Healing hands
There may be something in the ancient practice of healing when even doctors are turning to them after conventional medicine fails.
Five years ago, Tomas Martins, an NHS oral surgeon, began getting crippling back pain. ‘I was always having to bend over patients and ended up with a lot of back problems,’ recalls the 40-year-old. ‘It was really bad and causing me a lot of pain and stress.’
When conventional treatments like pain medication and physiotherapy failed to work, as a last resort Martins was persuaded by a relative to see a healer. ‘He was someone my aunt knew and she was certain I’d benefit from it,’ recalls Martins. ‘But coming from a scientific background, I was very sceptical. I had muscular back pain and what I needed was physiotherapy and painkillers, and maybe to lose some weight and go to the gym to strengthen my muscles.’