Slow Medicine by Michael Finkelstein

Author:Michael Finkelstein
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2014-12-05T05:00:00+00:00

THE “PERFECT” PLAN?

But wait. You need to be wary of one more trap. Many people are led to believe that an archetypal plan for perfect health exists out there somewhere—the “perfect” plan. Our society conditions us to expect perfection. We want things to have obvious, simple solutions, and we want those solutions to work quickly and stick permanently. Put this way, we can see the folly in our wishes. The tiny Philips-head screwdriver that sits in the bottom of my toolbox is perfect for changing the battery in my daughter’s music box. However, it’s completely unsuitable to screw a bolt into a steel girder on a bridge. The perfect plan, as we understand it, is a fantasy. What works for Roger will not necessarily work for Riley. And what works for Roger today might need tweaking tomorrow.

Our plans for our health are imbued with creative and dynamic forces and an energy that’s difficult (or perhaps impossible) to define. This force—this energy—drives a state of constant change. And though this concept is not easily reconciled through the eyes of the reductionist Western medical model, to insist that it doesn’t exist, or to suggest it doesn’t matter, is not the wisest or most skillful point of view. There is no such thing as a perfect plan that can be condensed into some generic prescription. Rather, plans, like rivers, need to follow the meandering course of nature. In this case, “nature” means the individual life of the patient, taking into account all the complexity of life in general and the novelty of that individual life.

This is why my slow medicine prescription is based on questions rather than answers. This way, you can consider answers for yourself, unique to your circumstances and responsive to your intuition. Furthermore, as you change, so might your answers. Nothing in the universe is either absolute or permanent; no rules apply to every situation; and nothing can be perfectly sustained. Remember—it’s in your hands, and your intuition and common sense will guide you toward the best plan for you, for now. It’s okay to change plans along the way. It’s okay to wander occasionally off the beaten path. And, as we will see, it’s even okay to make mistakes along the way. It’s your treasure you’re seeking—and your own journey to get there.

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