# Modelling the behaviour of physiological processes: On the lack of a scientific basis in medical science

## TL;DR

This paper argues that medical science lacks a solid scientific basis for modeling physiological processes, and proposes a better mathematical model that could improve drug development and treatment.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a new mathematical model for physiological regulation that better reflects real biological behavior and could guide drug development.

## Key findings

- The traditional homeostasis model is insufficient for describing physiological regulation.
- The compensatory response, not drug dose, is a major factor in drug effects and disease treatment.
- Model simulations suggest the compensatory response can cure diseases without drug side effects.

## Abstract

Physiological regulation is extremely complex and cannot be described by homeostasis, the mathematical model generally used in medical science. Homeostasis is based on assumptions which have never been tested or substantiated and when simulated appears not to be consistent with the real behavior of physiological regulation. As a consequence, drugs and drug treatments are developed on a trial and error basis, without a functional model guiding the process. This paper evaluates a mathematical model published previously which much better corresponds to the complex behavior of regulated physiological processes. The compensatory response – the reaction of the body’s defense mechanism to disturbances – is shown to be a major factor in the effects of drugs. Its magnitude at any moment is argued not to be determined by the actual drug dose, but by the dose the organism expects. Model simulations show the compensatory response to be the primary factor in curing diseases while it can be isolated from the drug effect to cure without the side effects characteristic of drugs. If instead of homeostasis a better functioning model had enabled a real understanding of the body’s defense mechanism, the compensatory response could have been a powerful tool of modern medicine.