The Narrative of What's Wrong and How to Fix It

The dominant medical system is based on the premise that the doctor knows best. Patients are asked to surrender all power, passively accepting the narrative of what's wrong and how to fix it. Despite the fact that it may come from a well-meaning place, it can do so much harm. Some of that harm happens through something called the nasebo effect. In other words, the expectation of sickness or harmful effects or symptoms from any given event can become a self-fulfilling prophecy via psychoneurobiological pathways.