Try a little kindness and consideration for healing

We frequently see patients with all sorts of bodily problems which do not seem to respond to medical treatment. They may have uncontrolled blood pressure, ulcer symptoms, asthma-like shortness of breath, allergies, chronic fatigue and feeling exhausted even after sleeping the whole night.

The symptoms are varied and contrasting. Some may complain of anorexia and progressive loss of weight while some have uncontrolled appetite leading to obesity. Some may oversleep while some have difficulty in sleeping and become chronic insomniacs, dependent on strong sedatives or sleeping pills.

The common denominator in these patients is that a thorough laboratory examination reveals findings which are not proportionate to the bodily or somatic complaints bothering the patient. So, even the best of medical care and the most modern advances of the science of medicine would not be adequate to treat and resolve the medical issues of these patients. These patients’ medical problems are partly, or for some, mainly due to a psychosomatic disorder.

Usually the culprit

Psychosomatic disorders involve both the mind and the body. A predominantly negative way of thinking and feeling and reaction to common stressors is usually the culprit. Emotional stress causes damaging thought patterns (psycho-), which spills over to the body (somatic) and progresses with all sorts of physical symptoms, from hypertension to ulcer to chronic fatigue.

The severe mental and emotional strain affects the individual’s immune system and makes him or her prone to infections, cancers and other medical problems related to the immune system.

Several years ago, a 70-year-old businessman came to us with a litany of symptoms. He had his personal nurse with him who showed us all the laboratory tests that were done on him. The compiled lab reports were already as thick as a medical textbook. He went from one hospital to another, consulted one specialist after another, both here and abroad.

His blood pressure remained labile, reaching up to 220/120 mmHg when he was fuming mad in the office, which happened to be everyday. He berated his nurse in the clinic right in front of us, calling her tanga (stupid) for the slightest delay in carrying out what he was asking her to do.

It wasn’t difficult to identify what the patient’s real problem was. We told him in a most tactful way that he was the one aggravating himself, and no amount of medicines would heal him effectively. He had chronic fatigue because he was spending so much energy giving vent to his anger for the slightest provocation. Even trivial matters would make him blow his top and go ballistic.

Advice

We remember telling him nicely then, “Try a little kindness and consideration to heal yourself.” Apparently, he didn’t take our advice well because we never saw him again after that. Or perhaps he followed our recommendation and he is now completely healed.

This advice again came to mind when I saw Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago on television while I was making rounds in the hospital earlier this week. Her blood pressure was checked and found to be something like 190/100 mmHg. This was after a highly emotional tirade ranting at the prosecution in the impeachment hearing and even calling them “Gago!”—a  colloquial invective which was requested by Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas to be stricken out of the record.

With all sincere intentions, we would like to give the same advice to Senator Santiago we gave that patient of ours several years ago.

A little kindness, a little consideration, a little tolerance and understanding will go a long way in not only healing the wounds she is repeatedly inflicting on others, but in nourishing herself to good health. Any thought, desire and action can either be positively or negatively expressed. Her wisdom and erudition are incontestable. But if negatively expressed, they can never yield something positive. It’s not what we say, but how we say it. We can criticize and inspire people to do better or we can criticize and bring out the worst in people, too.

We cannot spew venom and expect to get a soothing and healing potion in return. What we sow, we reap. Worse, we sow the wind, we reap the whirlwind. The whirlwind comes in the form of destructive effects on our health, and our family’s health, too since they continually imbibe the negative energies we’re propagating.

Respect for human dignity

Since we advocate for a holistically healthy nation, we would like to stress the importance of keeping our self-esteem and dignity healthy, as a people. A nation with a low self-esteem can never be progressive. Our Constitution mandates that “The State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect for human rights.” (Sec. 11, Art. II, Philippine Constitution)

“The Congress shall give highest priority to the enactment of measures that protect and enhance the right of all the people to human dignity, reduce social, economic and political inequalities, and remove cultural inequalities…” (Sec. 1, Art. XIII, Philippine Constitution)

The Senate, assembled as an impeachment court, may be in such a lofty position, but such does not license them to violate an important tenet—respect for human dignity—which is so valued and ensconced in our Constitution.

Without human dignity and self-esteem, even good health—even life—become meaningless.