Beyond Medicine

When All You Have Is a Hammer, Everything Looks Like a Nail
In addition to the caveats listed above, I have come to understand that the areas of expertise in the healing arts, referred to as specialties, are merely arenas of extensive information about a distinct feature of mortal existence. Hence the emergence of the next caveat: “When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like nail.” In other words, when something is always looked at the same way, it always looks the same.

This caveat accounts for the vast range of opinions available in response to questions about why someone is experiencing what they are experiencing. Each area of specialization in the healing arts has a distinctive rationale associated with it. Opinions regarding the cause and course of treatment for any given healthcare concern will vary according to the bias related to the particular discipline of the healthcare professional from whom you seek advice.

For example, a person with back pain will have a surplus of advice to choose from depending upon whom they consult for guidance. Every discipline has an intrinsic belief system associated with their approach to any given set of symptoms. The recommendations for managing back pain will be very different depending upon whom is consulted. A podiatrist sees the feet as the cause. A massage therapist sees the muscles as the source of the pain. A neurologist sees nerves, an orthopedic surgeon sees the spine, a neurosurgeon sees the structures inside the spine, a chiropractor sees the vertebrae, a psychologist sees the emotions, and a psychiatrist sees the mind. While these all potentially play a role in contributing to the symptoms of back pain, the inevitable cause may be somewhere entirely unrelated. If it was all as simple as one cause/one cure, there would be far fewer health care professionals and far less back pain.

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