Throughout life,‭ ‬we all encounter experiences and ideas that make us all question beliefs from our upbringing.  For example,‭ ‬in Berton Roueché's book‭ ‬The Medical Detectives,‭ ‬there is an entire section on the placebo effect.  The placebo effect that Berton Roueché discussed came from the medical literature where many times during clinical trials the placebo is as effective as the medication that is specifically designed for an ailment.  

The idea that pharmaceuticals might not be the full answer was further proven to me from shadowing a doctor at Mount Sinai of Queens hospital.  Dr. Butts was working with a diabetic patient who had severe ulcerations of the skin,‭ ‬edema and possibly bone infection from not treating her condition.  Dr. Butts told me that most of her problems could be treated with salt water,‭ ‬quitting smoking and taking a walk once a day while wearing shoes.  And most importantly,‭ ‬she would never have gotten into that condition if she had done those simple steps.

Over time,‭ ‬these claims and experiences made me want to investigate the role of using the patient’s mind and belief in a treatment to heal his or herself.  The Christian Science Religion seemed to be a good starting point to me,‭ ‬because the religion had been in existence since the late‭ ‬1800‭’‬s and I assumed would have a rich library of examples of healing.  I began to think that if it were true that it were possible to treat diseases not with drugs,‭ ‬but with changes in people’s thinking and approach to disease,‭ ‬it would alleviate a good deal of problems.  And,‭ ‬in addition to solving these problems,‭ ‬this would be done at a relatively low cost with fewer side effects.  I began to question then,‭ “‬Why doesn’t everyone treat disease at some level with this approach‭?”‬

As I began to research this topic,‭ ‬I began to encounter aspects that I had not expected.  The records of the church were not scientifically documented and nor cataloged for research.  There are various lawsuits against the Christian Science Church for child endangerment.  Political issues were also discovered because of the federally funded Medicare/Medicaid system paying Christian Science practitioners for non-medical treatment of patients.  In addition to these other concerns,‭ ‬there is a controversy with church doctrine in terms of using inappropriate marketing/false advertising to attract new members.

The official name of the church is The First Church of Christ,‭ ‬Scientist.  It was founded by Mary Baker Eddy,‭ ‬a woman who had been chronically ill since childhood,‭ ‬in Massachusetts in‭ ‬1879.  In February‭ ‬1866,‭ ‬after having fallen and suffered internal injuries,‭ ‬her doctors classified her case as terminal.  Feeling that she had been abandoned by the medical profession,‭ ‬she began reading her Bible and had a spiritual awakening and according to her own accounts,‭ ‬instantaneous healing.  By‭ ‬1875,‭ ‬she had written her guide to healing via Christian principles and had it published under the name‭ ‬Science and Health.