“Nothing can be done” – why have we become accustomed to such an answer concerning medical issues? This article explains and demonstrates how there is always something to be done! to help, to improve, to preserve and many times also to cure
The phrase “nothing can be done” in connection with medical treatment is being expressed more and more, and the list of diseases it refers too gets longer and longer. In my clinic, I am frequently being told by patients that the medical advice given to them is that “there is nothing to be done” in their case.
Before arriving to our clinic, many patients have already undergone a lot of suffering and repeated attempts to treat and heal their medical problem, and the “professional” opinion they got that “nothing can be further done besides pain and symptom management ” haunts them intellectually and emotionally.
Nevertheless, there are those who would not accept the opinion that “nothing can be done”, they do not lose heart and are searching for a medical path through which there is indeed something to be done.
This is appalling to me. Not only because all hope is taken away from those people and no attempt is being made to at least offer alternatives, but because there is always something to be done for them. This “sentencing” (“nothing further to be done”) is applied not only in connection with severe incurable diseases (which even then, there is always something to be done), but also regarding an ever-growing list of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, chronic diseases of the gut, disorders of the thyroid, gout and many others.
These are all deemed as “hereditary”, or autoimmune, therefore “incurable” and “nothing can be done besides palliative support and pain management”. The vast experience of more than a decade in my clinics shows that in most cases, this medical statement has no basis, incorrect and unnecessarily leads to clinical deterioration. (See my separate series of articles on “hereditary diseases”).
One should know that there is always something to be done to improve one’s current health situation and that there is always hope. In order to provide any health situation with the proper and efficient solution, each case must be thoroughly examined, including the specific patient’s lifestyle.
Relating to the mere medical definition of the disease name is not sufficient, as the definition encompasses a very wide range of different medical manifestations, devoid of the necessary personalized approach within each and every individual case.
Let’s give an example of a case from my clinic from which we can learn about other “nothing to do” cases.
A woman aged 80 slipped in the bathroom and fractured her hip severely. She was hospitalized after a consultation, the orthopedic specialist professor decided that she is not operable due to her age and other medical conditions, making anesthetic too risky for her.
The decision not to operate itself was a wise consideration in her case. However, that same specialist also added that “there is nothing to be done further” in her case. It is beyond my comprehension, how an elderly woman with a severe hip fracture can be told such a thing as “we cannot operate on you and there is nothing we can do for you.”
In any case, her daughter who has been a patient of mine contacted me and asked for my opinion. I answered her: “what does it mean, “there is nothing to be done”? there is a lot to be done!” let’s start with the simple things and then we deepen the investigation.
For example, what kind of mattress she sleeps on? At what angle her body lies on the mattress? How does she rest her leg on it? What movements does she do to get out of bed, to sit, stand and walk? What kind of shoes she walks in? Where is the focal point of the pain and what does she do to relieve it? Are there any edema and hematoma, and etc. etc., – many more such inquiries.
The edema and hematoma must be given a priority in the treatment to gradually relieve the pressure caused by them on the injured area. Reducing such inside pressure significantly relieves pain and the limited movement of the leg.
In cases like these and especially at this age, an inflammation can easily erupt and cause dangerous complications. Therefore, it is crucial to prevent an inflammation or reduce it once it already exists not only by way of treatment, but also by advising the patient as to the correct way to lie down, get up, sit, walk, etc.
Correct movement can do a lot to prevent or help reduce inflammation and relieve pain. It must be checked and investigated, how can the patient perform basic functions, such as getting safely to the toilet – e.g, who can help the patient get off the bed and where does she “land” – to a chair? A walker nearby? Can the patient walk with a cane? How does she move around without damaging the back, knees and feet? Can the patient walk around safely and steadily without the risk of becoming dizzy or losing balance?
Other parameters must be checked too, such as the difference in temperature between the two feet indicating an imbalance in blood flow to the two legs. By checking and questioning the patient, we find out whether the patient has heat or cold sensations in general and/or in specific places in the body.
These are indicators of the blood flow and whether the quality and quantity of blood are sufficient. If these parameters indicate a problem, then these blood issues become crucial part of the treatment, because the better the blood flows into the damaged area, there is less likelihood that inflammation and edema would develop and create complications. Moreover, a good blood flow will better the chances for the fracture to be healed and fused.
Going deeper to achieve a precise diagnosis requires an analysis of the blood work, urine test, pulse tests, tongue and eye tests and examining other physical markers common in Chinese medicine diagnosis.
