The purpose of medicine is to remove disease, or at least the symptoms of disease. Right?
Not according to , who currently works as an acupuncture therapist. He claims that medicine should promote more than healing. He advocates that patients should work with their doctors and therapists to pursue flourishing.
In a Suter Science lecture titled 鈥淭o Flourish: The Promise of Integrative Medicine,鈥� Mercier discussed the role of integrative medicine, sometimes called 鈥渁lternative鈥� or 鈥渉olistic鈥� medicine, in encouraging health and well-being.
Sometimes a person needs medication or surgery, but sometimes holistic treatment can replace or complement major medical procedures. Mercier talked about altering the 鈥渢errain鈥� in which the body fights disease by improving exercise, sleep, rest, and nutrition. 鈥淪ometimes just taking care of a person鈥檚 lifestyle at this level is enough to make symptoms go away,鈥� said Mercier.
In regard to symptoms in general, Mercier offered an unconventional perspective. He called symptoms 鈥渢eachers鈥� and asked the audience of about 50 students and faculty to 鈥渞ecognize that our pain, suffering, and symptoms are here to help us.鈥� When something goes wrong, symptoms are nature鈥檚 way of warning the body. If symptoms go unattended, they eventually cause a disease and force the body to slow down and relax to allow healing. Traditional care comes into play when people need to know which aspect of their lifestyle causes illness.
In advocating for a holistic approach to health, Mercier stressed more than just the physical aspect of well-being. While he did encourage nutrition and physical healing, he also stressed emotional, spiritual, mental, and social health. For example, sometimes a person needs to deal with personal conflicts rather than, or in addition to, taking medication.
Mercier also talked about the mind-body connection. He cited Candace Pert鈥檚 book, Molecules of Emotion, to talk about how brains and bodies are not distinct from one another. Molecules important to the brain, such as serotonin and cortisol, also affect other parts of the body.
Mercier has an impressive background that has shown him many ways to pursue well-being. He studied psychology at James Madison University (although he said 鈥淚 consider rock 鈥檔鈥� roll my major鈥�), positive organization development at Case Western Reserve University, and acupuncture at Tai Sophia Institute. His list of occupations includes lecturer, acupuncture therapist, Buddhist monk, and director of hospital-owned integrative medicine centers. To see more of Mercier鈥檚 r茅sum茅, visit .
, director of and a professor in the department, invited Mercier to speak Oct. 3 as a part of 91短视频鈥檚 2014-15 after the biomedicine faculty read Mercier鈥檚 book, A Beautiful Medicine: A Radical Look at the Essence of Health and Healing.
Mercier drove his point home by showing several examples of physically fit older individuals. They pursued flourishing, not simply healing. He concluded his lecture by citing a quote from the poet Pablo Neruda: 鈥淚 want to do to you what spring does with the cherry trees.鈥