Job Discussion Forums

[elkarlo]

I live a wild and fast lifestyle, well one that doesn't involve the gay clubs in case you're wondering.

I hear a lot about Japanese docs, giving out junky "medicine" and such. Or that the problem is that the patient is fat. Recently I froze my shoulder, and had to get some injections to fix it up. If that happened in Japan, would I be able to get injections or an actual cure? or would I get some weak aspirin, and told to go on a diet?

I have gotten to the point where I know a good deal of medical terms, and can converse with the doc, and get what I need, with little side trips or second visits.

What can i expect from Japanese doctors, especially when I have an injury?

[Glenski]

What does "junky" mean? Asian herbal medicine? Voodoo? Placebos? Dosages in Japan are lower than in the west, so many people complain the medicine doesn't work as well, and I suspect this is one cause.

As for hearing that doctors blame patients' problems on being fat, totally ridiculous. Who feeds you (no pun intended) this cr@p, anyway?

If you are working here and have medical insurance, you can expect to get treated. Specific treatment depends on the diagnosis. Pre-existing conditions are usually not covered, so don't say much about getting injections for this.

[JL]

[Apsara]

I was unimpressed with my first visits to an ordinary hospital clinic and dentist here when I first came to Japan, so being the chicken that I am, ever since then I have only gone to clinics aimed at expats- both my GP and dermatologist are in clinics in Roppongi, and I also go to a dentist who speaks English and trained overseas.

The language barrier isn't as much of an issue these days, but I dislike the way most dentists here will have you come back over and over just to get a filling or have your teeth cleaned- I want to have it all over and done with in one visit.

Being a bit of a light-weight I find that Japanese medicine dosages are plenty strong enough for me, but other people say this isn't the case for them. I did wonder why I needed 3 different kinds of medication for an earache and why some of them weren't labelled at all- just anonymous white powders.

I hate going to the doctor in any case and will stay away until I absolutely have to go for something (only three times in the last 8 years), so it makes me feel better somehow if I can see an English-speaking doctor. Living out in the wilds of Chiba there you might not want to come all the way into central Tokyo though, which is where most of them are. Many of them also do not accept National Health Insurance.

[natsume]

I've been lucky, I know, but my experience here has been a vast improvement over the HMO hacks I had gotten used to in the states. My general practicioner diagnosed an endocrinological problem that had been misdiagnosed, and actually mistreated medicinally, by my doctor in California for a number of years. He sent me to an endocrinologist who speaks English and regularly attends conferences in the states, and after about 14 months of proper attention and treatment the problem is nearly resolved.

Yes, both of my doctors tell me I need to lose some weight, but they are using the same body mass index my doctors in the states used. When I saw the GP recently, I had a cold, and mentioned the flu bug that was sweeping my school, and he asked me if I wanted to test for the flu virus, which I didn't, but the point is, he gave me a choice.

Both of my doctors are very patient, take great pains to explain things to me in detail (my GP and I make do with our language limitations), and I never feel rushed. I feel far more taken care of here, medically, than I have in many, many years.

Again, I know I have been lucky, but I'm just saying, it can happen.

I hope I am not now accused of living in a magical never never land full of rainbows and unicorns.

[elkarlo]

[elkarlo]

[Apsara]

Cider pollen? You mean pollen from fermented apple liquor? I think you mean cedar pollen (sorry, couldn't resist, it's the proofreader in me )

I am lucky enough not to be affected much by it, even after years here, although there's something in autumn that makes me sneezy. Friends of mine are affected so badly by the cedar pollen though that they leave the country for a month or more at this time.

[elkarlo]

[elkarlo]

[elkarlo]

[JL]

I've found myself commenting quite a bit on many of the negative aspects of Japan, recently. So I won't dwell on this. But I've had the exact same experience as Apsara at the dentist. Thirteen (13!) visits to have a tooth repaired --and no apparent end in sight until I finally put my foot down. And I could go on about things like this, and worse, but I'll abstain. Just try out different doctors, dentists, etc. until you find ones with whom you feel you have a repport. That way, at least you'll "believe" you're receiving good treatment.

[elkarlo]

[Glenski]

[JL]