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the Medicinal Model from Ancient Greece
Medicine in Ancient Greece
The Beginnings of Western Medicine
The toga-wearing Greek civilization emerged in the 8th century B.C. and continued until around 600 C.E. Greek philosophers of science were among the world’s first physicians/doctors and they applied rational thinking to medicine rather than divine intervention, and opened early schools of medicine where they studied disease in living people. Medicine was established as a profession and discipline in its own right and the study of medical science encouraged and promoted. The ancient Greek’s groundwork continues to influence western medicine today. The seriously clever Hippocrates - known as the “Father of Western medicine”, who lived in ancient Greece from 460 – c. 370 BC, inspired the Hippocratic Oath, which set out in writing (Ionic Greek) the very first principles of medical ethics. It forms a rite of passage for medical students across the world to this day, who swear by this oath on graduating. The oath includes many fundamental, ethical principles of modern medical practice, such as to “first do no harm” and the practice of medical confidentiality. Medical malpractice is the modern equivalent of the Hippocratic Oath being broken and can result in many severe penalties, both legal and civil.
4 Elements + 4 Humors
Empedocles came up with the idea that all natural matter consisted of four elements: earth, water, air, and fire. Inspired by this notion, ancient Greek physicians developed a theory of the 4 humors (liquids) in the body which when imbalanced, they believed caused ill health. When the humors were in balance and the body in homoeostasis, the individual was believed to experience perfect health. In much the same way that current western medicine is heavily preoccupied with the practice of symptomatic care (see below), the prevailing and popular idea of the 4 humors remained a central, mainstream belief in Western Europe until the 17th century and posed an obstacle to advances in medical practice(2). Much like Flat Earth theory which held back our understanding of physics and marine navigation.
Everything Is Connected - Homoeostasis
Homoeostasis (noun) - (of Greek origin) the tendency towards a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological processes.
Western medicine also ignores one pivotal and fundamental principle of the human body which is central to all other world medicine systems - the fact that the trillions of cells, 78 different organs and more than 60,000 miles of blood vessels, tissue and bones etc. which make up our bodies cannot function independently; they are all intrinsically connected. “Your heart does not beat unless your brain and nervous system tell it to do so. Your skeletal system relies on the nutrients it gains from your digestive system to build strong, healthy bones.”(3)
Working together, these systems maintain internal stability and balance in the body known as homeostasis. Disease in one bodily system can disrupt homeostasis, unbalancing our internal equilibrium and causing problems which express themselves in the form of symptoms elsewhere, in other bodily systems.
Even seemingly separate parts of the body are connected; “Your skeletal system relies on your urinary system to remove waste produced by bone cells; in return, the bones of your skeleton create structure that protects your bladder and other urinary system organs. Your circulatory system delivers oxygen-rich blood to your bones. Meanwhile, your bones are busy making new blood cells.”(3)
This internal equilibrium includes our nervous system and brain, and thus our mental and emotional health too which are health factors that are all too often left out the doctor's consulting room, but which play a vital and central role in our physical health and wellbeing. These aspects of our health are very much neglected; “...there are more than 50 professions in medicine...that just deal with the body.” “...and for the mind, we have a poor two; Psychology and Psychiatry. That means that the society in which we live doesn’t believe that a healthy mind is more important than a healthy body.” “Modern science is just beginning to scratch the surface of the mind.”- Brahmavihari Swami ‘Positive Attitude for a Healthy Mind’
Forgotten Wisdom from Ancient Greece
Forgotten Wisdom
Lost - Ancient Greek Insight + Wisdom
Despite the modern model of medicine being based on the Greek model, much of their wisdom hasn’t been passed down and incorporated into western doctrines and practices. Only a fraction of their amazingly insightful teachings have reached us. For example, from the whole passage below only: “Our food should be our medicine. Our medicine should be our food.” is common knowledge. But the whole passage is not just about the importance of nutrition and what you eat, but also when we should eat and the importance of fasting. Yet MDs (medical doctors) are taught little to nothing about nutrition, diet, lifestyle, environmental factors or the importance of fasting for health. There is much we can learn from Greek Medicine!
"Everyone has a physician inside him or her; we just have to help it in its work. The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well. Our food should be our medicine. Our medicine should be our food. But to eat when you are sick is to feed your sickness." - Hippocrates
“Fasting is the greatest remedy—the physician within.” - Paracelsus
Medicine was still very much an art in Ancient Greece and many of their enlightened concepts such as "a healthy mind in a healthy body"; the belief that medicine incorporates both physical and mental wellbeing, have been subsequently overlooked by the modern doctrine of medicine in the west(4). As a traditional holistic healing system, Greek Medicine shares a lot in common with Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda.
