Faith: Both Ancient and a 21st Century Medical Tool

Other treatment being insufficient to address his needs, the patient decides to add prayer to his treatment regimen. He is only vaguely familiar with this approach in spite of having been reared in a “religious” family. He has little understanding or past experience with faith healing. However, he is hopeful, and willing to try this.

There are numerous approaches to health maintenance around the world. The phrase complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is assigned to services that differ from the primary medical practices of the dominant regional culture. American heritage, founded upon the pursuit of business and religious freedoms (and all of its practices), minimally acknowledges many aspects of its spiritual roots. Moreover, those who provide “mainstream” medical services are educated in sciences followed by specific medical services skills training to work in the dominant medical community; excluding faith-based skills.

Faith is always an integral part of healthcare. Patients present to healthcare practitioners with the belief that they have knowledge, skills, and/or access to intervention that can help them. Moreover, if patients engage in that which is recommended, they do so with faith, anticipating effectiveness. Without faith in the intervention, the only reasons to participate are obligation or lack of control as in the case of pediatric patients, incompetent patients, workers’ compensation insurance controlled cases, treatment stipulated by governmental authority, or that delivered to those obligated to accept the fruits of limited options due to limited access and/or limited personal resources. In the absence of these limiting factors, patients really should have faith in their choice of services.

The synergism between medicine and faith is as normal as believing that drinking water will quench thirst. Of course, you have known about water for many years, so it takes little faith to believe that you will experience the desired outcome by imbibing the fluid. You are aware of it properties and the abilities of water regarding thirst. However, you were not born with that knowledge. Rather, over time you learned about water by using it in many ways. Reiterating, you did not know about water at birth, nor are you familiar with all of its capabilities even now. Your knowledge of water and your beliefs regarding its uses developed over time, your familiarity with it growing with a plethora of new and repeated experiences.

You were likewise not born with an instinctive attraction to western medicine practices in which you engage and in which you have developed your faith. Rather, your faith in it is based upon familiarity as a result of repeated experiences. Moreover, your lack of faith in CAM practices is equally rooted in cultural bias and lack of similar repeated experiences.

Note that a knife (scalpel) is an often used surgical tool all over the world. It is only one of numerous tools that are only as effective as the persons using them. Many aspects of treatments in dominant medical systems work because they are based upon Laws of Nature. However, even the most promising pharmacologists, dieticians, psychological and manual therapists, physicians and surgeons can be flustered, facing cases that substantially challenge the limits of their abilities. At these junctures, you hope that you have not expended all options. Rather, you hope that they can reach in and pull at least one more “rabbit out of the hat.” That rabbit may be engaging the faith that you have already applied elsewhere in your life. Engage vigorous faith. However, remember its effectiveness may require time to evolve. Like a skill, it’s most effective with long term, repeated faith experiences.

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