The use of two different words can lead to different levels of expectation for handling a disease.
In the last several years, one observation struck me. There is a word that people like to use that doctors rarely use: "cure." Every medical resource I've ever consulted doesn't use that word as often. Rather, they use the word "treatment." Both words deal with how to manage a disease, but I'm starting to realize that they might correlate with expectations of prognosis.
The word "cure" suggests that a disease can be completely eradicated. We all love the idea of something that could get rid of a disease once and for all. In reality, however, some diseases are not likely to be completely eliminated, like autoimmune diseases. Rather, they are reduced in severity as much as possible. This is why doctors use the word "treatment." It encompasses any means to combat a disease regardless of how much they can do.
This difference in terminology and connotation may lead to problems. If a patient expects a miracle cure but the doctor knows that the best treatment may not be a complete cure but is still beneficial, the patient's expectations may be too high and will not likely be met. It can lead to unnecessary distrust in medicine.
Remember, medicine is an imperfect science. Some diseases, especially those originating from inside the body, just cannot go away. Options to manage a condition may not be 100% efficacious, but the chances are good enough to give it a shot. That's why some diseases are not curable but are still treatable. This is the reality we should accept.
