Chasing the Symptoms

To be ignorant of one's ignorance is the malady of the ignorant.—Amos Bronson Alcott

Medicine, under the conventional way it's been understood, is the body of knowledge and system dealing with health in the way of treating symptoms. Medical practitioners like doctors, shamans, herbalists, etc, are often looked at as an authority on matters of health whether this is justified or not. You could say all of the knowledge which some of them have learned is wrong and is continually becoming obsolete as data from new research invalidates previous claims. Yes, this is definitely an issue, yet I believe the more disinterested practitioners try not to loose of sight knowing it's a dynamic and ever changing art.

Something that seems to be never asked, always assumed to be true, is whether or not medicine in general is the wrong approach or even if it's effective with dealing with the root problem of health. Judging by the endless amounts of money being pumped by governments, organizations, and individual donations for further research and technological advancements, you would think that humans would be healthier than ever. This is far from the case, even though some diseases like Polio have been "eradicated" not even mentioning why they came to be in the first place, physical conditions like cancer and heart disease have accelerated in the so-called developed countries. In the end it's obviously apparent to me that the whole thing is a perpetual racket to treat the symptoms of bad health enough to sustain the functioning of a medical industrial complex; but not go deep enough which would get rid of it all, costing jobs and revenue from the various industries and individuals that benefit from it's continual existence.

The bigger concern and one that impacts nearly everyone is the psychological health of humanity. I believe a truly holistic and interdisciplinary approach to health is the only way humanity can get to the root of any "medical" and indeed all physiological problems including the more important one of how we deal with one another. As a civilization, we often assume progress is constant, especially in technology, so it's thought that society is equipped to deal with problems in the same manner other problems have been dealt with, consequently keeping us in a feedback loop of ignorance.

Don't get me wrong, if certain unfortunate circumstances leaves you with an ailment that can only be handled with antibiotics, herbs, or some other immediate medical intervention, then by all means go for it, standing firm toward your principles in this case would be irrational. Nevertheless, it's important be humble and realize medicine like any political action, is the art of chasing the symptoms of sickness, not one which seeks to make us into healthy individuals.

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