Why are there so many discrepancies between doctors?

Question

For example when you have a slipped disc one says:

lay in bed - the other sais do exercises

lay on a flat board- don't do it

swim - don't swim

have the operation- the operation is not necessery

physio will help- physiotherapy won't help

etc etc

why can't they make up their minds so we can trust them better

Answer 1

Because they are only human and they all have different opinions, sometimes older doctors have been taught different things from younger ones.  People forget that medicine isn't an exact science.

Answer 2

When one type of treatment has proven benefit over others, there's more consistency. In the case of lumbar disc disease, none has shown consistent results, so recommendations are based on pure judgment without scientific backing. On the other hand, if your disc disease were to degrade into an acute cauda equina syndrome, there's no doctor who wouldn't recommend immediate surgery.

Answer 3

Medical opinions among various specialities differ on the same operation. For example: Tonsillectomy.

Most tonsillectomies are performed on children, although many are also performed on teenagers and adults. The number of tonsillectomies in the United States has dropped significantly from several million in the 1970s to approximately 600,000 in the late 1990s. This has been due in part to more stringent guidelines for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. Still, debate about the usefulness of tonsillectomies continues. Not surprisingly, the otolaryngology literature is usually pro-tonsillectomy, whereas the pediatric literature has the opposing view.

Answer 4

because all doctors have different opinions.

Answer 5

Its because they all read different journals and new scientific studies are released everyday that contradict each other.  

Answer 6

In countries like the UK, doctors are given a free reign in their job. You are pretty much at the mercy of your GP and can only hope that he/she is right.

I grew up in Soviet Union, where the whole health care system was unified and standartisied. You could rely on the doctor completely because he was just the tool of the medical system that played a major role in that country. Even today, a lot of Brits go to Europe for treatment, not only because it's cheaper but also because European doctors are better experts.