Does alternative health have a place in dealing with elder care?
When our health, the most precious gift we will ever have, is in jeopardy, patients and families should be able to try whatever medical and alternative treatments they wish. And since so many of us have come into contact with health care professionals who have led us in the wrong direction, trust in traditional medicine is not as strong as it once was. When my mother had a heart attack and was in a coma for months, the doctor told us that she was without oxygen for so long that we should pull the plug because if she ever came to, “she’d just be a vegetable.” My father and I were stunned and furious to be told such a thing and flatly refused. I researched alternative treatments for comas and decided we’d try an around-the-clock vigil talking, lightly massaging and grooming her. I remember the doctor coming in daily to check on her, shaking his head and saying, “Go home, she can’t hear you — you’re wasting your time.” We hated him for taking away our hope and refused to accept it. Inste
