As a physician, I’ve encountered instances that compel me to reflect on the broader ethos of medical practice. It’s not uncommon for patients to arrive burdened with an extensive array of medications. As amazing as this may sound, I once had a patient on 36 medications on his initial visit with me.
We humans are much more complex than “fixing” someone’s biochemistry by having them take a pill and believing it may be the end of the story. Patients would not keep coming to doctors if it were that simple since we would genuinely heal them. We physicians “practice medicine” because medications don’t work for everyone, and even when they do, medicines come with a price called “side effects.”
See, we humans are a whole lot more than just biochemical machines. Fixing everything with a pill doesn’t always cut it. That’s why I believe in looking at the bigger picture, considering not just the body but also the soul and spirit. I’ve seen firsthand how belief in something higher, like the big guy upstairs, can bring real peace and healing to patients, alongside the physical stuff we doctors do. So yeah, while I’m here to treat your body, I’m also here to offer a little spiritual TLC if you’re open to it.
What’s the point of treating someone’s physical symptoms when they continue with so much bitterness, anger, full of guilt, and envy? Many of those negative emotions likely contribute to the patient’s physical ailments in the first place! This is where receiving Christ into our hearts comes in. Leading someone to believe in the Lord is free and involves no risks. From personal experience, my life was uplifted after receiving the Lord into my heart, receiving so much peace. I have seen many patients return for their follow-up appointments with smiles, peace, and joy after believing in Jesus Christ.
We all will one day die, and no matter how much anti-aging medicine we use in the form of stem cells, PRP, supplements, fasting, etc., we cannot prevent the unavoidable death. Why wouldn’t I offer the peace and life that come from receiving Christ into our hearts to my patients, at least those who are open, if it’s a joy to do it and it is a commission from God?
When I pray for a patient, it is an outflow of the Divine Life through me, a vessel, into a needy patient. Sure, a patient presents to the clinic because they have a physical or psychological need, and I have a duty as a physician to treat those symptoms. However, praying for patients calls upon this Higher Life to intercede for this one, recognizing that we can’t do it alone.