For those unfamiliar with “whack-a-mole”, it was originally an arcade game featuring large, circular holes each containing a mole that pops up and down randomly. Players use a mallet to hit the moles back down, earning points for their efforts; higher difficulty levels involve multiple moles appearing simultaneously.
In our medical system, once a doctor addresses one symptom, more often emerge—either due to medication side effects or because addressing the patient’s symptoms isn’t actually dealing with the underlying cause of their condition.
Each new symptom is met with a prescription, test, or scan, with little consideration given to identifying the root cause. As new symptoms arise, they are similarly treated with more medication or interventions. Despite this, the patient may not feel truly healthy due to ongoing side effects and unresolved issues. As time goes on, people may have a growing list of medications to take and they may find that their list of diagnoses also grows….
When the root cause of symptoms remains untreated, the problem persists regardless of how many times the doctor treats the symptoms. Treating symptoms should not be a substitute for addressing the underlying cause (or causes) and repeated visits to the doctor can become an endless cycle of symptom management, potentially harming overall health.
Does this sound familiar to you? Are you or people you know in this situation?