I’m torn about this now. I used to cautiously support the practice of double checking your doc, but not wholeheartedly because of all the various quacks: essential oil moms, natural/spiritual healers, psychics, supplement sellers, crystal therapists, “old school” (pre-COVID) antivaxers and so on, muddying the water.

Until COVID came around and unearthed the absolute hoards of dO yOuR oWn ReSeArCh imbeciles. Now the sensible practice of getting a second opinion and exploring other options/doctors has been mixed up with the kooks: extreme politics and actual conspiracy theories, to the point where it’s hard to take any of it seriously.

When someone now says they don’t trust doctors, you have to dig deeper to understand if it’s someone genuinely seeking out other options, or if it’s one of Those People who’ve gone off the deep end.