Important Everyday Lessons From the Book: Blind Spots
While I believe each and every person should read the book, Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, I also realize that most of you aren’t as interested in medicine and biology as I am. However, I learned so many important everyday lessons from this book so I wanted to share those with you.
Quote of the day: “We all have our biases. We cannot eliminate them. Instead, we need to recognize them and actively bend them as best we can.” Dr. Claude Bernard
For those of us striving to lead vibrant, healthy lives, this book is a gentle but powerful reminder: even the most trusted systems can have blind spots.
I realize many people aren’t interested in learning about health-related topics and such, yet many times, it’s not rocket science. It’s one of the reasons I am doing the series “Simple Swaps” in my emails.
That is also one of the reasons I share health and wellness tidbits in my emails that may catch your fancy.
As much as I love my site, Jodie’s Touch of Style, I really enjoy putting together my daily emails. I consider my emails an extension of my blog that is chocked full of positive inspiration that one friend calls a “Variety Show.”
I include articles, videos, and posts that strike my fancy and since I have no siblings to share with, I share with you.
As a prolific reader even in my youth, I love including books on my site to encourage others with fascinating topics, Entertainment, and other perspectives. Make sure to check out my other articles about books.
The Premise of the Book: Blind Spots
Dr. Gudzune and Dr. Makoul draw from years of experience to reveal the cracks in modern medicine. Through poignant patient stories and expert analysis, they explore how misdiagnoses, miscommunication, and implicit biases can impact outcomes. What sets this book apart is its compassionate tone—it’s not about pointing fingers but about understanding how these blind spots occur and how to address them.
From systemic issues in healthcare to deeply personal moments, the book, Blind Spots resonates with anyone who has a body and has taken medical advice in the past. But it’s not all doom and gloom; the book also offers actionable advice for both patients and practitioners, focusing on creating a more transparent, empathetic, and effective medical experience.
In fact, while the book focuses on the medical field, I bet one’s bottom dollar that these issues happen in all fields and even life in general.
Insider tip: One of the biggest everyday lessons I learned was how the medical society uses and regulates published studies.
While one scientist may make a breakthrough in his/her research, what if it’s never published? Does that mean the information is lost?
In fact, I read that some doctors have given up submitting research to medical conferences or journals because they are so highly curated by a small group of people, and the doctors aren’t interested in playing the political games needed to get their work published. Almost sounds like Mean Girls, right?
The first 80 pages were an incredible explanation of three different mistakes (peanut allergies, HRT, and antibiotics overuse) that doctors and scientists have made in the last 20-50 years.
Why It Matters in Everyday Life
There are SO, SO many quotes that I want to share but much of it boils down to the fact that :
-Doctors are human and therefore fallible.
-Scientists are the same-therefore science is NOT black and white.
-No research study is perfect.
As I read Blind Spots, I couldn’t help but think about how its themes apply to more than just medicine. Haven’t we all encountered “blind spots” in our daily lives? Whether it’s communication at work, an overlooked detail in a friendship, or even our own biases that color how we see the world. I think these moments remind us to be more open to new ideas.
One of my favorite chapters was “Why We Resist New Ideas.” This was very apropos to all of life, and not just doctors and medicine. The following is just a snippet.
“We need to constantly maintain a willingness to be open-minded, even if we are deeply invested in a particular belief…Doing so requires active effort, whether we might be evaluating new information…We should remember that progress comes not from the comfort of fitting new ideas into our existing beliefs, but from being uncomfortable holding our beliefs loosely enough that they can be aligned with new information when necessary.”
The Broader Implications
Perhaps what makes Blind Spots so impactful is its call for systemic change. While many think that our healthcare system is one of the best in the world, we have to remember that it’s run by people (who are human and fallible) and powered by big Money.
The chapter on “How the Medical Establishment Works” was also very eye-opening…even to me, a retired Western medicine-taught dentist.
Insider tip: It’s easy to look back at what went wrong. Hindsight is 20/20, right? But it’s a good lesson to remember for things that are current. Maybe the best approach is to question the popular thinking.
Learning to think differently is the measure of someone being willing to learn and thus evolving. Don’t let yourself get boxed in. If we all drink the same Kool-Aid, we will never discover anything new.
Which brings me to the next idea…
The Idea of GroupThink
The authors use the term “Groupthink” for ideas and decisions practiced as a group that discourages creativity or individual responsibility.
Insider detail: I learned that Abraham Lincoln made sure to surround himself with cabinet members who disagreed with him and challenged him. Maybe we all need to practice that.
There are brave souls that challenge the dogma we all believe. This goes back to the Middle Ages when doctors believed the body turned food into blood. New ideas were laughed at and ridiculed, and as we know now, that is not the case.
But what do Groupthink ideas believe now, will they change in 50 or 100 years, and will they be incorrect or different?
The establishment is often resistant to new ideas. Many times people who believe new ideas are referred to as controversial when they should be called interesting.
Think about this: Many who hold power are often in their position because they built a career around an idea. So if that idea changes, where would they be?
There is a tumultuous journey with many innovators, even with ideas that have saved people like how Vitamin C prevents scurvy. While we know that this thinking is based on truth now, it wasn’t an overnight success back when discovered.
“The science of implementation, which is convincing people to adopt new things, is harder than the discovery science.”
What the Book: Blind Spots Means for the Future Generation
As a health nut and previous medical practitioner (albeit the mouth only), I have learned to question many medical thoughts, medications, and practices.
The authors of this book: Blind Spot were excited that the new generation of doctors is questioning
1-Can Diabetes be more effectively treated with a cooking class than by prescribing insulin?
2-Lowering high blood pressure by improving Sleep quality and reducing Stress, instead of medication.
3-Discuss school lunch programs, not just bariatric surgery and Ozempek.
4-Study the impact of body inflammation on health.
5-Treat the epidemic of loneliness by fostering communities.
6-Studying the environmental exposures that cause Cancer instead of just using chemo to treat it.
Insider detail: I have become annoyed that doctors only concentrate on chemo instead of also including Lifestyle changes for the patient. It’s NEVER just one thing.
Do You Believe These Practices?
Toward the end of the book, the authors shared 10 medical practices that are based on assumptions that have not yet been fully or properly studied. Many of them surprised me, and I’ll share 7 of them here.
- Fluoride in drinking water
- Marijana is harmless
- Tylenol for fevers
- The Holy Grail test for early cancer detection
- Annual flu shot
- Testosterone replacement for men
- Mammograms for low-risk women
Final Thoughts
Reading the book: Blind Spots was a transformative experience, not because it offered a magic fix (which it doesn’t), but because it exposes how complex the medical system is.
As patients, we only see one side of the equation, but there is a ton of activity that makes a difference behind the scenes that we know nothing about.
“Good leaders are keenly aware that their past achievements will someday be replaced. Rather than fight this inevitable process of progress, they embrace it and even encourage others to challenge them.”
I highly encourage you to pick up a copy of the book: Blind Spots. It’s a powerful reminder that while systems may falter, our ability to be open, share information, and grow remains steadfast.
Yet, even if you don’t read it, I hope you will realize that medicine may be a science, yet science is constantly evolving in what we learn and know.
Learn to question, question, question everything, and be open to differing thoughts and ideas…it may save your life.
Budget-oriented tip: My library had the book to borrow, so I suggest checking with yours before buying it.
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