An article taken from Cairns magazine “CityLife” in Feb 2008
In the predominantly sober and solemn world of general medical practice, Tim Dewhurst stands out like a stethoscope on a specialist’s white coat. TONY HILLIER finds out why he may be just what the doctor ordered. Photography by Gemma Carr.
Cairns GP Dr Tim Dewhurst might not exactly be Far North Queensland’s answer to Patch Adams, the American doctor Robin Williams portrayed so uproariously in the eponymous 1998 movie, but he could certainly be construed as a distant counterpart.
One of a minority of city GPs still practicing solo, he’s a jocular, upbeat man who firmly believes in the healing power of laughter. A slightly eccentric, hand-painted sign in the waiting room of his West Cairns surgery offers new patients a portent of his philosophy: “Laughter is the Best Medicine”.
“There’s no doubt laughter releases endorphins and makes people feel better,” asserts the good doctor. “Rule number one is don’t take yourself too seriously.” The aforementioned Patch Adams, he points out, is a perpetuator of that tenet. “My mother always said people have faith in the doctor, but I never liked that concept because it says we’re sort of like the priests of the medical religion.”
Dr Dewhurst believes developing relationships with patients is the key to healing. He maintains trust is both earned and learned. “If you just act as the professional, you don’t have enough of a relationship with people. Trust is actually gained by making mistakes with people and repairing them. Trust is very important in helping people to move on and do what is probably medically the best thing for them, whether it’s taking their tablets or losing weight.” He also stresses the importance of hope. “If you offer someone hope, even in the face of a not very nice condition, then certainly they’re going to have a much better time.”
Tim Dewhurst has been practicing what he calls “the art of medicine” in Cairns since 1997 when he came up from Melbourne for a holiday and decided to stay. He worked for a while at a medical centre before teaming up with another doctor. In 2001 he took over the West Cairns surgery, where he’s practiced solo ever since. “I guess I’ve always been a bit of an independent person. I feel I need to have some level of control and I can only get that in solo general practice.” In between running a busy practice, Dr Dewhurst is studying for a masters degree in mental health and writing a book. “I’m focusing primarily on psychotherapy, which is about trying to find a way to help people with emotional problems without relying on medication. I’m not against medication, but I certainly think that if it’s only medication you’ve not achieved anything.”
The book’s tentatively titled Understanding Your Emotions. “It’s part of trying to use what I learnt in my psychiatry training. When I was studying, I was looking at emotions and wanted to find a good rendition of an emotional theory and I couldn’t so I’ve spent the last 10 years writing my own. Learning to use our emotions in a healthy and wise way makes us more human.”
According to Dr Dewhurst, the correlation between mental well-being and physical health is irrefutable. “People can have a disability and some sort of illness and still feel physically well if they’re feeling emotionally or mentally well. I firmly believe emotional well-being assists in physical well-being and healing. The problem for GPs is that science answers very few questions when it really comes down to the person sitting in front of them”, Tim explains. So, for him, there’s a big distinction between the science of medicine and the art of medicine. “I think the art is far more important than the science — knowing the patient and having the relationship,” he adds.
“It’s not very often somebody comes to see me when I actually have got a treatment which I can say to them, ‘I know this is going to be a cure’. Very rarely does the chemical nature of the tablet really make a difference. So, medicine is not that strongly focused on what works, but far more on the art. For me, one of the most important aspects of being a GP is that I’m a generalist rather than a specialist. I may be a “Jack of all trades” and not know everything, but that means I probably know a lot more about people than a doctor just exploring one aspect of medicine.”
Taken from the Cairns City Life Magazine Feb 2008 P30 with permission.