Dr Sears ways encourages conventional therapy

Dr Michael Sears says he has healing hands.

Over the years he has helped cure or ease numerous patients of their ill-health.

But the GP trained healer is modest about his skills and refers to himself as merely the conduit of the healing power.

Born the son of a carpenter in a modest two up two down in the East End, Dr Sears had a healthy scepticism for any sort of mystical healing.

Attitude

Although he never actively discouraged his own patients when they told him they were seeking the help of a healer, Dr Sears said he was more that a little dubious about their contributions.

"I had quite a rigid attitude and if people said they were going to a healer I was not in tune with it and I had a chortle."

I can understand scepticism I have been there myself Dr Michael Sears

But then Dr Sears suffered from severe back problems. Doctors despaired of him every recovering fully.

"I was pole-axed. I had an operation on my spine and was walking with two sticks. I was in despair.

"My neurosurgeon friend had told me I would be like that for life."

But then Dr Sears, aged 58, decided to try alternative remedies. He used self-hypnosis and signed up for sessions with chiropractors and healers.

Some people he would only visit once, with others he booked in for more sessions and within three years he was back on form.

Scepticism

He trained in hypnotherapy and slowly started to introduce the new methods into his practice.

"One day when I was in a deep trance I felt what seemed like electricity surging down my arms and when I told the person who was training me he said that it was because I was a healer.

"He said that if this happens to you then you have got to use it so I did start using it for little things, but it took a year before I would use it for important things.

"Doctors started to consult me and that was wonderful, that doctors with all their training would come to me when they had hopelessness.

"But I can understand scepticism as I have been there myself.

"I have been doing healing for the last 12 years now, but it is only the last two years that I have accepted it. I see scepticism as a sign of sanity."

Dr Sears said that as a trained medic he always encouraged patients to pursue all the medical avenues as well as using alternative therapies.

He said that although he had a number of unexplained successes helping eradicate cancers and pain that there were still people that could not be cured.

But he said that these were people he could still help, by helping them have a pain free and peaceful death.

Therapy

He was keen to stress that he was not some 'religious nut,' but a healer.

"I am not religious in a denomination effect, but I believe in the force I get. I have had some very powerful feelings and have felt the force of a divine love."

Among the people who have benefitted from Dr Sears' work is Irene Dingwall who believes he helped her beat lung cancer.

Many doctors feel that patients seeking complementary medicine could be misled into believing they are being cured when little or no scientific evidence exists to support the effectiveness of the treatments on offer.

Others believe that complementary medicine is seeped in bad science and is practised by charlatans or the deluded.

However, supporters of complementary medicine point to recent scientific trials suggesting that it does work.

The British Medical Association has called for greater regulation of all complementary medicine.

A spokeswoman told BBC News Online: "We would advise anyone considering complementary therapy to discuss it with their GP first."

However, Dr Michelle Kohn, Complementary Therapy Medical Advisory for Macmillan Cancer Relief, is among those who believe that complementary therapy has a place.

"Macmillan recognises that complementary therapy is helpful for patients' spiritual and mental well being when used alongside conventional cancer treatments and also can be useful for easing side effects.

"Many NHS practices offer these types of therapies today such as reki, massage, reflexology and aromatherapy.

"We would first check that they were from a recognised practice and would also welcome more research into the this area of work."

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