Just finished reading an article about Dr. Larry Dossey's work regarding Mind/Body Medicine, which was introduced to the public via his book, Recovering the Soul. A historical review was made that I thought everyone would find interesting. It describes the progress of Medicine through the second half of the 19th century.
Era 1 - Mechanical Medicine -- reflects the prevailing view that health and illnesses are totally physical in nature, and thus all therapies should be physical: surgical procedures, drugs, , etc. In this era the mind, or consciousness is equated with the functioning of the brain.
Era 2 - After World War II physicians and scientists began to realize that illness has a "pyschosomatic" aspect: emotions and feelings can influence the body's functions. Psychological stress, for instance, can contribute to high blood pressure, heart attacks and ulcers. This is a major advancement in Medicine.
Era 3 - Consciousness is not confined to our own mind, in fact, mind is unlimited and connected to all life. For instance, an individuals' mind might not just affect his/her body, but also the body of another person, even at a long distance, even when that other person is unaware of the effort. What an exciting time to be alive! Definitely food for thought. Jessie Keener, Nutritionist
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I just finished Jessie Keener's piece about the stages of modern medicine. She mentions the work of Larry Dossey, M.D., who is a former co-chairman of the Panel on Mind/Body Interventions, Office of Alternative Medicine, National Institute of Health. I am familiar with another of his books, "Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine." In it, he discusses the relationship of prayer and medicine. He recounts the findings of the Spindrift Organization of Oregon which has spent over two decades proving that prayer has a positive effect on health. Spindrift studied whether directed prayer, i.e., praying for a particular outcome like the cessation of cancer, was more powerful than non-directed prayer, which involves an open-minded petition with no precise goal. Dossey found that Spindrift discovered both types of prayer had an effect on illness--as compared to control groups who were not prayed for--but that non-directed prayer produced more than twice as effective results as directed prayer.
While Dossey's observations may not be conventionally accepted by the medical profession, there is an ever-widening group of physicians who are opening to these practices. Even if your doctor does not subscribe to prayer as a healing modality, you can include it in your own arsenal against disease and embrace this low-tech, next era of medicine. God bless!
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