Health Benefits of Christian Faith By Alex Bunn and David Randall read : Health Benefits of Christian Faith (part 1) & Health Benefits of Christian Faith (part 2) Should Christian faith be recommended for patients’ health? Evidence ‘Spiritual care’ and ‘spiritual interventions’ describe spiritual activities, such as counselling or prayer, done specifically to help patients […]
Health Benefits of Christian Faith By Alex Bunn and David Randall read : Health Benefits of Christian Faith (part 1) How might a link between faith and health work? If we accept that religious faith itself might be good for an individual’s health, then how might this be explained? Are there plausible mechanism by which […]
Health Benefits of Christian Faith By Alex Bunn and David Randall Religion is for ‘the hesitant, the guilt-ridden, the excessively timid, those lacking clear convictions with which to face life’,1 said a standard British textbook of psychiatry until 1969. The implication is clear: faith selects the weak and is probably bad for your health. Sigmund […]
The Doctor’s Conscience By John Wyatt read : The Doctor’s Conscience (part 1) Examples of the corruption of medicine Over the last century there have been many shocking cases when the core ethical commitments of medicine have been corrupted and violated: In stalin’s Russia, psychiatrists imprisoned, sedated and electro-shocked political dissidents.6 In Nazi Germany, physicians […]
The Doctor’s Conscience By John Wyatt Conscientious objection as a right is enshrined in law and in professional guidelines, but has recently come under attack. These arguments are described, but the concept of the conscience goes to the heart of what it means to act in a moral way, with integrity. There have been shocking […]
Christian and Medical Research By Sam Leinster and Helen Barratt read : Christian and Medical Research (part 1) What are the limits on research? Great. Research is a good thing, and part of our biblical mandate, but is there not a limit to how far we should go? Research using stem cells from human embryos […]
Christian and Medical Research By Sam Leinster and Helen Barratt Although only a minority of doctors will be actively involved in research, all doctors will feel its impact. The implications of research findings are also often the subject of popular discussion. It is therefore important that we all understand the assumptions, methods and challenges of […]
Cosmetic Surgery By Rhona Knight read : Cosmetic Surgery (part 1) Cosmetic surgery: an ethical issue Cosmetic surgery is a complex ethical area (See Table 1). With the spectrum of requests, how is it possible to decide what is ethically justifiable? Papers have sought to address this issue,36,37 but perhaps one of the most helpful […]
Cosmetic Surgery By Rhona Knight Society appears to agree with the Ben Sherman advert, ‘Looking good isn’t important, it’s everything’. A person’s value is often seen as being dependent on looks, ability, income, and image.1 If uncertain what ‘looking good’ is about, we look at the faces and bodies that fill the screens and magazines. […]
The Ethics of Caring by Gill Matthews read : The Ethics of Caring (part 1) What does it mean to care? Again there are several alternatives to consider: Comfort or cure? Curing people sounds exciting. Simply providing comfort like food, personal hygiene and pain relief is much less glamorous. Consequently, money is allocated to research […]