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BOOK BOOK
REVIEW REVIEW

that no health care professional can finish this tion would find this story in the least remark- life-changing anecdotes, convincingly illustrat-
Chicken Soup for the ICU: A Review of book it without having found strong identifi- able or unusual except in its lucidity. ing the remedial power of stories, from easing
cation with at least one if not many of the sit- Dr. Remen is at heart an anti-reductionist, suffering and dispelling fear, to healing shame
“Kitchen Table Wisdom – Stories That Heal” uations, circumstances, conundrums, koans, advocating that health simply cannot be ex- and restoring the sense of worth.

or life-passages portrayed.
The reason it has been continually in print is
plained in terms of its constituent parts and
For example, her recounting of visiting a their interactions. She comments, “My ten- the author’s sincerity: “In the end, I write about
By David Alex Schulz, CHP
parent in palliative care, when the author’s dency to tell stories had always been frowned something I know intimately: that every one of
mother imagined her own mother, the au- upon by my medical colleagues and rejected us matters. And that we have the power to be-
When Dr. Rachel Remen’s work was first She tells of three stonecutters: thor’s namesake and long-passed, was also vis- as ‘anecdotal evidence.’ They preferred to friend and strengthen the life in one another
published in 1996, it seemed a radical ap- the first, who saw his effort as iting: “My mother began to tell her mother measure truth in terms of hard data. So I had and to change the world, one heart at a time.”
proach to healing. By its 10th anniversary boring piece-work; the second, Rachel about my childhood and her pride in learned to keep my stories to myself.” All quotes and images from “Kitchen Table
reprint, it was seen as pioneering “new age” who delighted in the same piece- the person I had become. Her experience of Dr. Dean Ornish agrees in the book’s for- Wisdom - Stories That Heal” by Rachel
medical care and respected, if not fully work, as it enabled his family a Rachel’s presence was so convincing that I ward, “Anecdotal evidence — in other words, Naomi Remen, MD, Copyright ©1996, Pen-
adopted. Today, a quarter-century after its ap- secure life; and the third, who found myself wondering why I could not see stories — is viewed with suspicion by scien- guin Publishing.
pearance, “Kitchen Table Wisdom” is doc- saw the integral role his stones her. It was more than a little unnerving. And tists. There are too many confounding vari-
trine. Call it “integrated,” call it “alternative,” would have in the great cathedral very moving. Periodically she would appear to ables, so the facts are harder to prove, to David Alex Schulz, CHP is a
call it “holistic,” Dr. Remen, as both a health for which they were cut. He saw listen and then she would tell me of my grand- replicate.” Now, a quarter-century later, community member of the BCMS
care leader and long-time chronically-ill pa- their meaning. mother’s reactions to what she had told her.” “Kitchen Table Wisdom” continues to defy re- Publications Committee.
tient, invites us to consider wellness from a “Meaning may become a very No one attending a parent in the end-transi- ductionist thinking, using deeply moving and
perspective that looks beyond diagnosis, in- practical matter for those of us
creasing the scope to the widest angle possible. who do difficult work or lead dif-
First as a pediatrician, later as a counselor, ficult lives. Meaning is strength. The Bexar County Medical Society is proud to welcome
Dr. Remen began exploring the spiritual di- Physicians often seek their LETTER TO a New Platinum Sponsor
mension of the healing arts. Her experiences strength in competence. Indeed,
have taught her that life is "coherent, elegant, competence and expertise are
mysterious, aesthetic,” she writes. “When I first two of the most respected quali- THE EDITOR
earned my degree in medicine, I would not ties in the medical subculture, as
have described life in this way. But I was not well as in our society. But impor-
It is with pleasure that I write to commend you for the excep-
on intimate terms with life then." tant as they are, they are not suffi-
tional quality of San Antonio Medicine magazine. I appreciate read-
Now, Clinical Professor of Family and Com- cient to fully sustain us,” reflects
ing about the most recent COVID developments, the workings
munity Medicine at UCSF School of Medi- Dr. Remen.
cine; Founder and Director of the Institute for From the birth, through the of the Bexar County Medical Society, and the goings-on of our
the Study of Health and Illness at Wright State span of life’s challenges (many self- two sterling medical schools: the UT Health San Antonio Long
University Boonshoft School of Medicine in imposed, such as an ‘urge to judg- lief is like a pair of sunglasses. When we wear a School of Medicine and the University of the Incarnate Word
Dayton, Ohio; and author of The Healer’s Art, ment’) to palliative care and beyond, Dr. belief and look at life through it, it is difficult School of Osteopathic Medicine. The ‘Art in Medicine’ feature re-
a groundbreaking curriculum for medical stu- Remen’s stories cross all borders and religions. to convince ourselves that what we see is not minds me of those JAMA covers and essays that I enjoyed for so
dents, she is considered a leader of Relation- “As St. Luke wrote in Acts of Apostles 4:11, what is real,” writes Remen, who is equally con- many years. Book discussions by David Schulz are very entertain-
ship-Centered Care and Integrative Medicine. the stone rejected by the builders may prove in versant in Buddhist, Islamic and Hindu beliefs. ing as well. Keep up the good work!
More than seventy vignettes comprise time to be the cornerstone of the building. “Kitchen Table Wisdom” finds its connec-
“Kitchen Table Wisdom,” stories related by pa- What we believe about ourselves can hold us tive tissue in both how we affect one another, Sincerely,
tients, colleagues, seers, clergy, and her own hostage. Over the years I have come to respect and the therapeutic effect of relating stories Neal S. Meritz, MD
professional and personal testimony. Not all the power of people’s beliefs. The thing that has about healing. These narratives are about
are concise parables with beginnings, middles amazed me is that a belief is more than just an more than helping people embrace healthier Neal S. Meritz, MD is a retired Family Practice
and ends; some are homilies, others fables, idea—it seems to shift the way in which we ac- lives: they lead to accepting the role that each physician and a member of the BCMS Publications
salted with a scattering of straightforward tually experience ourselves and our lives. Ac- person plays in others’ health, and under- Committee.
philosophical discussions of essence and cording to Talmudic teaching, ‘We do not see standing our own place in the cycle of life
If you would like to send a letter to the editor of San Antonio Medicine
being; of experience and its meaning. things as they are. We see them as we are.’ A be- with serenity. I emphasize ‘our’ in the belief
magazine, please email editor@bcms.org. Please support this sponsor with your patronage, thank you.

36 SAN ANTONIO MEDICINE • October 2021 Visit us at www.bcms.org 37