The Intima Journal

The Intima On-Line Journal is a wonderful source of information relating to narrative medicine which was started by students in The Narrative Medicine Master’s Program at Columbia University. As a result of their studies, this journal was created and covers a wide range of self-expression between patient and doctor. I have written a short piece for their magazine and if you’d like to take a look, click on this link: The Intima. Narrative medicine is fast becoming a hot topic, and the realisation of its full potential could very well change the ways of future medical practice. Many doctors, who are truly skilled and dedicated, automatically use these techniques without even realising, which in my mind is a sign of a great doctor. Through observation much information can be gleaned, and to a trained eye, and a listening ear, in a matter of minutes a skilled doctor armed with this additional information can make a speedier diagnosis, and if a referral to a specialist is required, precious time is not wasted. In a limited time frame this is probably all that is possible, but listening to a patient's entire story takes time and patience, and this is where a written narrative comes into its own. My book "Parkinson's, shaken, not stirred" does exactly this, covering most topics related to living with chronic disease. I specifically made it a short book, enabling the reader to quickly read all the poems within, depicting what I go through both physically and emotionally, which in a sense is the essence of narrative medicine. I explain all, for often there is no time for an in-depth patient / doctor dialogue during an average appointment, due to time restraints, which we all know can be as short as ten minutes. For those who have read my book or daily blog, you will have a fairly clear picture of my situation which I suspect many patients can relate to around the world who find themselves in similar situations.