Comment: "Welcome to the [medical] desert of the real."

This is the reality of our worsening healthcare system. I'm also an Osteopath as you know, and all that I see all around me in Montana is an imploding medical system. Your parable tells the sad story about what faces people particularly in primary care. We want to prevent that fire from your story from occurring in the first place; there are too many houses that contain combustible materials. In other words, people who need information about how to take care of themselves, so they don't need to see us very often. By incorporating preventive care in my practice, I was told that I spend "too much time" with my patients. The system is screwed-down to the braking point, IMO. We need to see X-number of patients/day just to breakeven, and with some people, immediate solutions are sought/demanded immediately. I believe that we are in a no-win situation. This is the only profession where many don't want their children to follow in their footsteps and pursue the same occupation.

Hang in there, bro! I just think about what Ron Paul went through as an O.B. doctor. How did he do it? He's the role model that I look to while we're hip-deep in this mess. "Doing no harm" is becoming more difficult to avoid.