Introduction
The field of medicine has been practiced by human beings for many centuries. Today, it has advanced in such a way that evidence-based models are used to deliver quality services to patients. Hippocrates, who is believed to be the father of medicine, presented numerous insights that are still relevant today. Using his ideas and arguments, this paper gives a detailed analysis of the treatment of conditions and diseases.
Definition of Disease
For very many years, health professionals have defined “disease” as any condition caused by organisms such as bacteria and that disorients the normal functioning of body organs (Sontacroce, Bottalico, & Charitos, 2017). In the recent past, the definition has been expanded to include any health problem or challenge that is caused by internal forces in the body. Despite these definitions, many scholars and professionals in the field of medicine still believe that diseases are abnormalities that disorient normal body functions. This means that “diseases” is a broad term that includes conditions such as cancer, overweight, addiction, obesity, and stress. The appreciation of this definition is something that can dictate how healthcare professionals are prepared to improve people’s lifestyles.
Treatment of Diseases
Physicians use their competencies and philosophies to analyze patients’ health needs, design appropriate care delivery models, and treat diseases using a wide range of resources. Physicians have several reasons for treating various conditions or diseases. The first one is that they are called to safeguard the lives of their patients (Blackwood & Childs, 2016). When diseases are untreated, chances are high that the affected individuals will have poor health outcomes.
Some might even die if they fail to get adequate medical attention. The second reason is that many diseases are communicable. A good example is HIV/AIDS. Failure to treat or manage some of these diseases can result in an epidemic and claim the lives of many people. The third explanation is that the treatment of diseases is a positive indicator of a sustainable health sector.
Treatment is undertaken in an attempt to improve people’s health outcomes and empower them to pursue their goals. Although the term “treatment” is used to refer to the provision of medicines to disrupt the course of a specific disease, many theorists have gone further to describe how surgery and therapy can result in positive outcomes. Modern medicine has been expanded to include numerous approaches such as counseling and behavioral therapy (Pai-Dhungat, 2015).
The concept also includes practices such as medical care, guidance, counseling, and rest. This means that physicians should design the most appropriate treatment models depending on the needs of individual patients. Improved personal habits or behaviors can be used as powerful treatment methods for different conditions. Some of these illnesses include alcoholism, addiction, stress, and anxiety.
Treatment for Every Disease
Physicians and medical professionals work tirelessly to treat all diseases and transform their patients’ life expectations. Unfortunately, not every conceivable disease has defined a treatment approach. This is the case because some diseases are unknown in terms of pathophysiology and etiology. There are also genetic disorders whose origin is yet to be established. New diseases or conditions are recorded every year across the globe. These diseases cannot be treated effectively because of their causal factors and responses to medications are unknown. This gap explains why different stakeholders in the field engage in a wide range of research studies to develop evidence-based models for treating new diseases.
Treatment as a Cause of Disease
Many scholars and professionals in the field of medicine believe that diseases should be treated or managed using appropriate strategies. This means that personalized care delivery and treatment models should be informed by an individual’s health needs and expectations (Blackwood & Childs, 2016). Unfortunately, it is undeniable that some treatment approaches can cause specific diseases or health complications.
For example, doctors performing a given surgery might forget a small tool such as a razor blade or needle in the patient’s body. This means that a medical error that amounts to a serious health problem has occurred. More often than not, some treatment methods result in different side effects. A good example is when various therapies used to treat cancer result in hair loss, anemia, or blurred vision. This analysis shows that some treatment methods have the potential to trigger new conditions or diseases that must be managed independently throughout the medical care delivery period.
Treating Future Diseases
The growing human population continues to pose new challenges to the fields of medicine, health, and nursing. This is the case because new diseases and complicated health conditions are emerging every day. Presently, many researchers and medical professionals focus on the major symptoms exhibited by patients suffering from different diseases. This knowledge is usually used to inform specific care delivery processes and treatment methods.
This approach has created numerous problems instead of delivering timely solutions (Dunn, Liebman, Rittmueller, & Shapiri, 2014). Towards the future, there is a need for different stakeholders to focus on the causal factors and physiological issues associated with every disease. This knowledge can empower professionals to develop evidence-based treatment methods for different conditions.
Counseling, therapy, traditional medicine, and modern methods can deliver meaningful results. This is the case because most of the approaches used today have failed to support the needs of many patients. Most of the existing treatment approaches focus on the best ways to reduce symptoms and improve people’s health outcomes. This malpractice has made it impossible for many people to protect themselves from various diseases (Patel et al., 2015). Future treatment regimes should, therefore, be completed using prevention measures. This goal can be achieved using powerful sensitization and educational campaigns.
Sources of Diseases
Due to the complexity and nature of different diseases, discussants in the field of medicine have been divided over their possible origins. However, some researchers have argued that many infectious or communicable diseases are caused by microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses. Once in the host’s body, these microorganisms multiply and affect different functions or organs. The absence of immunity can also expose the body to different health conditions (Blackwood & Childs, 2016). Additionally, a person’s genetic makeup can be a risk factor for specific health problems. This understanding should be used to come up with appropriate measures to deal with diseases.
Conclusion
The above discussion has indicated that the fields of nursing and medicine have mainly been focusing on the best ways to treat diseases and improve people’s health outcomes. Unfortunately, the right answer to the problem of disease is yet to be offered by health professionals. A detailed analysis of the concept of the disease can, therefore, result in evidence-based treatment methods to address present and future health complications.
References
Blackwood, J. C., & Childs, L. M. (2016). The role of interconnectivity in control of an Ebola epidemic. Scientific Reports, 6(29262), 1-10. Web.
Dunn, A., Liebman, E., Rittmueller, L., & Shapiri, A. (2014). Defining disease episodes and the effects on the components of expenditure growth. Web.
Pai-Dhungat, J. V. (2015). Hippocrates – Father of medicine. Journal of the Association of Physicians of India, 63, 18.
Patel, M. R., Conte, M. S., Cutlip, D. E., Dib, N., Geraghty, P., Gray, W., … Krucoff, M. W. (2015). Evaluation and treatment of patients with lower extremity peripheral artery disease. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 65(9), 931-941. Web.
Sontacroce, L., Bottalico, L., & Charitos, I. A. (2017). Greek medicine practice at ancient Rome: The physician molecularist Asclepiades. Medicines, 4(92), 1-7. Web.