In Search For a Better Way...
Dr. Ivan Edwards (DO, FAAPMR, FRSA) is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and simultaneously accepted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (UK). He is... more
Pills, medicines, and more medicines. They may tame diseases, but they don’t solve the problem. They may suppress the symptoms, but they do not address the root causes of diseases. They may offer temporary relief, but they do not offer lasting healing. I tell my potential patients, “Come see me when you are ready for a change. You have to be sick and tired of being sick and tired." Medicine today focuses on symptoms, but not on the root causes of diseases. We need to go beyond disease “management” and embrace prevention. We need to go beyond treating the effects and start preventing the causes. We need to look at the whole person, not just the parts.
Prevention is better than cure, but it is often ignored. Preventing diabetes and hypertension, for example, is much cheaper than dealing with their consequences, such as strokes, kidney failure, amputations, and neuropathy. If one took preventive measures to avoid diabetes, one would save a lot of money and suffering. Health is wealth. Sickness is expensive. Treating mere symptoms is like putting a band-aid on a wound. It may cover it up, but it doesn’t heal it. And the wound may get worse. Giving you a pill to treat you may not be the real solution. Helping you to avoid needing a pill is a better solution. However, prevention requires work from the patient. It requires commitment, discipline, and lifestyle changes. You must be ready and willing to work for your health and wellness.
