First Line

In the U.S., doctors of all specialties have either a degree in allopathic medicine, called an MD, or osteopathic medicine, called a DO. As a pre-med student, I saw how medicine has historically been in silos with increasing levels of specialty care that looks at symptoms and diseases in isolation to the whole person, so when I learned about the difference between allopathic and osteopathic medicine, it was an easy decision for me to exclusively apply to osteopathic medical schools. I wanted to receive medical education that teaches medicine through the lens of integrated systems with a holistic approach so that I could become a more effective doctor. I also fell in love with treating the body, mind, and spirit.

 

Even while studying at an osteopathic medical school, medicine still seemed very reactionary, treating symptoms and diseases after they already started. In medicine, a treatment typically used first as the standard of care is called the first-line treatment. I believe the true first-line treatment should happen before you even need to see a doctor. It starts with your lifestyle and your daily decisions. It starts with how you spend your day and the choices you make. It starts with taking care of yourself and preventing problems from starting. This is not just about following a low carb diet to prevent diabetes or exercising to maintain a healthy weight. It’s also about promoting mental health and spiritual health since as my osteopathic training has taught me, everything is interconnected and can’t be treated in isolation. My view of first-line treatment is providing health education in an evolving world where misinformation is rampant and self-proclaimed experts without credentials are louder than physicians who understand the science and have the clinical experience to back it up.