Alcmaeon, who lived around 500 B.C.E, appears to have been the first person to wonder about the possible internal causes of illness and to propose that illness might result from environmental problems, nutrition, and lifestyle. Alcmaeon was more of a philosopher of science than a doctor but nevertheless, he and a few other notable physicians - Hippocrates, Galen, Dioscorides and Avicenna, together paved the way for western medical science(4), (5).
Western Medicine Today
The Modern Western Healthcare System
Triumphs - Evidence-Based Research + Treatment
It’s important to note that on this page that we list many failings of the modern system of medical care not because we are bitter or strongly against it. Indeed, despite its downfalls and our own grim personal experiences with the medical system, we are in awe of medical science as a whole - it’s achievements in the treatment of disease and the mind-blowing latest scientific research findings, many of which we reference heavily on the page of this site! Before we go more into depth about why we believe the modern system in the west is failing so many and to give some balance, here are some of its biggest successes. Because these aren’t super relevant here - except for the fact that many of us wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for these discoveries - we’ll be super brief.
One of the all-time greatest achievements of western medicine has been the complete eradication of the abominable smallpox disease. Medical science has come a long way since the beginnings of inoculation/vaccination in the 16th century and Alexander Flemming’s accidental discovery of the world’s first antibiotic; penicillin, in 1928. Something as minor as a scratch from a rose thorn, if infected, once could have proved life-threatening. Countless lives have been saved and medical research and medicines are saving lives all the time, even as I’m writing this! In fact - that is what medical science really excels at - saving lives. Cutting-edge research may soon put an end to the woes of other distressing afflictions such as HIV, polio and more(6). Research is discovering more about the amazing squishy grey stuff in our heads, how the microorganisms within us influence and health and wellbeing (see Nature + the Microbiome) and the power we can exert over our minds and bodies (see Meditation + Mental Wellbeing), by changing our behaviours and shaping our epigenetics (see Health-Hacks).
Failings - Chronic Illness + Quality of Life
“Advances in research and the delivery of health care have reduced mortality from disease and extended life expectancy in developed countries. We are living longer, but are we necessarily living better?”(7)
Medical science is lacking when it comes to the understanding and treatment of chronic illnesses. As the number of those suffering from chronic illness in the west and developing countries rises rapidly - whether it be diabetes, heart problems or any number of autoimmune conditions - even upon recovery, the emotional cost of long-term illness is now becoming recognised. The chronic illnesses themselves are often given vague medical diagnoses such as Fibromyalgia, IBS and autoimmune diseases (of which there are 80+ different types). The root causes of these conditions are little understood by medical healthcare professionals and the focus is given to managing symptoms rather than solving underlying causes. Cure is rarely discussed in the consultation rooms. Even when or if symptoms subside without proper care and proper interventions, and the individual appears to be recovering, management of the psychological and social dimensions remain a huge challenge.
“As doctors, we’re largely taught to ‘cure illnesses’ by just treating symptoms. Our training is not as useful for the current epidemic of chronic lifestyle-related conditions that now flood our surgeries.” - Dr Charterjee(8)
“It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person has.” - Hippocrates
Symptomatic Care + Treatment
As Dr Kresser puts so well, the western approach to medicine focuses on “...this idea of causality in the body.”(9) In other words, we are unfortunate that the dominant view of western medicine disarticulate systems of the body in an attempt to treat areas separately, and focuses on easing symptoms with pharmaceutical drugs, instead of aiming to cure patients. In other words, mainstream medical establishments focus on symptomatic care and treatment rather than addressing the root causes and prevention of ailments.
“What the medical model does, whether with mental illness or physical illness… it separates the mind from the body, so that what happens emotionally is not seen to have an impact on our physical health. Number one, and number two it separates individuals from their environment. So that we try to understand individuals in separation from their actual lives… Which leaves us completely bereft of understanding what causes most of disease and what they’re betraying there is the complete poverty of understanding of what makes the human brain tick, and what creates a human being, and what causes people to behave and to function and feel the way they actually do.” - Dr Gabor Mate(10)
Limited Knowledge
Like all education systems, the medical curriculum has its limitations and specific doctrines which it passes down to GPs, MDs and consultants alike. Despite scientific advance favouring outside-the-box thinking, when it comes to the medical establishment and healthcare in the UK, MDs are not encouraged to think creatively or use their own ingenuity. It can take many years for scientific advances and the latest peer-reviewed research to become implemented into medical practice and patient treatment. MDs are expected to simply connect the dots and follow the symptomatic model, leading inevitably to the doctors doling out harmful pharmaceutical drugs from the lists in their drug guidebooks.
