Secrets of Korean Medicine, Part 29: Life Should End With a Comfortable Death

Secrets of Korean Medicine, Part 29: Life Should End With a Comfortable Death
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The question of what constitutes good end-of-life care is one that perplexes physicians around the world. In 2011, a survey conducted by the Gerontological Association of Japan asked doctors how they would deal with an 85-year-old patient who has late-stage Alzheimer’s and is unable to eat or drink even with assistance.

Among the 1,554 who responded to the survey, 51 percent said they would give an intravenous injection of Ringer’s solution in the patient’s arm or leg; 21 percent said they would supply nutrients through a feeding tube directly into the stomach; 13 percent said they would opt for a nasal feeding tube; and only 10 percent said they would consider making the patient comfortable and allowing death to come naturally.