I feel somewhat like Mr. Rogers this morning. After a productive spring season at the farm it’s time to step out of my logger boots and into my clinical shoes. Left shoe, right shoe; agriculture and medicine. The study of ecosystems.

Though at first glance these may seem to be two separate fields of knowledge, they are in fact a singular abode whose system mechanics are governed by thermodynamics and the arbitration of time. Yin Yang, 5 Element. The interplay between light and shadow across the forest floor as the Sun rises and falls.

In books we study the substance of medicine, its molecular components. In Nature we observe the system, the progression and context in which life unfolds. This technical and contextual knowledge converts directly into the clinical ability to accurately identify and diagnose an ailment and then provide effective case management by describing to patients how they arrived there, what the situation looks like, and how to proceed systematically and efficiently with a treatment plan that takes into consideration both the patient and the ecosystem in which they exist.