Harriet Levy wrote in a message to All:
HL> What I've started wondering about is maybe that's what's wrong with
HL> Western Medicine.  That there's so much professional detachment,
HL> that there's no  room left for the healing power of love. 
     I have found that there are a couple of factors involved with finding a 
"good" doctor.  The most basic factor is whether or not this person seems to 
care about what happens to you as a person...which can be directly related to 
what you are saying here.  However, there are also other factors involved, 
such as really listening to what is going wrong or right, giving the benefit 
of the doubt when someone says "this is wrong" or "this is working" even 
though it does not follow with "the way things should be", and being 
confident enough to say "this does not follow the textbook, but I think it 
could be _______, so I am going to check it out further".
     The biggest problem I see with new doctors (I work in a hospital) is 
that they rely way too much on numbers and test results when the answer could 
be staring them in the face.  Perhaps it is too much detachment, perhaps it 
is the fact that logic and caring on this level cannot be taught to everyone, 
perhaps it is the teaching process itself (which is one thing I strongly 
suspect).  I don't know.
     Unfortunately, caring too much can be as much of a trap as caring too 
little.  The biggest problem in caring too much is that all care eventually 
comes to a point where nothing more can be done.  If a practitioner goes 
through these kinds of losses every day or every week with people they have 
come to love, the practitioner burns out emotionally and can be damaged.  
Perhaps a balance point needs to be found...
HL> I guess what the question comes down to is, am I a Health Care
HL> Professional, which is what my license says, or am I a Healer?  I
HL> certainly prefer the  latter, but as I said, I'm having trouble
HL> reconciling that with my "training". 
     I think the answer to your question is "yes".  You are (presumably) a 
professional in your chosen field of health care, so you are a "Health Care 
Professional".  However, it is your job to heal people when possible, so you 
are a healer.  Being professional does not necessarily mean giving up the 
caring aspect of your work, but it does require responsible actions towards 
your patients and yourself.
     Good luck...
     Sue
... "But we decide which is right & which is an illusion."  -- Moody Blues
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