Don't Ask - What Disease I Have? Ask - Why I Got Disease?
- Madhukar Dama
- Sep 22
- 10 min read
When we fall sick, the first instinct is to ask: “𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 do I have?”
It feels logical. A cough must be an infection. Chest pain must be a heart problem. Headache? Migraine or sinusitis.
So we rush to the doctor, the lab, the scan, the pharmacy. A name is given, a pill prescribed. Everyone feels relieved — the disease has been identified.
But pause for a moment. Has it really been understood — or only labelled?
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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐩
Diagnosis sounds like knowledge. But often it is only a description of effects, not a discovery of causes.
Diabetes = your blood sugar is chronically high.
Hypertension = your blood pressure is consistently high.
Gastritis = your stomach lining is irritated.
These words name the smoke. They don’t reveal the fire.
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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 → 𝐖𝐡𝐲
Instead of asking what disease do I have, ask why did I get this disease?
This shift transforms you from a passive patient into an active investigator of your own life.
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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐄𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐲
Almost all diseases can be traced back to silent, everyday errors:
The food you eat.
The sleep you skip.
The emotions you suppress.
The stress you ignore.
The addictions you normalize.
Individually small, together they build disease.
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𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 & 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬
The body carries the weight of the mind.
Unresolved anger raises blood pressure.
Loneliness weakens immunity.
Fear disturbs digestion.
Unexpressed grief drains vitality.
Sometimes the disease you see is only the body shouting what the mind has been whispering for years.
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𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬
In India, many errors are disguised as culture.
Overfeeding children with sugar-loaded “health” drinks.
Celebrating festivals with endless fried sweets.
Showing hospitality through overeating.
Glorifying overwork as “dedication.”
What is normalised in society becomes pathology in the body.
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𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 & 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬
Our habits are not just personal; they are engineered.
Food companies design addictions with sugar, salt, fat, and “fortification.”
Pharma thrives not on cures but on lifelong prescriptions.
Doctors are pressured to prescribe instead of prevent.
Media sells fear and miracle cures together.
To ask “why” is also to resist this machinery.
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𝐀 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐖𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭
Ancient Indian sciences — Ayurveda, Siddha, Yoga, Naturopathy — always asked “why.”
They spoke of imbalance in diet, sleep, emotions, environment. Illness was a signal, not an enemy.
Modern medicine reduced health to diagnosis + pill. The older wisdom still waits to be rediscovered.
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𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
Sometimes disease is not just physical or emotional. It comes when life is lived out of alignment.
When purpose is denied, creativity suffocated, or truth ignored, the body often takes the burden.
Disease, then, is not punishment but teacher.
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𝐀 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐩: 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐖𝐞 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬
To make this reflection concrete, here is an exhaustive map of factors that quietly create disease:
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𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 & 𝐃𝐢𝐞𝐭
Eating only for taste, not nourishment.
Ignoring seasonal, local, traditional food practices.
Overeating at weddings/festivals.
Late-night heavy dinners.
Lack of sun exposure.
Popping medicines for minor illnesses instead of resting.
Excess processed foods (maida, sugar, white rice, refined oils).
“Health drinks” and fortified junk marketed as nutrition.
Eating wheat (gluten intolerance) and milk (lactose intolerance) when sensitive.
Fast food dependency.
Lack of fruits and vegetables.
Excess sugar and salt.
Insufficient fiber.
Unhealthy fats (trans & refined).
Poor portion control.
Skipping meals.
Not fasting, or fasting wrongly.
Unhealthy snacking.
Sugary beverages.
Too little water.
Overeating or undereating.
Ignoring known allergies or intolerances.
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𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲
Sedentary lifestyle.
Lack of regular exercise.
Urban design against movement (cars, lifts, desk jobs).
Children with no outdoor play.
Overtraining without rest.
Poor technique.
Lack of variety in exercise.
Ignoring pain signals.
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𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 & 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭
Lack of sleep.
