Modern medicine tends to be based on the notion of the body as a machine, to be repaired by doctors.
By concentrating on individual fragments of the body, medicine can lose sight of the patient as a whole human being and thus miss out on some possibly vital aspects of healing. The concept of healing is not generally discussed enough in medical schools, yet bringing the notion back into the practice of medicine can help in a complementary fashion. No one would deny the benefits which the advances of medical science this century have brought, but we should not forget other aspects of traditional medicine, or that health is hugely influenced by a person's behaviour, diet and environment. I have often thought that one of the least attractive traits of various professional bodies and institutions is the deeply ingrained suspicion and outright hostility which they can exhibit towards anything unorthodox or unconventional. I suppose it is inevitable that something which is different should arouse strong feelings on the part of the majority whose conventional wisdom is being challenged or, in a more social sense, whose way of life and customs are being insulted by something rather alien.