I like the old parable about the man living in line of a coming flood. When the officials drive to his house and say, “Get in, and we will take you to safety,” he replies, “No, thanks. God will save me.” As the water rises, the officials send a boat. He again declines, saying, “God will save me.” The water level reaches his roof, and the worried officials send a helicoptor. He again declines. Finally, the highwaters sweep his house away and he dies.
When the man gets to heaven he asks God why He didn’t save him. God replies, “How can you say that? I sent you a truck, a boat and a helicoptor.”
Science and medicine, seen in their proper context, are God’s gifts. He allows us to study our planet and derive treatments for illness. In Genesis 2 God tells the humans to subdue the earth and rule over it. I think science falls somewhere under that command.
In hospice care, we utilize medicines like morphine to relieve pain, air hunger, heart strain and anxiety. They work great, and when administered appropriately, is safe.
We recently admitted a lady suffering from lung fibrosis. Although she felt pretty good sitting in a chair, she would become markedly short of breath when she tried to walk.
Air hunger is a frightful sensation. Most of have experienced it at one time or another. I remember as a child feeling desperate for air when a bully held my head under the water. It is a panicky sensation. And those who suffer from lung disease experience it quite often, and for extended periods of time.
Morphine, in very small doses, turns down the air hunger receptors in our brains. That pharmacological activity now allows our lung patient to walk around her house with minimal symptoms. Praise God.
Many folks are concerned about the addictive properties of morphine. It is a legitimate concern; however, morphine addiction is unusual among those who take it.
Addiction is evident in someone who lies or steals to get more. Dependence, which is very different from addiction, simply means that someone will experience pain if they don’t take a certain medicine. Dependence can occur with Tylenol. Morphine does have a withdrawal property to it, but in 99% of cases, we are able to avoid a withdrawal effect by slowly decreasing the morphine dose.
It is important to remember that morphine addiction occurs in good people who have addictive tendencies. They may have a history of nicotine or alcohol addiction. Or, perhaps, they drink 7 Dr. Peppers a day. We do have to be careful prescribing morphine in that context.
