Imagine this scenario:
A house is on fire. The smoke alarm is going off, the flames are growing. The homeowner is outside frantically calling 911. Fire engines come roaring to the house. The firefighters go inside, step around the flames, and turn off the smoke alarm. Hopping in the fire engine to go back to the station, one firefighter says, “Well, I don’t hear the alarm anymore. Must be safe to go back in.”
Sounds absurd, right? The homeowner would be screaming “BUT THE FIRE’S STILL THERE!!!”
We would never respond this way to a fire, but we do respond this way to illness. We treat symptoms like the firefighters treated that smoke alarm – turning off the signal that warned of a bigger issue. When we only respond to symptoms (the smoke alarm) rather than root causes (the fire), illness can never truly resolve.
This brings us to naturopathic principle #4: Identify and Treat the Cause
As our fire example highlights, this seems like a straightforward idea. Yet, we see a lot of symptom management in modern medicine rather than treatment of root causes.
-Got a fever? Take a fever-reducer.
-Got pain? Take a pain-reliever.
-Got high blood pressure? Take a blood-pressure reducer.
These treatments may make people feel better, but over time they take a toll on the body.
One of the most stark examples is the use of pain pills over the long term. Reducing pain can be helpful for short periods to aid healing, but when pain medicine (opioids in particular) is continually taken over months or even years, the patient can experience everything from digestive issues to serious addiction (1).
Given the obvious problems of this approach, why does it persist in modern medicine?
Lack of time and tools.
Humans are fascinatingly complex. Finding the root cause takes time and individualized care. Yet, modern medicine prioritizes efficiency. This efficiency requires short appointment times and standardized treatments. This is very useful for urgent needs and life-saving interventions. Not so useful for chronic illness or disease prevention..
Also, most of the tools of modern medicine are intended for symptom relief. Conventional treatments aren’t often designed to correct root causes of illness. Think of it this way: If all you have is a wrench, then problems that require a screwdriver will go untouched. Perhaps you’ll use the wrench in a creative way, but it sure would be easier to have that screwdriver!
It’s the same in medicine. If the tools for treating the root cause aren’t in your healthcare provider’s toolbox, then we can’t expect them to effectively treat the root cause.
Naturopathic doctors offer a different approach:
Naturopathic doctors take their time. Many spend 1-2 hours with new patients and an hour on follow up visits. This time allows for genuinely treating the whole person which uncovers overlooked causes of disease.
Naturopathic doctors have different tools. Nutrition, lifestyle changes, natural remedies– these are the tools that support processes that the body uses to heal itself . Naturopathic doctors are trained experts in natural tools that have the power to reach root causes.
There is a time and a place to treat the symptoms. Symptoms can be life threatening and destructive. Modern medicine has significantly eased pain and rescued many lives. But we should not stop at rescue. Let’s press on to identify and treat the cause so that we not only survive but thrive!
What issues have you dealt with by looking deeper for the cause? Feel free to comment below!
References:
1) Baldini, A., Von Korff, M., & Lin, E. H. (2012). A Review of Potential Adverse Effects of Long-Term Opioid Therapy: A Practitioner’s Guide. The primary care companion for CNS disorders, 14(3), PCC.11m01326. https://doi.org/10.4088/PCC.11m01326