Obviously, there will always be the train wreck patients, but that doesn't change the fact that the
goal of medicine should be to intervene before the patient is seriously ill, indeed, before the patient even shows a symptom of illness. Subjective feeling is a valuable, but imperfect measure of the state of one's health, tools like
nutrigenomics will open up many more possibilities. The idea that prevention is not "real medicine" is part of what is bankrupting our health system and creating dissatisified patients who are flocking to see anyone
but doctors with their health problems.