Ubuhlungu Obungeke Busaba Khona
UBUHLUNGU obuyoqedwa ukuze kugcwaliseke isithembiso seBhayibheli ubuhlungu obuzwakala ngenxa yokungapheleli komuntu wokuqala. Lobuhlungu buhlanganisa nalokho okungase kubizwe ngokuthi ubuhlungu obungapheli.
Kunokuba bube isimiso sokuxwayisa ngezifo noma ukulimala, ubuhlungu obungapheli buye bafaniswa “nenhlaba-mkhosi mbumbulu” engafuni ukucisha. Yilobuhlungu obubangela izisulu zabo ukuba zichithe izinkulungwane zezigidi zamaRandi minyaka yonke zizama ubungcono, futhi bonakalisa ukuphila kwezigidi.
Uchwepheshe wezinhlungu uDkt. Richard A. Sternbach wabhala: “Ngokungafani nobuhlungu besikhashana, ubuhlungu obungapheli abusona isici esibonisa inkinga ethile; ubuhlungu obungapheli abulona uphawu oluyisixwayiso.” I-Emergency Medicine yagcizelela: “Ubuhlungu obungapheli abunayo nhlobo injongo.”
Ngakho, odokotela abaningi eminyakeni yamuva lobuhlungu bubodwa baye babubheka njengosizi lwangempela. “Ebuhlungwini besikhashana ubuhlungu buwuphawu lwesifo esithile noma ukulimala,” kuchaza uDkt. John J. Bonica kuyi-Management of Pain, incwadi yanamuhla evamile ephathelene nobuhlungu. “Ebuhlungwini obungapheli ubuhlungu ngokwabo buyisifo.”
Imizamo Yokuqonda Ubuhlungu
Ubuhlungu namanje abukaqondwa ngokuphelele. “Ihuha elingapheli lokuzama ukuqonda ukuthi ubuhlungu buyini,” kusho umagazini i-American Health, “lizisebenzisa kanzima izazi zesayensi.” Emashumini eminyaka ambalwa edlule, zazicabanga ukuthi ubuhlungu buwuhlobo oluthile lomuzwa, njengokubona, ukuzwa, nokuthinta, ozwakala ngeziqu zezinzwa ezithile ezikhethekile ezisesikhumbeni futhi ohamba ngezinzwa ezikhethekile uye ebuchosheni. Kodwa lomqondo olulazayo ngokuqondene nobuhlungu watholakala uyiphutha. Kanjani?
Esinye isici esaholela ekuqondeni okusha kwakuwukucwaninga okwenziwa kowesifazane osemusha owayengabuzwa ubuhlungu. Ngemva kokufa kwakhe ngo-1955, ukuhlolwa kobuchopho nesimiso sakhe sezinzwa kwaholela embonweni omusha ngokuphelele mayelana nembangela yobuhlungu. Odokotela “babefuna iziqu zezinzwa,” kuchaza i-Star Weekly Magazine, ka-July 30, 1960. “Uma ngabe wayengenazo, lokho kwakuyochaza isizathu sokuba lentombazane ingezwa lutho. Kodwa zazikhona futhi zibonakala ziphelele.
“Ngokulandelayo, odokotela bahlola izinzwa okuthiwa zixhumanisa izihloko zezinzwa nobuchopho. Babeqinisekile ukuthi umonakalo bazowuthola lapha. Kodwa lutho. Lezinzwa zaziphelele zonke, ngokwalokho okwakubonakala, ngaphandle kwalezo ezazoniwe ukulimala.
“Ekugcineni, ubuchopho bentombazane bahlolwa, nakhona futhi akutholakalanga sici esitheni. Ngokolwazi nemiqondo eyayikhona, lentombazane kufanele ukuba yayibuzwa ubuhlungu njengokuvamile, kodwa yayingezwa ngisho nokukitazwa.” Nokho, yayizwa uma isikhumba sicindezelwa futhi iluzwa uhlangothi oluhlabayo nolungahlabi lukakhanjana, nakuba ukuhlaba kwalowokhanjana kwakungebuhlungu.
URonald Melzack, ngawo-1960 owasekela ukuqanjwa komqondo omusha othandwayo wokuchaza ubuhlungu, unikeza esinye isibonelo sokuba yinkimbinkimbi kobuhlungu. Wachaza: “UNkk. Hull wayehlala ekhomba unyawo lwakhe olwalungekho [lwalunqunyiwe], futhi ekhuluma ngobuhlungu obushisa sengathi kuhlohlwa izinsimbi ezishisayo ezinzwaneni zakhe.” UMelzack watshela umagazini i-Maclean’s ngo-1989 ukuthi “wayesafuna incazelo ngalokho akubiza ngokuthi ubuhlungu ‘obungaqondakali.’” Ngaphezu kwalokho, kukhona lokho okubizwa ngokuthi ubuhlungu obulahlekile, lapho umuntu engase abe nokungahambi kahle engxenyeni ethile yomzimba kodwa ubuhlungu abuzwe kwenye indawo.
