Will Address Doctor-Patient and Patient-Partner Communication
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Feb. 29, 2012 — Tremendous strides in medical research and an abundance of caring physicians bode well for patients. But Western medicine has failed us on a number of fronts according to Rabbi Ed Weinsberg, EdD.DD.
Rabbi Weinsberg will address this concern in a workshop presentation, "Not Tonight Dear: Reigniting Intimacy and Sexuality after Cancer and Other Illnesses." He will describe ways to improve doctor-patient communication as well as patient-partner communication on March 3rd, during the annual Annie Appleseed Evidence-Based Complementary/Alternative Cancer Therapies Conference. The CAM conference will be held at the Embassy Suites in West Palm Beach from March 1-3.
One failure of modern medicine Weinsberg points to is many doctors' reluctance to discuss intimacy concerns with patients and their partners after a major illness. Indifference or a lack of training beyond a doctor's specialty can detract from standards of care, he observes, but an overburdened healthcare system is also to blame. The demands of modern medicine rarely allow doctors to spend more than an average of 7 minutes per patient, whether discussing sexual relationships or reviewing other life-altering decisions.
"There are ways doctors can easily help patients acknowledge intimacy concerns," states Weinsberg. For instance, a doctor can indicate that some of his other patients have relationship issues with their spouses or partners after cancer treatment, before inquiring if that's true of the particular patient meeting with him. This and other strategies can eliminate potential embarrassment on the part of the physician and those in his or her care.
By the same token, Weinsberg contends that more doctors need to be up-front with patients by referring not only to the benefits of proposed treatments, but to potential unwanted outcomes such as sexual dysfunction due to surgery, radiation, hormone treatment and other modalities.
As an intimacy coach who espouses a holistic approach to medicine, Weinsberg insists patients should be regarded as vital members of their healthcare teams. "With their doctors' encouragement, patients can go from being passive to becoming proactive," he asserts. This would allow patients and doctors to "engage in the physical, emotional and spiritual healing process on an equal footing."
A prostate cancer survivor, ordained rabbi and gerontologist, Rabbi Ed is the author of the award-winning Conquer Prostate Cancer: How Medicine, Faith, Love and Sex Can Renew Your Life, and a Kindle e-book, Reigniting Intimacy and Sexuality after You're Ill. He has published numerous articles and informative posts at http://www.ConquerProstateCancer.com and http://www.GreatSexAfterCancer.com.
His work has been endorsed by leading personalities such as cancer specialist and surgeon, Dr. Bernie Siegel, and Rabbi Harold Kushner – author of Why Bad Things Happen to Good People.
As noted by relationship guru, John Gray, "Understanding that sickness does not have to end intimacy is vital for every marriage. Rabbi Weinsberg helps readers resolve this important issue to create a lifetime of love and fulfillment."
Contact: Rabbi Edgar Weinsberg, Ed.D., D.D., (781) 367-1887
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