License to Practise, License to Print...
Just what is it about some professions that encourage their practitioners to behave so bearishly overbearing. All in the interests of accruing greater bottom lines. I can think of three highly respected professions in our society which appear to indulge in questionable behaviours resulting in greater, and generally unneeded use of their services, all to enhance financial security for themselves at our expense.
Now let's see, dentistry for one, veterinarian services for another, and then there's cosmetic surgery. All of these professionals, all of which require long and difficult years of gaining an education for the purpose of qualifying for practise certification appear to be top-heavy with practise over-achievers. In the sense that they all seem to go out of their way to encourage clients to accept treatments which they don't really need.
Case in point, our long history with the veterinarian clinic we've taken our two little dogs to over the years. For annual physicals and annual booster shots. Until we protested that it was our understanding that rabies shots need be given every three years at most, they insisted on giving these shots on a yearly basis. And of course there's the heartworm medication that veterinarians insist healthy dogs take throughout the course of a summer/fall season to ensure that they don't become infected.
We do all of that with our little dogs, fearful lest they become infected with some dread disease. Several years ago another concern was added to the litany of possible infectants for our little companions. And that, after the scare about bird flu which never did materialize and West Nile disease which our vet assured us they'd have a serum to protect against available very soon. This time it was leptosporosis, and although we'd decided not to succumb to all the dire warnings, this fall we did, after all, have them innoculated.
The veterinarian said they'd seen a number of cases in their practise, this year. What's more, he warned darkly, it's transmissible to humans. He should know, he said, his wife had a case of it, and that wasn't very nice, having to undergo a miserable treatment therapy. Besides which, he warned, it could be fatal to dogs, albeit not to humans. Panic. I turned to my husband and whispered "let's get it done". Happily, the veterinarian assured us there was no charge for the vaccine. Oh, he said as an afterthought, they'll require re-vaccination, a booster shot a month later.
So in we went a month later and zip-zap, our two little dogs were given their booster shots for leptosporosis. Poor little guys, soon as we drive into the parking lot for the clinic they realize where they are, and begin hyper-ventilating. There are some slap-happy dogs who look forward to these visits, tails wagging like crazy, you can just see those wide smiles on their trusting faces. Not ours, they're too smart for their own good.
By the way, the vet said, post-shots - you may want to sit around a bit in the waiting room, just to make sure there are no surprise reactions? Reactions? Yes, it would appear some dogs experience severe allergic reactions necessitating immediate counter-treatment shortly after the booster shot is administered. Oh. You have to wait for the bill to be processed anyway, she went on. Oh.
And the bill? A whopping $90 each little mutt, to be repeated same time same place next year. Surprise, surprise. This is the place too where another of the veterinarians on staff has tried to persuade us to have dental surgery done on our toy poodle's front teeth, to have them extracted and the other teeth scraped. So much for our brushing their teeth three times a week. Cost? A casual $500. But our pet plan insurance will kick in.
After the yearly deductible, and after deducting our portion of the bill, they get to pay a majestic $150 of the total bill. That works out to roughly 5 months of insurance payments. We've never used their insurance yet, since we originally had them insured in case of any potential life-threatening or otherwise catastrophic accident or health condition occurring. Our 13-year-old miniature poodle is in good health; good thing the veterinarian hasn't noticed her front teeth are loose, too.
My husband decided to fashion his own tooth scraper. We know what they look like, our daughter has one and she has always scraped her seven dogs' teeth to ensure their hiegenic gum and dental health. If she can do it so can we, and we have now for the first time. A gentle scrape of the tool and away comes that guck that brushing teeth doesn't dislodge.
Reminds me of that time about 15 years ago when we were living in Atlanta and I went to a dentist for a check-up and he took X-rays, then proceeded to inform me that in light of the fact that it would appear my top front teeth are in crisis due to the fact that the X-ray revealed that their roots were being "subsumed" by the gum tissue, he urgently recommends that I allow him to pull them out.
To spare me from embarrassment should they fall out on their own, for example, while we were being socially entertained at a social soiree. I've still got those teeth, and they're just fine. Or the time here in Ottawa when the dentist-substitute for our usual dentist decided a few years back that I had an embedded wisdom tooth which had never broken surface; it should be removed and she was prepared to make an appointment for me with a dental surgeon.
The urgency and the language employed by all these professionals is psychologically geared to invest their concerns for your personal health and safety with your trust edged on by fear. The normal human response under these circumstances is to agree. Migod! my health is at risk, gotta do something, now!
Of course in the case of cosmetic surgeons they're working on quite another aspect of human frailty, the overwhelming concern that one is not sufficiently attractive facially or bodily; that one's physical aspect can be so easily remedied - so why not? From varicose vein removal, to liposuction, from nose alterations to breast augmentation, they will shamelessly offer to brand a new, secure you.
