Religion & Spirituality
“Cure sometimes. Treat often. Comfort always.” A quote from Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine. In our current times, we seem to have forgotten that the patient is not only a disease or a condition, but a complex being that includes emotions, thoughts, and spiritual beliefs. If we are not treating the whole person, we have less chance of curing the disease. Lee Tomlinson writes: “Hundreds of patient studies on the benefits of compassion in treating and healing patients have concluded that those who experience compassionate care also experience: a physical feeling close to pleasure, a reduced desire for addictive painkillers, an increase in hope and optimism, an empowered immune system, (and) an increased will to live.” Yet 50% of Americans believe that the healthcare system and healthcare professionals are totally lacking in compassion. Even more astounding is that one-third of all Americans do not include compassion among their core values. With so much violence, anger, and prejudice, the world needs the antidote of compassion more than ever. Research shows that kindness and compassion spread. When one person is the recipient of an act to kindness, they are motivated to be kind to someone else. Please join us Thursday to learn how to bring compassion back to our healthcare system and providers, to ourselves, and to the world.