Goodnight.

The culture of medicine almost seems to be an oxymoron the first time you hear it. Medicine is thought to be a purely physical area of study and practice that is based on universal biological principles. But the practice of medicine can actually be considered to have a large psychological component. People tend to forget that the practitioners of medicine are people, too. People who are susceptible to opinion, bias, and different views (even though all those qualities sound pretty much the same). The way a doctor practices medicine, what he advises his patients, and what his training entailed is culturally-based. You see an interesting interaction of medicine and culture right here in Nova Scotia. Many doctors in the region are immigrants who often grew up in vastly different cultures from own and may have received their medical training here in Canada or in their home countries. For example, my mother has a had more psychiatrists over the years than you can shake a stick at, yet she only ever really got along with one of them, who was a true Maritimer who understands the people of the region and what their needs and concerns are. One of her more recent psychiatrists was from Germany, and she had the quite stern, no non-sense attitude that is often ascribed to the Germanic people, along with the obvious accent and poor people skills. Sometimes I stop and wonder why people with the personalities of a cactus and no people skills ever get involved in psychology, where making a connection and good rapport with your patients is as important as the treatment itself. Continuing in the discussion, I remember a story my mother once told me about my grandfather. In his (relative) youth, my grandfather was the kind of person who knew what he wanted and had no problem telling anyone off if he figured he was right. So my grandfather was having chest pains many years ago and went to his family doctor to talk about. His doctor was an African immigrant who said during his office visit that where he comes from, you don't complain about something as trivial as some small pains and that my grandfather was going to be fine and that he should go home. Well, my grandfather  being the mouthpiece he was at that age, said to him that he didn't come to listen to his BS diagnosis, listen to stupid stories, or cared what he had to say. He knew something was wrong and he wanted a referral to a real doctor, as in a heart specialist. So he got it, took a trip to Halifax and met with the cardiologist. The doctor told him that he had a rupture in his aorta and that if he was any later getting in to see him, he probably would have died. So he got immediate surgery then was one his way. My grandfather was a wise man.

It's stories like this that make me think about the clashes of culture in medicine. Everyone is certainly entitled to their own opinion, but if you ask me, if you're going to work within the realm of a certain culture, you need to adapt and change how you conduct yourself to match the values of that culture. Of course, with that African doctor, I think it might have been a combination of being blinded by culture and perhaps a bit of incompetence. Nova Scotia isn't exactly well known for its excellent medical care, given my family's experiences within the system *coughmisdiagnosesandmedicalmalpracticecough*.

On the other hand, I think it's important to consider what other cultures find important as well, as long as it makes sense. That African doctor's cultural values, not so much. But it's all relative and subject to how you look at it, I guess. I like the idea that France has with their medical care. As opposed to North American medicine, French medicine puts an emphasis on the body as terrain and that balance is important. Long rests and days at the spa are prescribed more often then actual medicine. Constant bathing is also discouraged. It may seem gross to a lot of people, but I think it makes sense. Dirt and germs are part of our terrain and are seen as beneficial. Even though many bacteria and viruses make us sick, it's rarely ever the case that it's really debilitating. They are beneficial in that they allow our bodies to build up immunity and train them to protect themselves better. We are one with our germs, in a way. I think I can attest to that. I only shower once every two or three days and I never go to the doctor when I get a cold, flu, or whatever. I even avoid going to the doctor when I probably should, like when I got a slight inner ear infection a number of weeks back. But I hardly ever get sick. Everyone I know goes to the doctor for pretty much anything and they all get sick from time to time during regular and cold and flu seasons. But not me. The worst I ever really get is a bit of phlegm and a slightly sore throat, and that typically only lasts a day. In my third year of university, I shared an apartment with three people who all developed whatever that nasty flu was that went around campus, swine flu I think. Three sick people with me all confined to close quarters, one of which was sort of quarantined in the apartment for a while. I never got sick. I went happily on my way doing my thing while everyone else suffered! I'm always bragging about my kick-ass immune system, and the only thing that makes sense to me as to why it is great is that I've built up a great defense system by not really partaking in North American medicinal culture. I don't drown myself in pills or antibiotics, never get flu shots (though I'm constantly told by the school, news, and family to get one every year), and so on. My diet isn't exactly full of body-enhancing nutrients, it's mostly just junk food, yet my immune system is great. I'm also pretty laid back most of the time, so my body can always focus on its internal upkeep. It seems a French style of personal care is working for me.

North America tries to drive home the idea that germs are bad and must be eliminated, with antibiotics being prescribed like candy at the Bulk Barn. The thing about that is that taking copious amounts of antibiotics causes bacteria to build up an immunity themselves and those super robust bacteria that are leftover reproduce and wreck your body. Germs aren't bad, they help us even if it doesn't seem like it. I wish most people would just sit and think about that for a while. I mean, doctors are supposed to be super smart themselves! It takes a special kind of person with immense cognitive abilities to get through medical school, so you'd think most would be enlightened enough to explore different applications medicine. Then again, they could be funded by big pharma, which is a story for another day. There's just a lot to it, I guess.

Anyway, I guess that's it for tonight. This blog is due tomorrow, so I hope I talked enough across a broad enough spectrum of ideas.