Why are we such suggestible dolts?
Now let's see, dentistry for one, veterinarian services for another, and then there's cosmetic surgery. All of these professionals, all of which require long and difficult years of gaining an education for the purpose of qualifying for practise certification appear to be top-heavy with practise over-achievers. In the sense that they all seem to go out of their way to encourage clients to accept treatments which they don't really need.
Case in point, our long history with the veterinarian clinic we've taken our two little dogs to over the years. For annual physicals and annual booster shots. Until we protested that it was our understanding that rabies shots need be given every three years at most, they insisted on giving these shots on a yearly basis. And of course there's the heartworm medication that veterinarians insist healthy dogs take throughout the course of a summer/fall season to ensure that they don't become infected.
We do all of that with our little dogs, fearful lest they become infected with some dread disease. Several years ago another concern was added to the litany of possible infectants for our little companions. And that, after the scare about bird flu which never did materialize and West Nile disease which our vet assured us they'd have a serum to protect against available very soon. This time it was leptosporosis, and although we'd decided not to succumb to all the dire warnings, this fall we did, after all, have them innoculated.
The veterinarian said they'd seen a number of cases in their practise, this year. What's more, he warned darkly, it's transmissible to humans. He should know, he said, his wife had a case of it, and that wasn't very nice, having to undergo a miserable treatment therapy. Besides which, he warned, it could be fatal to dogs, albeit not to humans. Panic. I turned to my husband and whispered "let's get it done". Happily, the veterinarian assured us there was no charge for the vaccine. Oh, he said as an afterthought, they'll require re-vaccination, a booster shot a month later.
So in we went a month later and zip-zap, our two little dogs were given their booster shots for leptosporosis. Poor little guys, soon as we drive into the parking lot for the clinic they realize where they are, and begin hyper-ventilating. There are some slap-happy dogs who look forward to these visits, tails wagging like crazy, you can just see those wide smiles on their trusting faces. Not ours, they're too smart for their own good.
By the way, the vet said, post-shots - you may want to sit around a bit in the waiting room, just to make sure there are no surprise reactions? Reactions? Yes, it would appear some dogs experience severe allergic reactions necessitating immediate counter-treatment shortly after the booster shot is administered. Oh. You have to wait for the bill to be processed anyway, she went on. Oh.
And the bill? A whopping $90 each little mutt, to be repeated same time same place next year. Surprise, surprise. This is the place too where another of the veterinarians on staff has tried to persuade us to have dental surgery done on our toy poodle's front teeth, to have them extracted and the other teeth scraped. So much for our brushing their teeth three times a week. Cost? A casual $500. But our pet plan insurance will kick in.
After the yearly deductible, and after deducting our portion of the bill, they get to pay a majestic $150 of the total bill. That works out to roughly 5 months of insurance payments. We've never used their insurance yet, since we originally had them insured in case of any potential life-threatening or otherwise catastrophic accident or health condition occurring. Our 13-year-old miniature poodle is in good health; good thing the veterinarian hasn't noticed her front teeth are loose, too.
My husband decided to fashion his own tooth scraper. We know what they look like, our daughter has one and she has always scraped her seven dogs' teeth to ensure their hiegenic gum and dental health. If she can do it so can we, and we have now for the first time. A gentle scrape of the tool and away comes that guck that brushing teeth doesn't dislodge.
Reminds me of that time about 15 years ago when we were living in Atlanta and I went to a dentist for a check-up and he took X-rays, then proceeded to inform me that in light of the fact that it would appear my top front teeth are in crisis due to the fact that the X-ray revealed that their roots were being "subsumed" by the gum tissue, he urgently recommends that I allow him to pull them out.
To spare me from embarrassment should they fall out on their own, for example, while we were being socially entertained at a social soiree. I've still got those teeth, and they're just fine. Or the time here in Ottawa when the dentist-substitute for our usual dentist decided a few years back that I had an embedded wisdom tooth which had never broken surface; it should be removed and she was prepared to make an appointment for me with a dental surgeon.
The urgency and the language employed by all these professionals is psychologically geared to invest their concerns for your personal health and safety with your trust edged on by fear. The normal human response under these circumstances is to agree. Migod! my health is at risk, gotta do something, now!
Of course in the case of cosmetic surgeons they're working on quite another aspect of human frailty, the overwhelming concern that one is not sufficiently attractive facially or bodily; that one's physical aspect can be so easily remedied - so why not? From varicose vein removal, to liposuction, from nose alterations to breast augmentation, they will shamelessly offer to brand a new, secure you.
Why are we such suggestible dolts?
posted by Pieface @ 12:35 PM
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