Medical science, is the science and practice that devotes itself to diagnose, treat,
possibly prevent disease, and maintain human health and to avoid 'premature' or preventable death.
Traditionally, medicine has been seen as both a science and an artform and the word medicine
comes from Latin Ars Medicina, which means just medicine.
While biomedicine (biochemistry, histology), pharmacology, pathology, clinical medicine, surgery
and research, etc. forms the foundation of medical science as well as its correct application.
The findings of these sciences through proven experience are the task of the therapist.
In addition successful pain relief and comfort presupposes the ability of the practitioner
to use their human feelings for interpersonal mirroring: Empathy.
Health/Disease
The obvious simple way of defining health is the absence of ill health (disease).
Without conceptual 'disease', the concept of health has no meaning whatsoever.
So health is the desirable side of the duality health / disease.
The next step is to define disease - it becomes a bit more complicated. ;-)
WHO World Helath Organization
When the WHO enters the picture, it becomes obviously political and ambitious.
Health, according to WHO:
"The highest possible well-being of the individual,
physical, spiritual, psychological and social, and not only in the absence of disease. "
Now the entertainment industry, the clergyman and the politician joined the equation.
And, of course, these have a role to play, but often by destroying the health of people
through conflicts, war, greed and religious nonsense.
As they write 'highest possible' it can be interpreded in two ways:
1. Theoretically highest achievable.
It is probably only a very small elite that is covered by this ambition if any.
2. The most realistic.
This is where we get to work.
We doctors have to take care of 'disease'
Politicians can take care of the rest:
Psysic, mental, and social well-being.
If we for the time being ignore the possible efforts of the healthcare system (return to that later)
we will in the meantime ask the politicians for the following health promotion efforts:
Physical Health
Here we ask for absolutely basic conditions:
Access to clean air and water,
Garbage collection and drainage systems,
Education and equal rights for the world's women.
Transport and communication systems.
Spiritual Health
Education and Equal Rights for the world´s women.
Liberation from religion.
Physic Health
Education and equal rights for the world's women.
To live in reality
Social Health
Education and equal rights for the world's women.
Democracy and freedom of speech.
Impact on crime.
So what is disease
Lentile Disease (Apparent Device Error) and subjective ill health (feeling sick)
Both can occur in the category: Patients.
In order to be called a patient, however, one must have a relationship with a therapist.
Without a doctor, no patient and vice versa.
A measurable variable, as a likelihood of a current
or postponed impaired well-being can be called a 'disease risk factor'
The holder of one or more of such may be called sick.
On the other hand, one might postpone talk about disease
untill the reduced well-being (feeling sick) occurs?
Is a tablet-treated hypertonic 'sick' if the treatment results
in his blood pressure remains within the normal range?
- However, he has both 'diagnosis' and 'treatment'.
As long as he is in control and / or taking his medicine
He has a relationship with a therapist and is therefore a patient.
The treatment is considered to neutralize his risk factor.
Is the symptom-free type II diabetic ill as long as he manages to keep a normal blood sugar?
He has a diagnosis, but only treatment in the form of lifestyle intervention.
If he performs his glucose controls himself without engaging medical care professionals
Then not even he can be called patient.
When, in the process can one say that disease (depression) occurs,
in a chronic misantrope, who daily finds evidence of the meaninglessness of life
and his own total worthlessness, next to him
manage to convince himself completely and take his life?
The congregation of more or less well-defined states,
with the associated 'numbers' found in ICD-10 is the 'official'
'requirement list' to attach a person a 'diagnosis' ...
and thus treat the person with a disease
(ICD International Classification of Disease)
So is disease a condition that occurs in a patient?
Is a patient, a person with a condition occurring in the ICD-10?
Patient only has meaning in the duality of patient / therapist.
A person who seeks a therapist becomes patient at the moment she accepts
to be ill (get a diagnosis) and to receive treatment.
Sickness is an adjective. It can be used to describe myself (subject)
or something / someone else / other (object).
Who determines if I'm sick?
Is a wheelchair-related rheumatologist ill if she does not consider it herself?
If I am in a state of severely impaired well-being .... feeling sick.
Am I not sick at all, if my surroundings refuse to call me sick?
or if my therapist does not find a number in ICD-10 that suits me?
Condition where you find a visible or measurable defect in the body such as pneumonia,
appendicitis, bone fracture, anemia, hormone disorder, or heart failure
make the doctor happy. Then he has a well-known diagnosis and a well-proven, often effective treatment.
Relatively easily diagnosed diseases with measurable body defects including metastasis
cancer in stomach, breast or prostate, advanced COPD, etc. however, has no good forecast,
as effective treatment with safe elimination is missing, so the doctor becomes less happy.
The least happy, the doctor becomes when he meets a patient with long-term (several years of duration)
pronounced symptoms and disorders from multiple organ or body areas,
Where in-depth body scans and sampling all fall within
the statistical normal area so he fails to find a suitable ICD number
and that he knows from experience that all treatment proposals are futile.
These latter states are often called 'cultural diseases'.
Disease sensation of shorter duration: Less than 2 months and where there is no significant
investigation findings to establish a known diagnosis are called 'Ailments'
These represent about 30% of all outpatient visits.
However, many of these patients still leave the treatment of the therapist with a "diagnosis" not found in the ICD
Examples of this are:
Different cataracts in the stomach, throat, colon ...
'Beginning' infection of the lung, throat, ear, sinuses. etc.
Nerve compression, joint disorder, muscle / tendon inflammation.