TeachersRemember

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Sunday, 22 April 2012

Anatomy of an Illness - Norman Cousins

Posted on 03:16 by Unknown
Vinod gave me the 'Anatomy of an Illness - as Perceived by the Patient' by Norman Cousins to read, a couple of weeks ago, and I found very inspiring - a patient's guide to handle illnesses almost. The book which was on the New York Times bestseller list for over 40 weeks begins with the blurb on the front cover that goes 'How one man proved your mind can cure your body'.

A well known journalist, author, world peace activist and professor, Cousins worked with the  New York Evening Post and Current History among other publications. Cousins was diagnosed with a disease of connecting tissue - a collagen illness from which he was given little chance of recovery to normal life. Cousins was put off by the impersonal way the hospitals treated patients and decided to take control of his healing. The book begins with the premise that everyone must accept responsibility for his or her own healing. Cousins lived for 26 years after the doomsday prediction and died at an age of 85.

Cousins quickly realised that his conditions needed to get his adrenal system activated. He remembered from a book he rad by by Hans Slyes - 'The Stress of Life' - that negative emotions could affect the body negatively. He decided to reverse that situation by using positive emotions like laughter to cure himself. He also did considerable research, took his doctor into confidence and administered himself large doses of vitamin C which he believed would help. The Marx Brothers movies, Candid Camera series helped. Cousins took himself off aspirin which was given to him for pain relief (and which he realised later was detrimental to his condition thankfully) and instead laughed himself out of pain and into sleep. Cousins figured that all he needed was loud, belly shaking laughter and a strong will to live (and some vitamin C).

Cousins talks of the wonderful effects of placebos and how for most part, patients get cured upon receiving the prescription form the doctor. I can identify with this because I have gone to many a doctor with some pain, ache and minor issue and soon after getting the prescription and the medicine, and being a few hundred rupees lighter, I felt completely well (leaving the medicine untouched). Cousins says that all drugs have side effects and it is not good to rush to pop pills at every instance, including pain. Most of our diseases are stress related. The placebo he says is the doctor that resides within. In fact Dr. Schweitzer tells him when they visit an African witch doctor that "Each patient carries his own doctor inside him. They come to us not knowing the truth. We are at our best when we give the doctor who resides within each patient a chance to go to work.' Such wonderful words and true for almost every one - teachers, coaches, facilitators, leaders.

While talking of creativity and longevity Cousins talks of Pablo Casals and Dr. Albert Schweitzer who lived till late years actively. Schweitzer actually said the best medicine for illness is 'having a job to do and a good sense of humour'. Pain, says Cousins, is not the ultimate enemy, as many from the pain relief industry would like you to believe. He asks the patient to be grateful for the pain for showing him where the problem is. Unlike lepers who have no pain and lose their limbs and digits in accidents.

Not surprisingly Cousins talks of the need to look at healing in a holistic manner. He says medicine must 'always allow for the fact the certain individuals may have all the signs and symptoms of a particular disease and yet may be atypical and even completely free from the disease.' He says that patients can choose and use many alternate healing practices that range acupuncture to yoga, to naturopathy to homeopathy, to faith healing to graphology. Each to his own and each must find the peace. But what ever happens he says compassion and warmth in treatment goes a long way in helping the patient recover.

Cousins talks of the 3000 doctors who wrote to him and their open attitude to his findings. Most agree that a strong will to live, a good dose of laughter go a long way in supporting a patient's recovery. Cousins also mentions that it is tough as patients feel helpless, have a fear of never being normal, of being a burden, of being lonely, of losing self esteem and feeling inadequate. Mostly he despairs the lack of human touch in modern medicine.

So, then a journey that began when 'he decided that some experts don't really know enough to make a pronouncement of doom on a human being' became a bestselling book that gave hope to millions, empowered many who were faced with daunting illnesses, made doctors rethink their methods and made patients more participative. Published first in 1979, it holds good even today. Louise Hay would completely agree with Cousins (she in fact recommends his book to read) that the mind can heal the body.

I totally subscribe to his views and believe that illnesses are a particular mental pattern showing up in our physical body. I also believe that modern medicine has all technology and no soul - it needs to get the soul back to heal fully an not merely mask symptoms. Now the medical industry seems happier to keep patients on life long drugs instead of forcing a healthy lifestyle change. The cost of drugs, tests, doctors, surgeries, visits has gone up manifold and most of it - save the absolute emergencies - is almost pointless. It is time we all looked at ourselves and trusted the doctor within.

