It's not about curing the disease, but healing the life; then the physical benefits come.
Bernie SiegelRead
The doctor I would want for myself or for anyone else I cared about would be one who understands that disease is more than just a clinical entity; it is an experience and a metaphor, with a message that must be listened to.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of understanding disease as more than just a physical condition; it also encompasses emotional and experiential aspects.
Bernie Siegel highlights the idea that disease should not be viewed solely through a clinical lens but rather as a multifaceted experience that carries deeper meanings. It suggests that understanding the emotional and metaphorical implications of illness can lead to more compassionate and effective care, emphasizing the need for doctors to listen to their patients' experiences and emotions.
Themes
DiseaseExperienceMetaphorHealthcareCompassion
In practice
Example use cases
During a health conference, this quote could illustrate the need for holistic approaches in patient care.
More from Bernie Siegel
All quotes →Diseases can be our spiritual flat tires - disruptions in our lives that seem to be disasters at the time but end by redirecting our lives in a meaningful way.
Bernie SiegelRead
It is astounding how much the immune system is strengthened by reducing daily mental stress levels with either visualization or meditation. The other great tonic for the immune system is love—loving ourselves as well as others.
Bernie SiegelRead
I truly feel the best doctors are ones who are criticized by nurses, patients and family. They do not make excuses and learn from their mistakes.
Bernie SiegelRead
Part of my evolution has been to learn how painful most people's childhoods are. They grow up not liking themselves, not loving themselves. Ask people if they were lovable the minute they were born, and watch them sit back and have to think about it. One lady said, 'I suppose so.' That's painful.
Bernie SiegelRead
Being a survivor doesn't mean being strong - it's telling people when you need a meal or a ride, company, whatever. It's paying attention to heart wisdom, feelings, not living a role, but having a unique, authentic life, having something to contribute, finding time to love and laugh. All these things are qualities of survivors.
Bernie SiegelRead
Similar quotes
Unnecessary noise is the most cruel abuse of care which can be inflicted on either the sick or the well.
Florence NightingaleRead
I use the word nursing for want of a better. It has been limited to signify little more than the administration of medicines and the application of poultices. It ought to signify the proper use of fresh air, light, warmth, cleanliness, quiet, and the proper selection and administration of diet-all at the least expense of vital power to the patient.
Florence NightingaleRead
To a significant degree, we are an overfed and undernourished nation digging an early grave with our teeth, and lacking the energy that could be ours because we overindulge in junk foods.
Ezra Taft BensonRead
Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity.
Johann Wolfgang Von GoetheRead
Wine is an appropriate article for mankind, both for the healthy body and for the ailing man.
HippocratesRead
There is nothing wrong with eating sweets, fried foods, pastries, even drinking soda every now and then, but food manufacturers have made eating these formerly expensive and hard-to-make treats so cheap and easy that we're eating them every day.
Michael PollanRead