It seems to me that, as doctors, we’re not being given the full set of tools we need to truly help people.

Over the course of my medical career, I’ve had the privilege to interact with many doctors, medical students, and residents across different countries. And one thing I’ve seen consistently—something that unites almost all of us who enter this profession—is a deep desire to help. Yes, people may pursue medicine for a stable career, financial security, or social respect. But beneath all of that, I’ve found one common thread: the sincere wish to ease suffering and make a difference.

That was true for me, too.

One of the main reasons I chose medicine was because of my father. It was his dream to become a doctor—he couldn’t, but I could. When I asked him why he wanted to be a doctor, he said, “It’s the best way to help people, to serve, and to ease their pain.” That dream became mine. And I’m grateful every day that I followed it. Becoming a doctor—a healer, a helper, a guide through pain and illness—has been one of the best decisions of my life.

But there’s a concern I carry in my heart.

Are we truly equipping doctors—and healthcare professionals in general—with the tools they need to help people fully?

From my own training and through mentoring young professionals today, I’ve seen that our medical education remains heavily focused on the physical body. It’s often taught in a reductionist way—organs and systems in isolation—without fully exploring why diseases occur in the first place.

We barely scratch the surface when it comes to the mind and its role in health. Yet, mind and body are deeply interconnected. They are two sides of the same coin. Chronic stress is one of the biggest contributors to illness, but our training rarely addresses how to manage it—or how to guide patients through it.

Even now, nutrition, exercise, stress management, sleep hygiene, and behavioral change are not given their rightful place in most medical curricula. In my own training over 20 years ago, we hardly touched these topics. And unfortunately, not much has changed for many students today. These root-cause tools are often treated as optional extras, while the emphasis remains on medications, procedures, and diagnostics.

Now, let me be clear: modern medicine is incredible when it comes to acute care. If someone has a heart attack, stroke, trauma, or life-threatening emergency, the tools we have today are life-saving and revolutionary. Our hospitals and emergency departments are doing extraordinary work in these areas.

But when it comes to chronic disease—conditions like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, heart disease, autoimmune conditions—the tools we’ve been given are, frankly, incomplete.

We were trained to manage symptoms. But very often, we were not trained to address the root causes.

That’s where the analogy comes in: a warrior is only as good as the weapons they are given. Doctors who genuinely want to help are often limited by the narrowness of their training. If we’re only taught to treat disease after it arrives—and only with medications and procedures—then our ability to heal is restricted.

Thankfully, there is hope. A new movement is emerging.

Lifestyle Medicine is gaining ground—an evidence-based approach that focuses on preventing and reversing disease by addressing its root causes: food, movement, sleep, stress, relationships, purpose. More and more healthcare professionals are waking up to this. They’re expanding their understanding of the human system—not just as a collection of body parts, but as a whole, living, dynamic being.

But systemic change in medicine is slow. It may take years—even decades—before these tools are integrated into standard care. That’s why it’s up to all of us to accelerate that shift.

If You’re a Healthcare Provider…

Keep learning. Not out of guilt, but from a place of empowerment. There’s always more to discover—about nutrition, emotional health, behavioral change, and the power of lifestyle to transform lives.

You became a doctor to help. These tools can help you do that better.

If You’re a Patient or Caregiver…

Educate yourself. Understand that the system you’re in may not have all the answers. It can offer excellent emergency care—but when it comes to preventing or reversing chronic illness, it may fall short.

Don’t wait for the prescription. Look at your plate. Look at your habits. Look at your sleep, your stress, your inner world. You may have far more healing power in your hands than you realize.

This is not a criticism of medicine—it’s a calling to expand it.

A calling for doctors, nurses, patients, caregivers, and communities to come together…
To heal not just symptoms, but people.
To not only manage disease, but restore health.
To shift from reactive care to proactive care.
To create a healthcare system that’s not just technically advanced—but human.

Let’s walk that path together.

Best of health and happiness,
Dr. Arjun Rayapudi, MD, FACS, FRCSC, Dip.ABLM
“I can treat you with my surgical knife, or I can heal you with my chef’s knife. You pick.”