I did realise myself after some hurried visits to the doctors that perhaps I am not trusting my body to heal and am sending it the wrong signals. These days I stay with the first pains an aches and more often than not they go away. It is always better to find support mentally - books like Louise Hay's are highly empowering. Holistic healing methods, meditations, laughter, good positive people and environment, music and movies, books, can alleviate the mind and the body and keep a positive mental space. Support the healing given by the doctors with all these supportive methods and try to figure out your mental patterns that could have led to the disease, else it might relapse. If you can find them, you can work on them and hopefully get rid of them. It is true  the doctor resides within and we must trust him a bit more. We must look at out bodies as more than mere physical bodies - they are not. We could certainly help our cause immensely by supporting ourselves with a good mental space. 


Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
Posted in | No comments
Newer Post Older Post Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • Shimoga in pictures
    In Shimoga, now on the way to become Shiva Mogga, in Karnataka last week. Statue of Keladi Shivappa Nayaka It is the district head quarter o...
  • The Qutb Shahi tombs in pictures
    Though Raja, Shobha and I visited the Qutb Shahi tombs after we visited Chowmahalla palace, I'd rather start with these tombs because th...
  • Song of the day - Pyaar mein kabhi kabhi
    God knows which movie this song is from and who the actors are but its incredibly peppy and uplifting. I heard it before but I never knew wh...
  • Thought for the Day - Learn to Face the Unpleasantness
    This thought struck me the other day when I was under some stress and was wondering if what I was doing was worth doing at all considering w...
  • A Visit to the Alma Mater - St. Gabriel's High School, Kazipet
    No trip to Warangal can be complete without stopping by at my old school, St. Gabriel's Boys High School of the Montfort Brothers. I joi...
  • The Hyderabad Series - The Way of the Hyderabadi
    This is a series I propose to write in honour of Hyderabad - then and now. The Way(s) of the Hyderabadi It is time. We Hyderabadis must pro...
  • The Shatabdi Express - Pune to Hyderabad
    The change in my Shatabdi experience since last December is marginal.  I have now moved into first class which offers more space and that is...
  • Poem by Zen Master Sen-ts'an on Nonjudgmentalism
    I loved this poem by Zen Master Sen-ts'an on nonjudgmentalism as a prerequisite to following the 'Perfect Way' in 8th century B....
  • Bro. K.M. Joseph - The Beloved Cricket Brother of All Saints High School Heads to Rome
    It was a pleasant surprise to hear from Denzil Balm, the committed coach of All Saints High School for so many years, a few days ago. The su...
  • Macaulay , Pioneer of Indian Modernization- Zareer Masani
    After the history books in school where one became acquainted with British officials Robert Clive, Warren Hastings, William Bentinck, Thomas...

Blog Archive

  • ►  2013 (247)
    • ►  September (13)
    • ►  August (37)
    • ►  July (27)
    • ►  June (30)
    • ►  May (30)
    • ►  April (47)
    • ►  March (18)
    • ►  February (19)
    • ►  January (26)
  • ▼  2012 (253)
    • ►  December (32)
    • ►  November (25)
    • ►  October (18)
    • ►  September (23)
    • ►  August (16)
    • ►  July (24)
    • ►  June (19)
    • ►  May (50)
    • ▼  April (34)
      • Super Stuff Cameron White - Good show Deccan Chargers
      • The Hyderabad Diaries - Petrol Thieves Ahoy!
      • The Paradoxes of Life - Power and Vulnerability
      • Thought for the Day - What are you proving and to ...
      • Cars, Buses and Trains - The Bangalore Diaries
      • Paan Singh Tomar - Movie Review
      • It's an Ad, Mad World - Sexing up the soft drinks
      • Anatomy of an Illness - Norman Cousins
      • Sangakarra's Captaincy Flaw
      • Thought for the Day - What is failure anyway?
      • The Paradoxes of Life - We want success, by thinki...
      • Nampally Road - Meena Alexander
      • Thought for the Day - Spontaneity in Action Comes ...
      • Thought for the Day - Act First, Think Later
      • The Hyderabad Diaries April 2012
      • The Paradoxes of Life - What we want is what we do...
      • You Can Heal Your Life - Louise L. Hay
      • Song of the day - Pyaar mein kabhi kabhi
      • Thought for the Day - The Frame We View Life Through
      • Thought for the Day - The Uncontained Thought
      • The Email Generation Vs The Facebook Generation
      • Ides of March - Movie Review
      • Thought for the Day - Power comes from action. Hel...
      • Thought for the Day - Responsibility for the Act, ...
      • Empire of the Moghul Raiders From the North - Alex...
      • Thought for the Day - Life WIthout an Audience
      • Success - Quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson
      • The Hyderabad Diaries - The Breathing Tax (Inspire...
      • The Hyderabad Diaries - The Invisible User charges
      • Bheeshma on Leadership (Duties of a King)
      • The Paradoxes of Life - Now is Forever
      • Thought for the Day - 'Forever' is Only for the Mo...
      • The Radical Manifestation Workshop - Interesting F...
      • Song of the Day - Neend Churake Raaton Mein
    • ►  March (12)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

Unknown
View my complete profile