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How Has The New Age Movement Affected The Medical Field?
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October 12, 2009 by Rest Ministries
Filed under Alternative Treatments, Doctor, Faith Illness Research, Help! Q/A From the Experts, Medical Professional, Person w/ Illness
The New Age Movement has a lot to say about spirituality, but it rejects Christ’s claim of absolute truth. The idea that truth is a matter of personal preference has influenced our culture, our political system, and even our churches. It comes as no surprise that New Age philosophy has affected the field of medicine.
Modern “conventional” medicine sprang from the uniquely Christian idea that truth never changes. Shamanism and alchemy were utterly debunked in the intellectual wildfire sparked by the reformation of the Christian Church. Science as we know it was born.
Now “alternative” medicine is gaining ground, offering a more spiritual approach to physical healing. Unfortunately, the religious philosophy it is based upon is not Christianity. Many new healers use methods based largely on eastern mysticism.
I know what it feels like to be told, “There is nothing we can do for you.” It feels crushing, with hope leaving a vacuum where the heart should be. I understand why people will try anything…anything. If you are at that point, as I once was, your loved ones are probably urging you to try all sorts of alternatives.
The bottom line is this: alternative medicine is a multi-billion dollar industry. It is largely unregulated by the federal government. People pay in cash. There is no malpractice liability. There is no requirement to prove safety or efficacy. If you choose an alternative therapy, make sure it is backed up by solid research, avoid the mystical, and be sure to inform your physician.
Amy Fogelstrom Chai, MD, MS, is an Internal Medicine specialist with additional training in the area of medical research methods. Her experiences as a patient helped to redirect her priorities to home life and Christian ministry.
Unfortunately, some useful practises such as massage therapy have grown New Age roots. Reiki is a complete New Age fraud, as is accupuncture.
Stick with evendence-based scientific medicine. That’s what I do, and I’m not well, but functioning.
I agree with Dr. Amy Fogelstrom Chai in her recent article about new age methods that are not based on The Bible. I dabbled in new age alternative medicine out of desperation for chronic pain. I was lovingly corrected by God and have since repented and been set free of the demonic influences that I opened myself up to.
Our spirit, soul and body belong to Jesus and when we open our spirit to other gods, such as ones in eastern religion, we are inviting trouble… not to mention it’s an abomination to God. That includes yoga and tai chi that are being promoted on your website as Christian exercise. Investigate the roots of origin and ask the Lord to show you the Truth. He will. Even the Muslim faith considers yoga an abomination.
I agree that is important to be careful with alternative treatments. Especially with massage therapy. Many therapists practice 'healing touch', which is not Christian. And they can do it on you while you are unaware. So I would recommend that you use a Christian massage therapist and ASK if they use healing touch, because some Christians even do. Stay away from it.
There is nothing wrong with having fellow believers pray for us while putting their hands on our shoulders of such. That is not healing touch, it is God's touch.
There is also a TON in the alternative field that is helpful for these "syndrome" illnesses. I agree what is not of Jesus Christ needs to be avoided, but this article throws the baby out with the bath water. If you are waiting for evidence based medicine to provide your cure you will be waiting forever. People need to really take a closer look at the pharma industry and "evidence" often comes from "paid for" studies. In other words they lie to sell us their drusg for life! I am almost recovered form a dx of MS, Fibro and CFS by detoxing mercury, and dealing with subclinical infections…..both very common in all auto-immune illnesses! Jesus is who lead the path! Lets leave some room for Him and not discourage others form alternative medicine it is not all bad!
While I agree with what you say 100% we don't want to scare people and throw out things that are 'natural' and not New Age. Supplements of most kinds I believe are o.k., it is good to get guidance from your doctor even on these.
Instead of having my knees injected with Cortisone my doctor uses glucosamine and MSM. Trigger point injections seem to be o.k. also.
I agree that Tai Chi is based on things we don't believe as Christians. I could go on and on about why yoga is questionable, even though it helps some of the chronically ill. When something is too close to the line that we should not cross it would be safer to avoid it.
And I personally found that once we start going down that road it is easier to go even further into areas that are even more of a problem.
It can be easy to say that we are being legalistic, but that is not the case. We want to be careful that we are not entering into areas that are based on beliefs that come from false religions.
Alternative therapies is a very broad category and most of it has nothing to do with eastern religions. Things like SAMe, silver, and even B12 pills can make a huge difference and have nothing to do with any religion. Allopathic medical care can leave a lot to be desired. Also many of the side effects can be as bad as the disease itself.
Alternative therapies commonly means "anything your doctor did not prescribe" and that is pretty egotistical. I think that trusting a Doc as much or more than we trust God can be a problem in our lives. There are many so called "alternative" therapies that have been the difference between life and death and/or the difference between wanting suicide and living a life that that is tolerable or maybe even better than that. God can lead us to therapies that do not include our doctor. The ultimate test is "does it help us" – not "is there scientific proof that this works".
Look at animal therapy – how many people used that "alternative" therapy before medicine decided to realize its true good effects? Allopathic medicine is lagging behind in many areas. Most of the research being done is being done by pharmaceutical companies and will result in a pill that a doctor can prescribe as that is how the companies make their money. This does not mean that only pills can improve our lives – it just means noone gets any money if you pet your dog! I will continue to explore any alternative medicines I can find that work to make my life livable. They often come to me from interesting sources – but I am 100x better now than I was two years ago and it is due to nothing prescribed by a doctor.
Also there are many good doctors who encourage people in their use of "alternative" therapies as the docs goal is to improve the patients life – not just to make a buck.