Thai neurosurgeon frustration over brain surgery delay

[snoop1130]

 

A peculiar health superstitions case was shared by a renowned neurosurgeon at Chiang Mai Ram Hospital involving a 55 year old male patient who postponed a scheduled brain surgery due to astrological beliefs. The patient’s health condition involved a brain haemorrhage, caused by a fall two months ago.

 

The neurosurgeon, Pracha Kanyaphrasith, revealed his patient’s brain was still swollen from the accident, and a scheduled surgery was intended to replace a section of his skull that had been removed.

 

The patient, however, refused to proceed with the surgery as it fell on a day when astrologically, the planet ‘Rahu’ was transitioning. This transition, according to some beliefs, could bring misfortune.

 

Pracha expressed his frustration over the incident, questioning why people prioritise fortune-telling over their health.

 

“We often look to astrology for insights about our finances, jobs, homes, cars, love lives, and families. But when it comes to health, we often neglect it until the last minute.”

 

By Nattapong Westwood

Caption: Photo: Freepik

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2023-10-20

 

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[hotchilli]

20 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The patient, however, refused to proceed with the surgery as it fell on a day when astrologically, the planet ‘Rahu’ was transitioning. This transition, according to some beliefs, could bring misfortune.

It's the Thai culture.

[Srikcir]

21 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

questioning why people prioritise fortune-telling over their health.

Are the Thai beliefs in amulets, the seven heavens in Buddhism, ghosts, numerology (ie., for the lottery) any different?

[PETERTHEEATER]

Today, the Moon is in Uranus......

[brianthainess]

22 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

“We often look to astrology for insights about our finances, jobs, homes, cars, love lives, and families.

And He is a brain surgeon, 😱

[retarius]

Superstition is an odd disease. Religion, haruspicy, astrology, Kabbala; people find some relief or happiness in these mental diseases. 

I have little reason to disagree with what my local buddhists do at their temple, it's not my responsibility. But, if take an example, my wife became a member of a temple cult and gave 20 million baht away to the temple then it would become my business.

In general I am very tolerant of superstitious views that don't harm me. The question being posed though is rather different insofar as this patient is possibly self-harming by delaying the surgery. His self harm doesn't affect or impact me in any way, so why should I even need to have any view about it as a single case. But suppose the case came where hundreds of thousands of patients were delaying necessary surgery and many deaths were occurring? My view would be that this is undesirable and silly. But what action should society take to prevent this rash of deaths due to a superstition. If you would agree that action by society to prevent self harm would be desirable, why would some intervention be necessary in individual cases? 

Is it a numbers game? For example if 250,000 people delayed surgery and 10,000 were determined to have died because of the superstition, would than be enough for society to take action and say 'crush' the superstition? Suppose only 45 died as a result of delaying surgery? would society as whole be justified in forcing people to have surgery to have it when the surgeon says, or to take action to crush the superstition (or religion). 

Of course I don't have any answers, but there is a huge relevance to our own time with COVID lockdowns and resultant depressions, suicides and so on; forced vaccinations which have poisoned some people. What was distressing was that science that we rely on to be impartial, turned out to have no answers, suppressed answers or political answers. 

Sorry for the rant; it is a slow news day.

[scorecard]

4 hours ago, hotchilli said:

It's the Thai culture.

You can find people with 'alterantive' beliefs in all countries.

[hotchilli]

10 hours ago, scorecard said:

You can find people with 'alterantive' beliefs in all countries.

Indeed you can,

As this was regarding a Thai patient in Thailand I only quoted this as a Thai culture.

[scorecard]

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Indeed you can,

As this was regarding a Thai patient in Thailand I only quoted this as a Thai culture.

OK, but it's an open board and I expresssed my open thoughts on the subject.

[quake]

17 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Are the Thai beliefs in amulets, the seven heavens in Buddhism, ghosts, numerology (ie., for the lottery) any different?

Yes, all the same.

We call it Mumbo Jumbo in the real world. 

[scorecard]

2 hours ago, quake said:

Yes, all the same.

We call it Mumbo Jumbo in the real world. 

Real world. Where's that?

[The Joker]

The patient should have put on his  Amulets to prevent any misfortune.😆 Some people can believe odds things over their health.

[scorecard]

True, friends MIL won't go inside modern hospitals because doctors, nurses and customers don't take off their shoes at the door. 

[Enzian]

If the patient is on any kind of government subsidized health plan then he should be given the choice of following the doctor's recommendation or paying for it himself when the time arrives that he likes; otherwise, if his condition has deteriorated by then, he is taking resources away from other patients.

[The Fugitive]

44 minutes ago, scorecard said:

True, friends MIL won't go inside modern hospitals because doctors, nurses and customers don't take off their shoes at the door. 

Friend's mother-in-law has a point. Hospitals are full of sick people, to be avoided at the best of times. Treading in all manner of dirt from the street is contributing to infections. 

Edited October 22, 2023 by The Fugitive
Grammatical error.