I always thought that doctors know exactly what was wrong with me and could definitely give me the right treatment.
It was when I was older that I realised diagnosis is never 100% accurate or sure. Many illnesses have the same symptoms and doctors have to eliminate possibilities and start with common illnesses first as they have higher probabilities of being right.
When I had sore throat I thought the only way to cure it was to take antibiotics. Otherwise nothing helps to get rid of that irritating feeling.
I grown to know that antibiotics can only kill bacteria and flu are caused by virus which only my immune system can fight. Any flu or fever medicine are just to relieve the symptoms and make me feel better.
I used to think that having a fever means I have caught a cold, ie, didn’t cover myself with a blanket at night or getting drenched in the rain.
Overtime I learned that having a fever is a sign that my antibody is acting up because of some undesirable and even malicious foreign entities in my body. And taking Panadol is just to relieve rather than to cure.
We can install all kinds of information, right or wrong, into our heads unknowingly. They can come from our society, parents, teachers, TV, friends etc. It doesn’t only apply to medicine but every facet of our lives. And it isn’t easy to change our thoughts because we believe them to be true even if they aren’t. So we cannot be right. We can only be less wrong.