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Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

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Re: Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

#171

Post by the_only_law »

jnovek wrote: post #40

“ Medicine has become a three-way negotiation between you, your doctor, and The Algorithm.” This characterization makes it sound like a good thing. In reality, the doctor’s responsibility is being pushed to the patient because they are overbooked in the name of economic efficiency. As a patient with complex, non-specific medical condition, I can tell you how miserable this is. I can’t count on doctors _at all_ to mov…

At what point can I just purchase old medical machinery on eBay and run my own blood tests and stuff.

Re: Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

#173

Post by lotsofpulp »

malfist wrote: post #140
egberts1 wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

90-degree? Yeah, you should get those wisdom teeth out because general anesthesia at your advanced age would not be good for your longevity. That is, if your wisdom teeth were ever then to surface and rot.

Impacted, unerupted wisdom teeth are not always a problem. If you're over 25 [1] it's highly unlikely they'll ever attempt to erupt, never causing a problem. Impacted wisdom teeth don't always stay impacted when they start moving too. They can straighten up when they start coming in. [1] Hupp J, et al. Contemporary Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Chapter: Principles of Management of Impacted Teeth. From https://www.a…

I have 4 impacted wisdom teeth completely sideways, and dentists on the east and west coast of the US have told me not to bother taking them out since I was 25 or older unless they start causing me problems.

Re: Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

#174

Post by ProjectArcturis »

jonhohle wrote: post #109
jnovek wrote: post #40

“ Medicine has become a three-way negotiation between you, your doctor, and The Algorithm.” This characterization makes it sound like a good thing. In reality, the doctor’s responsibility is being pushed to the patient because they are overbooked in the name of economic efficiency. As a patient with complex, non-specific medical condition, I can tell you how miserable this is. I can’t count on doctors _at all_ to mov…

Are there any laws that treat medical providers as fiduciaries? That seems like a minimum bar that insurance companies would want to enforce (at least in the short term when premiums could remain high while treatment cost plummets).

You can sue them for malpractice, that's something, at least. But I can't imagine how bad a doctor would have to be before they were subject to criminal charges. Simply being awful at their job wouldn't do it.

Re: Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

#175

Post by mort96 »

JRabo wrote: post #145
mort96 wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is your point? Did the author write something which indicates they think Google is an ethical company?

The point is obvious but I'll spell it out for you using HIS own words. "Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments". He presents himself as "in the know" because the year begins with "2" and anyone in the know would use Google to research an issue. LOL. HE then proceeds to place trust in an unethical company to give him information he needs to make a wise financial decision. Doh!

But where does the author indicate that they don't think Google is unethical?

You're showing me that the author personally uses google, and that the author thinks the vast majority of people use google (which is true). Nothing about what they said suggests they think Google is ethical.

Re: Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

#176

Post by bsuvc »

This is why I don't trust Google anymore, especially when it comes to anything medical I might buy.

I always Google something and add "Reddit" to it to get better real, less-biased opinions on something.

Or if there is a site dedicated to discussion of the topic (ie. an old school forum or message board), I'll go straight to that and search there.

Re: Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

#177

Post by ThinkingGuy »

matsemann wrote: post #12

Why are dentists so scammy? In Norway I've seen documentaries about them sending the same people to multiple dentists, and some of them receive wildly different advice. Some of that can be ascribed to some being in the school of pro-active, so they want to fix your teeth at the first glance of issues. But in the end, most of the things being quoted were unnecessary. They all seemed very intent on removing wisdom teet…

One explanation I've heard (don't remember which news source) is that dentists just don't have as much demand as in previous decades.

Due to improvements in hygiene, and public health measures such as water fluoridation, children get fewer cavities and adults lose fewer teeth ("having an insufficient number of teeth" was once a major cause of men being rejected from the military draft).

So dentists have had to pivot from providing necessary care, such as fillings and extractions, to more discretionary services such as whitening and other cosmetic procedures (oh how my last dentist used to try to push Invisalign® on me at every visit!)

Re: Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

#178

Post by bigbob2 »

egberts1 wrote: post #98
AndrewThrowaway wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My experience: Teeth looks fine and healthy, not much tartar to clean. When was the last time you visited? Two years ago. Oh no you should visit at least twice a year (?). Even if all looks fine x-ray is recommended which can reveal some things. I do the x-ray. All is fine. You don't even have upper wisdom teeth. Lower wisdom teeth are at 90deg so they can pose a risk if they started growing. Yeah, but I am 40 years…

90-degree? Yeah, you should get those wisdom teeth out because general anesthesia at your advanced age would not be good for your longevity. That is, if your wisdom teeth were ever then to surface and rot.

Not only that but from what I understand, a major nerve in your jaw grows closer to your wisdom teeth over time. So if you wait on a procedure like that until later in life, it increases the chance that the nerve will be damaged in the procedure, leading to a potential loss of feeling in part of your face. At least this is what I was told by my oral surgeon, assuming he wasn't lying to me for profit...

Re: Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

#179

Post by mindslight »

the_only_law wrote: post #171
jnovek wrote: post #40

“ Medicine has become a three-way negotiation between you, your doctor, and The Algorithm.” This characterization makes it sound like a good thing. In reality, the doctor’s responsibility is being pushed to the patient because they are overbooked in the name of economic efficiency. As a patient with complex, non-specific medical condition, I can tell you how miserable this is. I can’t count on doctors _at all_ to mov…

At what point can I just purchase old medical machinery on eBay and run my own blood tests and stuff.

I hate to be so negative, but it's likely that by the time you have significant medical conditions to worry about, you will no longer have the time/spirit to engage in such productive playing.

Re: Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

#180

Post by tlogan »

Internet was always full of spam. But somehow Google was able to correctly categorize it. Now it seems like Google is not keeping with it. It seems like that sites which might provide trusted information are not ranked well. It is interesting that these sites do not have Google Adsense (since they are mainly run by schools, public institutions, etc.) The same is happening with YouTube.

I think it is definelly possible to sort results better (pure engineering problem). But there is really no short term insentive for that. Maybe in long term this will help Google to stay on top but that is not 100% clear: it is hard to predict how content discover will look in the future.

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