More Than a Symptom
Remember in a previous post when I shared how I was once written up for spending too much time with my patients?
As I type this, I’m still shaking my head.
What my former employers failed to value was my style of medicine — one rooted in listening, understanding, and treating the whole person. To truly help someone heal, I have to understand why they’ve arrived at this moment in their life with the symptoms or conditions they’re facing. There’s always more behind the diagnosis than a lab result.
Patients need to be heard.
They need to be seen.
How I Practice
I’ve taken care of so many patients that I sometimes underestimate just how impactful my approach really is. It’s not just what I prescribe — it’s the care and time I give to help them feel human again.
I often tell patients:
“I’m your encyclopedia and your Doctor Google — only better.”
You tell me your story, your symptoms, and I start to dig. I listen, I observe, I probe with questions until I begin forming possibilities — not just diagnoses, but understanding.
From there, we go through the process together: physical exam, studies, and a shared discussion about what treatment options might work best — for them. I don’t impose decisions. I collaborate with them, because medicine should never strip a person of their autonomy. It should empower them.
After all, they’ve lived in their body far longer than I’ve known them. My job isn’t to dictate what’s best — it’s to help them understand what their body is telling them, and support them in making it whole.
Listening Heals More Than Pills
It’s frustrating to admit this, but in many healthcare settings, patients are reduced to a number or a billing code. That’s not how I practice.
I know my patients. I learn about their lives — their families, careers, stressors, and the things that bring them joy. Sometimes, an elevated blood pressure isn’t just about salt or weight. It’s about a demanding boss, an aging parent, or a child who won’t give them peace. There are layers to every condition.
We cannot treat those layers with a one-size-fits-all approach — and we definitely can’t medicate every wound.
The Evidence for Whole-Person Care
Research backs what many of us in holistic medicine have always known: emotional, mental, and social health directly affect physical health.
- According to the CDC, social determinants of health — including stress, environment, and relationships — account for 80–90% of health outcomes (CDC, 2024).
- A study in the Annals of Family Medicine found that patients who felt listened to and involved in decisions reported better health outcomes and higher satisfaction (Annals of Family Medicine, 2005).
- Mind-body practices like mindfulness, therapy, and supportive relationships have been shown to reduce inflammation and improve chronic disease management (Harvard Health, 2025).
In other words, healing doesn’t start with a pill.
It starts with presence. With connection. With wholeness.
Thank You
Thank you for taking the time to hear my heart on this. I believe the future of medicine isn’t in more tests or faster visits — it’s in bringing humanity back into the room. And that begins with treating the whole person, not just the condition.
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2024). “Social Determinants of Health.” https://www.cdc.gov/about/priorities/why-is-addressing-sdoh-important.html
- Annals of Family Medicine. (2005). “Patient-Centered Communication & Diagnostic Testing.” https://www.annfammed.org/content/3/5/415
3. Harvard Health. (2025). “How emotions show up in your body (Mind‑body connection).” https://www.health.harvard.edu/mindscape/for-young-people/brain-body-connection
