|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Friday, 13 August 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Features | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
|
Spirituality heals, but?
Dr. Seneviratna Epa ex-President of the Sri Lanka Medical Association writing in the Ceylon Medical Journal (Vol. 48, No.4, Dec. 2003) says: "There is evidence that spirituality heals, but it cannot be accepted under the present medical system which is based on the 17th century model of Rene Descartes, which assumes body and mind as two separate entities with no interaction." In his BMJ article on Spiritual Health, which happens to be the lead article in that issue, he goes on to state: There is now enough evidence to recognise spirituality as a new dimension in health. However, there is not enough scientific evidence to suggest that spirituality can produce miracles as believed by some people through anecdotal experiences. It is important to emphasise that the healing effects of spirituality, if any, should only be considered as augmenting the effects of accepted scientific medical treatment. It should not be considered as an alternative treatment. Such an approach would be a compromise for both doctors and patients who hold different views on the healing effects of spiritual practices. It will also help reduce patients' overdependence on spirituality which could lead to despair and depression when such practices fail to produce the desired results, and psychotic reactions are a concern at least in some patients practising spiritual methods for healing. Spiritual health A new medico-spiritual health model needs to be recognised Spirituality and healing are two words we encounter more frequently than before, both in the medical and play press, since the dawn of this century. A leading article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) addressed spirituality and clinical care and concluded, spiritual values and skills are necessary aspects of clinical care. Another one, also in the BMJ, discussed the therapeutic effects of meditation and concluded that the evidence is not strong enough. The Lancet published a report showing that spiritual well-being and end-of-life despair were inversely related. All these have appeared within last few months. Enthusiasm in the lay press on the subject has equally been high in recent times. Time issued a special supplement on the same topic in January this year. Why this plethora of reports on spirituality and healing? People seem to have recognised limitations of the present mechanistic or biomedical health model. In USA, people now spend more out of pocket on complementary therapies than on orthodox medicine. More and more physical conditions are becoming amenable to psychological interventions. Kabat-Zinn describes how he uses meditation to relieve pain in cancer patients at Massachusetts Hospital's pain clinic. Physical conditions such as infertility, diabetes and viral warts are some conditions now being treated by psychological methods. The effect of mind on skin conditions is well established. A recent review shows how state of mind influences the skin through changes in the level of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone in the brain - a centrally acting hormone with anti-inflammatory actions on the skin. Transection of the spinal cord abolishes this response indicating the neural pathway. The effect of mind on eczema can thus be explained. Enhanced heart rate variability indicates an optimum autonomic balance in the body and is considered to be a sign of good health. Meditation is said to restore the inherent cardiovascular rhythm described by Mayer over a hundred years ago. Effects of mind on the immune system seem to be another mechanism of interaction between body and mind. Depression causes immune suppression. This may be how a woman becomes more vulnerable to cancer after her husband's death. The description of a functional system - the psychoneuroimmune system (PNI) has facilitated the understanding of how mind can influence the body. This system provides a plausible objective mechanism of body-mind interaction - the link between body and mind. Recognition of this system resulted in increased interest in body mind research. The Body Mind Institute at Harvard University and the Center for Mindfulness Medicine at Massachusetts University medical school are only two examples of centres dedicated to body mind research. Now there is evidence that people with deep religious commitment have better health and live longer. A systematic review of 23 randomised controlled trials on distant healing practices (spiritual practices) involving 2,774 patients showed a positive patient outcome. A single publication offering systematic comprehensive analysis of research on spirituality and healing involving more than 1,200 studies and 400 reviews is now available. Here, a 60-80 per cent relation between better health and religion or spirituality is found in studies covering heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, cancer, etc. As a result, a whole new field of study, epidemiology of religion, has now emerged. A national survey in the USA found that 82 per cent of Americans believe in spirituality and 64 per cent felt that their physicians too should pray with them in their need. Another report gives a figure of 76 per cent as believing in spirituality. The scientific community is now under increasing pressure to undertake research into spiritual health. An interesting parallel is drawn between nutritional deficiency and spiritual deficiency, both of which are believed to retard healing. If spirituality is healing and the evidence is there, why has it not come into the mainstream of medicine? In the mechanistic or biomedical health model we practice today, there is no provision to recognised phenomena based on body-mind interaction. The present health model is based on body-mind dualism proposed by Rene Descartes in 17th century, assuming that body and mind were two different entities with no interaction. As body-mind interaction can now be explained on the PNI system, we have to accept that the mind can influence healing or has the capacity to heal. Spiritual practices seem to work through enhancing this healing power of the mind. Mere recognition of the spiritual dimension is of no use as the present biomedical health model does not allow spirituality to come into the healing process. For this, a new medico-spiritual health model needs to be recognised. Such a model would allow both doctors and patients to recognise and practice spirituality in healing. In Sri Lanka, the trend towards a new health model seems to have already started. Spiritual well-being has been identified as part of the vision for a healthier nation in the draft document 'Strategy for a healthier nation - 2003' released by the Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka in January 2003. The National Health Research Council of Sri Lanka recently included spiritual health as a research priority. A new medico-spiritual health model would permit health professionals to be trained to address spirituality in health. Hospitals can be given an environment that nourishes patients' inner capacity for healing by providing appropriate spiritual support. Spirituality, as much as physical exercise, should be recognised as health promoting and incorporated in the Ottawa Charter-1986 on health promotion. Adoption of such a medico-spiritual health model in Sri Lanka would show the rest of the world a new direction in health. Colombo Plan International Society commends Health Watch initiated Centenarian Study
