As a pediatrician, my philosophy has always been that patients get the best medical care when they understand their medical care. They need to know what their diagnosis is, what the natural course of their illness is, what treatment can and can't accomplish for them, what the risks of their treatment are and what the risks of not following their doctor's advice are, what alternative treatments are available, and what the names and purposes of each of their medications are. When patients receive and understand this information they can become active partners in their care.
Some patients prefer to just be told what to do.
The mystery of their doctor's advice makes it seem more like magic and their doctor more like a powerful healer. The problem with this approach is that these patients often make mistakes in following their physician's advice. And they may stop their treatment the minute they feel better because they don't understand. A pearl is a tidbit of valuable information. Some of these pearls are just interesting or useful information, while others will save you from a major anxiety attack when you find that little scary whatchamacallit on your child.