Living with children has opened my eyes to the miraculous healing power of the adhesive bandage. Any bump, bruise, scrape or other “owie” can be (and must be) made better by simply covering it with a sticky piece of plastic.
Whether or not the wound is bleeding or actually exists at all is simply irrelevant to the need for a bandage. My son, the safety-obsessed Boy Scout, has no less than three first aid kits available to him at all times. When he was in first grade I spent a sizable sum bandaging his classmates on the playground, as his favorite recess past time was playing medic.
On Sunday, I was reminded of the healing power of a bandage twice. Once in church by my pastor (yes, liberals do go to church) and the other in a daily meditation email. One source attributed the healing of a wound to the power of God, the other to the power of the body. Both sources pointed out that a bandage does nothing but keep dirt from getting into the wound. First Aid becomes preventative medicine really. It is ultimately up to the body to heal itself.
Unfortunately, our modern medical paradigm tries to claim that it is the physician, the medical device, or the medication that heals. Really the doctor uses the machine to diagnose and the medication either facilitates the healing power of the body or masks the symptoms of disease. We need to move from disease care to health care, where the goal is to create and maintain a healthy body, not just address symptoms.
Minnesota is a stronger, healthier state when all people have access to affordable preventative medicine. It cuts long-term medical costs and limits a “bandage’s” necessity. Let the healing begin.
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