Brave Neurosurgeon Tells Why he Left Western Medicine

The field of medicine has evolved since its earliest and historical days when Hippocrates sought out a new system to explain and understand illnesses.  During those days, the main goal was to diagnose an individual's problem and provide a way to restore balance among the humors using logic and philosophy. Modernized western medicine has since become solely reliant on scientific methods and pathologic anatomy to diagnose and treat diseases (Mantri, 2008).  The original Hippocratic school of thought placed emphasis on an integrative mind-body-personality ideology or philosophy (Mantri, 2008).  The system of Western medicine has led to some ethical problems that can affect the therapeutic relationship.  Some of these problems include the depersonalization of a patient and the removal of the patient as equal partners in their care.  

Calls for the return of Western medicine to its original Hippocratic roots have been made by various individuals within the field.  However, there is a pervasive belief that this would negatively affect the current system and thereby lead to a decline in profits as the patient becomes more empowered and the historical equilibrium between patient and caretaker is restored.  Most hospitals and institutions in the West embrace a sick care model rather than a wellness or prevention based model.   Some professionals have become so frustrated with the system that they've left it altogether.

Neurosurgeon Details His Frustrations with Medical Field

A recent video made it rounds on the internet and it featured a doctor who divulged to the public, his frustrations regarding the field of what would be considered Traditional or Western medicine.  Dr. Goobie is an MIT trained neurosurgeon who spent the bulk of his life getting an education that would lead him to begin treating patients with a variety of brain and spinal issues using brain and interface technology.  He performed hundreds of surgeries and became acquainted with some of the most brilliant partners and professionals in his field.  Dr. Goobie further explained that he began to feel dissatisfied with his role as a neurosurgeon and decided to give up his career.   

He reflected back to a pivotal time during his medical education when one of his professors told him that the provider's job was to relieve the pain and suffering of patients.  Dr. Goobie saw and performed surgery on many patients with degenerative spine disease but he admitted that the surgeries would make an individual feel better for a bit but it didn't always solve or address the causes and underlying issues that were being faced by his patients.  He saw some patients get better and some would get much worse.  

He had always believed that completing the perfect surgery would lead to the ultimate fix of the underlying issue.  Instead, he saw so much more suffering than he expected and was dissatisfied in that he wasn't able to relieve it all. This caused a conflict within as he remembered what his professor told him about his main duty which was to relieve pain and suffering.  He recalled the passion and dreams he once held for being able to one day use robotic arms and legs to fix neurological and spinal conditions in humans.  He quickly came to realize that there were too many limitations and came to the conclusion that it would never happen.

Astounding Revelations about Healing

Dr. Goobie expressed that some individuals got better before he could do surgery on them and it confused him.  He discovered some astounding revelations about the true path to healing which began to inform his worldview throughout his nine years as a neurosurgeon.  Dr. Goobie found that patients who incorporated low salt plant-based diets, participated in physical activity, did not drink or smoke, slept regularly, spent time with loved ones and practiced mindfulness--would heal quickly--so quickly that they no longer needed a spine surgery to fix their problems.  He noticed that those individuals who did the opposite (drank alcohol and smoked, lacked sleep, didn't eat a healthy plant based diet) were not healed or relieved of their pain and back issues.

Western Medical Systems Business Models in Opposition with Path to True Healing 

On his journey towards discovering what is actually necessary for helping people heal, he realized that traditional hospitals and the current medical system are often in opposition to a patient's healing process.  Dr. Goobie also admitted to the fact that hospitals are organized in such a way where increased profits, money and economic growth are fundamental goals.  After he understood the true path to healing, he experienced moral injury concerning the traditional medical system and methods used to diagnose or treat individuals.  Treating and healing a patient without the need for drugs or surgery started to become a problem.  A problem that would lead to less income and profits for the system which included himself, other medical providers, the hospital and pharmaceutical partners.  

Making the Decision to Leave Medicine

He stated that if he kept going back to the job, he knew that he would die due to the high stress and pressures that he faced.  After realizing that the focus in Western medicine wasn't in the right place, he made the harrowing decision to leave it. He also mentioned that hospitals were solely focused on therapies, drugs and images instead of emphasizing prevention.  He no longer wanted to keep going to a job that he didn't believe in any more; one that was contributing to moral injury on the daily.   

Getting paid to pedal drugs or non-necessary surgeries as an attempt to treat a condition is a moral dilemma that many in the field will either end up facing at some point or choose to ignore.  It can be before, during or after the education.  Dr. Goobie's decision to leave this field confirms that there are professionals who choose integrity, morality and goodness over corruption, greed and harm.  He has now found solace in the sights and sounds of nature, family and his pet Doobie who he wasn't always able to spend time with in his former role.  

He is exploring new avenues of meaning and possibility everyday. 

Visit Dr. Goobie's channel and watch his inspiring story below.

   

Mantri, S. (2008). Holistic Medicine and the Western Medical Tradition. AMA Journal of Ethics, 10(3), 177–180. https://doi.org/10.1001/virtualmentor.2008.10.3.mhst1-0803 

Youtube. (2024). I was an MIT Educated Neurosurgeon Now I’m Unemployed And Alone in the Mountains How did I get Here? Retrieved July 17, 2024, from https://youtu.be/25LUF8GmbFU?si=L4YGACokNF3ajzkW.

Dr. Mechelle Eleene