Kuhileleke Ingqondo Nomzimba
Ubuhlungu manje sebuchazwa ngokuthi “buwukusebenzelana okuyinkimbinkimbi kakhulu kwengqondo nomzimba.” Encwadini yakhe yango-1992 ethi Pain in America, uMary S. Sheridan uthi “ukuzwa ubuhlungu kuphathelene kakhulu nengqondo kangangokuba ingqondo ngezinye izikhathi ingase iphike ukuthi bukhona kanti ngezinye izikhathi ingazakhela bona futhi ibenze buhlale bukhona isikhathi eside ngemva kokuba ukulimala kwesikhashana sekuphelile.”
Isimo sengqondo somuntu, ukugxilisa ingqondo, ubuntu bakhe, ukusabela kwakhe emibonweni, nezinye izici konke kubalulekile endleleni umuntu asabela ngayo ebuhlungwini. “Ukwesaba nokukhathazeka kubangela ukusabela ngokweqile,” kuphawula isazi sezinhlungu uDkt. Bonica. Ngakho, umuntu angafunda ukuzwa ubuhlungu. UDkt. Wilbert Fordyce, uprofesa wezokusebenza kwengqondo ogxile ezinkingeni zobuhlungu, uyachaza:
“Inkinga ayikhona ukuthi lobobuhlungu obangempela yini. Vele obangempela. Inkinga iwukuthi ziyini izici ezibalulekile ezibuthintayo. Uma ngingakhuluma nawe ngesemishi elinenyama phakathi ngaphambi nje kokudla, uconsa amathe. Libonakala lingokoqobo ngempela. Kodwa lokho kwenziwa isimo obekwe kuso. Kusuke kungekho semishi elinenyama phakathi lapho. Abantu basabela ngendlela ephawulekayo esimweni abasuke bebekwe kuso. Kuthinta indlela yokuhlalisana, ukuconsa kwamathe, umfutho wegazi, isivinini ukudla okugayeka ngaso, ubuhlungu, zonke izinhlobo zezinto.”
Njengoba nje imizwelo nesimo sakho sengqondo kungabukhulisa ubuhlungu, kungabucindezela noma kubudambise. Cabangela lesibonelo: Esinye isazi sokusebenza kwezinzwa sithi siseyibhungu sake sasanganiswa uthando lwetshitshi esasihlezi nalo emthangaleni owawuneqhwa kangangokuthi sasingakuzwa ukubanda noma ubuhlungu ezinqeni. “Ngacishe ngaqhotha amakhaza,” sichaza. “Kungenzeka ukuthi sahlala lapho imizuzu engu-45, kodwa ngangingezwa lutho.”
Izibonelo ezinjalo ziningi. Abadlali bebhola likanobhutshuzwayo abasemdlalweni oshisayo noma amasosha abambe impi eshisayo bangase balimale kanzima kodwa bezwe ubuhlungu obuncane kakhulu noma bangabuzwa nhlobo ngalesosikhathi. Umhloli wamazwe ase-Afrika wodumo uDavid Livingstone walandisa ngokuhlaselwa ibhubesi elamnikizisa “okwesimaku sinikiza igundane. Lokho kushaqeka . . . kwabangela uhlobo oluthile lwesimo sokuba sephusheni okwakungezwakali buhlungu nhlobo kulona.”
Kuyaphawuleka ukuthi izinceku zikaJehova uNkulunkulu, ezibheka kuye ngesizotha nokumethemba okuphelele, nazo ngezinye izikhathi ziye zezwa ukucindezelwa kobuhlungu bazo. “Nakuba kungase kubonakale kuyindida,” kubika omunye umKristu owashaywa, “ngemva kwemivimbo embalwa yokuqala, angibange ngisabuzwa ubuhlungu. Kunalokho, kwakunjengokungathi ngiyizwa ngezindlebe nje kuphela, njengokukhala kogubhu endaweni eqhelile.”—I-Phaphama! ka-February 22, 1994, ikhasi 21.
