Slow Medicine: The Way to Healing by Victoria Sweet

Summary

"Slow Medicine: The Way to Healing" by Victoria Sweet explores the essential principles of patient-centered, attentive, and time-taking healthcare. Sweet, a physician and historian, argues for a return to a more holistic, thoughtful approach, contrasting 'slow medicine' with the rushed, profit-driven models she finds prevalent today. Through reflective anecdotes and historical insights, she advocates for treating patients as whole persons, not just collections of symptoms. The book offers a compelling argument for the value of presence, detailed observation, and allowing time for true healing.

Life-Changing Lessons

1. Take time to listen—Deep listening to patients can reveal underlying causes and foster trust.

2. Holistic healing—Addressing the mind, spirit, and environment of a patient can be as crucial as treating physical symptoms.

3. Embrace patience—Some healing processes require patience, attention, and allowing nature to take its course.

Publishing year and rating

The book was published in: 2017

AI Rating (from 0 to 100): 92

Practical Examples

1. Taking medical history slowly

   Dr. Sweet emphasizes the importance of not rushing through taking a patient’s history. By allowing extra time, she often uncovered crucial details that were missed by others, leading to more accurate diagnoses. This approach demonstrates how patience and curiosity can fundamentally change outcomes.

2. Observing changes in chronic conditions

   She describes spending regular, unhurried time with patients suffering from chronic illnesses. These repeated visits, without a strict agenda, often revealed subtle changes and patterns, providing better insights for adjusting treatment than brief check-ins ever could.

3. The San Francisco Laguna Honda Hospital experience

   Sweet recounts her work at Laguna Honda Hospital, where 'slow medicine' was not only possible but necessary due to the long-term care patients required. The hospital's culture supported spending time with patients, developing deep understanding, and healing that could not be rushed.

4. Gardening as a metaphor for healing

   Throughout the book, Sweet uses the metaphor of gardening—tending to the sick with the same patience and attentiveness a gardener gives to plants. She describes literal gardens at the hospital helping patients recover, emphasizing the healing power of environment and care.

5. Navigating administrative pressures

   She shares her struggles balancing the internal pressures for productivity with her belief in slow, thorough care. Often, she was chastised for 'wasting time,' yet her patients tended to have better, more lasting improvements due to her thorough approach.

6. Advocating for palliative care

   Sweet details stories where slow medicine means opting for comfort and quality of life rather than aggressive treatments. She describes patient cases where stepping back from interventionist urges promoted peaceful, meaningful end-of-life experiences.

7. Listening to the body’s timeline

   In cases like wound-healing or recovery from surgery, Sweet explains how the body has its own timeline. By understanding this and communicating with families, she prevented unnecessary interventions, allowing natural healing to unfold.