I often say to patients that there is no healing other than natural healing. What I mean by that is that all the drugs, and all the surgical techniques used in modern medicine, act directly against pathology. None of them actually stimulate or directly support self-healing. Yet that’s the only kind of true healing to exist. An antibiotic might kill a bug, but its the natural self-healing which repairs the tissue damaged by the infection. A broken bone can be held in place, but it’s the natural self-healing which knits the bone back together. I think it was Benjamin Franklin who said “God heals and the doctor takes the fees” – a rather cynical view of the same concept!
Then I came across this passage in Rupert Sheldrake’s The Science Delusion
…it is important to remember that animals and plants have been regenerating after damage, healing themselves and defending themselves against infections throughout the entire history of life on earth. All of us are descended from animal and human forebears that survived and reproduced for hundreds of millions of years before the advent of doctors. We would not be here if it were not for our ancestors’ innate capacities to heal and resist diseases. Medicine can help and enhance these capacities, but it builds on foundations that have evolved over vast aeons of time, continually subject to natural selection.
Actually he’s being quite generous about Medicine here – it can help and enhance – but only in complementary ways. I don’t know of any treatments marketed by drug companies which directly stimulate healing. Rather, they, at best, reduce pathology whilst we hope that the body will get on with healing itself.
Amazing thought though, huh? Every single one of your direct ancestors survived to an age where they could procreate – or you wouldn’t be here today!
Isn’t it time we made available, researched and developed the ways of directly supporting and stimulating self-healing?
Reblogged this on loveofwords52.
I’m a big believer in self healing and controlling various ailments with the food I ingest. I stopped eating meat and my cholesterol immediately went down 200 points. It’s amazing what our bodies can do if we just get out of the way.
Great comments!