JUNE 2009

Baruch Rofei Cholim

So goes the traditional greeting when seeing someone who has recovered from an illness. This mention of the idea that God is responsible for healing us is mentioned in many places, among them in the blessing recited after leaving the restroom, which ends with the words "healer of all flesh and who acts wondrously"; in the second blessing of the Amidah, that begins with the words "mechalkeil chayim b'chesed", the one that we sing aloud together; and in the fifth intermediate bracha in the weekday Amidah, in which  we pray for the healing of all sick. This recognition that God is the healer may be difficult for some, since we are so blessed with the medical care that we have in our lifetimes, one that has found cures for so many diseases that not long ago were considered fatal.

Yet I find myself thinking about this a great deal, recovering (hopefully) from an upper-respiratory infection that drove me to the sickbed for two days this week. I admit and am thankful for the two medications prescribed by the doctor and filled by the pharmacy/Harpell. But it makes me wonder: is there anything else in our world that fixes itself, even with the help of a pill? I think of what happens when my cat puts a whole in my shirt with her claws. No matter how long the shirt hangs the hole is still there. To my knowledge, no pill will ever be invented that can make the shirt close its own hole. Yet, when my cat puts a whole in my skin, it fixes itself! And what does that take? A system in our bodies that immediately knows something is wrong, that sends this message where it needs to get, a system that evaluates the damage and sends the right stuff in the right amount to the right place to begin healing, while a protective covering forms over the cut. Wait until someone invents a shirt like that!

What happens when a microwave breaks? In my experience it sits around for days, weeks or longer until I overcome my denial, realize it won't fix itself and I discard it. When the brakes wear down on my car, do they regenerate themselves? Seems more likely that the mechanic replaces them, lightening my wallet somewhat. When I scrape my skin, voila, it fixes itself! 

I admit very scant medical knowledge but it seems to me that what medicines are designed to do is to augment and use the body's inherent systems to help it heal. Isn't it amazing how we can make medicines that are absorbed into the body orally, through IV or IM, etc. and they somehow get to the right place? Which leads me to think about blood (not necessarily a pleasant thought). Every time I take my car to the mechanic I have my fluids checked. It seems that at some point the various fluids in a car either leak out, wear out, burn out, evaporate or something else negatively affects them. Every five thousands miles they flush out the engine oil and put in all new oil. Thank God that the vast majority of us don't have to worry about this. When our fluids leak (every time we cut ourselves) they generally replenish themselves. And thank God the filters for our fluids rarely need changing and operate just fine for 70 or 80 years, barring major illnesses. Wait until they invent a car that can run 80 years, replenish its own fluids and diagnose and repair itself!

I realize that I am grossly simplifying and understating our bodily systems but I hope the point strikes home. I for one thank God that (even with help) my body is healing itself. 

With wishes for continued good health for all and a complete and speedy recovery for those needing it, have a great summer!

Rabbi Steven Axelman

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