Is Your Body Broken?
Allopathic medicine and Natural medicine look at the body in different ways. Allopathic medicine says that the body is broken and needs medical intervention to fix it. Natural medicine believes that the body has an amazing ability to heal itself; the body is working, let’s give it the nutrients and support it needs to function properly. These two views sometimes contrast drastically in the way they would treat an illness. When you go to an Allopathic doctor, you are asking for testing, drugs, or surgery, because that is what they do and they are good at it. When you go to a Naturopathic doctor or herbalist, you are asking for suggestions in lifestyle change, diet, herbs, and natural supplements, because that is what they do and they are good at it. Remember to stay within their area of expertise, you don’t want to ask your herbalist for drug and surgery information, or your doctor for diet and herbal recommendations. More than likely they haven’t been trained in those areas. So for those of us trying to live a natural lifestyle, it can be a challenge to navigate between the two idealistic views.
How do you know when to take the Natural path, or when to go the Allopathic way? This can be a very personal decision, causing conflict in families with differing viewpoints. We must always be careful to allow people to have their own belief system, especially in the area of healing. Studies have shown how important it is to your recovery that you believe you can get well. You must have faith in whatever system you choose for your healing. There is not always a clear right or wrong way, just a personal choice.
Recently, I have had to deal with this kind of choice. My hip has been causing me extreme pain. I have taken many supplements and tried physical therapy, but it just continued to get worse. One night the pain was very bad, with tears streaming down my face, I found myself struggling to get down the hall to my bed. Afraid I would fall and not make it there. Suddenly in my head, I could hear my deceased husband’s voice. He said, “Lisa, what are you doing? Go see a doctor!” I realized that my beloved husband, if he were here, would never have allowed me to be in this much pain. It was time to ask for medical intervention. The next day I made an appointment to get an x-ray.
The moment I saw the x-ray, I knew that the natural option of diet and herbal supplements was not going to work. The bone was so misshapen. No amount of herbs is going to reform that bone to be what it was originally. The body was broken and could not fix itself. Perhaps if I had started supplements years ago…but why beat yourself up about the past? It was time to think of the future. If I continued on this degenerative path, I would soon not be able to walk. Not be able to play with my grandchildren, not be able to do the work that I love. It was time to ask for Allopathic medical intervention, surgery. I hate the idea of having metal in my body, of going under anesthesia, of the actual surgery, knowing many things could go wrong. But I have to think of all the things that could go right! Next year, I will be a brand new woman, no pain, able to enjoy my grandchildren and my work.
So again I ask the question, how do you know when to take the Natural path, or when to go the Allopathic way? I believe the answer is simple: Is the body broken? Can Allopathic medicine fix it? Or is the body able to heal itself? Then let’s give it all the nutrients it needs to do that. Sometimes it takes a combination of Allopathic and Natural ways to heal the body. Tests to see what the problem is and possibly going with natural support to bring the body back into health. Surgery to fix the structure of the problem and then natural support to help the body heal. Or using natural support and diet to prevent the body from getting to that broken state in the first place. As a Naturopath and Herbalist, I like to use the Natural approach as much as possible, but recognize the expertise of Allopathic medicine and its necessary place in our lives. No right or wrong answers here, just an opportunity for healing and vitality.
My dear friends,
I will be having hip replacement surgery on November 10, 2021. I appreciate your prayers and support during this time. I will require about six weeks for healing time, so will be out of the store for a while. I am grateful to my friends who are keeping the store open for me.
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Thank you all for understanding our shortened hours. I look forward to seeing you in the New Year.