“I cannot fire light in the ashes”. This was the comment of a specialist doctor, to whom we went to take advice regarding an ailing close relative. We were amazed to hear his comment. The patient was suffering from cancer, but still very much alive and in talking condition. His sentence kept on ringing inside my mind and I decided to give vent to my thoughts by writing this article. All through my life I kept on believing that “hope” itself is the biggest healer. I found this to be fully truly, in my personal experience, as well as in the experiences of many who shared their disease stories with me. As an aromatherapist, I often hear detailed disease stories of people, who approach me for advice. I have always felt that a big part that can help a patient is the way I interact with them. In fact I have also seen that the chances of correct selection of treatment alternatives are also very much dependent on this interaction.
I have full conviction in the research going around the world to support mainstream doctors. But! what I find completely missing is the well researched behavioral training to medical professionals. I just downloaded the syllabus of MBBS programs. Students do study Psychiatry as a part of their syllabus, but it is much concerned with psychiatric disorders, rather than dealing with patients. Mostly the behaviour part of doctors is something learned by individuals during their own experience with patients. I strongly feel that doctors need to undergo specialized training programmes in dealing with
patients, the way some corporates train their people to deal with clients. Sometimes I feel that a Doctor consider their patients to be diseased objects, rather than persons in need of a service. Thankfully this attitude is not universal. There are Doctors who never hurt sentiments of an already hurt person. Definitely, the attitude plays a very important role, whether someone is a teacher, a student, a salesman, a client, a doctor or a patient.
Dr. Sunil Ji Garg
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