"Speak Your Truth Quietly And Clearly, And Listen To Others.... They Too Have their Story"

From The Desiderata

A dictionary defines "complement" as "something that completes." Thus, how can a doctor and patient communicate and, together, effectively agree on or attempt to complete a potential life saving medical therapy?

When I began peri-menopause in my late 40's, my Stanford neurologist suggested I not use synthetic hormones because they might counter balance the effect of my anti-convulsant medication. My local health practitioner suggested I try natural remedies such as Borage Oil and Don Quai to help reduce emotional stress and occasional depression.

It is my feeling that by working together and respecting each others opinions, we as doctor and patient became "team players." My appreciation of their medical expertise and their acceptance of my medical knowledge from a lay person's point of view, is an example of how some doctor/patient interactions can complement each other.

Perhaps, it's common knowledge that there are traditionally oriented and well educated medical doctors who fear losing what I term their "command posts." Many patients don't know how or are afraid to take responsibility for their own health needs. Healthy mind/body interactions, thoughtful prayer, effective vitamin and nutritional therapy and mindfulness meditation could be helpful in today's often stressful society. In his book, "Prayer Is Good Medicine", Larry Dossey, M.D. says, "...when people choose alternative therapies they generally do not abandon orthodox measures but use them in conjunction with alternatives."

I have an amusing cartoon which reminds me of the need for effective doctor/patient interactions. A man is striped to his shorts, sitting on a stool in a medical examining room, beaming from ear to ear and appears to have a white light emitting from his body. Next to him is a rather prudish and old fashioned looking medical doctor wearing spectacles, a white hospital coat and taking judicious notes. The M.D.'s only comment to his patient is: "You've been fooling around with alternative medicines haven't you?"

As our society finds new ways of cutting unnecessary medical costs and suggests patients be more responsible for their personal health needs, I hope that we will be more in touch, both emotionally and physically, with our bodies. Perhaps, complementary or mind/body medicine will continue to be debated about its validity and necessity in our culture. I hope in my lifetime that meaningful doctor/patient interpersonal dialogues will become standard medical procedure. There's a saying in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam which speaks of the difficulties often felt in complementary interactions, "Endure your pain until some cure you find, And bear your burden till some help you find; If down-and-out, preserve your ease and peace; Until at last some ways and means you find."

3/7/99

Camille Pierce is a Human Communication Advocate, Internet Researcher and occasionally writes for online websites and print newspapers. She's done graduate research work in human communication and humanistic psychology at Portland State University & audits classes at UC Santa Cruz when possible. In her 50 years, Cam's competed in many state/national sports, modern dance and vocal competitions. She has a seizure disorder and suggests that mind/body or Complementary/Alternative Medicine is important in many psychological and neurological health problems.