The Ancient Art of Healing and Its Issues Research Paper

Ancient Art of Healing

In most cases, the ancient art of healing differed greatly from what we see today. On page 50, there is an image of old-style healing in the new world, called qi-gong (Old style healing in Hew-York). This practice presupposed examining the patient’s qi, or aura, before getting a patient into a meditative state to free his energy. When doing exercises, the patient freed the energy, which helped to heal different aches, especially rheumatism and arthritis. Qi-gong healers believed that each system was connected with the whole body and its various parts. Pressing on a certain point, one could stimulate certain organs or organ systems. Moreover, qi-gong worked as a stress therapy. Practitioners learned to purify themselves emotionally and mentally, transforming negative states into brighter ones.

Another treatment method popular in old times was treatment with leeches or bloodsuckers. On page 53, one can see many leeches used to suck ‘bad’ blood (Behold the lofty leech, once again the doctor’s friend). The history of the use of leeches for medicinal purposes has more than two thousand years. At first, used sparingly, in the Middle Ages, leech treatment became an officially recognized method and gained enormous popularity. Leeches were sold everywhere, doctors prescribed them for literally all diseases. Doctors noted that the main function of bloodletting using a leech was the weakening of life in all those diseases in which there was an excess of it. Later, with the development of antibiotics, leeches’ popularity decreased. However, nowadays, this treatment method has been rediscovered and is used to fight against hypertension, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, and heart defects.

The Use of Leeches in Hemorrhoids Treatment

The article entitled “Clinical Efficacy of Medicinal Leech Therapy in Treating Third- and Fourth-Degree Hemorrhoids” assesses the leech therapy for hemorrhoids treatment. Hemorrhoids are characterized by an increase in hemorrhoids due to an acute or chronic circulatory disorder in the cavernous formations of the rectum (Mobeen et al., 2021). Hirudinaria granulosa, whose saliva has an autoinflammatory effect, was proposed as a treatment method for hemorrhoids patients (Mobeen et al., 2021). The research is based on a clinical trial where twenty male and female patients with hemorrhoids symptoms voluntarily underwent leech therapy with the aim of improving their condition (Mobeen et al., 2021). The patients were treated with leeches for four weeks in a run. The time of leeches application did not exceed 15 minutes per week.

The results were assessed in a pre and postanalysis design by using the colorectal evaluation of clinical therapeutics scale (CORECTS). The patients were asked to fill in the form about their condition before and after the therapy, and the results were compared against each other. Subjective data was collected through clinical trials before and after the treatment. It was found that the most pronounced effect of leech treatment was pain reduction, with over half of the patients asserting that the pain-reducing effect was considerable (Mobeen et al., 2021). Moreover, anorectal itching and swelling were found to have decreased in one-third of the cases. The bleeding reduction effect was not significantly pronounced, with only 10% mentioning this improvement (Mobeen et al., 2021). Adverse effects were evaluated in hematological and biochemical terms; no negative effects were found to follow the treatment. The patients noted significant improvement in quality of life after the therapy. The conclusion was made that the procedure can be considered safe and recommended for larger patient populations.

The Hero in the White Coat

The story “The Hero in the White Coat” on pages 57-61 by John Poppy discusses the issue of what moral qualities the doctor should have to combat illnesses effectively. The author draws the picture of a girl infected with plague, a mortal illness that killed thousands in the middle ages, and a doctor who rescues her (Poppy, pp. 57-61). Poppy believes that the main doctor’s qualities are bravery and sympathy. It is easy to be scared to get infected, it is easy to lose time procrastinating and deny life to a critically ill girl (Poppy, pp. 57-61). However, the doctor in the story chooses another way; bravely, he attacks the disease with whatever means he has – antibiotics and surgery, and lets life triumph over death. Poppy wants to convey that the doctor should be brave enough to try ever when the chances are meager and not be afraid to assume responsibility for the outcome.

The Art of Healing

To me, the story “The Hero in the White Coat” represents the art of healing more than the pictures, since reading the story, I could feel deep sympathy for an ill girl and her parents and admiration for the doctor’s courage. The story brought out the doctors’ choices I had never thought they had: to give hope and to discourage, to try whatever works, or to follow standard procedures. The story vividly portrayed the doctor’s predicament and the moral qualities he had that helped him to combat the disease. The pictures vividly portray healing methods, but they lack the human feeling the story had.

References

Behold the lofty leech, once again the doctor’s friend [Picture]. In R. Sloman, P. Moffit & M. Naythons The power to heal (p. 53). Prentice Hall Press.

Mobeen, A., Ahmad, A., Quamri, M. A., & Ansari, A. N. (2021). Clinical efficacy of medicinal leech therapy in treating third-and fourth-degree hemorrhoids. Journal of Coloproctology (Rio de Janeiro), 41, 124-130.

Old style healing in Hew-York [Picture]. In R. Sloman, P. Moffit & M. Naythons The power to heal (p. 50). Prentice Hall Press.

Poppy, J. The hero in the white. In R. Sloman, P. Moffit & M. Naythons The power to heal (pp. 57-61). Prentice Hall Press.