病痛經驗與民間療遇：以萬年青健康中心為例

Illness Experiences and Medical Encounters: Exemplified by the Case of Evergreen Health Center

本文以花蓮市一個招收癌症病患為主的另類療法團體萬年青健康中心為研究對象，分析其成員的病痛經驗及療遇（medical encounter）。此一團體包括中心主持人、病患及其家屬，在一特定地方，共同生活數日，以特殊配製的飲食與「自發功」為主要調養病人的方法。這些來自各方癌症患者的病痛與醫療經驗，先是源自於體制內醫學效果之不確定，和不愉快的醫病關係，但是病人仍然展現了「日子還是要過」的一種似乎無奈，卻又不完全灰心喪志的態度，而尋求本健康中心另類療法之救濟。本文透過患者的病痛敘述，得知患者反省與批判我們現有的知識與制度，顯現了病痛經驗對個人情感、日常行為取向，與世事價值的重新評估，從而發現萬年青健康中心的治療者、病患及其家屬共同架構了一具有宗教性、倫理性、技藝性，以及儀式價值的「治療過程」（therapeutic process）。這多面向的「治療過程」，使患者不但建構病痛意義，且創造生命意義。

This paper analyzes illness experiences and medical encounters of an alternative medicine group-the Evergreen Health Center in Hualien City, Taiwan-which mainly accepts cancer patients. This group consists of a center host, patients and their families. They live together at the Center for a few days, use a prescribed diet and a ”spontaneous gong” as primary methods of convalescence. The illness and medical experiences of these patients originate essentially from the uncertainty of the effects of institutional medicine, and unpleasant physician-patient relationships. Nonetheless, they still reveal a seemly helpless, but not totally hopeless, ”Days must pass by!”, attitude. Thus, they seek the relief of alternative medicine from this Health Center. Through illness narratives, this paper finds that these patients reflect current medical knowledge and social institutions, and presents a re-evaluation of illness experiences toward personal sentiments, daily behavior, and conventional values. This paper discovers that in this health center the healer, patients, and family members constitute a religious, ethical, technical, and ritually significant therapeutic process. It is this multi-dimensional therapeutic process that encourages the patients to not only construct meaning to their illnesses but also create meaning to their lives.