The Medical Paradigm – Part 2

The medical paradigm presumes to know nothing of the workings of the body or of the workings of disease.

Disclaimer:-
1. I believe all doctors are responsible, ethical and caring individuals who are doing their very best for their patients. It is their paradigm I will examine, not them as individuals.
2. I believe every individual has right to make their own healthcare choices. None of my articles should be taken as medical advice. If you feel like you are not sufficiently informed to make your own choices, you should seek the advice of a qualified professional.

It might seem incredible to you that after the thousands of years of study into human anatomy and physiology, medical science is built on a model that presumes to know nothing of the workings of the human body or of disease – but it’s true.

In the scientific medical paradigm, human beings are seen as a black box, the workings of which are unknown. Disease is another black box, an understanding of which is unnecessary.

To be fair, the exact nature of biological systems are unknown. We can study what happens and copy it to an extent but we can’t make DNA or create life.

Doctors hold evidence-based medicine as the holy grail and at the top of the evidence tree is the placebo-controlled or randomised-controlled trial. Since placebo-controlled trials are really only suited to drug trials, let’s look at the next best alternative, the randomised controlled trial (RCT).

Let’s imagine for a minute that your doctor qualifies as a mechanic. Now that they practice evidence-based mechanics, when he or she examines your BMW for the cause of it failing to start, they will have to search for evidence of a successful treatment.

Being a dedicated scientist and finding that an appropriate trial has never been done, your doctor might organise their own research.

They would recruit 100 BMWs with failure to start into a study. Since the workings of BMWs is unknown, an intervention would be trialled. Half the BMWs would have their tyres replaced, and the other half would have a placebo (the tyres removed but not replaced). The researcher would not know the randomisation and the outcome would be measured independently. A positive outcome would be defined as starting for a period of 5 seconds or longer.

A statistical analysis known as a T test would be used to see if there was a difference in the average starting of each car in the intervention group as opposed to the placebo group.

Publication of the trial would not rule out the possibility that changing the tyres helps BMW starting but chances are that difference between the groups would not reach statistical significance and the null hypothesis would prevail.

Once several such studies were available, a meta-analysis would confirm there was no difference in the two groups and the practice could be dropped from the guidelines.

Meanwhile a new set of doctor/mechanics would be examining whether changing the doorhandles would help starting. They would recruit 100 BMWs with failure to start …………

Can you see why there hasn’t been a major cure or medical advance for anything discovered in the last 50 years? The current scientific method precludes it.

The real mechanic, of course, starts from a position of understanding exactly how a car works.

He or she diagnoses the weak or broken link in the chain of events necessary for the car to start, reconnects the battery and the car starts.

There is no question that the repair was due to placebo because if questioned the mechanic just says “oh yeah?” disconnects the battery and recreates the problem. In medical terms, the subject becomes their own control.

The Alternate View

The real mechanic learned their skill through careful observation of trial and error. Making reversible, non-permanent corrections until a remedy is found.

You can manage your health in the same way, albeit with a little help if you wish.

If a problem develops, something needs to change. I’m sure we do this instinctively but often run out of options because we try everything we can think of and then resort the medical paradigm.

The best way is to look for examples of success and follow them.

Look to nature, ancestry and natural wisdom for guidance as it is those practices that have stood the test of time and weathered adversity. If your actions don’t bring you the results you desire, be prepared to change your beliefs and try a new approach. (This is by far the most difficult thing for human beings to do as most people are prepared to die for their beliefs, and usually do)

Be suspicious of anything that is unnatural and above all, be persistent until you get the result you desire.

It’s your body, let’s get it working the way it should

Simon King (B.App.Sc.Chiro) DIBAK
http://www.live-without-pain.com