Oh, The Zebras Keep Coming

“Yes”, he repeated, “the zebras keep coming”. I looked out the window. The sun was shining. Tired snow patches melted on the pavement. A few cars passed by but there were no zebras in sight. “No”, he said, “don’t expect real zebras appearing out of the thin air. I’m talking about Zebra Medicine.” “What is that? ” “Well, a medical aphorism introduced in the 1940s by Dr. Theodore Woodward, at the University of Maryland: 'When you hear hoofbeats, think of horses, not zebras’”. “And why do the zebras keep coming? ” He smiled and then bit his bottom lip. “If you are in Maryland and not in Ethiopia, the animal making hoofbeats is probably a horse.” I crossed my legs. “All right. I understand this, but what is exactly your point? ” “Oh, the zebra metaphor cautions doctors that in searching for the causes of the patient’s symptoms, they should think first of a commonplace explanation rather than arriving at an exotic medical diagnosis.” “I am not entirely sure that I follow you”, I said. “Could you give me an example? ” “Oh, sadly enough, examples are aplenty. And since the pharmaceutical industry controlls mainstream medicine, its impact overspills to all segments of society dominating the politics of disease, the use and abuse of drugs and the medicalization of life. Take, for instance, high blood pressure. In most cases life style changes, such as a healthy diet, exercise and stress management can prevent and reverse this common disorder. But, instead, for hypertension physicians prescribe drugs, which have extensive and dangerous side effects. “Another example involves the so called Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. Now, mind you, many children are exposed to emotional pressures, they also easily become bored and often don’t get along with their teacher, and perhaps they are bullied, or they bully others and perhaps they are sensitive and allergic to certain foods, like wheat pasta and bread, which contains gluten, or dairy products and peanuts. So they misbehave and fail their exams. However, instead of trying to go to the root cause of the child’s behaviour, medicine offers a short cut called Ritalin”. “And what is wrong with that? ” “Oh, every drug has side effects and Ritalin can cause loss of appetite, anxiety, vomiting, insomnia, diziness, headache, increased heart rate, high blood pressure, psychosis, nervousness and agitation. Thus, the side effects of Ritalin can reinforce and aggravate the same behavior patterns for which the good doctor prescribed the medication”. He smiled and bit his lower lip again. “Oh, the zebras keep coming”, he said.