The True Believer is so wedded to his belief he has no choice but to reject new ideas for fear they might require him to accept them and incorporate them in his treatment.
In politics or religion – members of both the liberal and conservative movements, believe their conclusions are the correct ones. The same attitude is true in the medical field - being so wedded to their beliefs, that to consider a new approach is anathema to their views. Practicing “pigeon-hole” medicine, leaves no room for new or opposing views to fit into these beliefs, or to even evaluate and consider new approaches to the problem.
This restrictive thinking has created pigeon-hole psychiatric syndromes only large enough for their patient’s symptoms to fit into one of them, preventing new views from seeping in. Not considering the cause for these syndromes, makes it easier to reject any new ideas. The fear of having to abandon their “true belief”and force them to evaluate new ones – consciously or unconsciously – becomes stronger than the sworn oath to responsibility to which they agreed when becoming a member of the health care system – their primary responsibility being the welfare of the patient.
Many doctors view general and specialized medical care as if they are different professions, whereas, in many cases both treatments may be required. This attitude has spread through the profession like lava from a volcano with as destructive a result when the patient is denied the proper use of both types of care together.
Unlike lava, it is invisible and only felt by the patient. Many times this has led to women being treated as if they were neurotics, seen as psychologically causing their symptoms. Finally, women have begun to rebel. Many patients are including alternative non-medical treatments with the basic medical care they have been receiving. Some allopathic care physicians are ready to prescribe both types of care since they are finding both are often very productive together.
Some physicians may not be ready for this application, but they are beginning to see this as having more possibilities than they had allowed themselves to consider until now.
Time, patience, open-mindedness, trust, and patient’s improving, will provide the validity of this idea. Meanwhile, the evidence shows that these procedures are not dangerous when practiced with careful by open-minded care providers, and have been extremely helpful to the patient.
Allostasis is the continuous process of adaptation that the host undergoes in the face of potentially stressful challenges. Allostasis begins with the classic stress response, i.e., activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathoadrenal system.
Sterling, P. and J. Eyer. Allostasis: A new paradigm to explain arousal pathology. In Fisher, S. and J. Reason, eds. Handbook of Life Stress, Cognition and Health. New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1988, pp. 629-649.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
If you have ever had a "bump on the head" you should watch this video!
Dr. Rolland S. Parker, Dept. of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, has provided us with a down to earth, easy to understand video containing difficult to find information that could change your way of looking at a head or brain injury.
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