It Is All About Balance
Why do so many of us find it so difficult to prioritize our own good health? As a healthcare provider and natural wellness specialist, I find it baffling that it usually takes a crisis for us to pause and start taking care of ourselves. We have all been there. We are working hard, putting in a lot of hours, and burning the candle at both ends when, boom, we come down with a cold or the flu.
That cold or flu was a sign that our body was out of balance, which made us susceptible to getting sick. Getting that cold or flu was a signal for us to rest, heal, and fine-tune our immune system. A comprehensive wellness approach to an acute condition can help prevent recurrent incidences by allowing the body to completely recover the first time.
The problem is that most people want to go back to work too early or, even worse, try to power through the illness while continuing to work. They think they can get by with either an over the counter cold/flu medicine or by pumping themselves with Vitamin C while everything else in their routine stays the same. This approach is little better than a band-aid and may even keep the body from fully recovering. I often hear the complaint: “I’ve never felt well since I had that flu (or fill in the acute incident of your choice) a while back.” That is because their body was never given the support it needed in order to completely heal.
After years of repeating this pattern of getting sick and neglecting to attend to the healing process, the symptoms of a more serious or chronic health condition may emerge. It is often at the time when an escalating pattern of poor health emerges that most people finally decide perhaps it is time to do something. They finally decide that putting on their own oxygen mask first might be a good idea.
One of the first things I recommend to people who come in to see me, most often with a chronic or hard to treat disorder, is to take an inventory of what is supporting their health and well-being and what is not. What aspects of their life need more support and what needs to be changed in order to create and prioritize the health and energy levels they crave? This is where the real work needs to take place. Creating balance in their life may be the biggest challenge they face on their road to good health. Yet, it is the only way back to the life they want and the activities that bring joy.
This approach is what distinguishes Naturopathic Medicine from conventional medicine. Naturopathic doctors take the whole person into consideration, search for the underlying cause of the illness and treat it, and then work with the patient to restore the balance that truly facilitates good health and optimal vitality.
