Balance of Opposites

So before jumping into the main point of this post, allow me to go on record by saying: I respect the intention behind pharmaceuticals. At the same time, I struggle with their ineffectiveness. I say this because more often than not, patients facing chronic health issues do not get better, even though they experience improvement for a bit, they plateau with new symptoms. Eventually they need either a replacement or additional med to address the current concerns. What’s worse is they are told not to use certain herbal remedies and frequently left in the dark about other natural options. Truthfully, this isn’t anybody’s fault per se …. It’s just the elephant in the room, so to speak because no one fully understands the healing potential available to us. Frankly, we see things as ‘being at odds’; so much so that many allopathic practitioners ‘curse’ the alternative clinicians and vice versa. Talk about the microcosm reflecting the macrocosm (or is it the other way around?)?!

With this in mind, I decided to sit down and write from my perspective with the intention of possibly closing this gap a bit………

While it’s true, there are countless interactions between medications, there are as many problems with natural remedies that we know about as well as ones don’t. Why do I say this? Because the scientists behind drug development cannot possibly predict how one medication will affect even one body in its entirety, let alone 7.5+ billion bodies. To add to this statement, they actually come out and state that some of a medication’s effects are unknown; although, not because they are being careless. The fact is medications are designed to target a limited number of receptors and / or cell transporters, not the entire genome. Combine this with the reality that the body is wired to activate and deactivate genes as needed, how one medication will affect just one person over time is speculative, at best, and that’s if this individual did nothing else but breath CLEAN air from ‘now’ on.

You see, we are surrounded by chemicals, with most of them having the ability to influence our system in any given moment, This is the reason meds ‘trip us up’. Now, pair them with remedies that are known to affect the body in a similar way, and the result could get REALLY messy; especially because we operate by the theory that if ‘some is good, more is better’. This couldn’t be further from the ‘truth’. Let me remind you; the body is equipped to sustain good health when given the correct information. Between the chemicals in our environment, oxidative stress (a.k.a. toxins produced by the body that we’re not effectively eliminating), mental and emotional stress, foods, drinks, medications, supplements and so on …. the body is confused and in survival mode; gradually breaking down to the point it requires medical assistance.

With our current healthcare model, we experience a symptom and we treat it. In all honesty, this practice is understandable … we just want to feel better. Keep in mind, the body is already in crisis and in its own way, signaling for help (this is what I lovingly refer to as a healing crisis). Now the trick is to both ease the problem AND stabilize the system; not just alleviate the discomfort OR suffer. Because our current allopathic methods are primarily focused on symptom relief, it makes sense to incorporate natural remedies for restoring balance; NOT to naturally address the same issues. You may have noticed that I have yet to use the word holistic; that’s because working holistically means we’re supporting the entire system. In my experience, we are not paying attention to the potential interactions, nor are we guiding our clients to be ‘minimalists’ when it comes to taking supplements, herbs and / or using oils. Essentially, people are being coached to pollute and upset the body even further which turns into years of dissatisfaction, frustration and endless health concerns, giving ‘holistic healthcare’ a bad rap…

So what are we to do? Well, learn to get along, for starters! It is in our interest to stop seeing each other as threats and / or quacks and to recognize one another as colleagues on some level. This alone offers tremendous benefit to the millions of people seeking assistance with their health. The second step would be to work together, assessing and discussing all aspects of the individual as well as how to round out the treatment by balancing the effects of the meds with diet, herbs and / or oils.

What I find to be interesting is how oppositional our healthcare professionals can get; yet, as ‘they’ say, the solution lies in the problem. In this case, I see coming together for the good of the patient / client in a manner that approaches the health issue from opposite angles is what’s necessary for restoring systemic balance and good health.

In all honesty, this is how I choose to work; although, I’ve had a plethora of physicians downplay essential oils. That said, I make sure I double check everything with every client and let them know the importance of reporting any changes made by their doctor. As a matter of fact, a recent experience with Prednisone is what led to this post.

Let me know what questions you have. The most important thing to remember is it all can and does work very well together when used mindfully. My desire is to see this happen ‘over the counter’ as well as ‘over the desk’. Here’s to your health!