Window Quarterly Vol. 3, No. 3 & 4, 1993 Copyright 1993 [Permission is granted to use, print, reproduce this article provided the following acknowledgment is given: From Window Quarterly 3, 3/4 (1993); ACRAG c. 1993. *** MEDICINE AND SPIRITUALITY by Gregory Semerdjian, M.D. Webster's dictionary defines the word doctor as one who teaches and one who heals the sick. Jesus was the greatest of teachers and healers. Throughout his time on this earth he traveled the countryside preaching the word of God and healing the sick. As the word of his teaching and his healing power became widespread, people from all around would come to hear him and touch him so as to be relieved of their afflictions. There are numerous examples of his healing abilities in the Gospels of Luke, Matthew and Mark. Luke was not one of the apostles. He was a physician who observed many of the works of Christ. He wrote his observations to Theophillus stating, "... because I have carefully studied all these matters from beginning, I thought it would be good to write an orderly account for you. I do this so that you will know the full truth about everything which you have been told," (Luke 1:1-4). The entire Gospel according to Luke is an eyewitness account of the healing powers of Christ. In one story, Luke tells of a paralyzed man brought to Jesus after hearing of his healing power. There were so many people listening to Jesus that the man could not be brought in through the door. Wanting not to give up, the man's friends carried him to the roof of the house and lowered him through a hole directly in front of Jesus. Luke relates, "When he saw their faith, he said, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven you.' Then he told the man to pick up his bed and go home. At once the man did exactly that." (Luke 5:18f). Elsewhere in the Gospel according to Luke it is written, "They came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those who were troubled by evil spirits also came and were healed. All the people tried to touch him, for power was going out from him and healing them all." What power did Jesus offer these people and what did he expect from them? The power was that of FAITH. He said over and over again that those who believed in his word would be free from the demons of disease. Those who had faith would have a place in the kingdom of God. From the time of Christ until today, we have advanced our scientific knowledge of medicine many times over. Our knowledge of the working of the human body are so much more advanced than a few years ago. The advancement of technology has been explosive. We have developed tests, x- rays and procedures which several years ago would have been thought to be impossible. We have a new machine which can examine the function of the brain and pinpoint any diseased areas (PET Scanner). We can scan with new non-x- ray emitting machines any part of the body and pick up even the smallest of diseased tissues. We have developed techniques in heart disease treatments where we can remove blockages in arteries without surgery. We have perfected techniques that have increased the life expectancy on the average to 78 years. Twenty years ago life expectancy was 63 years. Unfortunately, all this technological development has come at a price. THE PHYSICIANS' OATH In ancient Greece in the time of Hippocrates, physicians made an oath and I quote, "I will prescribe regimen for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone." The oath not only speaks to moral decisions but to the entire life of a physicians. Over the years I am sad to say the societal illness of greed and materialism has infiltrated the medical profession. The cost of medical care has increased in the last 20 years to the point where there are millions of people in the United States that can not afford care. The price for profit from the manufacturers of drugs and medical equipment has escalated costs. Medicine has become a multibillion dollar business. Because of the technological advances people are living longer and utilizing greater services than ever before which has placed a strain on financial resources. We are now hearing about the medical haves and the have nots. There is talk of rationing of medical care because there is not enough resources to cover the increasing need for care. For example, the State of Oregon has developed a rationing program for their population. Officials are categorizing and prioritizing disease states and are assigning dollar figures for each case. As such, medical attention and service to a particular patient is determined on where his diagnosis is placed on the priority list. For example a cardiac bypass surgery for an 80 year old will not be funded. Ethicists across the board are debating the questions of dignity in death and birth. They ask the question, "Isn't death a natural extension of life?" If it is, "How long do we keep an individual alive by using the technological advances and artificial means?" We can now keep babies born in the 24th week of gestation alive by artificial means, when 5 years ago those babies would have died. They suffer from great many ailments that continue into their lives as they grow, which will make them totally dependent on others for their daily care. EPIDEMIC OF AIDS We are in the throes of an epidemic of AIDS which will further tax our financial resources. There are estimates that a new AIDS case is diagnosed every 17 minutes. There is an epidemic of lung cancer