Irregular sleep patterns.
Night shifts and hustle culture.
Caffeine close to bedtime.
Using screens in bed.
Noise and light pollution.
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𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 & 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡
Chronic stress and anxiety.
No relaxation practice (silence, prayer, meditation).
Poor time management.
Negative thinking, pessimism.
Fear of failure.
Lack of confidence.
Low self-esteem.
Lack of motivation.
Perfectionism.
Procrastination.
Overthinking.
Negative self-talk.
Suppression of emotions (anger, grief, tears).
Comparison and social media addiction.
Lack of self-care.
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𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 & 𝐇𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐬
Overwork, work-life imbalance.
No hobbies or creative outlets.
Isolation, weak social bonds.
Toxic relationships.
Smoking, alcohol, drug abuse.
Unsafe sexual practices.
Self-medicating.
Blind trust in quick-fix pills.
Neglect of preventive care.
Disconnection from nature.
Chasing prestige and material excess.
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𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐲
Many diseases are not just personal but collective:
Polluted air → asthma.
Pesticides → cancer.
Sedentary cities → obesity.
Long commutes → chronic stress.
When we ask “why,” we must also ask: Why are our environments designed to sicken us?
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𝐀 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
The “why” question should not become guilt.
Yes, we must own our errors. But we must also recognise systemic injustice — poverty, food corruption, pollution, genetic risks.
Awareness, not blame, opens the path to healing.
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𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Awareness is the beginning. Action is the cure.
Fresh, natural food.
Restful sleep.
Daily movement.
Honest emotional expression.
Nature, silence, stillness.
Small corrections, done daily, heal deeper than any pill.
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𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐫
Diagnosis is like naming the smoke. Asking “why” reveals the fire.
Disease is the body’s protest march. Diagnosis only counts the protestors. Asking “why” uncovers the cause of protest.
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𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
When you ask 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞, you get a label.
When you ask 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞, you get the truth.
This shift is not small. It is revolutionary. It saves families from endless pills, unnecessary surgeries, and wasted lives. It restores dignity and responsibility. It turns disease from curse into teacher.
So next time your body speaks through pain, fatigue, or illness — don’t just ask what. Ask why.
Because the real healer is not the pill, not the label, not the machine. The real healer is you.
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𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐀𝐬𝐤 ‘𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞?’ – 𝐀𝐬𝐤 ‘𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐈 𝐆𝐨𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞?’
by Dr. Madhukar Dama
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𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬
Madhukar (45) — Host, off-grid near Yelmadagi. Asthma from age 5 to 20. Every month, multiple hospital visits. Wheezing so severe he often thought he might die in sleep. Doctors gave inhalers, tablets, nebulisers. Nothing cured. At 20, he asked why. He began jogging, gasping, stumbling at first. Within 3 months, asthma reversed. Since then, 25 years, not a single attack.
Ramu (65, Farmer) — Weathered, strong. Switched from millets to hybrid rice. Suffers arthritis, breathlessness. Believes it is “age.”
Kamala (55, Homemaker) — Knows food traditions, but shifted to modern shortcuts. Suffers anaemia, chest heaviness.
Dr. Varma (50, MBBS) — Modern, rational, authoritative. Treats with tests and pills. Suffers hypertension and borderline diabetes.
Arjun (28, Bengaluru Techie) — Sleepless, caffeinated, restless. Gastritis, migraines, insomnia.
Shankar (62, Retired Teacher) — Dutiful, disciplined, diabetic. Resigned to insulin.
Ananda (Monk, 40s) — Once wealthy businessman. Depression and asthma forced him to leave city. Found healing in silence, fasting, wandering.
Chinnu (10, Neighbour’s Child) — Innocent, overweight, with cough and cavities. Already labelled “asthmatic.”
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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠
Early morning. The air is cool, dry. Neem leaves whisper. A mat is spread on the ground under a wide neem tree. Brass pot of Simarouba kashaya steams gently. Clay cups are filled, passed around by Sita, Madhukar’s partner. A dog dozes nearby.
