04/15/2007Medicine is Complex

Rudolph Menchl, Jr., MD

Medicine is complex.  It is a mysterious place for most of us that holds the secret to our longevity and the course of our lives.  It has created its own lingo which adds to our fears and emotions.  We as physicians, as I see it, are here to interpret for our patients the reasons for one’s symptoms, to poke around for “signs” and to formulate a plan or what we find so that our plan changes the course of the patient’s health for the better.  There are great satisfactions and great relationships that a doctor obtains from his patients, but the whole process only works if physicians are great educators.

We are always teaching...the meaning of a cough, the possibilities of dizziness, whether to use heat or ice to a sore joint or muscle.  When I was in medical school, the motto we had was “see one, do one, and teach one” and as I gain experience the teacher in me becomes more valuable.  My students (patients) have always been eager to learn and now they have become more sophisticated having studied their problem in the media and on the internet.  They now come to me with multiple copies of an article they found about diabetes in Google, or one their best friend in Wyoming saw on-line about vitamins and they would like an explanation of what it means to them.  I find that teaching these patients is more rewarding as they can grasp the concepts better about a specific disease and by trying to understand, they increase their chance for success in achieving good health.  Places like the NCEP.org (National Cholesterol Education Program), cancer.gov, familydoctor.org, webMD.com, drkoop.com, and sites on yahoo/msn and various other gems I haven’t discovered yet, let all of us learn about our health.  Most of this is wonderful education, but if the information doesn’t really pertain to the patient, it may create anxiety as it is interpreted the “wrong” way.  Therefore, we become the interpreter of all this information for it is up to us to put it all in context for the patient.

The media and the internet can be our friends in helping unravel the mystery of disease and our health.  It is the most educated patient who is our best ally for us and our goal is to be the best teachers for them.   Our interpretations of all this information guides them, calms their fears, and empowers them to be the true leaders of their own healthcare.

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