Disease Lables

This morning while catching up on my journal reading, I came across a very well written article by Dr. Mark Hyman, M.D., titled “The Right Order of Things:  Peeling the Onion of Chronic Disease.”  It describes so well my beliefs about why we become ill and what can be done to allow our bodies to heal.

Dr. Mark Hyman says, “illness is never simply one discrete process or dysfunction.”  This goes against what we have been taught.  I can hear my mom say, “honey, don’t go out side until your hair is dry or you will catch a cold.”  Bet you can think of more saying like this one.  We have been taught that illness is based on an isolated event.  And, it may appear that this is true – someone sneezes in your face and the next morning you wake up with a cold.  But… did you really get this cold because of the sneeze?

Dr. Hyman tells us that it is a “bundle” – meaning a combination of events, traits, and triggers.  He says, it’s “a patient’s whole life, from genetics to beliefs and how those influences are layered to create the thing we call disease.”  This is a new approach from the traditional medical model of gathering a patient’s social and medical history, current state of symptoms, physical exam, and lab results and matching them with a code from a book of disease labels – better known as the ICD-9.  This new approach, called Functional Medicine, looks at the whole picture of the individual based on the unique set of facts and findings that have created the condition.

This is the key - “condition” – not “disease label.”  As Americans we are so quick to label, create separation and place judgment.  It is our way of categorizing, organizing and understanding things.  But, is this limiting us and narrowing our view?  In the case of health and illness, it is a huge limitation to our understanding and narrows our options for recovery.

As parents, we must open our minds, let go of limiting beliefs, and expand our options to meet the health challenges our kids face today.  Question every treatment solution and challenge the system in finding the best fit for your unique situation.

If you are interested in reading the full article by Dr. Mark Hyman, M.D., it can be found in the journal, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, Mar/Apr 2009, VOL. 15, NO. 2.