A true partnership: medicine and Serge Benhayon - A letter by a Thoracic Physician

Letter to the Editor
Courier Mail, Brisbane
 
Dear Sir/Madam,

My letter is in response to your recently published article on 8 September 2012 on “New Age ‘medicine’ of Serge Benhayon leaves trail of broken families”.  Although the author has endeavoured to publically present the background facts about Universal Medicine and Mr. Benhayon, there are several factual under-representations that are potentially damaging to clients and a number of our patients who choose complementary healing along with their medical treatments:

Firstly, esoteric breast massage and other available modalities were never intended to “ward off cancer” as per the author’s writing, as the proactive medical-healing model presented consistently by Mr. Benhayon has always emphasised active support for medical diagnosis and treatment.  It is thus unfortunate that the author has continued to maintain the unsubstantiated air of innuendo that has been carried by the recent series of articles by the Sydney Morning Herald especially.  Further, the article does not clarify the four years or more that are required to train a certified esoteric breast massage practitioner.  As a specialist consultant physician, both in private and institutional practice with training in public health and clinical research, I am yet to see modalities that are practised with integrity as stringently as those by Universal Medicine.

Secondly, despite the author’s suggestion of financial emphasis that Universal Medicine may represent, Mr. Benhayon’s compassionate care is well known, and often unrecognised and neglected by people who do not truly see the integrity of this man and the increasing number of trained Esoteric practitioners who serve the local community. Thus, it is unfortunate that failings of marital relationships, for instance, are attributed to a discerning man who has committed his life to educating the public to self-care (“self-nurture”), to live with gentleness and to avoid ‘at-risk’ lifestyle factors, all of which are congruent with what many of our doctors openly share with their patients.

Thirdly, the author concluded that the modalities lack “mainstream medical endorsement”, but the same can be said of a wide range of well-known alternative therapies as active debate from those who support or detest non-mainstream healing practices continues. As medical professionals, if we are to provide the most comprehensive care to our patients, we must remain open to the possibilities presented by complementary therapies, while at the same time exercising great discernment as to their quality. If one does the proper research, they will find that Universal Medicine offers therapies that work in great partnership with traditional medicine and maintain ethics and standards in the delivery of their services that are second to none. This is just one of the reasons UniMed has the solid support of such a broad range of respected members of the Healthcare community. As Healthcare professionals we share in common the view, that while modern medicine is brilliant at addressing functional concerns, it often falls short of providing the emotional support so integral to the healing process. Perhaps, this could be an amazing opportunity to better understand what healing truly represents, especially as we are seeing an increasing number of people struggle in all walks of life from a broad range of illness, disease and a general lack of well being.

Yours truly,

Samuel Kim MBBS (Qld) FRACP MPH
Thoracic Physician
St. Andrew's Place, Spring Hill QLD
Blue Hills Lung Centre, Goonellabah NSW