HEALING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN TREATMENT:-

Traditionally the medicine men in a community were called "Healers". The very concept included body, mind and spirit. Medicine totally ignored the spirit and divided the organism into mind and body as if both were separate entities independent of each other. Psychiatry developed ignoring the influence of body on the mind. Other branches developed ignoring the influence of mind on the body. As if this were not enough spirit was and is regarded as some sort of heresy. Once this sort of system got entrenched as the only flag bearer of modern medicine it was but natural that "treatment" will be given priority over healing. Treatment involved evolution of whole lot of support systems which were also there in healing but were of relatively minor importance in most of the instances. These support systems included research and production of drugs, research and development of external supports like plasters, bandages, research and development in operative procedures with the help of latest developments in physics, chemistry, nuclear sciences. To keep these support systems viable meant that the products continually produced and upgraded must be utilised optimally or still better, maximally, to make them economically profitable. This approach gradually lead to the coining of the term "Medical Industry" which is as far from healing as darkness is from light. Any industry strives to make better products, better sales, more profit to make it into a bigger and if possible the biggest industry in the world or universe. Products in any industry are sold to consumers who may or may not be really in need of buying them. In the case of Medical Industry same approach is being utilised. Basically every industry hates to lose a customer or consumer. If a person becomes a customer or consumer on account of some illness it is logical enough to keep him ill either consciously or unconsciously so that he does not lose his status as a customer or consumer. In the case of modern civilisation it is extremely easy to do so. It was done subtly enough by interchanging the meaning of words as diametrically opposite as health and disease. Everybody is conversant with the term " Health Check-up". But very few appreciate the fact that in health check-ups what is in fact checked is disease status and not health. One is told there is no disease or disorder. We all know absence of disease is not health. Taking a clean chit after the health check up does not mean you are healthy. These health check ups continue till eventually some disease or disorder is allowed to creep in. This disorder is now "treated" usually as a lifetime medication as in case of diabetes or hypertension euphemistically called "essential". Health has come to mean disease when used in conjunction with "check up". Gradually treating became a business. The term "lucrative" was used to describe practice. The term "profit" was used casually in case of hospitals. Hospitals started getting registered as "companies". Persons having disease or disorders started getting "treatment" as customers or clients. The participation of patients in the whole process of treatment came to zero. This shifted the whole onus on the "treating" physician or surgeon for a "cure". If he failed, which was but natural on account of no participation by patient, he was sued. Every patient came to be "treated" with suspicion as a potential litigant. "Proof" of correct treatment became more important than the treatment itself. Material proof meant all kinds of investigations. Clinical acumen was thrown out as "no proof". Healing was nowhere to be seen. Healing involved participation by both towards the goal of health and happiness. The healer used to be but a catalyst whose mere "presence" brought about the necessary changes in the situation of the patient. He never pretended he or she cured the person. He could "see" the person participating in his own healing as body, mind and soul. Healer had to undergo his own "spiritual" training and maintain herself or himself in impeccable condition or his or her "power" of healing could suffer. Our society with its emphasis on consumerism must understand the difference between healing and treatment.