Expanding the Biomedical Paradigm

The "Biomedical Paradigm" shared by most doctors today focuses on the use of drugs and procedures that interupt biological processes.  Little importance is placed on lifestyle practices and nutrition which support normal biological processes.  The Biomedical Paradigm holds that the challenges of medicine are adequately and COMPLETELY addressed by the objective methods of science.

   But there are flaws in the biomedical paradigm.  While drugs may seem like the "magic bullet" plenty of evidence suggests that persuading people to live healthier lives can lower the risk of heart disease and other diseases even more than drugs like statin drugs.  The biomedical paradigm does not place much importance on lifestyle factors and unhealthy behaviors such as not exercising, poor diet, smoking, and obesity.  Unfortunately, the training and culture of medicine create a belief in many doctors that this is too mundane, not worthy of their skills or time.  A study done by researchers from the Rand Corporation in December 2003 and published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that doctors provide appropriate counseling to their patients only 18% of the time.

     The biomedical model works extremely well for some things from emergency surgery to the treatment of life-threatening infections.  The problem is the belief that the biomedical approach is the ONLY valid approach to all our health problems.  An article published in JAMA in 2004 showed that "half of all deaths that occurred in the United States in 2000 could be attributed to...largely preventable behaviors and exposures."  There is also evidence that behavior and environment are responsible for over 70% of avoidable deaths.

Reference: "Overdosed America, the Broken Promise of American Medicine", John Abramson, M.D.