List of patient symptoms > deduce direct cause(s) of symptoms (but not root cause!) = pharmaceutical drug prescription (to reduce symptoms)
Lifestyle choices, diet, exercise, mental hygiene - the behavioural and thought patterns which govern our lives and which either bring us closer to health and vitality or to illness, disease and death, - they just aren’t even mentioned when you visit your GP!
Western Therapeutic + Function Medicine
Alternative Western Healthcare
Therapeutic/Functional Medicine
Therapeutics (noun) - a branch of medicine concerned with the treatment and care of a patient for the purpose of both preventing and combating disease or alleviating pain or injury. The term comes from the Greek therapeutikos, which means “inclined to serve.”
But the west doesn’t have just one healthcare system. To cure ourselves of our chronic illness, we took the Therapeutic Medicine (also known as Functional or Progressive Medicine) approach which focuses on the root causes of disease and prevention, as well as alleviating symptoms. To us, this seems a more logical and practical approach than symptomatic treatment which is like putting a tiny plaster on an open wound and hoping that that will do the trick.
MDs Turned Functional Practitioners
Many of the healing and medical professionals we quote and reference on this site originally trained under conventional western models of medicine as MDs, but on realising that this system leaves a lot to be desired, they switched to an alternative medicinal route, choosing instead the therapeutic approach. We list them at the bottom of the Understanding SIBO + AI page. Each of them are a great source of accumulated knowledge, research and wisdom - check them out!
Recovery - Getting Back to Homoeostasis
Doctors under the western medicinal model commonly tell patients that their ailments, conditions and diseases such as diabetes, autoimmune conditions, skin conditions etc. are incurable. However, functional medicine has proved that almost any form of illness in the body can be reversed. Recovery is often a matter of returning the body to its natural state of homoeostasis via lifestyle and behavioural interventions. The MDs we reference (see link above) all are amazing healing resources, full of great advice and guidance on how to go about healing from a wide variety of health concerns.
“Health is the natural state of the body, and it will always strives to get back to equilibrium” - Dr John Bergman
stopSIBO Mission Statement
Stop SIBO - Our Aim
Missing Links
All of the knowledge we’ve accumulated over the past years and share in the Healing section of this site, are the discoveries we’ve made which unlock wellness and health in the human body. Our main aim is to help those recovering from chronic illness, but anyone can benefit from the research-based information we provide here. This site holds the essential information needed by anyone wishing to achieve optimal health physically and mentally. These pages hold the vital guidance, practices and lifestyle and behavioural changes and health-hacks which are lacking from the western model of healthcare; how to master self-care and enhance your mental and physical health so that your life, vitality, wellness and happiness are under your control. We designed this site to be the missing link, filling in the gaping gaps and limited knowledge of our far-from-perfect healthcare system.
In Summary - Be Your Own Doctor + Detective
Our own stories - and those of most people we know! - are a testament to the failings of the western system of care and treatment. We have both experienced a lot of unnecessary trauma over the years as a direct result of numerous MDs misadvice and misdiagnosis. But most disappointingly, the majority of GPs and consultants (Dermatologists, Gastroenterologists etc.) that we visited were preoccupied fragmenting our anatomy and focussing on our symptoms rather than considering our state of health as a whole. Piecing together a full and better informed picture of our medical, emotional/mental and physiological history just wasn’t considered as an option.
We no longer rely on MDs, except the MDs turned therapeutic practitioners which we reference here! Our health is in our own hands. We avoid pharmaceutical drugs like the plague because of the negative and damaging consequences we’ve experienced from them over the years, making an exception only in life and death situations where antibiotics may be necessary. We recommend that you become your own doctor, and become your own detective! Use your symptoms as clues and hunt down the probable causes and how to tackle them. Take your health, wellbeing and happiness into your own hands - its under your own control after all. Every decision we make, lifestyle choices we take, the food we eat and beverages we drink, either bring us closer to health and vitality or illness and disease. Rely on only yourself and conduct your own thorough research - and tonnes of it!
MDs have their uses but it’s important to not pin too much hope on the western symptomatic model. Though doctors are a great resource if you want a free second opinion or any testing (iron levels, thyroid, liver function, vitamin levels, scans etc.) done. We discuss Diagnosis, Testing + Docs separately as it’s important to work with the medical system if you want to reap a few of its benefits.