Thinking Outside The Box

I admire people who think outside the box. They're not afraid to say something that's not popular. Some may find them "weird," but I admire them. They're the ones that always came up with an odd ball answer in class, and surprised both teacher and student. They're also most likely to be the innovators and inventors of tomorrow. I'm often at the gym and someone will ask me about my knee. My answer is usually the same. Nothing's changed. I've been to 5 different orthopedists, had 2 knee scopes, and there has been no improvement. I tell people that ask, that until I discover a doctor that "thinks outside the box" I am not going to any more doctors for this issue. Do doctors listen? I'm sure some do, but I think many look at the X-rays and offer just one approach. Sometimes I think they need to listen to the patient, and think about other issues that may be causing the problem. No one's been able to do that for me yet. Rock Center had a most interesting segment in January on a unique doctor that truly thinks outside the box. He is Dr. Eric Toppol, and he's right here at Scripps in La Jolla. He was formerly at the Cleveland Clinic, but was let go from there because he did think "outside the box." He has modified his I phone so that it can monitor his diabetes, do an ekg and ultrasound in seconds, take blood or saliva samples right away, and many other features I'm unable to explain. Imagine going to the doctor, him ordering an ultrasound for you, and doing it right there in the office in seconds, just by placing the cell phone on your body! Then the result is right in front of him and you in seconds, and he can discuss the findings. No need to make an appointment to go to a lab to have the test done, wait days or weeks for the results, then go back to the doctor for the results. This can all be done on the spot and discussed with the patient right away. Do big pharmacies or the makers of medical equipment like this use of the I Phone? Of course not, they'll lose millions in sales. This is definitely the way medicine should be practiced in the future, but whether or not big business will let it happen is another story. They may crush this, just like they crushed the electric car in the 1980's. You remember when they smashed all the electric cars and put us 20 years behind in the development of these cars. The battery and oil companies did not want the car to succeed, and when they saw that it might, they destroyed them all. Thinking outside the box is a good thing, but unfortunately for us, big business doesn't always see it that way. They're only interested in the bottom line, and if it isn't good for them, no matter how good it is for humanity, they will fight it tooth and nail. We must allow these thinkers to present their ideas and let everyone benefit from their thinking.