Mechanical things are separate from both the environment that houses them and the energy that fuels them.
Isolation or shelter from environmental exposure prevents damage and maintains their integrity.
The longer you remove them from their energy source, the longer they last.
They are well suited to sterile conditions.
Living things are a product (or progression) of both their environment conditions and the fuel that feeds them.
Their environment controls their ability to derive nutrition; isolating them from it weakens or kills them.
If you remove their energy source, they start to metabolize themselves and die.
They cannot survive in sterile conditions.
Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathology
A cascade of abnormal events, components, or physiological actions is identified as a disease.
The cascade is traced back to the first occurence of abnormality(ies) in the body. This is identified as the cause of the disease.
The anatomy (seen as the subject of disease) is directly altered to be in line with how it appears when the body is healthy.
The body is assessed as a whole to determine what abnormal conditions are imbalancing it.
Abnormal functions and their progression through the body give insight into which systems are affected. This is considered the disease.
The physiology (seen as the object of disease) is indirectly altered by exposing it to an environment which promotes health.
Application (Illustrated on a Withering Plant)
Diagnosis (focused inside the plant) reveals lowered overall venous pressure, structural proteins changes, cholesterols etc...
Pressure is simulated by saline injections, proteins and cholesterols are supplemented, resulting in the plant quickly returning to a fulll, upright state.
Over time, the supplements and injections become gradually less effective. The plant further deteriorates until it can no longer stay upright on its own.
Examination of the plant's environment shows excesses or deficiencies in sunlight, water, soil concentrations, wind levels etc....
The environment influencing the plant is brought back into a balance that will foster the plant's growth, resulting in a slow, but steady recovery.
Over time, the plant requires less and less influence. Being surrounded by the conditions it is most well adapted to allows the plant to grow stronger.