Title: Doctor Confidential – Secrets Behind the Veil
Author: Richard Sheff, MD
Reviewer: Marilyn Panton
Dr. Richard Sheff considered having the title “Doctor’ before his name which he counts as a huge responsibility and honor. His decision to become a family physician was not merely a matter of choice for him but was his life’s calling.
He takes the reader on a journey with him as he hones his medical skills hoping to become efficient, knowledgeable and respected in his chosen field. As he delves into the different aspects of becoming a doctor he discovers an element of caring for people that makes all the difference in their healing process. He realizes that when you treat patients with dignity, compassion and give them knowledge regarding their ailments, you surpass the name of doctor and indeed become a healer.
Rather than robotically treat individuals with drugs and medicine and send them off into their world he takes the time to talk, to connect and establish a relationship. He establishes mutual trust between himself and his patient which gives him permission to delve deeper into their lives and find the root cause of their problem not just attend to the outward signs and symptoms that they are displaying.
The book tells of his struggles both as an intern and on the home front. The medical terms added in the text were an extra bonus and added richness and knowledge.
Dr. Sheff’s philosophy reminds me of the spiritual ideals of the Na’vi tribe in the movie Avatar. The tribal members look at one another and say “I see you”, which means they see into one another, into the very depths of the one they are beholding. I feel that this is what Dr. Sheff also does in that he is able to look past a person’s ailments and see the beauty of the patient that he is treating. That is exactly what millions of people want their doctors to do, to “see them” as they heal their aches and pains.
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