AHMA President's message

Article Abstract:

This message from the President of the American Holistic Medical Association is primarily the reprinting of a speech made by David Hilfiker, M.D. The topic of Hilfiker's commencement address to graduating medical students was the responsibilities of physicians to not only treat individual patients, but to serve the community and society at large, particularly the poor. He discussed the privileges enjoyed by the physician as healer, including the privilege of being trusted by patients with their greatest pains and joys. Hilfiker quoted Albert Schweitzer, who said that the only physicians who are happy in their work are those who have discovered how to serve others. Yet a recent poll found that nearly 40 percent of physicians would choose a different career if they could start over. The respondents cited current trends, such as the power of insurance companies and the government and the rise in malpractice claims, as symbols of the loss of their patients' trust. Hilfiker spoke of his experiences treating homeless and poverty-stricken patients in the inner city, people who are not only ill but also neglected and abandoned by the political system. Individuals who clearly need social and medical services, such as Medicaid, often do not qualify for them because of technicalities, or inadequacies in the available programs. Perhaps surprising to some, Hilfiker concluded that the illness of our culture not only destroys the lives of the poor, but poisons the wealthy as well by breeding cynicism. Physicians must feel the pain of their patients, and then by healing them they will also be healed; the way to do so, he told the graduates, is to find out how to serve. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Political aspects, Poor, Speeches, lectures and essays, Hilfiker, David

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The nurse as the primary health care practitioner

Article Abstract:

Almost everyone agrees that the health care system in this country is in trouble and needs fundamental changes. Many propose national health care as a solution. Although national health care would alleviate the problem of access to care, it would not address problems associated with the care itself. Scientific advances have turned physicians into technicians. Physicians are trained to detect the patient's specific physiological problem, rather than to concern themselves with other aspects of the patient's life, including factors that may have led to the problem. This is not a criticism of physicians, but an observance of the way medicine has changed. The physician as a health care technician works in some settings such as intensive care units, but may be inadequate in other settings. Many patients' physiological problems are closely related to other aspects of their lives that must be explored before effective treatment can be administered. The patient and the health care worker must collaborate to uncover these problems. Today's physicians neither have the time nor the training to give this type of care to patients. Specially trained nurse practitioners could fill this void. With the appropriate training and the necessary autonomy, such nurses could provide the personal care to patients that physicians can no longer give. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Evaluation, Medical practice, Nurse-physician joint practice

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Where's the gentle rain?

Article Abstract:

For many years, this author believed that science and logic were the cornerstones of medical practice and that intuition had no place in the profession. On the other hand, her personal life was concerned with a spiritual quest in which intuition was the cornerstone of knowledge. This led to a growing conflict, until a decision to incorporate spirituality and wisdom in all aspects of her life was made; this personal experience has been summarized and is presented. Two dreams led the author to have a breast examination, and a biopsy revealed cancer. The author had a mastectomy, and during the three-month recovery, she was able for the first time in 20 years to think about her life and to see the medical profession from the patient's point of view. A decision to truly incorporate a more holistic approach was made. The author has recently joined the AHMA, no longer worships the scientific method, and is not afraid to use intuition or the holistic approach in her practice. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Psychological aspects, Breast cancer, Holistic medicine

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