Will the East and West in medical practice never meet?

One thing I really wish to see in the Philippines is a hospital offering both western and eastern treatment modalities and facilities.

It may take a long time before it becomes a reality, although I understand it already exists in a few countries.

There are a number of reasons why it is difficult for this type of hospital to be established here:

First, Philippine laws recognize only the western medicine as the legally accepted mode of treatment.

Second, schools of medicine do not teach eastern and other modalities of healing. Students graduate with practically no knowledge of other healing methods.

Third, Filipinos, especially in urban areas, have long accepted western medicine as the only effective means of treating disease.

Fourth, pharmaceutical companies lobby for the use of synthetic and chemical-based drugs that are supposed to be scientifically tested and validated.

Not validated
One of the objections raised against traditional and indigenous healing modalities is that they are mostly not validated under strict objective and controlled conditions.Testimonials of users are considered very weak arguments for the effectiveness of a healing method.

While valid, this argument is not insurmountable. There are ways to analyze and validate scientifically the methods, as has been done with acupuncture.

Doctors cannot deny there are illnesses for which there are no known medical cure. There are also illnesses whose causes cannot be determined by medical instrument or laboratory analysis.We can perhaps start with those ailments.

A well-known Filipino healer and psychic surgeon said there were two kinds of illnesses. One was caused by matter, like bacteria, germs, viruses, etc. The other, like unexplained lumps or bloating for which no medical cause could be found, was caused by a spirit.

Several years ago, a medical doctor I did not know personally, referred to me his patient because he did not know how to help her.

Baffling
He was completely baffled because the patient behaved strangely all of a sudden. Her eyes became red with anger, she shouted unintelligible words, cursed those around her and had the strength of several men, although she was physically frail.This happened after she got close to a large tree while cleaning her yard.

It was a clear case of spirit possession to me. Her doctors knew nothing about such a phenomenon so they referred her to me.I called a psychic friend who could see spirits and the disturbing entity was banished without difficulty. The patient had no knowledge of what she did or said during her trance-like state.

In England and Germany, I understand that homeopathy is an accepted modality of treatment even in hospitals.

In fact, Prince Charles of England is a known advocate of homeopathy.This is a mode of treatment developed by a German researcher named Hanneman. He treated illnesses by using the same thing that caused it but diluting to almost zero the chemical composition of the original. In other words, only the energy or vibration remained.

Western medical doctors merely laughed at this method and called it “quackery.” Yet it has remained an accepted treatment in several countries in Europe.

I hope to see the day when western-trained local doctors can practice what is best for their patients, whether such modalities come from the western or eastern tradition, as long as these are safe and effective.The doctors of the future should not only be scientists but also shamans. I have already met several of these pioneering and extraordinary medical hybrids. May their tribe increase!