Healthcare Advocacy – Literature Highlight – July 26, 2024

Western medicine promotes disease-targeted treatments which seem biologically plausible and have been scrutinized in scientific studies – of variable quality – and found to be beneficial.

For patients with chronic illness I enthusiastically recommend a reading of “Healing Ourselves – Biofield Science and the Future of Health,” by Shamini Jain, PhD. Dr Jain was raised within an Eastern tradition yet trained as a research scientist.

She explores the emerging evidence that integrative efforts such as Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong, contemplative meditation and distant intention may have underlying physiologic effects and accentuate healing.

So, for patients with chronic illnesses, not a question of either traditional or alternative medicine, but why not try both? (As an aside, I recently added Qigong to my own wellness plan).