Favour Rubyson Kharnaior uses poetry to reflect on the relationship between medicine and spirituality and considers how spiritual approaches to healing can work in harmony with conventional medicine.
The Relationship Between Medicine and Spirituality
Healing emerges through the recognition of truth—a process shaped and refined through practice. It gains credibility when supported by theoretical understanding and informed knowledge, both of which remain open to revision as new insights arise.
Before the disease can be treated physically, the disease is first confronted clinically by truth. Truth interrupts fear, confronts denial, and paves the way for hope as an antidote (Abramson 2024) that restores connection and trust. In modern healthcare models, the ‘trust factor’ is increasingly seen as central to understanding the complex doctor–patient relationship (Mondal et al. 2020). But research also has shown that public trust in medicine strengthens when it is supported by faith leaders (Banerjee et al. 2022) as involvement of trusted faith leaders created space for a two-way dialogue for the community to openly discuss and address misconceptions regarding vaccines.
Similarly, approaches to healing have evolved from faith-informed and experiential practices to the scientifically rigorous and ethically regulated discipline that defines modern clinical research (Bhatt 2010). This dynamic interplay between faith and medicine is exemplified in the biblical account of King Hezekiah of Judah’s recovery from an illness His recovery illustrates this duality: while he sought divine intervention through prayer, the prophet Isaiah also instructed him to apply a fig poultice to treat his life-threatening illness (Isaiah. 38:21, KJV).
The fig has continued to attract scientific interest, prompting investigations into its biological properties beyond its historical and symbolic significance. Experimental studies suggest that fig (Ficus carica) may have properties that help slow the growth of certain cancers. Research in animal models has shown positive effects against oral cancer (Al-Dosoki et al. 2024). Laboratory studies have also reported reduced growth of cervical cancer cells (Cakir et al. 2023) as well as activity against lung, breast, and triple-negative breast cancer cells (Aysin et al. 2024). Despite these findings, further clinical research is needed to confirm its safety, as the available evidence is preliminary and should not be interpreted as proof that Ficus carica is an effective cancer treatment in humans.
Nevertheless, Isaiah’s instructions serve as a reminder that spiritual and scientific practices need not be regarded as competing, but rather as working in harmony in the pursuit of healing. Spiritual practices play a significant role in helping patients cope with suffering and potentially enhance psychological well-being (Salsman et al. 2015). Such practices often lead individuals to confront profound questions about suffering, vulnerability, and mortality during illness. As noted by a veteran oncologist (Einhorn, 2017), although love cannot cure a disease, it can foster resilience and provide a sense of meaning during illness. ”
Healing therefore encompasses more than the elimination of disease. Truth in healing can be understood across three dimensions: empirical, experiential, and existential. In my view, holistic healing unfolds through clinical experience, scientific evidence, and spiritual truth as the deepest existential hope, moulded and held by existential love. Love still whispers in fragile space, where truth and reflection quietly meet—
The Illumination
A mirror reflects an entity
Where knowledge becomes identity.
Knowledge is truth shaped by reality,
Truth exists before its discovery.
Pulse—the physical sign of life,
Trust, obey, smile, and thrive.
Breath—the spiritual sign of life,
The spirit, not body, lives after life.
A mirror illuminated by light,
Search for bonds in darkest night.
Without love, there will be no light,
Love speaks— ‘Let there be light.’
About the author
Favour Rubyson Kharnaior is an artist whose creative practice is shaped by dentistry and research. He is from Meghalaya, India. His professional profile is available on Knowledge Commons.
References
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Mondal, S., A. Basu, and N. Mukherjee. 2020. “Building a Trust-Based Doctor Recommendation System on Top of Multilayer Graph Database.” Journal of Biomedical Informatics 112: 103549. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1532046420301775
Banerjee, P., R. Seth, B. K. Dhaliwal, A. Sullivan, Y. Qiayum, B. Thankachen, S. Closser, and A. Shet. 2022. “Vaccine Acceptance in Rural India: Engaging Faith Leaders as Vaccine Ambassadors.” Frontiers in Public Health 10: 979424. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36203681/
The Holy Bible, King James Version. 1611. Isaiah 38:21. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2038%3A21&version=KJV
Bhatt, A. 2010. “Evolution of Clinical Research: A History before and beyond James Lind.” Perspectives in Clinical Research 1 (1): 6–10. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3149409/
Al-Dosoki, Mohamed Alaa, et al. 2024. “Chemotherapeutic Effect of Ficus carica Latex on Experimentally Induced Hamster Buccal Pouch Carcinogenesis.” International Journal of Medical Toxicology & Legal Medicine 27 (4): 975–982.
Cakir, M. O., U. Bilge, A. Ghanbari, et al. 2023. “Regulatory Effect of Ficus carica Latex on Cell Cycle Progression in Human Papillomavirus-Positive Cervical Cancer Cell Lines: Insights from Gene Expression Analysis.” Pharmaceuticals 16 (12): 1723. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16121723
Aysin, Ferhunde, Nihal Şimşek Özek, Nurullah Acet, and Kubra Koc. 2024. “The Anti-Proliferative Effects of Ficus carica Latex on Cancer and Normal Cells.” Journal of Anatolian Environmental and Animal Sciences 9 (2): 145–151. https://doi.org/10.35229/jaes.1412816
Salsman, J. M., G. Fitchett, T. V. Merluzzi, et al. 2015. “Religion, Spirituality, and Health Outcomes in Cancer: A Case for a Meta-Analytic Investigation.” Cancer 121 (21): 3754–59. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.29349
Einhorn, L. H. 2017. “Love in the Time of Cancer.” Journal of Clinical Oncology 35 (30): 3482–83. https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.2017.73.9755
