Insights

In this short video excerpt from my recent conversation on the “Exploding Human” podcast with Bob Nickman, I review the value of physical assessment – the power of touch to understand the human condition. As my mentor, Karel Lewit, wisely said, “the hand is the best diagnostic instrument we have.”

In her wonderful book, The Age of Diagnosis, Suzanne O’Sullivan says, “We are all as unique on the inside as we are on the outside.” O’Sullivan, a neurologist, states, “Diagnosis is an art and science. The quality of the doctor ordering a test is as important, if not more important, than the test itself.”

O’Sullivan adds, “No matter how many sophisticated tests are involved, diagnosis remains a clinical art that is inherently intuitive and heavily reliant on the doctor’s interpretation of the patient’s story and examination.”

Ironically, one of the stumbling points in the development of robots is the hand. The innovators currently cannot come close to recreating the movement and dexterity of the human hand. The reasoning and interpretation required is uniquely and wonderfully human.

In our age of artificial intelligence, data and technology, the importance and value of human-to-human interaction is sometimes displaced. As use of these fast tools increase, the value of slow and simple practices is going to grow. Listening, observing, and touching are key to understanding and interpreting what the body is experiencing.

Understanding where you are is key to getting to where you want to go. Knowing what matters for you is essential to doing what matters to build your self-efficacy and resilience.

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