This article is part of a patient education series that I previously published elsewhere. Explanation is here. If you have already read this article, please accept my apologies.

Formerly, when religion was strong and science weak, men mistook magic for medicine; now, when science is strong and religion weak, men mistake medicine for magic.
Thomas Szasz, The Second Sin (1973) “Science and Scientism”

One of the most common obstacles to receiving good healthcare, is the expectation that medicine is magic, and that it is “normal” to be healthy.

You’re better than a washing machine, but not invincible

I got my washing machine fixed the other day. Baby socks are apparently not good for them. I have had my machine for almost ten years now. With two small kids (and a husband who insists on wearing five shirts a day) it gets a good workout. Although it came with only a five year warranty, the service guy said, based on his experience, it should last at least 15 years.

But then he said the important bit, “It will not be problem-free in that time. If you get it repaired when it breaks down, and replace the consumable parts, it will last until your kids are teenagers.”

Your body is an impressive machine

You body is also a machine; an extremely clever and exciting one, but just a machine in the end. Our designer is cleverer than we are. The human body was created to be self-repairing, and remarkably resilient. You can expect more than 70 years out of your body now, but not without “service calls.”

It is normal for bodies to wear out and break down.

It is normal to catch diseases and even develop cancer.

Doctors can’t repair a body to “as new.”

We can prevent and treat disease, but the processes are normal. Doctors aim to make illness shorter, easier to live with, less life-threatening and less frequent.

Why is this important?

Expectations are important for any relationship in your life. Some people don’t have a regular doctor, because they think they are “pretty healthy” and “never get sick”. Get over it. You are going to get sick, and having a doctor that already knows you is important.

Other people have a doctor, but their relationship breaks down when they have a serious illness. Sometimes the doctor is no good, and does the wrong thing. But sometimes, the patient is surprised by what is going on, and the partnership ends because of unrealistic expectations.

In a lot of cases,

• It is “normal” to have trouble making a diagnosis

Every person and every disease is different, and sometimes they are a bit tricky. Ever had your car in at the service place for a while and they haven’t been able to reproduce the same engine noise that you are worried about? You body is a lot more complicated than a car (even a fancy one).

• It is “normal” to have to try different medications before finding one that works

We now know that some medications work better for different groups (races, families). But we don’t know why. Others aren’t so lucky. For example, the causes of migraines are so complicated, that medications sometimes only work for 15% of the sufferers. So those people have to try 10 or more medications before they find the one that works for them.

• It is “normal” for doctors to use their experience to “guess”

We have the technology. We could probably figure out most things about the body with enough time, money and a strong enough anaesthetic. However, some things are still “untestable.” For example, most psychological diseases have no “test” except for talking with the patient. It is often better medicine to predict (or guess) the most likely disease based on what we already know and even treat that to see what happens (if the treatment is relatively safe). Doctors are usually trying to help you get better in the quickest time and with the least discomfort, and using their experience in this way is vital.

Think about your expectations of your health. Your body should last 70 years, but you will get sick and break down. Do you have somewhere to go when you need repairs?