The Colombo Plan International Society at its 18th AGM held last week in Colombo, commended Health Watch for initiating the Prof. Colvin Goonaratna Centenarian Study in Sri Lanka, the first of its kind in the world, which has now got international recognition with the Oxford University joining up the study to carry out the Dementia aspect of the centenarians in Sri Lanka identified by the Prof. Goonaratna study. The Colombo Plan International Society invited Health Watch coordinator and the Prof. Colvin Gooneratna Centenarian Study Founder Secretary and Coordinator Edward Arambewela as the guest speaker at the AGM to speak on the Centenarian Study, specially on its social objectives. Mr. Arambewala in his speech outlining the social objectives of the study said, started in 2001, it is the first of its kind in the world initiated by a medical page in a newspaper in this case Health Watch in the Daily News of Sri Lanka. The credit for starting this page has to be given to two persons namely the Daily News Editor Geoff Wijesinghe and Dr. Tara de Mel, the then advisor to the President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga who is now Secretary Ministry of Education. Medical page with a difference Unlike the usual medical pages in newspapers Health Watch has a Medical Advisory Panel to advise on the content and planning of the page. This has made the page earn credibility and recognition of the reading public and the professionals in the country as the best medical page in the English print media in the country at present. The objectives Prof. Colvin Goonaratna was also a member of the page's Medical Advisory Panel, and was the Chairman of the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation in 2001, when the idea of the centenarian study was proposed to him for consideration. The objectives being: (a) Finding out secrets of long life if any, and any other special attributes leading to becoming a centenarian. (b) Generating respect for human life and the elderly in society through the study. Centering on 'Centenarian' as a symbolic position to launch this. Our view was that in cricket if we consider scoring a century as an achievement to be recognised and honoured, why not in life? A hundred years of living, why shouldn't it in anybody's life be left unrecognised, and unhonoured. Filling up the social void The social aspect of the study was to correct and fill this social void in human life, and bring about an attitudinal change in society to respect human life by recognising and accepting a hundred years of living as an achievement in human life. Prof. Colvin fully accepted this idea and the proposition that was how the project started. 57 Centenarians in the country The audience was told that up to now 57 centenarians have been registered in the study and 37 of them had been visited by the study team headed by Prof. Colvin, and comprising Prof. Herbert Aponso (Kandy) Doctors, Dennis Aloysius, Githanjan Mendis, Viraj Peramuna. Ranesh Wijesinghe among others all working voluntarily on the project, to kindle the spark of respect for the elderly and human life by focusing interest and attention on centenarians in society through the study. Engonona 115 years The audience was told that the study brought to light a poor woman from Galle O.T. Engonona who was 115 years of age and was living in a hut in Mihiripenne. Second oldest in the world unrecognised Unrecognised and unhonoured up to that time this poor woman was the second oldest in the world at that time, and the oldest in this part of the world. In other words citizen No. 1 in South East Asia, a Sri Lankan who had achieved that distinction had been living with us for so many years unhonoured and unrecognised. The whole society in Sri Lanka should take the blame for that, specially in a democratic society where power lies with the people whose vote is the king maker. It is to be regretted that no one ever thought of shedding light on this citizen queen; until we brought her out, and reported about her in our study carried in this page. The credit for informing about her to our study goes to Mrs. K. T. de Silva wife of late Dr. K. T. de Silva of Galle, who had died over a decade ago. Mrs. Silva also died last year. Engonona is also no more. She too died in May this year. Engonona honoured by the OPA In 2002, we managed to get Engonona honoured by the OPA at their annual sessions. Architect V. N. C. Gunasekera to be credited Credit for this has to go to Architect V. N. C. Gunasekera, who was as (OPA's) President elect in that year, was in charge of planning the anniversary event feeling validity of our request to get Engonona down as an honoured guest did so with conviction. A former President of the OPA told us that it was very unlikely that the OPA Council would agree to the proposal of getting an uneducated poor woman purely on the age critierian as an honoured guest at the sessions. We had our doubts also, but Architect Gunasekera did it. All credit to him. Prof. Anton Jayasuriya too honoured her I must also mention that Prof. Anton Jayasuriya also got her down and honoured her that year at his Open International University Annual Sessions at the BMICH, amidst an international crowed. He kept Engonona and her family for one night at the Mt. Lavinia Hotel in super comfort in an airconditioned room. Solar lights to the hut Engonona wanted to have electricity to her hut. This was done by Pradeep Jayawardene son of Ravi Jayewardena, and Grand Son of late President J.R. Jayewardene.
At a cost of Rs. 35,000 he got solar power electricity to the hut. She had been so overjoyed that night with the lights on, that she had been reading a bana potha till late in the night and thanking and blessing Pradeep and all connected for fulfilling her wish. Over eighty per cent of the centenarians we studied have been vegetarians, throughout their lives. There have been a few exceptions of course, and non of them had ever had the need to go to a hospital, and they had never suffered with any of the major illnesses, like heart, cancer diabetes. Love marriage and long life Over eighty per cent of the centenarians studied have had love marriages. Which the study team felt would have immensely contributed to their long life. As stresses in married life would have been at the minimum with them as they would have understood each other very well before marriage. Small families Even though the trend in the 1900's was for large families, these centenarians had comparatively small families. Majority two to four (2 to 4) children. This again shows the love and consideration the husband had for the wife. He had not wanted to burden her with a big family. Most of these centenarians has had simple expectations in life, and has been deeply religious. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
