What is a “Rogue Doctor”?

re: ethics in medicine
re: Peer Review of Medical/Scientific Papers has become a Farce Driven by Political and Financial Concerns

Real science is never settled, and anyone who has certainty on such things is not qualified to discuss it.

As far as I can tell, a rogue doctor (as used by the “news” today) is a doctor who:

• Strictly and respectfully follows the most core tenet of medicine (“first, do no harm”). Particularly for the vulnerable, such as children.
• Is willing to say “I don’t know”.
• Recognizes that some psychological harms can be far worse than some physical harms or risks.
• Regularly questions dogmatic medical beliefs with weak foundations, at least inside his/her own head.
• Recognizes the standard of care guidelines as deeply flawed when mechanistically applied to individuals.
• Understands that individuals are not the same as epidemiological datasets.
• Understands that anecdotal cases can be either worthless or highly valuable, because individuals and specific facts matter. Understands that if something works, it works, and that’s what matters for a specific patient. And that it might work for others.
• Understands that harm comes in many forms, can be short or long term, and can by physical and psychological. And that no doctor and noone could ever anticipate what can happen in a highly complex biological system.
• Understands that mind and body are inseparable.
• Maintains a high-level of skepticism of pharmacological treatments vs lifestyle changes.
• Engages in critical thinking. Sadly, many doctors I’ve met are memorization drones and that’s as far as it goes. Wisdom and insight benefit from a wide base of knowledge across many fields (rare!), but do not stem from it.
• Strives for risk assessment in every individual case. And not by a formulaic standard of care guideline.
• Is always looking for a better way to treat patients, to cure the issue and not just mask it.
• Continually learns about nutrition and applies it in practice.
• Does not work for an institution.

A “good” doctor today must lack most of the above qualities or at least hide them.

The nail that stands up gets hammered down by the employer and the state medical board and the insurance companies and his/her peers. Being a doctor today is surely one of the most difficult professions imaginable.