Why is the holistic approach good?

[Lady Tokimi]

??? thoughts ??? and is it the best ?

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[Daddydoc]

The holistic approach is important because the symptoms a patient presents may not immediately lead you to the cause of the problem. Being holisitic is supposed to help you view the patient in their entirety and not just treat symptoms. For example, depressed patients tend to feel pain more. A holistic approach will help you to determine if the depression is secondary to the pain, or if the are feeling more pain because they are depressed. Do you give them pain pills or antidepressants?

I'm not sure if the holistic approach can really be taught. I think some people naturally look deeper than just the presenting symptoms. If you keep it in mind when you see patients I think it will help.

 

[OSUdoc08]

??? thoughts ??? and is it the best ?

Self explanatory. Signs/symptoms from one organ system does not mean that is the only system affected (or that it is even the primary affected system.)

In addition viscerosomatic and somatovisceral reflexes can't be overlooked.

 

[monelkub]

Our teachers always tell us we as DO's treat people not symptoms. You would think that's how all doctors are but it is not the case. Simply said, we are taught a different approach to patient care than the allopaths.

Nik

 

[sia_simba]

Holistic approach or more conservative approach ? If you are debating about what MDs and DOs do... i personally think that "holistic apporach" by DO is very misleading in definition. So what would it be ? "looking at whole body and see how it relates to organs, functions, pain, etc." ?

when you go into the ER complaining of chest pain... oh.. Any doctor will look at your entire organ system.. they would want to make sure your chest pain is not due to your heart, any GI complications, any renal failure, etc.

Maybe i'm just not that bright, but when people use that word "holistic" and apply it to just DO's, I totally disagree. Sorry about this post, it is NOT suppose to sound mean if it does.

 

[Lady Tokimi]

Holistic approach or more conservative approach ? If you are debating about what MDs and DOs do... i personally think that "holistic apporach" by DO is very misleading in definition. So what would it be ? "looking at whole body and see how it relates to organs, functions, pain, etc." ?

when you go into the ER complaining of chest pain... oh.. Any doctor will look at your entire organ system.. they would want to make sure your chest pain is not due to your heart, any GI complications, any renal failure, etc.

Maybe i'm just not that bright, but when people use that word "holistic" and apply it to just DO's, I totally disagree. Sorry about this post, it is NOT suppose to sound mean if it does.

I understand what you're sayin and i completely agree, most if not all MDs do not just focus on the disease, maybe that was so back then but that is not the case anymore........however, i think because this was somethin that set DO and MD apart, it's just stuck.