The Art of Healing
My mother and my sister, represent the two medical types in our family. Common characteristics of these two is being a hypochondriac, a.k.a health freak. They constantly visit hospitals, health care centers, clinics and basically, whatever health related thing they are around. On the other hand, the only thing they have different opinions about is surgery. Mum is scared to death of any kinds of operations even though she loves taking a handful of pills, while my sister is always ready to make herself cut from whichever part of her body the doctors say so.
Needless to say that I am hypochondriac as well but I am more like my mother. First, I am terrified of surgeries. And second, the only reason I am not going from hospital to hospital lately is that I have finally found my “ideal” physician who treats my body and my brain at the same time and I am constantly seeing her.
I got to know Emel Gokmen, who by now became a friend and a doctor to me, via another friend, Yazgulu Aldogan. Five years ago, Daniel was suffering from terrible pain because of an occlusion in his hand and wrist. And all doctors were saying that the only thing to do is to operate on him. Then Yazgulu came and said “She even cured my ancient migraine, just try Emel once.” And since then, not only Daniel but the whole family is in her hands. Emel resets all of us twice a year to default settings. Even my sister gave up going from doctor to doctor and now, we all are disciples of “integrative medicine”.
Emel Gokmen is a neurologist who specialized on Neurology in Istanbul University Medical School, after graduating from Ege University Medical School. I dare to say that she has a superior intelligence. Well, of course a mind like this, cannot bear not questioning things. Thus, Emel begins questioning diagnose-then-prescribe loop during her time in the hospitals. She then doing some research on the reasons of some diseases, particularly on migraine and headaches. Finally, in 2004, she quits her job in Alman Hospital and develops her algorithm, Gokmen Approach, in integrative medicine which combines conventional medicine with neural therapy, acupuncture, homeopathy, magnetic field treatment. This approach suggests treating the patient by detecting the root problem and then using conventional and integrative medicine applications together. Emel Gokmen, specializing on treating headaches that are normally being tried to be treated via giving increased dosages of medicine since the reasons are not found, especially migraine, treated her own migraine first of course. And then, saved hundreds of patients from migraine and other headaches they were already seeing inevitable. I personally know some of her patients and can testify that they are reborn to a life without pain and drugs…
Emel Gokmen gathered all her experience and this new approach in her book Migraine Solutions finally. This book, not only gives hope and is easily comprehensible thanks to its exciting stories and simple language, but also enlargens the horizon of medicine. Because… Because it reminds the basic rules to medical world which are also quite forgotten in Turkey. First of which is Primum non nocere, “first, do not harm”. And the second is aude sapere, i.e. “Dare to know.” Just think about it. You must surely know someone who went into a hospital with a minor complaint than the one they come out with. I personally know a lot.
Physicians, who had to be transferred to private hospitals to make enough money to live, thanks to the income competition AKP has created, have to see their patients as “clients” since those million dollar machines that sugar coats those hospitals and the drug industry need extra money. But people are not healthier just because they are getting MRI’s for a simple whitlow on finger or having unnecessary operations or using lots of drugs… In fact, it is just the opposite.
Emel Gokmen’s book not only gives hope to people with migraine and headaches, it also reminds all of us that medicine needs to protect its ethics and patients are not giant consumers, they are living things waiting to get better!
“Every physician almost has his favorite disease.” Henry Fielding
In this book, you will find your own headache in some stories. In others, you will be convinced that yours is better and you will be thankful that it has a cure. Even if you are not a migraineur, you will understand the ones they are. And the best part is that you will realize the privilege of being a migraineur. You should know that many philosophers, writers, artists and scientists were migraineurs. Here are some of them: Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Hildegard von Bingen, Lewis Carroll, Virginia Woolf, Stephen King… Being a migraineur brings together thinking in details, seeing the details, being patient and being able to look from different perspectives.
CUMHURIYET NEWSPAPER, APRIL 20, 2014