What have I learned from this thread? Possibly that some people reckon all doctors are bossy and arrogant. I'm married to one and she is bossy, but instead of being arrogant, I would say she is infuriatingly correct, even though at times I might not wish to hear it.

Doctors do have the problem of not always being heard or their evidence based advice being compared to an airhead in a beauty magazine who says something different. I don't blame the vast majority for not wanting to debate nonsense. Either something works for you or it doesn't. Ben Goldacre in his many newspaper articles and his excellent book Bad Science points out that placebo effect is about 20% Which means even if something that is moonshine such as homeopathy, one in five people will get a positive effect from it.

If Patsy feels not going to see a doctor is the answer, I would agree. After all, a doctor is interested in your healthcare needs, not your unfulfilled aspirations.

I drink more than I should, eat a little more than I should, and not always of the healthiest items, and exercise? Well, I could do better. I feel OK. I really do. But, and this is the important bit; the advice a doctor would give me to change my lifestyle is still good objective advice, even if I might not want to heed it.