The Human Effect in Medicine: Theory, Research and Practice

by Dixon; Michael

• ISBN13: 9781857753691
• ISBN10: 1857753690
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2000-02-29
• Publisher: CRC Press

Summary

How is modern medicine failing? Why is a more human approach required? This book challenges the dogma of modern technological medicine that ignores both the therapeutic effect of the doctors and the self-healing powers of the patient. It reviews the vast weight of evidence on the effectiveness of this 'human effect', and uses the evidence to describe how to use the human effect in everyday practice.
Thoroughly referenced, it is vital for general practitioners, and also very relevant to all doctors, nurses, health managers, policy makers and indeed patients.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction	p. 1
The philosophy and history of medical practice: a review	p. 7
Challenging the current therapeutic perspective	p. 9
Challenging the conventional history of clinical practice	p. 17
Uniqueness in clinical practice: reflections on suffering	p. 27
Doctors and patients: the therapeutic relationship	p. 39
Placebo theory and research: the physician healer	p. 51
Using the placebo effect	p. 53
Why do placebos work?	p. 69
How does the placebo effect work? How can the mind affect the body? Evidence from psychoneuroimmunology	p. 75
How the physician healer works: three theories	p. 91
Theory into practice: how do we improve our effectiveness as physician healers?	p. 107
Theory into practice I	p. 113
Theory into practice II	p. 123
Theory into practice III	p. 137
Summary and conclusions	p. 147
Index	p. 155
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