Medical Therapeutics Theoretics: A Needed Diagnostic Revolution

By Joseph Andrew Settanni

The philosophical results (or assaults) of existentialism, phenomenology, gestalt, and much else have filtered down, sometimes quickly, into the modern medical profession, especially in observed terms of the (regressive) practice of diagnosis; all this has, in essence, resulted in an unfortunate retrogression in cognition rather than any presumed significant noetic advancement as to the prescriptive nature of most of contemporary medical practice.

This should have just been reasonably expected, as subjectivism became objectivized, through the steady and often rapid application of nominalism in acceptable or, perhaps, fashionable metaphysics. In addition, modes and patterns of amenable human thought can continue for long centuries, especially, e. g., if different nomenclature, attractive phraseology, can be creatively used by which to revive or, better yet, give new meaning to the hoary attitudes; and, moreover, that can, conveniently, then give quite a startling meaning to the expression or, perhaps, notion of cultural lag.

In vivid set contrast, there is supposed to be a truly supra-postindustrial, advanced, hyper-technological, Western civilization and culture vibrantly existing into the second decade of the 21st century. Then, why, it is asked here, is the existent medical theoretics qua diagnostic therapeutics so extremely primitive, absurdly primeval, as if they were at a pathetic “tribalist” level of belief within the broad medical profession? Is this really the very best that diagnostic sciences are capable of manifesting?

This is the same profession that, of course, so routinely and ritualistically sneers at all homeopathic medicine/nature cures or anything at all resembling it whatsoever. Why can this be validly and empirically stated as a fact concerning prevalent and, thus, often questionable diagnostic practices? Or, is any valid skepticism of this bold asseveration merited? Historical perspective will be rendered for a hoped-for reflective cogitation pertaining to this subject.

Analytic Pretensions v. Human Metabolism

What, in Chinese thinking, would be referred to as ying-yang medicine is too often combined with medieval-style efforts to still get rid of the “evil humors” in the blood. How so? The ancient Chinese and even today’s Asiatic ying-yang practitioners strive philosophically-medically to achieve the always wanted “balance” or proper flow of such requisite forces within both body and personal life. But, are the human metabolic forces really being explored intelligently, or has a yet new form of superstition come to somehow influence the descriptive language used?

Too much of ying or yang can be really bad and, in too great an excess with no appropriate swing toward its situational opposite as quickly as possible, fatal, or so, of course, it may be asserted. It is posited that the “science” of medical diagnosis is, as will be discussed, at a crude level as if it were only an art form, not a true science.

Fortunately, to the believers, there actually is no ultimate ying or yang because both naturally flow the one into the other and vice versa constantly and continuously, as is rightly illustrated, of course, by the ying-yang circular symbol. Contemporary medical thinking, in the Western world, parallels completely, in this second decade of the 21st century, such ancient medical theoretics held to be verifiably true by the very same practitioners who strongly detest and snidely ridicule homeopathy or anything like it as being, by definition, completely unscientific, being beneath contempt.

Equally, modern health care, moreover, still righteously seeks to rid sick people or potentially ill people (or those thought to be prone to certain illnesses/diseases) of the evil humors in their bodies. Is the point beginning to sink into willing craniums? What is being denounced?

This gross and absurd medical primitivism, however, normally goes almost totally unrecognized and uncommented upon by the vast majority of observers of today’s modern medical care. What is being meant here, said here? Where is the (Western) science of medical diagnostics exemplified in ying-yang postulations and perceived evil humors?

However, the utter wretchedness in thought involved is rarely, if ever, recognized publicly for what it, so retrogressively, represents as to the consequences for prescriptive recommendations; this is for what are said to be, of course, the cognate maladies.

People, as was noted above, are routinely told that there are metabolic ying-yang forces that threaten them. In what ways? There are, as is often monotonously stated, both good salts and bad salts, good sugars and bad sugars, good cholesterol and the bad kind, good fats and bad fats, good proteins and bad proteins, etc. What is being analytically meant, fully within the scope of the presumed health sciences, ought to be so obvious, by now.

And, moreover, too much, e. g., of the wrong kind(s) of salt, fat, or sugar in the blood results in the evil humors being present in the life-giving liquid; these must, therefore, be properly purged, removed or, perhaps, substantially reduced for gaining, regaining, or maintaining good health.

Will skin blistering be brought back soon? If not, why not? After all, extant, modern, medical practice, as to such health-related issues of this sort, resorts to the fight against the presence of (pre-Enlightenment Era) evil humors found in the blood, well into the second decade of the 21st century no less.

An opposed theoretics that may be called, e. g., human metabolic theory would investigate and gain understanding of the biological realities of the living organism, though not to the neglect of other matters such as, e. g., theological beliefs, psychology, and social and cultural conduct. The individual human metabolism, though influenced by (approx. 80%) heredity, nevertheless, ought to be estimated and diagnosed on a singular basis, not according to any herd-oriented, diagnostic-theoretics therapeutic.

Conclusion

Most of the (witch)doctors in the Western world, on average, do eagerly and professionally recommend therapies that then readily manifest, quite empirically, the same kinds of principles of both ancient Chinese thinking and medieval European medicine. Too much of “advanced” modern health care is, as a direct and logical consequence, rather gloomy and pathetic in its quite dedicated atavistic primitivism, regarding the diagnostic theoretics of medical therapeutics. The human metabolism, thus, gets lost.
It would be just kind of funny, if it were not so sad.