. are still operating in the dark ages of Newtonian physics and its mechanistic worldview. They do not realize that each of the trillions of cells of our body are self governing, self healing and they are organized by our unconscious(95%) and conscious mind(5%) as the director of the collective organism. Thus the stolid medical professions are the biggest cause of death in the USA and every country of the industrialized world because they fill their societies with self defeating beliefs till the marrow is sucked dry.

Stay away, don't hurt other people actively to make your salary.

If you don't want the kind of stress and chaos that a medical profession offers become a natuopathic doctor. There is a good school in Canada and several in the USA

You will have the pleasure of really helping people to get well and know that you are not contributing to their demise by pouring toxic drugs into them.. It is a growing profession and you can do well.

You also will not need a super duper GPA to get in.. but you will work hard there, don't get me wrong... people into alternative medicine are much more positive, and cheerful an optimisitc about life,,, You will not have to deal with flat effect nurses and grumpy associates...

This way you might be able to please your parents, (once they get over the shock of it) as well as yourself.

__________________
"The nurse should be cheerful, orderly, punctual, patient, full of faith, - receptive to Truth and Love" Mary Baker Eddy
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