especially in those who smoke. The rate of alcoholism is on the increase. Is society responsible for the self destructive habits of individuals? If so at what price? It is estimated that we spend over $100,000 in the last year of a persons life. When is enough, enough? There are no easy answers to these questions. Perhaps one solu-tion to the problem is that we as any adults have to set an example to our children for a healthier and purer life style. We need to live and not just talk about health. There are many things one can do to enjoy good health. We can stop smoking, decrease or stop our alcohol consumption, start exercising and so on. We need to be open and frank in dealing with questions of health and disease with our children. For example, the only way to avoid sexually transmitted disease is by abstinence from sexual activity. We need to deal with the drug problem by open and frank discussions with our children. We as parents must not avoid talking about these matters because if we don't take the initiative someone else will. This is our duty and should not be given to anyone else. We need to instill the word of God in our children. They need to know the moral rules which will govern their lives. Without this I am afraid that we have a very bleak future in sight, not only for us but the whole of humanity. There are no easy answers to the financial questions either. We spend massive amounts of money to do the research that will uncover the mysteries of disease. We spend massive amounts to discover new chemicals from which drugs can be made. The more money we spend on research and development, the higher the costs for implementing the newly discovered cures become. Last year in the United Stated alone we spent $800 billion for health care. The amount is mind numbing when we add to this what is spent in the rest of the world. Even though huge sums of funds are spent all over the world for health care, there are still tens of millions of people who do not have health care at all. What responsibility does the world community have for these people? Do we just ignore them and go on with life? Advances in the technology of gene manipulation and genetic engineering have raised new ethical and moral questions. Are we interfering with the normal and natural functioning of the body? Are we playing God when we are able to manipulate the outcome of natural genetic formation? Or are we just trying to alleviate genetic disease and suffering? As we enter the 1990's there are and will be new discoveries in many of the examples I have already given and many more as well. With each new discovery we must continue to ask ourselves are we interfering with nature or are we using the intelligence God has given us to discover new ways to care for and heal the sick. The human body with all its complexity is a miracle. Our skin helps regulate the body's temperature. Our digestive system extracts the nutrients we need to live. Here is a complex machine that has built in defenses to fight illness. The brain can carry on innumerable functions at the same time and keep it in memory for years. All these things happen without a conscious effort on our part. As we all know, however, there are many illnesses that no matter how hard the body fights, it can not overcome them. In his book, When Bad Things Happen To Good People, Rabbi Harold Kushner states, "I don't know why one person gets sick and another does not, but I can only assume that some natural laws which we don't understand are at work. I cannot believe that God 'sends' illness to a specific person for a specific reason. I don't believe God has a weekly quota of malignant tumors to distribute and consults his computer to find out who deserves one most or who could handle it best." We must continue always to have faith even in suffering. As it is said, faith can move mountains and I believe he who has faith has everything. Without it even the smallest of tribulation will be gigantic and with it the largest problems will be small. God may not heal our body but he can ease our mind. Our love for Him will give us the strength to carry on. I wish to conclude with a quote from Dimensions of Job by Archibald Macleish. "Man depends on God for all things; God depends on man for one. Without Man's Love, God does not exist as God, only as creator, and love is the one thing, not even God Himself, can command. It is a free gift, or it is nothing. And it is most itself, most free, when it is offered in spite of suffering, of injustice, and of death." We do not love Him because we are afraid of Him, or because He will hurt us if we turn our backs on Him. We love Him because He is God, because He is the author of all the beauty and the order around us - the source of our strength and the hope and courage within us - and by which we are helped in our time of need. We love Him because He is there in our time of need. We love Him because He is the best part of ourselves and of our world. That is what it means to love. Love is not the admiration of perfection, but the acceptance of an imperfect person with all his imperfections, because loving and accepting him make us better and stronger. *** =================================================== _ _ _ _ _ |_| ___ _| | ___ _ _ _ | | | | | | _ / _ \ / _ | / _ \ | | | | | | | |_| |_| || |_ | | | || |_| || |_| || |_| |_| | \_________/\___||_| |_| \___/ \___/ \_________/ View Of The Armenian Church ===================================================