Yesterday, along with Dr Charles Crecelius and Dr N. Sharlene Rajapakse, I was on a panel that presented "Alternative Integrative Methods of pain management in End-of-Life Care." More about segments of that session in future blog postings. Also - AMDA (American Medical Directors Association) - an organization of nearly 7000 physicians in Long Term Care, published its revised Clinical practice guideline on Parkinsons Disease. This guideline is now available only at the LTC Medicine annual meeting but will later be available for on-line purchase. The guideline reflects on the current evidence based support for certain elements of alternative or complementary medicine (including specifically Reiki).
More later.
Today - I am scheduled to do a cable radio spot relating to yesterday's session, and specifically relating to our use of the term "Transition" instead of Death.
"When I'm treating a patient at the end-of-life, I prefer to refer to Death as Transition.
Look, science cannot prove or disprove the continuation of consciousness after death, but most of humanity believes in some form of afterlife.
As a physician, it is not my job to convert or dissaude, but to listen, support, and dignify the life of the patient!
And when a physician cares to listen to what the patient perceives they are facing in the mysterious journey ahead, the patient is spared loneliness and gifted hope.
In my opinion, the patient of a doctor who cares when he cannot cure feels more respected, and suffers less."
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