This year didn’t explode.
It didn’t announce itself.
There were no sirens.
No breaking news banners.
No emergency press conferences.
But a lot changed anyway.
Quietly.
And if you weren’t paying very close attention…
you probably missed it.
This is a holiday reflection from The Dysfunction Files.
And as we head into the holidays –
that strange stretch of time when things finally slow down just enough to think –
I want to talk about patterns.
Not headlines.
Not hot takes.
Patterns.
Because when you’ve practiced medicine long enough,
you learn something pretty important:
The biggest changes rarely happen loudly.
They happen off to the side.
While everyone’s distracted.
While we’re busy, tired, or just trying to get through the day.
The Shift No one Announced
This year, I noticed something.
Not all at once.
More like a low hum in the background.
Natural options –
the quieter tools,
the lower-risk ones –
started getting treated like problems.
Not because new science suddenly emerged.
Not because patients were being harmed.
But because they didn’t fit neatly into existing systems.
And instead of thoughtful discussion…
We got blunt decisions.
I see this every day in practice.
Patients come in exhausted –
and not just physically.
They’re system-tired.
They’ve tried the standard options.
They’ve dealt with the side effects.
They’ve been told,
“This is just how it is.”
And anyone who grew up around here knows –
when someone says that,
it usually means,
“Don’t ask questions.”
And then –
often quietly,
almost apologetically –
they ask about alternatives.
Not because they’re reckless.
Not because they’re anti-anything.
But because they’re thoughtful.
They’re trying to reduce harm.
They’re trying to function.
They’re trying to feel like themselves again.
That desire didn’t suddenly appear this year.
But this year…
It started meeting more resistance.
The Common Thread
Here’s the pattern I keep seeing:
If something is:
- inexpensive
- hard to patent
- relatively safe
- empowering to patients
- and doesn’t require lifelong dependency
…it tends to make people uncomfortable.
Not patients.
Systems.
A Gentle Observation
I’m not talking about villains.
I’m talking about incentives.
Every system protects what it understands.
And anything that sits outside of that –
even if it helps people –
gets treated as suspicious.
This year, more decisions were made:
without public discussion
without nuance
without asking the clinicians who actually use these tools
And most people never heard a word about it.
The Consequence
Here’s the part that concerns me most:
When safer options are removed,
the need doesn’t disappear.
People don’t suddenly stop hurting.
They don’t stop needing sleep.
They don’t stop needing relief.
They just lose guidance.
They go underground.
They go online.
They experiment without support.
That’s not safety.
That’s silence.
A Holiday Reflection
And that’s why I wanted to talk about this now –
Not to fight.
Not to argue.
Not to whip up outrage right on Christmas.
But to notice.
Because the end of the year is when we tend to ask:
What kind of system are we building?
Who is it designed for?
And who quietly gets left behind?
One of the quiet changes that happened this year
has serious implications for patients, farmers, and small businesses –
and we’ll unpack that fully after the holidays.
Just know this:
It didn’t happen because of science.
It didn’t happen because of safety.
And it didn’t happen in the open.
Thoughts for The Last Week of 2025
This week, I hope you rest.
I hope you unplug.
I hope you’re with people who remind you
why health actually matters.
And in the new year –
We’ll talk.
Because some of these quiet changes
deserve daylight.
I’m Dr. Kristen Lindgren, and I want to thank you – truly – for being part of The Dysfunction Files.
My goal has always been to bring you stories and information that help you think more clearly about your health, and feel more confident asking questions.
If you’ve found these episodes useful, please subscribe, like, leave a comment, and most importantly, share them with someone you care about.
For a long time, medical advice was something we were expected to accept without question – handed down by “experts,” with very little room for discussion.
The last few years have reminded us that real health decisions are far more nuanced than that.
So stay skeptical.
Keep learning with me.
And remember – you are in charge of your own healthcare.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
I’ll see you in the new year.
