Healing and Science - is there a debate?

The answer to this question is, as often is the case, both “yes” and “no.”

Yes, there is still a debate

On one side, there are Healers who make outlandish claims about healing cancer or diabetes, in some miraculous manner, through a mysterious power. Some people have had negative experiences with doctors or hospitals and have demonised both of them. There are also charlatans who trick people for financial gain, or fame.

On the other side, there are doctors and other health professionals who discount anything they don’t understand as false. Some don’t look at the facts, but only at the people on the other side of the debate, and throw it all out together.

For both of these parties, the debate is usually very high in emotion, and low in substance and fact.

No, for many, the debate is over

For a while now though, a growing group of people on both sides have been able to follow the data, and identify some positive results. These people see that there are two things that have been established:

· We know that Healing works.

· We don’t know why or how.

We know it works

People who combine Healing with standard medical care recover more quickly form injury and illness, and report lower pain levels during the period of recovery. Terminal patients report a greater degree of physical and emotional comfort during palliative care.

The NHS has responded to this by approving placements and funding from SBSHT for Healers to play supplementary roles in NHS institutions and care facilities. Healers are now part of the team in many NHS facilities. Coverage and availability are still better in some areas than others, but it is a step in the right direction.

Just as with medical treatment, sometimes the results are stunning and quick, sometimes they are slower, and seem less effective. The statistics are clear though, the cooperation of standard medical care and Healing, helps patients to be healthier, more comfortable, and have quicker recovery periods.

We don’t know Why

Still, there are people who will struggle with the fact that we don’t know why Healing works. This struggle in unnecessary though, if one considers a few of the other things that we don’t understand, but still use on a regular basis. For example, even scientists who specialise in such areas do not know how gravity works. We can see what it does, but we don’t know why… yet! Likewise, Newtonian physics and Einstein’s relativity theory are mutually exclusive, and yet the one gets us into space and the other makes GPS work.

So what do we do?

There are lots of things we don’t yet understand, but it makes no more sense to throw out Healing, than it does to throw out your GPS or mobile phone. Scientists continue to study all of these areas, and maybe one day we’ll have answers – but in the meantime, we know that this practice makes the healthy less susceptible to illness, the ill more comfortable, aids in recovery where possible, and reduces anxiety in the dying.

So what should we do? Try it. Receive the benefits. We’ll figure out how it happens later on.