In his letter of 1615 to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany, Galileo
wrote, “Let us confess quite truly that those truths which we know are
very few in comparison with those which we do not know.”
In his letter of 1615 to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany, Galileo wrote, “Let us confess quite truly that those truths which we know are very few in comparison with those which we do not know.”
I think it’s safe to say that, almost 400 years later, as a global community, we still are able to relate to his statement. In our many endeavours in science, politics, culture, etc., we as a human family continue to discover many facts and figures, rules, and conditions that seem to govern – or at least contribute to – our existence. And although we may marvel at what our efforts have uncovered, it behooves us to remember that we are far from omniscient in any area of knowledge. In fact, arguably, only in remaining humble enough to celebrate that which we have yet to learn will we stave off stagnation and, thus, destruction. To take this one step further, we must also concede that some lessons do not require forays into entirely new cosmologies – macro or micro – but may already exist among the fruits of efforts by others around us.
But, this seems intuitive, does it not? In fact, why waste paper on it at all? I think many would agree that there are times when the knowledge of some groups is cast aside as insignificant due to the development, over time, of the conviction that those groups are, for various reasons, incapable or unworthy of being in possession of any serious truths. This is a phenomenon we see often within health care. Furthermore, we are, each of us, probably guilty of having held this view about one health-care group or another at least once over the course of our careers. The chiropractic profession, however, is acutely aware of the inherent dangers of doing this; namely, that entire systems become inaccessible to the very people who might benefit from them.
The field of integrative oncology is making progress in breaking some of these silos. Slowly, and through the building of evidence bases, previously doubted concepts are being welcomed into the arena where the fight against cancer continues to rage. And, in time, the marvelous and innovative therapies being unearthed by conventional medicine – along with the scientific elucidation of what cancer is and how it develops – are coming to accept the potential for the supportive strategies offered in the realm of other systems of care.
Nutrition and supplementation, both for prevention and for the support of the patient living with cancer, is one area of knowledge where compelling evidence is surfacing that may bring these useful strategies into the mainstream. DCs are also reaching out in this fight. As wellness practitioners, they educate patients in lifestyle choices that are proving to prevent certain cancers, and as manual therapists, they can provide support to cancer patients throughout their physically and mentally gruelling therapeutic journeys. Furthermore, as holistic caregivers, chiropractors are acutely aware of the need to nurture the spiritual journey of those living with this disease and of their families.
In his 1615 letter cited above, Galileo also emphasized the affirmation that “two truths can never contradict each other.” In the fight against cancer, this might be a good thing to keep in mind: if someone else is on to a truth, especially one that evidence is supporting with greater rigour, then there is no sense, intellectually or as members of a human family battling a common enemy, in discounting that theory outright based on its apparent incompatibility with our own paradigms.
Bien à vous,
Print this page
