Marc Siegel argues that medicine and faith are not incompatible and says doctors should remain open to the possibility of medical miracles.
According to an article from STAT, physician and author Marc Siegel has argued that the medical community should embrace the possibility of medical miracles rather than treat science and faith as opposing forces.
Siegel, a senior medical analyst at Fox News and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health, wrote that doctors often separate spirituality from medical care, sometimes turning to palliative or hospice care too early instead of considering that “a medical miracle assisted by technology and spiritual healing might be possible.”
He stressed that he is not advocating unrealistic expectations, but said physicians should acknowledge that gradual, unexpected recoveries do occur. Siegel cited examples from his new book, “The Miracles Among Us,” including the survival of Rep. Steve Scalise after being shot in 2018, crediting interventional radiologist Arshad Khan and trauma surgeon Jack Sava for repairing shredded arteries while Scalise received more than 50 units of blood.
He also referenced the case of Shane Dennehy, who survived severe propeller injuries in the Dominican Republic when the blade stopped short of severing his sciatic nerve and femoral artery — an outcome surgeons described as miraculous before performing months of reconstructive work.
Siegel pointed to survey data showing most U.S. physicians believe in God but often keep their beliefs separate from practice. He argued that combining spiritual and medical approaches “may bring us all closer together rather than tear us further apart.”