More than physical

A former GP's self-help prescription which takes a broad view of wellbeing is gaining traction, despite some colleagues' scepticism.

- RUTH NICHOL

In 2011, Cromwell-based doctor David Beaumont was giving a talk at the Goodfellow Symposium in Auckland about the importance of work -particularly good work for people's health.

The symposium, which is held annually, is attended by about 1000 people working in primary health care, and as a first-time presenter, he was feeling a little apprehensive.

At that time, Beaumont, who trained in Britain and moved to New Zealand in 2006, was just starting to formulate his thoughts about a new way of practising medicine that he now calls positive medicine.

At its heart is the belief that good health is about more than just the absence of disease. It's based on Te Whare Tapa Whā, a model of health developed in 1984 by leading Māori health advocate Sir Mason Durie, which takes the view that good health is broader than just its physical aspects. It also incorporates psychological, emotional and spiritual health.

For Beaumont, good health is best achieved when doctors (or other health professionals) and patients work together as equal partners to make sure all these four things are properly attended to.

This may seem a relatively uncontroversial idea now that concepts such as "wellbeing" have become mainstream and there's a greater recognition of how closely the mind and the body are connected. But it certainly didn't seem uncontroversial to one GP at the symposium in 2011.

"Halfway through my talk, a hand shot up at the back and this woman said, ‘Could you finish off the point you’re making and summarise the rest? This is a complete waste of my time.’”