The Best Medicine

Abstract

The Best Medicine is a collection of short stories about special patient/physician relationships. These real-life stories are unique in that they are told from the perspective of both the patient and the physician. Each story begins with a synopsis of the setting and the background of the patient followed by the patient's account of how the relationship with the physician developed. Patients' perceptions of the qualities and characteristics of the physicians who calmed their fears, engendered their trust, and solidified their relationships are very insightful. The second portion of each story begins with a description of the physician's background, training, specialty, interests, and philosophical precepts that shaped his or her approach to life and to medicine. This is followed by the physician's account of how the special relationship with the patient developed and progressed. In almost every case, the central themes of openness, honesty, humanity, connectedness, and respect for patients can be found. I was impressed with the diversity of both patients and physicians that was encompassed in these short stories. In every story, I gained insight into the ways in which each physician encourages the building of trusting relationships with his or her patients. In addition, each physician revealed the things he/she had learned from the patient and the relationship. The book demonstrates that the patient/physician relationship transcends all specialties, genders, socioeconomic strata, and family structures. It stresses the importance of the emotional aspect of the physician, debunking the myth of the cold intellectual who only analyzes tests and prescribes treatment. The book also underscores the concept that a strong patient/physician relationship is therapeutic and leads to better outcomes. Often, the patient/physician relationships described took in family members, who were then enlisted as members of the support team. Each patient's trust allowed the physician to have special insights into symptoms and treatment responses that helped the physician know how to better help the patient. One of my favorite stories is under the section entitled “Lessons in Love.” Ms. Alvarez is a mother of 4 children, 2 of whom are retarded and 1 of whom is autistic. She developed a strong bond with Dr. Elisa Nicholas. From this patient/physician pair, I learned that parents are frequently stronger and wiser after having gone through such suffering. It seems that these persons are more apt to understand what is important in life. Dr. Nicholas relates the story of being invited to lunch at the home of one of her patients. While most doctors wouldn't go, she went and was truly blessed. One of Dr. Nicholas' profound observations was that when you invest in relationships with families, they allow you access into their lives, which allows you in turn to gain insight into how to live your own life. These relationships help keep physicians from becoming burned out and remind us why we chose to practice medicine in the first place. In the current health care culture, with its fetish for technology and its outright attack on autonomous patient/physician relationships, this book is both refreshing and reaffirming. What we do as physicians is important and unique. The patient/physician relationship is a privilege that we should make the central theme of our health care system. I would highly recommend this book to medical students, residents, and seasoned practitioners.