Too often too few take the time.
Let me explain. There is a song by Rogers and Hammerstein, made famous by Deborah Kerr in the film version of The King and I, called Getting to Know You. She sings it to the King’s wives and children. It is a warm, loving, welcoming song. Now, let that song run through your head for a minute… Getting to know ALLLLL about you… Holistic practitioners cannot do their jobs properly, nor give you their best service, without getting to know you. It is that simple.
Health care is a huge industry. And the government-funded part has become faster and less personal. Don’t take my word for it, think about your experiences in recent years. I know GPs who will only deal with one concern per visit. “Triage” is an important emergency room practice for addressing the most critical cases, and leaving less critical conditions to wait. The patient to doctor ratios are high. Hence the waiting lines and lists. The doctor who was there for my birth at the Wellesley in Toronto, Daniel MacPherson, knew every member of my family. He made house calls. He made the time to know us. He left an indelible impression on my sense of what health care can and should be. I am indebted to that man. If every physician in Canada now, took the time that Dr. MacPherson took with his patients, we would need many MANY more physicians. Difficult choices.
That impression led me to learn and practice a form of health care for which knowing people is essential. Sometimes the intake interview is over an hour (without giving any form of treatment beyond conversation). And I suspect this is in part because people are not given the undivided attention of someone knowledgeable who cares and listens. This is something rare in our time. So when you get it you make the most of it!
OK, so let me give you a snapshot of a typical Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) intake. You arrive at the clinic for the first time and receive an intake questionnaire from your TCM practitioner. They are friendly and explain that before you two can sit down and really talk, you need to complete the questionnaire for them. Now, many things just happened. You were just evaluated. From the look in your eyes to your handshake, everything meant something to the person you just met. E V E R Y T H I N G. You received a lengthy questionnaire that covers your body, mind, and emotions. Completing it gives you the time to reflect on what is going on with you, and remember things you might forget if you just walked into the office and started talking. You get to focus on you. Then you hand it over, they review it with you, and then you talk, as openly and honestly as you can.
From the beginning you are a puzzle they are trying to reassemble through the pieces you give them. Using all the tools they have assembled. Why does everything matter? Knowing the type of work you do, steel worker or seamstress, tells me of your daily activities and environments. Your family life, hobbies and interests reveal your level of spirit. Everything, from the coarseness of your hair to how many hours you sleep at night reveals information about your condition and completes a profile of you as a living person. And now they can provide you with their best treatment and care.
For your wellness on all levels, they make the time.
See also, the recent article in the CBC news regarding the importance of physician patient relationships:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/healthcare/patient-doctor-relationship.html
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