Are pharmacologists and psychiatrists like, legitimate modern day "alchemists/witch-doctors"?

[JohnBoy2000]

I ask because I've been working on a cognitive application I believe heavily influences neural function/firing.

And over the course of understanding this application, whilst its base is neural firing or "fire-power", from an observers point of view, it appears I have more energy, morel lively/active, more spirit.

This word "spirit" in terms of the disposition is something I've been dwelling.

Spirit, charm, magic.

This is what draws people to you, kind of socially expressed.

But neurologically, what draws people to you is strong neural firing and the associated "magnetic" affect (actions potentials generate an electromagnetic pulse and subsequent attraction).

.....

Psychiatry and pharmacology, they're intended to treat maladies of the "spirit", which is really maladies of the nervous system.

Increase or modulation of neural signally (as with all drugs), is the medium by which this is done.

.....

I suppose the question is, in "olden" times, perhaps alchemists and witch-doctors were people who perhaps had an intuitive interest in the "spirit" and spirituality, gradually deduces means to intervene is nervous system functionality, alleviating issues with patients day-to-day spirit (depression/psychosis).

And that's essentially graduated to be pharmacology and drug administration (psychiatry);

Plausible?

 

[Rectify]

Yes, kind of. Physicians should have the desire to, above all, make their patients feel better, in my opinion.

Psychiatrists are no exception to the rule. It could be said that a physician's primary purpose is to increase patient longevity, BUT at the same time, it is really quite debatable if longevity can even be increased, even a little bit. One hundred and twenty years appears to be the limit, at this time.

 

[telepathetic]

Yes, kind of. Physicians should have the desire to, above all, make their patients feel better, in my opinion.

Psychiatrists are no exception to the rule. It could be said that a physician's primary purpose is to increase patient longevity, BUT at the same time, it is really quite debatable if longevity can even be increased, even a little bit. One hundred and twenty years appears to be the limit, at this time.

Who would want to live longer ?

 

[telepathetic]

And no, research scientists are more like alchemists. These schmucks are nothing compared to the geniuses who pioneered chemistry through their schizophrenia.

 

[plumbus-nine]

Who would want to live longer ?

Me, for example. If you could at the same time switch out suffering, I wouldn't mind having enough time to explore all of the possibilities we have here on earth, but beyond that we'd need some kind of hyperdrive. The universe is just too big.

Psychiatrists sometimes behave like the bad sort of witch-doctors for sure.

 

[fastandbulbous]

Just a personal opinion, but out of 7 psychiatrists I've dealt with, 1 was very good, but the other 6 ranged from lazy through to batshit crazy and worse than 99% of their patients.
As a pharmacologist, I'm horrified to be grouped with people who act as if they know everything about every subject under the sun (yes, I can be a smart arse, but there are a few subjects I feel fairly confident about and one where no doctor is going to bullshit me without getting all sorts of shit ie pharmacology). Had one bullshit me about electronics (my 'saddo' hobby!) and was unresponsive to me challenging his opinion.

In truth, a friend who used to be a consultant pathologist, told me a medical degree consisted of two terms of pharmacology lectures, out of a 5 year degree, such that most doctors knowledge comes from pharma reps (which is obviously unbiased & complete!!!). The only docs who have a good knowledge of pharmacology are ones that used to be anaesthesiologists (they are the ones running pain clinics). I've had a few run ins with my wife's GPs: she always finds it amusing to hear them back down after, "I'm just handing you over to my husband". Great with the telephone appointments that have become the norm, since covid. Unfortunately, I've told her it'll never work in person, as most docs get this, "I'm not going to listen to some scruffy, long haired bastard, trying to tell me how to do my job". To use a quote from one of my favourite films (No Surrender), of an exchange between a customer and a nightclub bounccer that reflects my experience with most docs, when meeting in person...

Customer - you don't judge a book by it's cover
Bouncer - I do, I can't read!

 

[December Flower]

You're taking the word "soul" from the Greek Goddess Psyche, who is the Goddess of the Souls,
however the word also refers to the mind/whatever animates us to move etc.

So a mind doctor, that is a correct term.
However, as any doctor, they do not fight an "illness"; how could they, they fight symptoms.
So as a regular doctor will keep your symptoms to a minimum(and your immune system with it),
a psychiatrist will do exactly the same, fight the symptoms.

The illness itself is fought by you and you alone