I have come to think that generally, doctors are only needed in emergencies. That is if we take responsibility for our own health rather than relying on medicine. I think we as Americans are over-medicated and sick, and that is because of our reliance on doctors rather than ourselves.

I see people running off to the doctor for the strangest things. They hardly have a symptom and off they go. I have to go because of the back condition I have but when my personal physician wants to see me every 3 months I balk like a bull on running day. Why should I go to the doctor when I'm fine? I see enough doctor's as it is and take medications that would kill a horse...all prescribed by my pain management people not my regular doc. I really get nuts when I have to go because I don't HAVE to go! It's wasteful and unnecessary until something is wrong. And even then, wait a bit until you can establish if it's just a cold or something else. If it's something else, go with all due speed so you don't infect me!

Like any other service, we use them because we cannot or choose not to do something ourselves.

Mostly, I go to my regular doctor to get prescriptions for things I cannot get OTC or naturally. Most people also prefer not to go to the doc unless something is bad enough they cannot handle it.

Admittedly, there are some overzealous parents who take their kids in at every sniffle or sneeze. But, likewise, there are those who refuse to pay or just aren't good enough parents to bother taking their kids in until its too late and the child ends up hospitalized--thousands of dollars of expenses which could have been just a small bill by preventative measures.

One thing I do know that we do too much is rely on antibiotics. However, that is still subject to debate and personal opinion.