Recently, I was asked to say more about what it means to care. Imagine my surprise when I “Googled” the Hippocratic oath:
I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to
my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone.
I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked.
As a child, I knew two doctors who abused this oath. In college, I found a caring physician who listened to my needs BEFORE prescribing treatment, putting me on extended bed rest. Late in life, I was privileged to work with a doctor who, through guided imagery, helped me resolve chronic health issues.
I’ve worked with many gifted doctors and healers. Cranial osteopaths helped me heal brain injuries and a spinal issue, thus avoiding surgery. The Osteopaths’ oath adds this to “caring”:
…keeping in mind always nature's laws and the body's
inherent capacity for recovery.
After having been misdiagnosed for years, acupuncturist Dr. Yet Ki Lai moved me to tears. He knew my symptoms AND DIAGNOSIS. Without prompting, he described exactly what it was like living inside my body.
While many Western doctors were confounded, others invalidated me saying that I was not ill. Dr. Lai diagnosed me in the late stages of my illness. He told me to get a Lyme test. He knew that a confirmation would allow me to be taken seriously. Dr. Lai embodies Sun Simaio’s Oath of care:
I will be devoted to the task of saving the sacred spark of life in
every creature that still carries it.
Not to be left out in the conversation of care, the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) revised its Veterinarian oath, committing to greater animal welfare:
I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of
society through the protection of animal health and welfare, the prevention
and relief of animal suffering and the conservation of animal resources.
I give teary thanks to many gifted veterinarians and animal healers of Western, Osteopathic, Holistic, Acupuncture, Chiropractic and Psychomotor Therapy medicine. My beloved dog, Namaste, my niece’s beloved dog, Gertie, and my sister’s beloveds, Blue and Lancelot, would each have died prematurely were it not for many doctors and healers. Namaste and Blue received spiritual end-of-life care that few humans receive. Three of the dogs were in true hospice care, dying by natural means, in a loving environment.
Today I was with a client who has an injury. We had to forgo our equine leadership round pen work. This client did, however, make a commitment for personal health care; she realized without it, she would break her promise to the community of women in her care.
I asked her what she had previously learned in her equine work that helped her today. She said, “It’s simple. The horses are attentive and caring about each other in the herd. If I attend to my own personal health care, I will be able to listen and be empathic with others. I will be part of the caring herd.”
So, reader, what has emerged from your commitment to personal care?