This is no casual visit. Madhukar had fixed this date weeks ago. Each participant had been invited. The topic announced in advance:
“Don’t ask — What disease I have? Ask — Why I got disease?”
The group sits. Silence lingers. A rooster crows.
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I. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬
Madhukar: Friends, before we begin, I must tell you why this question matters to me. From age five till twenty, I lived with asthma. My parents rushed me to the hospital several times every month. At night, I would gasp, wheeze, and clutch my chest. I remember thinking — maybe I will die before morning. Doctors gave names, gave sprays, gave pills. Nothing stopped the attacks.
At twenty, I stopped asking “what.” I asked “why.” Why me? Why always breathless? Why did medicine only silence me for a few hours? I looked inward. I began jogging. First day — I fell after a few steps, lungs on fire. Next day again. Next week, a little further. In three months — asthma gone. Since then, twenty-five years, not a single attack.
This is why I called you here. Because all of you have stories too. And today, I want us to ask together — not what, but why.
(He sips his kashaya. The others exchange glances.)
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II. 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞 — 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐬
Madhukar: Tell me, what names have you been given?
Ramu: Arthritis. And asthma. Ointments, inhalers.
Kamala: Anaemia. Iron pills, injections.
Dr. Varma: Hypertension. Pills daily. Diabetes now knocking.
Arjun: Gastritis, insomnia. Antacids, sleeping tablets.
Shankar: Diabetes. Insulin now, for life.
Ananda: Depression, breathlessness. I ran away from the city.
Chinnu: Asthma. I have an inhaler. Blue one.
Madhukar: Good. The system gave you “whats.” But why?
(A silence falls. The neem tree rustles.)
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III. 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞 — 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝
Madhukar: Ramu, tell me your food story.
Ramu: We ate jowar, pulses, buttermilk. Walked miles daily. Then the market praised rice. Fertiliser promised more. I ate more rice, polished, white. Less work, more belly. Pain came.
Madhukar: Kamala?
Kamala: I stopped grinding flour. Mixer saves time. My daughter drinks health powders — colourful, sweet. I buy packet oil, packet rice. Greens — sometimes.
Arjun: Coffee is my breakfast. Pizza, burger for dinner. Midnight snacks. Always fast food.
Shankar: We teachers respected neat lunchboxes. White rice, sugar tea, fried snacks. I too followed.
Madhukar: And now?
Shankar: Now I inject insulin. But still crave jalebi.
Madhukar: So the food shifted from earth to packet, from kitchen to factory. Did anyone ask you why it mattered?
All (quietly): No.
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IV. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞 — 𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩
Madhukar: Varma, why awake at midnight?
Dr. Varma: Duty. Reports. Calls. Patients. Coffee helps.
Madhukar: And your blood pressure?
Dr. Varma (defensive): It rose. Pills control it.
Arjun: Same. Work late, wake early. No rest.
Shankar: Correcting homework, exams, stress. Sleep late.
Ananda: The body repairs in night’s silence. You stole its time, so it demands repayment.
Madhukar: When the night is stolen, disease is borrowed.
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V. 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞 — 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
Madhukar: Kamala, why hide chest pain?
Kamala: Who will I tell? The house needs me. Hospital is costly. I swallow fear.
Shankar: I too. Fear of failure, of losing respect. I kept silent. My sugar rose.
Dr. Varma: I treat patients’ fear, but my own? I don’t tell my wife. I am doctor — pride stops me.
Madhukar: When fear is buried, the body is forced to speak.
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VI. 𝐅𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞 — 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 & 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦
Madhukar: Why do we celebrate excess?
Kamala: Festivals mean frying, sweets. To refuse is insult.
Ramu: Weddings mean overeating. People compete in feeding.
Arjun: Offices give pizza, burgers. Culture of convenience.
Dr. Varma: Hospitals give pills quick. Culture of speed.
