ISLAND SON, A Series Ahead of its Time

It is truly hard to understand why ISLAND SON did not survive past its premiere season. It certainly had all the ingredients to make it a hit series: a very handsome leading man, breathtaking scenery, great writing, and doctors
who truly cared about the emotional as well as physical concerns of the their patients. Perhaps that IS the reason the CBS pulled the plug on this series ... the series was ahead of its time in its thinking and incorporation of cultural beliefs and customs into each one-hour episode.

A perfect example of the brilliance of this series is the episode titled THE STATE VS. JOHN KULANI which aired in October 1989. In this episode, Dr. Daniel Kulani’s father is arrested and charged with practicing medicine without a
license for performing a healing ceremony for a hospitalized friend suffering from a kidney stone. Matthew had never been hospitalized before and was greatly upset with the cold, clinical, and matter-of-fact delivery of his diagnosis by Dr. Cliff Post. A short time later, Dr. Post enters Matthew's hospital room after hearing chanting and drums coming from the room. As he enters, he sees John giving Matthew a drink of tea made from herbs and roots and assumes it is medicine and calls the police.

Forced to take the stand as a witness for the prosecution, Dr. Kulani must testify against his father. During questioning, however, he states that his father was providing spiritual assistance to a friend, that the healing ceremony was merely a religious and spiritual ritual and not medical interference. He tells the court that it is important for the patient to believe that he can be cured and for the whole being to be involved in the process -- body, mind, and spirit. He also states that positive healing energies promote a profound sense of well-being which may assist in the curing process.

If only Dr. Kulani really knew how true that words were. In late 2001, several studies were released that seemed to link the power of prayer to women undergoing in vitro fertilization having higher rates of pregnancy when groups of strangers prayed for them anonymously. While researchers of this study cautioned that the benefits of prayer had not been proven conclusively, they did speculate that religious factors, such as prayer, influence mental and physical health by altering brain function, shifting hormone levels, and boosting the immune system.

While discussing Matthew's case with Dr. Kulani, Dr. Post tells him that he wants no emotional involvement with his patients, something which is contrary to Daniel's own beliefs. That feeling has also been backed by recent studies which indicate the a majority of doctors are not comfortable talking to their patients about spirituality. In a study contacted at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, a majority of doctors accepted a link between religion and health, but only a small minority of these same doctors would be willing to discuss spirituality with their patients.

For whatever reasons modern medicine is reluctant to incorporate spirituality and religion into the care of a patient, ISLAND SON recognized the beliefs and customs of the Hawaiian people and the novel concept of treating
the WHOLE patient and not just their symptoms or illness. The series recognized the importance of spirituality and its beliefs to the overall well-being of people. Those fortunate enough to see this episode or any episode of the
ISLAND SON series are the better for it.

And just for the record, Matthew did not require sound wave therapy or surgery as he was able to pass the kidney stone.

by Annie Psota

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