I have a confession to make: I am not a doctor. I know this may come as a total shock to those of you whom I have been diagnosing and treating for years. But Dr. Farfel is not my real name, and that rash on your stomach that I told you to apply antibiotic cream to may not go away. My husband, who is a bona fide doctor, continually chides me as I offer family and friends “free medical advice.”
“So what medical school did you graduate from?” he asks coquettishly as I prescribe salty food for my friend who has dizzy spells. (I know that when I’m dizzy I always feel better after eating pickles or drinking tomato juice, so why wouldn’t she?) Admittedly, I have made a few mistakes, like the time I told my mother to put Clorox on her skin to bleach age spots. But hey, 20% of all patients are misdiagnosed – so cut me some slack!
What is the source of my expertise? No, its not medical books or Medline.com. It’s the same place from which most of us intuitively draw information about our health: from our bodies that miraculously function every day. Over the years, from childhood illnesses to broken bones, from stress-related conditions to chronic ones, I know what it feels like to be healthy and how miserable I am when I am not.
The human body is an incredible and marvelous thing. We do not need to stand before any greater wonder of nature than our own bodies to appreciate the intricacy and beauty of our world. Consider the very concept of our bodies’ homeostasis – the mechanism that strives to create a balance between the hundreds of interdependent elements in our body. The nervous system and the hormone system regulate, via intricate feedback loops, various systems in response to changes in the internal environment in our body. With no conscious help from us, our body constantly monitors and regulates circulation, respiration, digestion and excretion. Frankly, I can think of no greater proof of God than in the workings of the miracle that we call our bodies.
And I am not alone in my awe. A sense of wonder and amazement at the workings of our body is the starting point of the daily Jewish morning prayer service. More than a thousand years ago, the rabbis recognized how essential it is to acknowledge our extraordinary bodies and created a daily blessing that praises them with these words:
“Blessed are You, our God, Who shaped the human being with wisdom, making for us all the openings and vessels of the body. It is revealed that if one of these passage-ways would be open when it should be closed, or blocked up when it should be open, we could not survive and stand before You. Blessed are You God, who heals all flesh and acts wondrously.”
It doesn’t take more than a terrible cold or a bad case of constipation to understand the significance of passage-ways being too open or blocked up. Human nature being what it is however, we tend to think about our good health most often when we lose it. Jewish prayer stands as a daily reminder to honor our miraculous body, not only in the absence of health but in its presence. Paying tribute in this manner leads us to a deeper, more spiritual appreciation of the physical nature of our being.
When we eat a big meal with lots of sugar, our body produces insulin to absorb the sugar. When we get an infection, our body recognizes it and produces specific antibodies to fight back. When we become dehydrated, our body produces hormones to help us retain fluids. All of these are nothing short of miracles that are at work within us every single day.
I may not be a doctor, but I am deeply grateful for what my body does to teach me about humility, strength, healing and the delicate balance that goes on to keep me alive, active and healthy.
But, just in case you feel a cold coming on, I suggest Zicam and lots of vitamin C. That’s a free consult from Dr. Farfel!
Amy Hirshberg Lederman’s award-winning book, To Life! Jewish Reflections on Everyday Living, is now in its second printing. Lederman has written more than 300 columns and essays that have been published nationwide. her second book, one Life, Many Paths: Finding Meaning and Inspiration in Jewish Teachings, won the Arizona Book Award for Best Book on Religion and Spirituality. To read more about her work, visit amyhirshberglederman.com
