But… Why do Doctors do that?

“But … Why?”

“Because I told you so.”

“No, really. Why do you and other doctors do that?”

“I don’t really have a good reason … it’s just what I’ve always done. It’s what I’ve been trained to do.”

“Do you really think that is a good enough reason to continue to do that?”

“I have done this for years and it seems to be working, and my patients wouldn’t understand if I did anything differently. They are used to ________. And it’s what most other doctors do – even though there have been several studies that have thrown question on whether or not it does any good. You know ‘standard-of-care’ is how they judge me in the legal realm…doing anything other than ‘standard’ might be frowned upon by my colleagues even though it would be better for my patients.”

“Is that really how you want to live your life…. Is that really why you went to Medical School, took the Oath and did all that training? Is that a professional life you will be proud of having lived?”

“You are really annoying, you know. I would just like for you to shut up and let me Diagnose illnesses and treat people. That way I can make a living for my family, pay off these medical school debts, and not have to admit I don’t have an answer to the deep ‘WHY’ questions.  I can be a therapeutic nihilist and not really expect people to get better… because it is not really  my job to help them get better… it’s my job to do illness management.   It might be ‘cookbook medicine’ but it is what I am expected to do.”

“Oh, yea. But the problem is you don’t believe that is the way it works anymore. The old “Name the disease, Blame the disease, and Tame the disease with some highly marketed drug Game” is hogwash and you know it. You know that each individual is unique, and that the only thing that really juices you is finding and treating the underlying causes of illness. Face it, you have seen lives changed by treating the cause and you are forever ruined for the “Script ‘em and Street ‘em” routine again.”

“Arrrrggggghhhhh! Can’t you just let me be a doctor?”

“That’s exactly what I’m trying to get you to do.”

“So this is not the end of this conversation?”

“Nope, only the beginning. Buckle-up. It’s going to be a bumpy ride. Deepening in your understanding of what in your practice comes as a result of Medical Training (how to “do” doctoring) and what comes as a result of  Medical Education (how to “be” the ever-learning inquisitive, discerning physician) won’t come easy, but it will be worth it for both you and your patients.  There are whole fields of thought, traditional approaches, epi-genetic influences, alternative modalities, metabolic healing, health-response-able living, proactive medicine, nutritional therapies, complexity theory…. you will likely become obsessed with the process of health creation.  Isn’t that what you went to medical school for?    Isn’t that why doctors all across our nation are changing how they practice?”

“Are you sure you won’t just go away?”

“But, Why ?”