Healing is a return to self-sustained equilibrium. Healing is a process, not a medication. The longer we can maintain a self-sustained equilibrium, the better chance we have of living a long and healthy life. Chronic disease develops overs years to decades, and symptoms are often not apparent until late in the disease process. In frustrating but elegant symmetry, healing occurs on a similar time frame.
Discussion
Because of this symmetry, the earlier a disease is found, the easier it can be treated. Preventing disease by focusing on the pillars of health, specifically diet, exercise, sleep, and mood (mental health) is even better. Unfortunately, all the incentives imposed on physicians limit their ability to appropriately treat chronic disease.
There is a role for medication in medicine. Congenital disease can result in the complete malfunction of a vital function, such as in type 1 diabetes. Medication is often necessary in this case. The body has a remarkable ability to heal itself, but sometimes irreversible damage occurs, either from untreated chronic disease or a severe traumatic accident, and medication may be necessary in these cases. And while a disease process may be reversible, medication may be indicated to help mitigate further damage while healing takes place. Americans, though, are prescribed far more medications than in other countries, but without measurable benefit in key indicators, such as life expectancy, and this is because of the paradigm forced upon us by corporate and political influence.
The symptoms of disease are not the disease and focusing on treating the symptoms allows the disease process to progress while masking the outward manifestations. The paradigm of modern medicine fails because treatment starts too late and it focuses on the superficial manifestations of a disease rather than the underlying cause. Rates of chronic disease and their personal and societal costs will continue to increase unless we make significant changes in our approach to treatment and healing.