Designer Principle #4: Systemic Wellness Under God's Design
Get to the root of the matter
Conventional health care in our country deals with illness and disease through a symptomatic or local approach. The focus is on localized pain, localized skin conditions, lack of energy, some symptom that suggests an organ is not functioning properly, or any other abnormal health condition that is focused on one area of the body. The problem is usually treated based on the symptoms, and once the probable cause of the symptoms are known, then treatment is given to that particular, localized area of the body.
For example, if we have a chronic headache, it is usually treated in a localized way by using some kind of pain medication. Controlling the headache in the short term by medication is fine, but discovering and eliminating the root cause is absolutely necessary for the long term if excellent health is desired - otherwise the chronic headache will return after the medication is worn off.
The Body Is A System
Long term results require a systemic approach to wellness. This involves dealing with the body as a whole system rather than dealing separately with each individual part of the body. It is comparable to treating the roots of a diseased tree instead of treating each individual leaf.
If we are accustomed to taking a symptomatic approach to health, then a major shift in our thinking is needed in order to properly evaluate our ill health. All illness needs to be examined from a whole body approach; the whole system needs to be corrected, not just the symptom.
The underlying cause for the chronic headache mentioned above is a result of poor systemic function of the body as a whole. This is the approach that God takes in His Word – a systemic wellness approach. God sees our bodies as one whole system and provides us principles of health to apply to our whole body. Our bodies are very complex, beyond human understanding - every part affects another part which sets off chain reactions. Every part is interconnected and as such must be treated as one whole system in order to achieve optimum results.
Treating Symptoms Is Not Enough
On the other hand, if a symptomatic approach is taken to health, complexity now becomes a problem. Symptomatic treatments (various drugs, isolated vitamins and minerals, miracle elixirs, super cleanses, cutting out a particular food, adding a particular food) lead to side effects (particularly in the case of prescription medication) which lead to more symptomatic treatments, which lead to further side effects and on and on. The more this approach is used, the greater the complexity of the problem for the physician and the patient. Also, when root causes are not properly addressed, other health conditions are encountered - which may seemingly be unrelated to the first health problem encountered.
The beauty and the genius of the systemic wellness approach is that when ill health is treated at the systemic level, all ill health and diseased conditions are treated at the same time; and the whole body comes into balance as God designed it. Again, when the diseased roots of the tree are cured, all the leaves of the tree become healthy.
The symptomatic approach to health leads to complexity, confusion, and eventually more health problems.
A Glimpse at the Past
As an interesting example, the Population Reference Bureau put out a chart of the major causes of death in the United States. The chart compares the major causes of death in the United States in the year 1900 to the year 1997. Also compared are statistics from 1992 in Peru, a non-westernized country.
Death by Heart Disease
United States 1900 - 9%
Peru 1992 - 8.6%.
United States 1997 - 31.4% (more than triple)
Although in recent years, the death rate for heart disease has dropped to around 26% due to "symptomatic treatments," with the implementation of systemic wellness, heart disease (and numerous other illnesses) could almost be eradicated.
Death by Cancer
United States 1900 - 4%
Peru 1992 - 15.2%
United States 1997 - 23.3% (almost an 600% increase since 1900)
It is estimated that 571,950 human beings will die (or have died) of cancer in the United States during the year of 2011 [1]
Something’s Amiss in the Medical Field
Consider why in the year 1900 the United States had such a low rate of heart disease and cancer compared to today.
Did they have better technology? No!
More information? No!
Better research? No!
A more advanced hospital and health care system? Better health insurance? Better doctors? No! No! and No!
So what did they have?
An even better question to ask: Has the current health care system, which takes a symptomatic approach to healthcare, helped the problem? Overall, the answer has to be no! Otherwise, the cancer rate would be less than the 4% of 1900.
I am not saying that this "symptomatic approach" to health care is the reason the cancer rates and heart disease rates have sky rocketed. And, I believe that many health care professionals have begun a slow swing toward a holistic approach to health care, but they have not swung far enough, and I strongly doubt they ever will. There is way too much money involved in the health care industry to give it up to "healthy living," therefore the symptomatic approach will continue to flourish.
However, the symptomatic approach to wellness will never solve the problem of today's health crises.
On the other hand, the systemic wellness approach leads to simplicity, clarity, and the elimination of many of the common health problems we experience today.
Next: Designer Principle #5: Completeness Under God's Design
Return To: Biblical Health Study
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[1] http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/all.html