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How Do You Evaluate a Good Doctor? A Profound Lesson from Chinese Medicine

How Do You Evaluate a Good Doctor? A Profound Lesson from Chinese Medicine
Photo by Online Marketing / Unsplash

When choosing a doctor for treatment, how do most of us decide?
Do we judge by their hospital affiliation? Their academic title? Number of research publications? Word-of-mouth reputation?

Not long ago, I began my journey into the world of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and along the way, I encountered a story that deeply challenged my assumptions about what makes a doctor truly great. It's a story about Bian Que (扁鹊), one of the most revered physicians in Chinese history, and it forever changed how I view healthcare.

The Story of Bian Que


Bian Que had two older brothers, both of whom were also doctors. Despite his own fame, Bian Que once told a neighbor that among the three, he was actually the least skilled. Startled, the neighbor asked why. He explained:

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"My eldest brother treats illness before it manifests, so his interventions go unnoticed and he remains unknown. My second brother treats disease at its earliest signs, before it becomes serious, so he gains modest recognition. I, however, am only called when the condition is critical. I perform dramatic interventions that save lives—so people regard me as a miracle worker and I gain fame. But in truth, the best doctor is not the one who treats the most patients, but the one whose skill prevents people from becoming patients at all."

This story struck me as timeless—and deeply relevant even in today's modern healthcare system.

My Three takeaways

  1. For the everyday person: The best doctor may not be the most visible one. Prevention and early diagnosis are often quieter forms of care—but they are the most effective and compassionate. Seek practitioners who value long-term well-being over short-term results.
  2. For healthcare professionals: True healing is not always aligned with recognition or revenue. It takes courage and integrity to prioritize patient health over public praise or profit.
  3. For society at large: We must redefine our definition of excellence in medicine—not just by outcomes we can see, but by crises quietly avoided.

In Conclusion

Modern medicine often celebrates the heroic—the surgeries, the breakthroughs, the recoveries against all odds. But perhaps the highest level of medical skill lies not in dramatic rescue, but in invisible prevention.

As the old Chinese saying goes: "上医治未病"—The superior doctor treats disease before it arises.

Maybe the best doctor is the one we never need to see.

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