Dr.S.Venkatesan MD

Medical science is  not like mathematics or economics .

• It is about how a  bundle of human cells(organs) behave at times of adversity .
• It is  about how our mind  takes on the body .
• It is also   about , how the care takers  Heal/Manipulate /Manhandle  these cells at times of distress !

We know, two persons with identical injuries , sustained in a car crash one dies within an hour  , while the other with a  many fold serious injury successfully fight the trauma and walk out of hospital with victorious  .That is the fighting spirit .This  is either  inherited  are  nurtured or both.

This implies , an accidental injury may be an  external , unpredictable  event,  while the  response to  that injury is predetermined or even a predictable response !

In the name of modern science , we “the human animals” are trying to buy this fighting spirit  with money.We are made to believe ,  survival and well-being is a commodity and  can be  bought with high cost  medicines , and high cost care .

Remember  , one of the most astonishing medical  fact is , while we  may struggle to induce  swine flu  in  a laboratory on a given  individual ( Even if ,  H1Ni  viral  concentrate is  infused or inhaled  )   , an  other person gets this disease  , while simply  flying over an  infected country  . Such is the complexity  of  the host response  system in medicine .

So , it is foolish to think health can be bought or maintained  with  money power or modern hi-tech medical care .At best it can save   few lives  with  its   life supporting drugs and devices . Ultimately,    human survival  is determined  by the way we  live  and the way  our  ancestors lived and how we fight the illness.

Yogi’s  of  Himalayas lived for more than 100 years without the need for drug eluting stents and LV assist devices .

Having totally misunderstood  the concept of health and illness the world is wondering how on earth , we can reduce the escalating cost of  healthy living  (pseudo health  !)

An article in the current NEJM ponders over ,  Why in  Grand junction,  Colorado ,USA ,  the health care cost is very much lower ,  without compromising the quality of life and survival.

The answer is very simple .There is some body in that county , who  dares to think beyond  raw  science  and adds  little  bit of common sense ! Obviously he has to be rewarded and  this  model need to be replicated  elsewhere.

http://healthpolicyandreform.nejm.org/?p=12706

This article discusses the phenomenon  of  high quality , low cost medical care , but what it misses out is , the reverse could also be true !