The concept of specialist medicine highlights just how misinformed contemporary medicine is in regard to disease/conditions and, as a consequence, limits the ability to provide effective treatment and care.
The Systemic Nature of Human Health
The human body is a complex machine comprised of multi-organ systems working in unison to maintain function and homeostasis.
In effect, any injury, disease or condition impacting one organ system can manifest and harm other organs. So, basically, diseases don't always have a single organ point of origin or manifestation.
While specialization enables deep expertise in complex fields like oncology or neurosurgery, the compartmentalization of care becomes problematic when diseases span multiple systems – a scenario increasingly common in chronic conditions.
Here lies the issue with contemporary medicine and its concept of specialist medicine.
Case Study: Psychiatry and the Gut-Brain Connection
For example, we have psychiatrists, who are specialists in mental healthcare. Certain mental health issues and conditions can originate in the gut. Since psychiatrists don't specialize in the digestive system, how can such a specialist provide effective care and treatment for all patients if they don't address certain root causes of mental health, like gut health?
The same way, hormones play a role in regulating behavior and mood. This is endocrinology, outside the specialty of psychiatrists may lack the training to address root causes outside brain chemistry in such circumstances where the root cause is hormonal issues.
Immunology and Nutritional Foundations
Another example is immunology. Again, immune function is shaped by both nutrition and gut health. These are outside the scope of the specialty of immunology. So, in circumstances where immune system issues originate in the gut, the immunologists often lack protocols to investigate nutritional origins.
Personal Experience: Cardiology and Mineral Deficiencies
One last example is cardiology. I will use myself as an example. I have ongoing chronic issues with palpitations and exercise intolerance. The cardiologist performed tests but was incapable of identifying the root cause.(While cardiologists are trained to identify structural heart issues, recent studies suggest mineral deficiencies account for ~12% of unexplained arrhythmias (Houston, 2017). In my case, standard cardiac workups overlooked this possibility, highlighting a need for broader diagnostic protocols in specialty training) Ultimately, it was a deficiency of essential minerals like magnesium and not once did the specialist cardiologist allude to the fact it could be due to a deficiency. This is a recognized problem in medicine, sometimes called "organ recital" bias.
This concept of specialist medicine requires some form of improvement if not a complete overhaul as it's not up to standard to comprehend and effectively treat diseases and conditions which have multiple origins in the body.
Any feedback or opinion on this is greatly appreciated.
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