When Militarism 'Invades' Medicine

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:36 am

Just found this article. Relevant for MS as well imo.

"When Militarism 'Invades' Medicine...Doctatorship Happens

Our medical thinking has become totally militaristic. It is not just happenstance that doctors proudly assert that they seek to attack illness, combat disease, kill infective agents, and create a war on cancer or on any disease. Physicians seem so entrenched in militaristic thinking that it is not surprising that they have a long history of attacking other viable strategies that seem to be less medical or less militaristic."

Read more: http://bit.ly/3Tx6At

cheerleader · Post by **cheerleader** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 10:50 am

thanks for this, Thomas....very interesting. In Jungian terms, we can see it as animus (dominant, controlling, right-brained) vs. anima (co-operative, nurturing, left-brained) modes of healing. The anima is portrayed by modern doctors as "weak", hysterical, emotional, or "quackery" while the animus goes out trying to conquer disease with brute force, ie the "war" on disease. Seems like a melding of both sides might bring about better medicine (or human beings.)

I'm not so sure about homeopathy, but I know many people have found success with it- never made sense to my right-brained side

cheer

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:50 pm

You're very welcome cheerleader. Glad you found it interesting. I'm definitely with you on a melding of both sides.

Post by **euphoniaa** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 5:34 pm

That's a GREAT article - thank you Thomas! I've been making random comments along those lines since I got my dx and was disturbed by the insistence that we "attack" whatever the hell they think MS might be, thereby attacking our entire bodies. This sums it all up in a more coherent form.

Most recently I tried (not quite so literately as this writer) to explain myself in my thread about the "Nocebo Effect," where I said stuff like this:

...I hate that so much of MS info is designed to instill fear in us...

It's like MS is such a bad thing (which it is), we have to demonize/humanize it into a true enemy we can hate passionately and do battle with... But I also worry that the whole approach instills us with guilt, too. Guilt for letting MS 'get' us, for not doing enough, for being lazy, for not winning the battle. The impossible battle. With an unknown enemy. Without any true weapons. I like myself better than that.

http://www.thisisms.com/ftopicp-72955-.html#72955

I've already forwarded the article to friends.

gainsbourg · Post by **gainsbourg** » Sat Jan 02, 2010 5:57 am

With regard to the approach where the illness is seen as the enemy which must be attacked...It reminds me of an anecdote in an otherwise lack-lustre book by Barry Kaufman ("Happiness is a Choice") in which while Kaufman is giving a big lecture about how we can all "choose" to be happy a man starts to heckle him. The man complains about a bad leg pain that troubles him day and night. He has had the problem for years and claims it is ruining his life. The leg is an object of hate that the man despises and curses. He implores: "How can you stand there and tell me happiness is a choice!

To the astonishment of the audience, Kaufman advises the man that he should make the leg his "best friend"

Easier said than done!

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Sat Jan 02, 2010 12:30 pm

Another article on the use of war metaphors in medicine:

"War Metaphors Carry Consequences":
http://bit.ly/5fkZ9l

The book from the 2006 Institute of Medicine conference “Ending the War Metaphor: (free read online)
http://bit.ly/8ReHHt

Peace!

Johnson · Post by **Johnson** » Sun Jan 03, 2010 2:53 am

cheerleader wrote:thanks for this, Thomas....very interesting. In Jungian terms, we can see it as animus (dominant, controlling, right-brained) vs. anima (co-operative, nurturing, left-brained) modes of healing. The anima is portrayed by modern doctors as "weak", hysterical, emotional, or "quackery" while the animus goes out trying to conquer disease with brute force, ie the "war" on disease. Seems like a melding of both sides might bring about better medicine (or human beings.)

I'm not so sure about homeopathy, but I know many people have found success with it- never made sense to my right-brained side :)
cheer

Yes, thanks Thomas.

cheerleader, nice play with the Jung reference. I am coincidentally just finishing Memories, Dreams and Reflections again, since learning of CCSVI.

Homeopathy is brilliant. I can't stress that enough. My then 2.5 year old had his hand slammed in a car door last summer. I immediately gave him Hypericum Perforatum for pain, followed by Arnica Montana for bruising and swelling. He stopped screaming almost immediately, and had no swelling or bruising at all. His first bee sting got him Apis Mellifica and Hypericum Perforatum, with much the same results. I treat my dogs with homeopathy too.

It really ought to appeal to your right brain, as it is very intuitive, and supportive. When I was first exposed to it, my left brain called it esoteric hokey pokey. Then I tried it... It is the only thing I have in my medicine chest besides band-aids for many years now. No aspirin, antacids, cold medications, no prescriptions, nada.

edit - I forgot to mention, that when I first got MS, I asked "why"? Not "why me"?, but "what is this telling me?" My first symptom was a full-blown optic neuritis in my left eye. Left eye= right brain, so I re-embraced my creative side, and started writing again. I also vowed to start painting again if I got my sight back. I wrote 5 pages of stream-of-consciousness babble a day for 9 months before I got my sight back. To deal with the vertigo, I started spinning 99 times (33 right, 33 left, 33 right), 3 times a day - a kind of "homeopathy" that accustomed me to dizziness.

I could go on forever, it seems, but I don't do allopathic drugs, and I only use MDs for diagnosis, or critical care. I do consider blocked veins to need critical care Grin.

/edit