Sometimes the smart thing to do is……nothing.

That certainly doesn’t hold true for general day-to-day activities; most people do way too much of “nothing” – watching TV, scrolling social, etc. – and far too little meaningful movement.

But the medical field is quite a different thing.  Sometimes, as well illustrated by the attached article, the smart thing is to “wait and see”, or “watchful waiting” as its known in the medical community.

In many cases, especially with slow growing cancers, its virtually impossible to tell when, if ever, they will actually become harmful.   By a certain age, most men will have signs of prostate cancer, but, even if left untreated, something else will kill them before the prostate cancer becomes dangerous.

Here at Global Fast Fit we emphasize active prevention; a host of activities such as exercise, careful nutrition, regular dental care, use of sun screen, that have virtually no downside, and lots of upside.  But all dramatic action, such as surgery, often has substantial risks. Probably hundreds of thousands of men have been rendered completely or partially impotent by prostate surgery designed to remove cancer that would never have become dangerous if left alone.  And once damage is done by surgery, it can’t be reversed. 

People seem to forget that medical care is a business; when a doctor recommends surgery he or she is putting money in their own pocket if they’re the ones going to perform that surgery.  And often quite a bit of money.  Even a well meaning surgeon has a bias to action; they are trained to take action, and that’s what they do.  They are not trained to just wait and see what happens – and they don’t get paid to do so.  But that’s often the wisest course.

The back is another good example.  If you get an MRI of your back, it will probably show lots of “abnormalities” that aren't necessarily causing pain or functional issues. Minor disc bulges, mild degeneration, or small spinal cysts are common findings, especially as people age, but they don’t always require intervention. Often, these findings are incidental, meaning they don't contribute to symptoms and may not need any treatment.  So just because an MRI shows something doesn’t mean surgery is called for.

If you’re in pain or you have trouble functioning you should probably take some sort of action, although the body will often heal itself.  But if you don’t have pain, cosmetic issues, or functional problems, make very sure that action is really required before you take the irreversible step of surgery.  Or, as the old saying goes, “Measure twice, cut once”.