A Place of Healing

Palliative care physician Michael Kearney proposes a new model which integrates the Western medical model of pain relief with the ancient holistic approach termed 'Asklepian healing' which involves working with the patient's own healing potential to relieve suffering.

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One of the most significant healthcare advances in the latter part of the twentieth century has been the development of the specialty of palliative care. The specialty traditionally draws on the successes of the Western medical model in developing innovative means of controlling pain where cure is not possible. The author of this book argues that while the medical model of palliative care has undoubted strengths in easing pain, that there are nevertheless limitations. In particular, while its practitioners are undoubtedly dedicated to the alleviation of suffering, the model itself is limited in its ability to alleviate the psychological and spiritual suffering that often accompanies terminal illness, and thus in helping patients in their total experience of illness. Drawing on the ancient rites of Asklepian healing, Dr Kearney looks at the mythology underlying this model and examines the contemporary relevance of these ideas in terms of healthcare and education. He concludes by proposing a new model for the healing of suffering in healthcare which draws on the best practice of both traditions.