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I used to be a doctor. You know, a physician. Someone who had patients he cared for, looked after. Someone to whom people came for help because they didn’t feel good or they were scared or confused or injured. No longer. Now the health insurance industry tells me I’m a health care provider. I no longer have patients, because people like you, who used to be patients, have become customers. In this book, you will get a better understanding of what is involved in becoming a doctor. I also share with you the paradox of the doctor-patient relationship: While the patient comes to the doctor in need of his scientific expertise and guidance, it is the patient who teaches the vital courses in humanity that supplement the doctor’s science. The physician’s training coupled with these life lessons put the physician in the best position to help you make decisions about your care. The doctor-patient relationship is growing distant. Estrangement is usually born of misinformation as are prejudice and envy and violence. I want you to understand physicians better. The best doctors become the best by listening to their patients. I’ve tried to listen. Here is what I’ve learned.