Where Western Medicine FAlls Short
Western medicine, while often effective and scientifically rigorous, does not always provide comprehensive solutions to all patient questions and concerns. One of the limitations lies in its reductionist approach, focusing on isolating specific symptoms and treating them with targeted interventions. This approach overlooks the interconnected nature of the human body and the complex interplay of various factors contributing to health issues. As patients, we often find ourselves seeking answers beyond the conventional medical model, especially when faced with chronic conditions with unknown or murky origins.
Additionally, Western medicine falls into the trap of treating symptoms, rather than the individual. Symptoms are warning signs, they are what is causing us DISease, not why we have a disease. If we treat the warning signs while overlooking the root causes, we are setting ourselves up for certain disaster in the long run. It is like having a check engine light in your car, and instead of taking your car into the shop or trying to find out the problem for yourself, you simply cut the wire to the warning light. The warning light is off, but the problem still remains. Even greater problems will happen soon.
Western medicine’s emphasis on external interventions and pharmaceutical solutions downplays the body's innate ability to heal and the interconnected nature of mind, body, and spirit. In Classical Chinese Medicine, healing is seen as not only a physical process, but a process that requires balance of mind, body and spirit. Our bodies possess remarkable resilience and the ability to self-regulate and heal. Having a profound felt sense of the miracle that is the human body, and its ability to heal itself when nature is balanced within it is crucial in facilitating the healing process. In Western medicine, patients are conditioned to see what is wrong with their bodies, and to fear what ailments lurk around the corner waiting to harm them. What many western medicine practitioners fail to realize is that there is an immense cost to the health of patients when this conditioning is present.
‘Heroic’ western medicine is a miracle brought to us by science inquiry and technological development. It has saved countless lives, and when used appropriately, it is nothing short of a miracle. I have witnessed this firsthand when emergency docs saved the life of my then 1 year old daughter. But, with heroic western medicine and its miracles, we are convinced into thinking it can save us from all of our ailments. This is very far from the truth. It is incumbent upon us as individuals to discern when is time and place for western medicine, and when we need to look at things from a more holistic perspective. As I go deeper and deeper into my own healing journey, both personally and professionally, I discover more and more that our bodies hold most of the answers. Answers on how to solve a problem “in house” as well as when to seek outside help, and what help to seek. AND, if I spiral fracture my femur tomorrow falling off my roof, it’s safe bet that I’ll be heading straight to the hospital for some heroic western medicine.