The aim is to find the specific patient’s metabolic failures: Does the patient digest and absorb properly? Are there nutrient and blood deficiencies? Is there a deficiency in liver and kidney function? Are bone and muscle tissues being dismantled at a heightened rate (another major cause for the hip fracture and an increased risk for more)? And many more such meticulous examinations.
In the vast majority of the cases, we would find metabolic disorders of the sort mentioned above, as they are the most probable causes for the patient’s shattered hip due to a fall. Furthermore, a deficiency in bone-building nutrients (e.g., calcium, magnesium, zinc, etc.) would hinder the process of healing and fusion of the fracture, (as much as the body is able to at her age).
When a nutrient deficiency is indeed (almost certainly) diagnosed, the therapist should consider what is the best way to rehabilitate the nutrient reserves. Most food supplements are not efficient, being synthetic or mal-absorbed in the gut due to further reasons.
In brief, even in this 80 years old patient severe and complicated case, there is A LOT to be done for her. The same goes for each and every case. Even in cases considered to be “hereditary”, such as macular degeneration in the eye or diabetes type 1, it cannot be said “it is hereditary, therefore, nothing to be done”. In hereditary cases of all sorts, there is still A LOT to be done as well.
While it is true that we all grow older through the years, our cells grow older and the bodily functions, as well as its self-healing and self-balancing abilities become weaker.
However, this does not warrant an attitude of “nothing to be done”. When any health issue arises, the right medical help entails not only the treatment, but also guiding the patient in becoming aware of all the small details of the daily actions.
Until now, we have taken our daily lifestyle for granted without a second thought, devoid of awareness to all the mistakes we have been doing. This unawareness might become detrimental in the future when some medical crisis manifests.
Therefore, it would be it could be to our great advantage if we could correct out mistakes ahead of time. Whenever the opportunity arises and in every stage of life, when we go to see a doctor for any reason, a skillful practitioner of medicine would detect all our daily mistakes that might damage our health later on– even when these mistaken lifestyle conducts have no direct bearing on the medical issue for which we have come to see the doctor in the first place.
Such a skilled and caring doctor would point out to the patient, how the patient’ lifestyle might be harmful and advise him/her how to make an effective change adapted to the patient’s circumstances. A skilled, caring and thorough physician would initiate such guidance, and would not wait for some medical calamity to happen, which could have been avoided with the right change. In this way, the doctor would actively contribute to his/her patients’ longevity and good health.
There is no guarantee that such positive actions and correct changes in one’s lifestyle would totally and permanently prevent the next health issue. But these positive actions and correct changes would definitely be good to our body and strength, improve life quality, prolong life and ease healing when some illness strikes.
Even in cases when the patient has “inherited” a certain genetic weakness in any of the bodily systems and organs, a healthy and correct lifestyle might at least significantly delay for a long time or mitigate any eventual manifestation of the said potential weakness.
Therefore, there is always hope and there is always plenty to do, once the case is thoroughly and deeply investigated. We are referring here not just to the examination of blood & urine tests, ultra sound etc., but also to a meticulous examination of the most routine daily activity, such as:
- what does the person eat and how does he/she eat?
- Does that person or anyone else in the household prepare the meals at home, using ingredients, which are proper, nutritious and closest to nature as possible?
- What is the correct posture for the specific person, walking, sitting, standing and lying down?
- Do the shoes fit the feet and the general posture?
- What does the person do all day to occupy him/herself and are these occupations right for their body and mind?
- Does that person sleep enough and what is the sleep quality? Is that person exposed enough to sunlight?
All of these factors have an accumulative effect on each and every cell and tissue in the body and disregarding them would be a grave mistake. Especially when we are being told that “the problem is hereditary” or that conventional treatments are not suitable and “nothing can be done” – please know, that there is a lot to be done.
In any treatment devoid of personal consideration of the individual and the specific path in which his medical problem manifests, as well as failing to connect that person’s overall life circumstances to his/her personalized treatment strategy – the chances of success become slim.
Greetings,
Oren Kaholi, Dr. of Natural Health Science (PhD. DNHSc)
Oren Kaholi, Dr. of Natural Health Science (PhD. DNHSc) specializes in the unique acupuncture system of Single Needle Technique (SNT) and Chinese medicinal herbs pharmacology. Based on his professional training and vast clinical experience, Dr. Kaholi developed a precise holistic method of diagnosis, combining many diagnostic tools. Dr. Kaholi’s diagnostic method enables him to offer efficient personalized natural treatment plans for each of his patients with an average rate of success exceeding 95%. Dr. Kaholi has been treating a vast range of illnesses, acute and chronic, for over a decade both in Israel (his home base) and all over the world. Dr. Kaholi lectures on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and teaches his system.
