Why I Refuse to Hand Out Band-Aids: My Root-Cause Approach to Life and Medicine

By Dr. Tomi Mitchell

Let me start with this: I’m not in the business of handing out Band-Aids.

Yes, I’m a physician. I’m grounded in evidence-based medicine and the incredible tools modern healthcare offers. But I’ve also seen how often we stop short—treating the symptom instead of the story behind it. Whether it’s a medical diagnosis, a mental health challenge, or a stubborn life pattern that shows up at all the wrong times, I’m interested in what’s underneath.

We live in a culture hooked on quick relief. Struggling to sleep? There’s a pill. Can’t wake up? Coffee. Feeling stressed? Scroll until you forget what you were worried about. Exhausted? Push through—because slowing down feels impossible.

But here’s the problem: if we never stop to ask why—why we’re tired, anxious, disconnected, or sick—we’re just running in circles. At best, we buy ourselves temporary relief. At worst, we hide a problem that’s slowly getting worse.

That’s not the kind of medicine I practice. And it’s not the kind of life I want for anyone.

I Wear Different Hats—But My Core Philosophy Is the Same

In one setting, people hire me as a coach. These might be high-achieving leaders, entrepreneurs, or transition individuals searching for purpose, alignment, or a way to stop sabotaging themselves.

Our work together isn’t about surface tweaks—it’s about diving deep into the human experience: uncovering patterns, dismantling limiting beliefs, and building a life that fits.

In another setting, I’m wearing my physician hat. These are formal, clinical relationships. Here, I diagnose, treat, and guide patients through medical concerns. The expectations are different, the boundaries are clear—but my philosophy doesn’t change.

In both roles, I’m listening for what’s under the words. I’m looking for the thread that connects the fatigue to the headaches, the stress to the stomach pain, the burnout to the relationship tension. Because no matter what door people walk through—my clinic or my coaching practice—they bring their whole selves.

And here’s what I know: you don’t have to be my patient or coaching client to benefit from understanding your patterns. The threads of the human experience are universal. I’ve been privileged to witness them in tens of thousands of people. And when we follow those threads to the root, change happens.

Band-Aids Are Comfortable, Until They Aren’t

I’ve seen it repeatedly: people come in desperate for relief. They don’t necessarily want a significant life overhaul—they just want the pain, fatigue, or overwhelm to stop.

And I understand that.

But here’s the problem: symptom suppression without insight is like turning the radio to drown out a weird engine noise. It doesn’t make the problem disappear—it just delays the day the car breaks down.

While life-saving in many ways, the conventional medical system often works in isolation. Headaches? Take this. Depression? Try that. High blood pressure? Here’s a script.

Those things can help, sometimes critically—but they often ignore the why. Why is your body in this state? Why is your mind?

High blood pressure is rarely just “bad genes.” Sometimes it’s years of silent stress. Sometimes it’s skipping real meals because your day is packed. Sometimes it’s carrying grief or trauma you’ve never acknowledged.

These factors aren’t footnotes. They’re the heart of the story.

What Root-Cause Medicine (and Living) Means to Me

Root-cause thinking is about zooming out before you zoom in. It’s about asking:

• What patterns keep repeating in your health, your relationships, your work?

• Where have you disconnected from yourself, your values, your community?

• Is there an old wound showing up in new ways?

Root-cause living is a way of life, not just a clinical approach. Symptoms — whether in the body or how we live — are often messengers. If we only silence them, we lose the chance to understand what they’re trying to tell us.

It’s like peeling an onion. The first layers come off easily, but the closer you get to the core, the more it stings. Yet at that center is where the truth lives — and you can’t unsee it once you see it.

I’ve had to do this work myself. There have been seasons when I kept patching problems, hoping they would disappear. But you can only mop up the water so many times before you finally look up and fix the hole in the roof.

Why This Approach Can Be Challenging

Going deeper means going places you might have avoided for a long time.

It might mean facing pain you thought you’d buried, changing habits that feel like part of your identity, or letting go of relationships, roles, or routines that no longer serve you.

It demands honesty — sometimes the uncomfortable kind.

That’s why Band-Aids are so tempting. They’re easy, familiar, and don’t require much of us. But they also don’t fix the wound. And somewhere deep down, we always know it.

The whisper of “this isn’t working” never really goes away. It just gets louder over time.

Why It’s Worth It: The Science and the Soul

When you address the root, you don’t just treat—you prevent. You break the cycle instead of endlessly managing it.

The science backs this up. A 2023 study published in Cureus by Ghodeshwar, Gunjan K., et al. found that addressing modifiable lifestyle factors such as diet, physical activity, and stress management is pivotal in preventing premature cardiovascular disease. That’s not small—it’s life-changing.

The research by Herzog and Schmahl (2018) highlights how adverse childhood experiences can shape health decades later, contributing to everything from autoimmune disease to addiction. Importantly, it shows that people can heal and reduce these long-term impacts with the proper support and tools.

I’ve seen it happen. People who’ve been living in survival mode for decades suddenly start thriving. People who’ve been told, “This is just how it is,” discover that it isn’t.

It always starts with someone choosing to look deeper than the symptom.

My Commitment: Digging, Not Dismissing

Whether you meet me as Dr. Tomi the physician or Dr. Tomi the coach, my promise is the same:

I will always ask the bigger questions. I will never reduce you to a single symptom or label. I will not hand you a Band-Aid when you need a spade to dig.

Because you were not put on this earth to just “manage.” You were made to live—entirely, authentically, and with the freedom that comes from truly understanding yourself.

I’ve helped thousands of people move toward that freedom, and I’ve done the work myself. I don’t have every answer—but I’m not afraid to ask the hard questions.

Let’s stop patching the cracks. Let’s find the fault lines and rebuild them stronger.

Because when we get to the root, we don’t just fix the problem—we find the path forward.