From one doctor to another....

I recently listened to an inspiring interview of a physician on the radio. It was one of those "highway moments" where you want to pull over because what you are listening to is so insightful and calls for all your attention.


Dr. David Loxtercamp , or simply "the country doctor" as he likes to call himself shared his inspirations and experiences which I see deeply resonate with myself in my clinical practice and I'm sure my colleagues can relate to as well.  You can listen to his interview and discussion here.


I have shared some of the quotable quotes that I carry with me now, since his conversations.  I have even taken the liberty and borrow it for my patients, but always try and reference him.

• "Health is not a commodity. Risk factors are not disease. Aging is not an illness."
•  "To fix a problem is easy, to sit with another suffering is hard."

• "Patients cannot see outside their pain, we cannot see in, relationship is the only bridge between. Time is precious; we spend it on what we value."

And two of my most favorite quotes:

• "The most common condition we treat is unhappiness. And the greatest obstacle to treating a patient’s unhappiness is our own." 
• "The foundation of medicine is friendship, conversation and hope.”

For anyone interested in knowing more, I recommend his book, "A Measure of Days: The Journal of a Country Doctor". Its definitely biographical as the title suggests, so be prepared for a slow, but interesting read.