Ananda: Society worships more, never balance.
Chinnu (munching biscuit): My teacher gives chocolate for homework.
Madhukar: So culture itself is a factory of sickness. And we obeyed.
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VII. 𝐒𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞 — 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭
Ananda: My lungs collapsed not only from dust, but from life. Depression. Greed. Emptiness. I left. Illness was teacher.
Madhukar: Sometimes disease is body shouting what soul whispers.
Chinnu: Uncle, if I play more and eat laddoo less, will my cough go?
Madhukar (smiles): That is the right why.
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VIII. 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞 — 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Madhukar: One small step each.
Ramu: Millet once a day. Walk field myself.
Kamala: Greens daily. Less packet food.
Arjun: Screens off by ten. Carry lunch.
Shankar: Evening walk. Speak fears to wife.
Dr. Varma (hesitant): I will ask patients one question: What do you eat? I will ask myself too.
Ananda: Ten minutes silence before food.
Chinnu: Play outside an hour. Less biscuits.
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IX. 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠
Madhukar: So — labels told us what. They gave pills. But healing begins when we ask why.
(He lifts his clay cup.)
Madhukar: To asking why — with honesty, with courage, with kindness.
(They sip. The sun rises. The neem shade shortens. A new day begins, heavier with truth, lighter with possibility.)
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𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐖𝐡𝐲, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭
— a poem for the report lover
you want the report,
don’t you?
you love the neat paper
the bold black letters:
Fasting: 126
BP: 150/95
Vitamin D: Low
ECG: Normal
the report tells you
𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 you have,
and you cling to it
like it’s the last truth on earth.
but listen—
the report is a polite fraud,
a printed lie of omission.
it names the smoke,
not the fire.
it lists the symptoms,
not the sins.
you hold the report in your hand
and never ask why
the numbers rose,
why the blood thickened,
why the pressure boiled,
why the body cracked.
reports are comforting,
like gods,
like horoscopes,
like government circulars.
they make the unknown
look measured,
as if numbers will save you.
but ask why—
and the ground shakes.
ask why—
and you see the midnight chips,
the endless cups of chai,
the glowing screens at 2 a.m.,
the silence of swallowed anger,
the way you eat festivals
like punishments,
the way you sit
as if your chair
is a coffin carved early.
ask why—
and your report
is naked.
the word diabetes
shrinks into
“too much sugar,
too little sweat.”
the word hypertension
becomes
“too much hurry,
too little sleep.”
the word arthritis
is simply
“too many packets,
not enough fields.”
but you don’t want that,
do you?
you want the comfort of a label.
you want the drama of a diagnosis.
you want to say,
“the doctor told me it’s this,
not that.”
you want the big Latin word
to explain away
the little daily errors.
you want the report,
because the report
doesn’t ask you
to change.
it doesn’t shame you
for swallowing stress
like candy.
it doesn’t expose
the 30 years of lies
you fed your own body.
but the why—
ah, the why is brutal.
it points the finger
back at you,
back at your kitchen,
your bed,
your habits,
your marriage,
your job,
your choices.
the why whispers
you built this disease
with your own hands.
and you hate that whisper
more than the disease itself.
so you go back to the lab.
again and again.
new reports,
new numbers.
shuffling papers
like tarot cards.
convincing yourself
that the answer
is printed
in Helvetica font.
but the body laughs.
the body doesn’t read reports.
the body keeps score
in pain,
in phlegm,
in sugar,
in pressure.
the body wants you
to look deeper.
the body begs you—
𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐰𝐡𝐲.
ask why the rice lost its husk,
why the oil smells of factories,
why your grandmother fasted
and you only snack.
ask why the fields
now grow poison.
ask why the city
never sleeps.
ask why you never speak
the words stuck in your throat.
ask why,
not what.
it’s harder.
it’s uglier.
it’s not fit for a file.
but it’s the only road
out of this circus.
reports will keep you a customer.
why will make you free.
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