Patch Adam's Vision of a Free Holistic Medical Practice.

Behind Patch Adams clown nose and jokes lies a social revolutionary who has devoted his life to transforming America’s health care system. His book "Gesundheit" shares a vision of a free holistic medical practice based on faith, friendship and fun. His life inspired the producers of Universal Studios to make the movie "Patch Adams" staring Robin Williams. Patch Adams is the founder of Gesundheit, a holistic home-based medical practice that managed to see more than 15,000 people without bills, malpractice insurance, formal facilities and paper work.

Adams’ vision is a wake-up call for all of us. Like Adams I became discouraged when the art of counseling and medicine was replaced by the science of business and technology.

During my 20 years of working as a children’s counselor at a Mental Health Center I witnessed how mental health and medicine, the nations number one industries today, shifted from the community to the corporate level. When the loving human interchange between a client and counselor became more a business transaction, and the paperwork not the people became the bulk of our service (due to fear of litigation), I decided it was time to retire.

Adams’ book “Gesundheid” is an excellent summary of how today’s high-tech medicine has become too costly, dehumanized, mistrustful and grim and gives us a vision of what good health care could be. We not only need a better health care system but a healthier one. Profit, paperwork, medication, and medical procedures cannot be a substitute for time spent talking to and observing patients.

Adams discourages health care professionals from carrying malpractice insurance. When fear is the baseline from which to practice healing it encourages caregivers to prescribe “cookbook” treatments even when they believe them to be inadequate or potentially harmful. Fear and distrust makes physicians reluctant to explore alternate therapy and leads them to put patients through procedures and tests that are unnecessary and defensive.

When physicians see patients as passive recipients of wisdom there is no room for humility or mistakes. A malpractice climate denies physicians the right to be imperfect.Third-party reimbursement has diverted medicine from a service to a business and become a circus act with many hoops to jump through. Doctors tend to over-order tests and overdo procedures when patients are insured. It’s easier to order tests than provide care or comfort. Hospital supply companies, medical technology and pharmaceutical firms have become multimillion dollar moguls of medicine.

The professional distance ethic between healer and client often leads to aloofness and arrogance. Many patients are described as diseases, lab values, or treatments. When people are called the names of their diseases other facets of the client’s life are neglected such as family, friends, faith, fun, work, nutrition and exercise. Life itself is bigger than illness, diagnosis, treatment and disease.

When touching is taboo and getting close to clients is forbidden we loose the magic of vulnerability and trust in a relationship. Healing happens in the relationship between the healer and the patient. A healer cannot offset the pain and suffering of a client without intimacy. Healers need the freedom to cry with and hug their patients. Transference is inevitable. Every human being has some kind of impact on another. A solid relationship creates a loving, human, creative, cooperative and open environment. Privacy or confidentiality rules make intimacy difficult. Public disclosure strengthens relationships and helps develop a greater sense of support and understanding. Like 12-step programs the surrendering of privacy is the cornerstone of friendship and an antidote to loneliness.

Our stories are important and listening to each other’s stories provides the magic for healing. We are a tribal people and we need community. We need to move from the insurance of cash to the insurance of clan. Progress has become synonymous with “advances in technology.” Although modern medicine has made great strides in knowledge and technology, health care professionals are rarely vibrant with the joy of human service.

Many doctors feel naked without their instruments and machines. Even though comfort, empathy, and reassurance—so vital to a medical practice requires no technology. Our magic as healers is not in our tools but in ourselves.

We also need to integrate humor and nature in healing work. Humor is a powerful antidote to pain and nature tops the list of potent stress reducers. An individual’s health cannot be separated from their natural and human environment and wellness needs to include prevention of ecological disasters.

Mother Teresa’s Mission of Charity has provided free services to the poor in over 52 continents since 1952. They accept donations from individuals not companies and have not only survived but thrived. Gesundheit, a non-religious modern day version of the Missions of Charity, also offers free services in faith not fear. Both demonstrate how giving is intoxicating and produce intimacy as a byproduct. Both show how fulfillment that comes from service is one of the great medicines of life. Although most of us cannot give our services away for free we can learn from Adams’ vision.

Putting people before profit is a win/win situation. When people are happy they’re less likely to litigate and surprise, surprise the business ends up making a profit.