{"id":84,"date":"2020-04-05T23:36:56","date_gmt":"2020-04-05T23:36:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drtimdewhurst.com.au\/?page_id=84"},"modified":"2020-04-05T23:36:57","modified_gmt":"2020-04-05T23:36:57","slug":"the-art-of-medicine","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/drtimdewhurst.com.au\/index.php\/the-art-of-medicine\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art of Medicine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An article taken from Cairns magazine “CityLife” in Feb 2008<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the predominantly sober and solemn world of general medical practice, Tim Dewhurst stands out like a stethoscope on a specialist\u2019s white coat. TONY HILLIER finds out why he may be just what the doctor ordered. Photography by Gemma Carr.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cairns GP Dr Tim Dewhurst might not exactly be Far North Queensland\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of a minority of city GPs still practicing solo, he\u2019s 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: \u201cLaughter is the Best Medicine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt laughter releases endorphins and makes people feel better,\u201d asserts the good doctor. \u201cRule number one is don\u2019t take yourself too seriously.\u201d The aforementioned Patch Adams, he points out, is a perpetuator of that tenet. \u201cMy mother always said people have faith in the doctor, but I never liked that concept because it says we\u2019re sort of like the priests of the medical religion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Dewhurst believes developing relationships with patients is the key to healing. He maintains trust is both earned and learned. \u201cIf you just act as the professional, you don\u2019t 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\u2019s taking their tablets or losing weight.\u201d He also stresses the importance of hope. \u201cIf you offer someone hope, even in the face of a not very nice condition, then certainly they\u2019re going to have a much better time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tim Dewhurst has been practicing what he calls \u201cthe art of medicine\u201d 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\u2019s practiced solo ever since. \u201cI guess I\u2019ve 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.\u201d In between running a busy practice, Dr Dewhurst is studying for a masters degree in mental health and writing a book. \u201cI\u2019m focusing primarily on psychotherapy, which is about trying to find a way to help people with emotional problems without relying on medication. I\u2019m not against medication, but I certainly think that if it\u2019s only medication you\u2019ve not achieved anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The book\u2019s tentatively titled Understanding Your Emotions<\/em>. \u201cIt\u2019s 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\u2019t so I\u2019ve spent the last 10 years writing my own. Learning to use our emotions in a healthy and wise way makes us more human.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Dr Dewhurst, the correlation between mental well-being and physical health is irrefutable. \u201cPeople can have a disability and some sort of illness and still feel physically well if they\u2019re 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\u201d, Tim explains. So, for him, there\u2019s a big distinction between the science of medicine and the art of medicine. \u201cI think the art is far more important than the science \u2014 knowing the patient and having the relationship,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not very often somebody comes to see me when I actually have got a treatment which I can say to them, \u2018I know this is going to be a cure\u2019. 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\u2019m a generalist rather than a specialist. I may be a \u201cJack of all trades\u201d and not know everything, but that means I probably know a lot more about people than a doctor just exploring one aspect of medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taken from the Cairns City Life Magazine Feb 2008 P30 with permission.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\u2019s white coat. TONY HILLIER finds out why he may be just what the doctor ordered. Photography by Gemma Carr. Cairns GP Dr Tim Dewhurst […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-84","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Art of Medicine - Dr Tim Dewhurst<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/drtimdewhurst.com.au\/index.php\/the-art-of-medicine\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Art of Medicine - Dr Tim Dewhurst\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"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\u2019s white coat. 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