Practitioners of complementary medicine (alternative
medicine, herbal medicine, homeopathy, naturopathy, acupuncture, etc.) always
know what to do. That’s because all follow a theory that explains (1) what
causes illness and (2) the proper treatment. This is very satisfying.
Doctors like me don’t have a theory of disease. I
hate to say we use science because many people – some with college degrees –
believe “scientists” are like “Episcopalians” or “Republicans.” They hold
certain opinions, but it’s OK to have other opinions. It’s a free country.
Rather than say doctors are scientific I like to say
we search for the truth. We try to find out what makes people sick and then
what works to help. This is hard. Throughout history everyone assumed that the
best doctors were wise, but this isn’t so. Wise doctors throughout history
answered big questions, but they were usually wrong. Hippocrates came up with a
few gems that everyone quotes, but most of his advice is garbage or the usual
platitudes doctors deliver when they don’t understand what’s going on (avoid
stress, eat nutritious food,…).
By searching for the truth (remember that’s another
word for science) doctors have turned up miracles. An appendectomy or a kidney
transplant is a miracle. The same is true for antibiotics, vitamin B12,
immunization, anesthesia, even the discovery of germs (no wise man in any other
culture came up with the idea that tiny bugs cause disease).
Doctors work miracles but not all the time; surgeons
do better than medical doctors. I help most patients, but I don’t save lives
often. When I do, I write about it here.
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