Indlela Ubuhlungu Obudanjiswa Ngayo
Emzamweni wokuchaza ezinye zezici eziyindida zobuhlungu, ngo-1965 uprofesa wokusebenza kwengqondo, uRonald Melzack, noprofesa wokusebenza komzimba, uPatrick Wall, basungula umqondo we-gate-control owemukelwe kabanzi ophathelene nobuhlungu. Uhlelo luka-1990 lwencwadi kaDkt. Bonica ekhuluma ngobuhlungu lwathi lomqondo “uphakathi kwentuthuko ebaluleke kakhulu emkhakheni wokucwaningwa nokwelashwa kobuhlungu.”
Ngokwalomqondo, ukuvuleka nokuvaleka kwesango elicatshangelwayo elisemfunkulweni livumela noma livimbele ukudlula kwezimpawu zobuhlungu eziya ebuchosheni. Uma izimpawu ezingebona ubuhlungu ziminyana kulelisango, khona-ke izimpawu zobuhlungu eziya ebuchosheni zingase zinyamalale. Ngakho, ngokwesibonelo ubuhlungu buyancipha ngokuhlikihla noma ukunikina umunwe oshe kancane, ngoba ezinye izimpawu ezingezona ezobuhlungu nazo ziya emfunkulweni ukuze ziphazamise ukudlula kwezimpawu zobuhlungu.
Ngo-1975 ukutholakala kokuthi imizimba yethu izikhiqizela izinto zayo ezinjenge-morphine okuthiwa ama-endorphin lokho kwasiza emkhankasweni wokufuna ukuqonda izici eziyindida zobuhlungu. Ngokwesibonelo, abanye abantu bangase babuzwe kancane noma bangabuzwa nhlobo ngenxa yokuthi bakhiqiza ama-endorphin eqile. Ama-endorphin angase axazulule impicabadala yokuthi kungani ubuhlungu buncishiswa noma buqedwa ukutshopa, okuyinqubo yezokwalapha lapho izinaliti ezincane zifakwa khona emzimbeni. Ngokwemibiko yofakazi bokuzibonela, ukuhlinzwa kwenhliziyo kuye kwenziwa isiguli sibhekile, siphapheme futhi siziphumulele kusetshenziswa ukutshopa nje kuphela njengesiqeda-nhlungu! Kungani ubuhlungu babungezwakali?
Abanye bakholelwa ukuthi lezinaliti zingase zishukumise ukukhishwa kwama-endorphin aqeda ubuhlungu okwesikhashana. Okunye okungenzeka ukuthi ukutshopa kubulala ubuhlungu ngenxa yokuthi lezinaliti zishukumisa izinzwa ezithumela ezinye izimpawu ezingezona ezobuhlungu. Lezimpawu ziminyana emasangweni asemfunkulweni, zivimbele izimpawu zobuhlungu ukuba zifinyelele ebuchosheni, lapho ubuhlungu buzwiwa khona.
Lomqondo we-gate-control, neqiniso lokuthi umzimba uzikhiqizela ezawo iziqeda-nhlungu, kungase futhi kuchaze ukuthi kungani isimo sengqondo yomuntu, imicabango, nemizwelo kusithinta isilinganiso sobuhlungu asizwayo. Ngakho, ukushaqeka kokuhlaselwa ibhubesi ngokungazelele kungenzeka ukuba kwashukumisa ukukhiqiza kukaLivingstone ama-endorphin, kwaphinde kwaminyanisa umfunkulu wakhe ngezimpawu ezingezona ezobuhlungu. Umphumela waba ukuthi akezwanga buhlungu.
Nokho, njengoba kuphawuliwe ngaphambili, isimo sengqondo yomuntu nemizwelo yakhe kungaba nomphumela ophambene. Ukucindezeleka okuningi kakhulu kwansuku zonke kokuphila kwanamuhla okuvamile kungase kukukhulise ukuzwela komuntu ubuhlungu ngokuletha ukukhathazeka, ukukhungatheka, nokufinyela kwezicubu.
Nokho, ngokujabulisayo izisulu zobuhlungu zingaba nesizathu sokuba nombono omuhle ngezinto. Lokhu kubangelwa ukuthi iziguli eziningi manje seziyazuza ezindleleni ezithuthukisiwe zokwelapha. Lentuthuko ibangelwe ukuqondwa kangcono kwalenkinga esabekayo. UDkt. Sridhar Vasudevan, umongameli we-American Academy of Pain Medicine, wachaza: “Umqondo wokuthi ngezinye izikhathi ubuhlungu ngokwabo bungaba isifo wayiguqula indlela yezokwelapha ngawo-1980.”
Ukwelashwa kobuhlungu kuye kwaguquka kanjani? Ikuphi ukwelapha okubonakala kuphumelela?
[Isithombe ekhasini 7]
Ukutshopa kubudambisa noma kubuqede kanjani ubuhlungu?
[Umthombo]
H. Armstrong Roberts