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Physician, do you heal yourself ?

What do doctors do when they fall sick? BHUMIKA K. examines the question on National Doctor's Day, on July 1

Elementary my dear Watson, I told myself.

If a mechanic's car breaks down, he fixes it himself.

If a tailor needs a new shirt, he stitches one for himself.

So if a doctor is sick, he probably tries to heal himself, right?

Unless his illness requires a "specialist" or it is an emergency.

What does a doctor do when he falls sick? Does he pop pills as easily as we do? Do they groan and moan like us and refuse to go to work? Would a doctor reach out to another doctor? One would believe that a doctor prevents most illnesses being in the "Prevention is better than cure" mode. After all, how many unwell doctors have you seen?

The Annals of Internal Medicine established by the American College of Physicians describes doctors who have fallen sick as "wounded healers". There is something so vulnerable about the phrase. There is such dichotomy when you think of it. It's hard to imagine the person you look up to as a healer, as a magic curer, a mender of all physical breakdowns in your body as being susceptible to the vagaries of nature. But, as a doctor chuckled and pleaded his case: "After all, a doctor is only a human being."

India celebrates National Doctors' Day to mark the birth and death anniversary of the legendary Dr. B.C. Roy on July 1, and pay tribute to him and the profession. Dr. B.C. Roy dedicated his life not just to his physician's profession, but was also an educationist, social reformer, and freedom fighter and later became the chief minister of West Bengal. On this occasion, MetroPlus discusses with some doctors the invincibility myth. "Most doctors do try to treat themselves, specially for things like the common cold and flu. In fact, doctors tend to treat their minor illnesses as more minor than they really are. But doctors definitely make worse patients!" says Dr. Thomas Chandy, an orthopaedic surgeon. When did he last see a doctor? "Hmmm... I think about five years ago when I had a nose problem," he says after much thinking. And adds: "If I get a cold, a back pain or something I normally treat myself." But illness is not a good enough excuse to stay away from work, it seems, for workaholic doctors. Two weeks ago when he was "down" with the flu, he cancelled his surgeries and didn't see patients for a day. "I took a day off, but I just did my rounds." But he does make sure that he has an annual health check-up that includes a heart and a dental check.

Dr. Chandy believes that a doctor is as willing (or rather unwilling) to see another doctor as any other patient is. "For example, if any doctor has a back pain, he will postpone a visit to the doctor till the moment he just can't go on with his routine with it. But that is common among other patients as well." And though he admits that a doctor is only human, he says that they do have the ability to recognise when a symptom may be serious.

But how much does a doctor trust another doctor? Familiarity does seem to help, as most doctors prefer to consult friends, immediate colleagues at their hospital or classmates. Dr. H. Sudarshan who is widely known for his work among the Soligas of B.R. Hills in Karnataka says he tends to treat himself when he is unwell. "I prefer to treat myself because I know my body better. I have my own theories so I experiment on my own body. We often tend to surrender ourselves to a doctor, which is not good. But you must have faith in the doctor. Understanding your body and taking care of it yourself is crucial for anybody."

But he brushes aside any suggestions of the dangers of "self-medication" saying doctors are trained persons with self-knowledge. It is also re-assuring to hear him admit, almost like a layman: "Today there is sometimes so much unwanted medication and surgery prescribed."

Though he doesn't have a personal physician, he says he will go to a specialist if he needs one. The last time he went to a doctor was two years ago when he had a fall from his scooter and had to get the wound sutured. He went to his classmate for help. He weighs his words as he says: "If I need any super-speciality consultation, I ask questions until all my doubts are cleared. They can only help me, but I make the final decision."

Do doctors practise what they preach? Dr. Anuradha H.S., a consultant paediatrician, says that with chronic illnesses, she believes in prevention being a better option. "I follow a fairly healthy diet and exercise regularly. I avoid foods injurious to health, as I'm extremely conscious of conditions like hypertension and diabetes. But I am not paranoid and don't always end up thinking I will fall ill." She does admit though, that she hates to lie down when she is sick — a piece of advice most doctors tend to generously give patients. She also goes in for an annual medical check-up routine. "It is difficult for doctors in general to handle the matter of illness. One always expects the worse, specially in cases like malignancy etc." She also admits she doesn't try self-medication. "I'm all for seeing another doctor if I'm unwell. I prefer to consult on whatever is not my specialty because a specialist is better informed."

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