Various systems of medicine have developed around the world and each possesses its own unique character, emphasis and approach. The overall “shape” of each system reflects in many ways the dominant cultural, political, economic and philosophical forces at work in its country of birth, and it is thus that we have the so-called “Eastern” and “Western” systems of medicine.
These geographic blocks can be broken down further, into systems that can be differentiated largely by the time of their birth, though those lines are blurred to the degree that the older systems maintain relevance and continue to be used in later eras.
Medical interventions either have an effect on the channels which allow for the flow of the vital force through man or they are of no effect. With pharmaceutical drug based interventions there is often talk of “side effects, but to me there is no such thing. Effects, whether desired, unwanted or unintended, are effects. If there are unwanted effects, the intervention is not sufficiently targeted.
That said, the perfect or most judicious and rational intervention may not resolve the disease condition. It may instead remove a layer of the imbalance, causing the body to adopt a new adaptive response. If the physician is sufficiently understanding of the individual case of disease, as revealed through the totality of its symptoms, such shifts are not cause for alarm, instead, they may be a signal from the body that progress is being made toward restored health.
Gregory Hake 
Thanks Gregg for your thought provoking words. Makes me want to consider the adaptive responses of the body as well as how it can be assisted toward a state of greater health. The observation of causes and effects is an intriquing consideration.
LikeLike
I absolutely agree with the idea that effects are effects, whether intended or unintended. Modern medicine has become very one-size-fits-all with its approach to health, and also a bit callous about these unintended effects. While doctors sometimes need to be very firm with their patients, that is not the same as either not knowing about the totality of someone’s issues or being so busy that the patient cannot be seen as a whole. Part of this is because of medicine’s increased specializations, and part of it is the culture. We still have a long way to go until everyone can experience a truly individualized model of healthcare.
LikeLike
I loved your point, “If there are unwanted effects, the intervention is not sufficiently targeted” and I am sure that there are many in the medical field who feel the same. There is no lack of resources or intelligence available to figure these things out. The question is, do we accept things as they are or are we willing to ask questions and to step outside of the confines of what’s generally accepted to reach that desired goal of truly restoring health?
LikeLike
At the “Chiropractic Health and Wellness Center” we currently have a huge sign out front that reads..on one side…”The Side Effect of Taking Drugs is a loss of life” and on the other….”The Side Effect of our Care is Life”
It certainly takes a depth of understanding to appreciate the increase of the symptoms which are a part of a deeper causal chain. Wise are the caregivers who can reassure and keep patients on the path of progress, despite their desire to abort and deal swiftly with the symptoms, driving the pattern deeper.
Your vision for a healthy world has restored my view on these matters, may progress continue!
LikeLike
This post is a great example of why we each are ultimately responsible for understanding our health care options. When faced with health challenges we can’t just deliver ourselves to someone to fix us. With all the different disciplines available to us we have to become informed consumers. I think most people do more research when buying a car than on their own health care treatment options. Often it is fear that makes us an easy mark in this area. Thanks for the series, really interesting.
LikeLike
Great question! Cynacism isn’t my usual response but in this case I suggest we follow the money and we may find the answer.
LikeLike
I was giving a couple of lectures to a group of doctors this past week where we were discussing these very same things. Various astute physicians across the globe have been trumpeting the call towards a greater understanding of bodily symptoms, where illness can be seen as a biologically goal-oriented process designed to return the organism to a state of balance. What naturally follows then is that our medicines we select must work with this process and not interfere with it, for when the process of repair, gets prematurely aborted, we should expect consequences that have lasting negative effects oftentimes much worse than the original problem. We use the word ‘suppressive’ to describe any intervention which interrupts the cycle of healing that is at work in the body. In this context, side effects merely reflect those direct effects which are unfavourable, and fingers get crossed to present safety data to highlight that the risk to benefit ratio provides more benefit than risk. In my opinion, this is a slippery slope at best.
The body innately senses the least tiny irritations to itself, and quickly works to either remove the irritation if it can or repair any damage that has been done. Within this framework of understanding, common assumptions are directly challenged such as the role of bacteria, whether it really is a cause of disease or perhaps they have a different role to play in the disease process.
Our perspectives, beliefs and premises about the world around us very much influence the direction we take in all things, including our sciences and medical practices. I am encouraged in the people I meet and work with every single day for these real people, lay and professional alike, are challenging these premises as I am too, because we all are seeing great inconsistencies in the business and practice of medicine today and it’s simply not correct to continue with erronious biases and conflicting agendas when you are considering the health and well-being of any individual. Life is sacred and deserves our highest respect, care and attention for anything less will always create unfavourable consequences which ripple out far and wide.
LikeLike
We sadly live in a culture where money, and the accumulation of it, has become the sole goal of many of those doing business. Money has become power, and there seems to be no division between the two. One would hope that pharmaceutical companies would be driven by the true desire to heal. However, what we know of the past behaviors of such businesses can not help but make us wonder about this. How often has effects of taking certain drugs been hidden from the public, and yet were known by it’s creators? Everything absorbed into the body, no matter what form it takes, or how it is introduced, has “effects” on the body, and the mind as well, since there is no division between these two. When speaking of “side effects”, don’t you wonder which side they are speaking of. Only when healing is attempted honoring the individual and the healer, can what “is” already be changed, the energy corrected as it were. We have much yet to be learned about true healing.
LikeLike
Excellent points!
LikeLike