Learning the Meaning of MD
Dr. Jyothi Rao’s Story
My grandfather was a true physician, not only because of his knowledge or clinical acumen, but also because he tended to his patients where they lived and worked. He made house calls, even in the middle of the night, for treatments ranging from minor surgery to counseling—he was always ready with a warm smile or a hand to hold. He helped those in need, those without any money, those who were scared about pain and illness. In his rural community in India, he was a hero and was beloved . . . and I wanted to be just like him.
Visiting patients in the home is not practical, but it does offer advantages. It provides the ability to see people holistically, in their life roles, and identify the stressors they encounter every day. It gives insights into their struggles with socioeconomic class, family dynamics, and living conditions. My grandfather was able to identify the root cause of an ailment with much more ease since he knew, really knew, his patients. He made a difference in their quality of life. Ever since I can remember, I wanted to do exactly that. I wanted to help guide people to thrive. I wanted to bring some comfort back into their lives.
I went to medical school yearning for knowledge and eager for experience in treating illness. I pursued positions in which I would work with those who were dedicated, knowledgeable, and devoted to their patients. My residency was in a tertiary care (specialized treatment) medical center where I saw a wide variety of ailments and worked alongside great and caring physicians who were leaders in their fields. I finished my residency empowered with the feeling that I now possessed the knowledge to follow in the path of my grandfather.
However, starting in private practice in New York, I was overwhelmed when I realized how little we as physicians could do to actually heal. Sure, we could diagnose illness and treat symptoms, but what about addressing the cause of the problem? Why put someone on a vigilance drug for daytime sleepiness when we should be looking for a solution to their sleep issues? We did extensive workups on many patients who had concerning symptoms, only to find everything was “normal.” So, is it normal to have achiness all over? Is it normal to not have a bowel movement for five days? A city that takes pride in never sleeping provides an environment rich with stress-related symptoms, such as insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), migraines, palpitations, and many more.
Why is weight gain such a big problem? Where is the joy and vitality in everyone? There was not enough time to counsel or delve deep into sources of stress, which I felt was the root of 75 to 80 percent of what I see in internal medicine. What happened to bringing comfort back into our patients’ lives? After all of my study and hard work and aspirations to help people, all I had in my toolbox were bandages. I wrote prescriptions and briefly discussed exercise and diet. I was a fireman, putting out fires that had already started and doing nothing to prevent future fires from igniting.
It was at this point that I decided to train in acupuncture, so I could offer more wellness tools to my patients. I learned about the concept of energy movement and began looking at the root cause of illness. Using acupuncture in my practice gave me a new paradigm shift. It was not only a tool for common symptoms such as back pain, migraines, acid reflux, and many other everyday illnesses I was treating, but I also heard from patients that they felt more energetic, they slept better, and their mood improved. As I learned about creating balance, I felt empowered once again. I could teach my patients about elementary prevention, which is keeping systems in balance so illness doesn’t have a chance to strike. I was finally on the path to integrative, functional medicine.
No longer do we have to feel that we are destined by our genes. We have the tools to impact the ways in which our genes manifest themselves. Functional medicine allows me to delve into genetic variations, the impact of oxidative stress, nutrient imbalance, and how different environmental toxins break down our bodies, according to varying socioeconomic conditions and climate exposure. These differences change the ways our bodies respond to stress and create oxidative stress and inflammatory changes. These pathways of inflammation lead to our symptoms and to different disease states.
It was in my postgraduate years that I learned how to keep people well. It is my goal to educate people about the multitude of various stressors in our lives, ranging from the environmental (poor air and water quality, extreme climate changes, poor food quality with pesticides, and GMO and processed foods), to the chemical (toxins in water and medication side effects) to the mental (feeling out of control).
I continue to strive to find tools that allow me to practice medicine the way my grandfather did—holistically. I continue to search for knowledge that will empower my patients. Aging is an inevitable part of life. I want to teach my patients not to fear it but to embrace aging. We may not be as fast, our joints may feel creaky, and we may have more wrinkles on our faces. But we can be strong. We can be at peace and free of chronic illness. It is all about balance.