"In at least a simplistic way, which alarms some medical professionals, a motivated patient who wants to learn about just one condition can easily surpass a doctor's knowledge of the latest developments after just a few days on line.
"Every doctor needs to be prepared for the day when somebody comes in (into the office) with more information than (the doctor has). We need to be prepared to accept that and learn from our patients." - Dr. J. Sybil Bierman, University of Michigan, who has studied how patients use the internet.
Davis R, Miller L. Millions comb the web for medical info. USA Today July 13, 1999.
More than One Philosophy
"The following derive from and express health care paradigms foreign to Western medicine's underpinnings: Chinese medicine's explanation of transmission and utilization of chi; Tibetan medicine's pulse diagnosis, theories of disease etiology and formulas for assisting the 'transition' of the dying patient; and non-pharmacological ideas in ayurvedic medicine about the synergistic properties of certain herbal formulas.
"Recently, researchers have started studying these ancient forms of medicine, and one hopes this research bears fruit. Yet, such rich traditions hover between science and mysticism, between rational and intuitive knowledge, between that which is known to the mind and that which is felt in the heart and spirit. Thus, it may be facile and premature to dismiss these approaches as superstition, magic or unprovable religion simply because they do not presently comport with Western, scientific notions of 'truth.'
"To paraphrase Shakespeare's Hamlet, there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in one philosophy."
Cohen MH. Pro & con: insurance should cover alternative medicine. Available from Intellectual Capital (www.intellectualcapital.com ).
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