Regulation, religious experience, and epilepsy: a lens on complementary therapies.
Michael H Cohen
Epilepsy & Behavior December 2003 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2003.08.014 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key findings | Argues that spiritual healing modalities within CAM raise legal, regulatory, and ethical conundrums for clinicians, and that the historical relationship between epilepsy and religious experience suggests potential associations between CAM therapies, especially spiritual healing, and epilepsy care. The authors identify licensure, scope of practice, professional discipline, malpractice, and fraud as legal rules addressing potential abuse of professional authority. |
Abstract
Complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies include chiropractic, acupuncture and traditional Oriental medicine, massage therapy, and herbal remedies; mind-body therapies (such as meditative practices and visualization); and folk practices and religious healing. Of these, modalities based on spiritual healing create a number of conundrums for the clinician, including legal, regulatory, and ethical issues. Further, the historic relationship between the study of epilepsy and religious experience suggests particular, potential associations between CAM therapies (and especially spiritual healing) and care for epileptic patients. There are at least two dimensions to this exploration: first, the widespread use of spiritual healing for treatment of epilepsy; and second, the hypothesized connection between epileptic seizures and mystical states. A number of legal rules help address potential abuse of authority by health care professionals, and include: (1) medical licensure; (2) scope of practice; (3) professional discipline; (4) malpractice; and (5) fraud. This article offers a preliminary resource for clinicians interested in these topics.