INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE
Although natural approaches to health are generally preferable, allopathic medicine has its place. The term integrative medicine refers to “an approach to medical care that recognizes the benefit of combining conventional therapies such as drugs and surgery with complementary therapies such as acupuncture and yoga that have been shown to be safe and effective. … It takes into account the whole person, including all aspects of lifestyle. It emphasizes the therapeutic relationship between practitioner and patient, is informed by evidence, and makes use of all appropriate therapies.”
Pragmatic people use whatever works best without adhering to rigid dogmas. Conventional medicine may do some things better, such as pain relief and responding to emergencies.
There are holistic M.D.s who combine the best of both worlds. For example, they may have graduated from both a medical and a naturopathic school. They’re not very common. If you have access to a good one, that might be ideal.
Here is a book I found insightful:
CURED: Strengthen Your Immune System and Heal Your Life by Jeffrey Rediger, M.D.
https://amzn.to/3THHA9Q
Dr. Rediger noticed that occasionally a patient who had been given a terminal diagnosis ended up going into complete remission. Most doctors seemed remarkably incurious about that, saying things like, “That’s great! Keep doing whatever you’re doing” without caring to know what caused the cure. He attributed that lack of curiosity to the nature of medical school training that focuses on memorization; questioning orthodoxy isn’t encouraged.
He interviewed a number of people who got well after the medical establishment had given up on them. Different things worked for different people, but in most instances, those who healed began to prioritize the basics such as greatly reducing stress, eating healthy food, and meditation. In effect, they integrated holistic medicine into their medical treatment. Although still a small minority, an increasing number of M.D.s recognize the value of a holistic approach.
RESULTS
For almost every healing modality, diet, supplement, etc., there are people who find it pivotal to their recovery, and others who find that it has no discernible effect.
Results depend, in part, on exactly what is causing our issues. Ten people could have the same diagnosis or symptoms but could each have a different cause or combinations of causes.
Many people glom onto one factor of health, especially diet. Some have rigid ideas about what the right diet is and believe that if they just stick to it, they will have perfect health. Sometimes they become confused and disillusioned when they remain ill, or when their health guru (or spiritual guru) becomes ill. The fact is that many factors contribute to health, and many diets could work for a person.
Certainly, a healthy diet is a key factor — if we aren’t giving our bodies the raw materials they need to function well and repair themselves, health is likely to be compromised. But a person’s particular health challenge may have little or nothing to do with diet. It’s essential to find out what the real culprit(s) is in every situation, not assuming anything. That can take time to figure out, and can involve a lot of trial and error. Sometimes the real cause(s) never becomes clear, but we still might stumble upon solutions.
WE’RE EACH DIFFERENT
Results also depend on the unique ways we’re wired physically, psychologically, and energetically. Some people respond well to homeopathy, flower essences, particular foods and supplements, etc. — and some don’t.
Skeptics claim that those who get results are just experiencing a placebo effect, but that doesn’t explain why they didn’t respond to other things that they may have believed in just as much or more. We’re each different and need to find what works for us.
Each person’s body chemistry is different. A medicine might work well for one person but not for another with the same condition; it may even cause harm. Doctors sometimes have to try several different medicines before finding one that works.
A mundane example of chemical differences: Some people enjoy sour or bitter flavors, and others cannot abide them. Genetic differences cause cilantro to taste like soap to some.
Some people have a strong body and seem to get away with almost anything. One hears stories about people who smoked and drank heavily and lived to be over a hundred. Others are highly sensitive.
I have a particularly idiosyncratic body, probably partly due to the fact that I channel. Energy healers reading my aura have told me things like, “I’ve never seen that before!” Many things that make a lot of people feel good make me feel bad, such as alcohol and drugs. Electric heating pads make me nauseated. Etc.
“Whatever works for you” beats theory any day. If we try something and it makes us feel better, then we’re onto something. (If it doesn’t, we should make sure that we gave it a fair chance.)
REASONS FOR ILLNESS
In order to be healthy, perhaps of equal importance to diet is being free from chronic stress. It’s hard to imagine people having a high level of physical well-being over the long term if they aren’t also fairly relaxed. Chronic stress suppresses our immune system and blocks the free flow of energy.
In general, mental and emotional health can be a factor in physical health for many reasons. An obvious example is that people who are depressed or otherwise in a negative frame of mind may not feel motivated to take care of themselves.
There’s also a direct mind/body connection, which I discuss in the subchapter “You Create Your Own Reality” in chapter 20, “Body/Mind/Spirit.”
Healing mentally and emotionally can lead to physical healing, but it’s possible to be sick for many other reasons, such as being exposed to toxins. Although genetic vulnerabilities don’t always manifest as disease, there are tendencies in that regard. Birth defects and injuries can, of course, also create health challenges.
Lifestyles that are commonly unquestioned such as being sedentary and/or overworked, or the Standard American Diet (SAD), may not be in harmony with what our bodies need and can lead to illness. Our parents were no doubt well meaning and thought that what they were feeding us was good for us or at least okay, but now we have better information and can make healthier choices.
IMPROVEMENT
I was going to title this book something like Be Well! but I realized that I couldn’t promise anyone techniques to reliably feel great. I do believe, however, that wherever we are in our wellness journey, we can make things better, at least in some ways.
I channel the Michael entity, and Michael talks about the “hazards of the physical plane,” meaning that few of us get out of here without scathing. Our bodies, like all physical forms, are “disposable” and will never be perfect, although they’re pretty amazing.
Still, Michael also teaches that part of our reason for being here is to learn to make increasingly wise choices. Some of those are about creating the best health possible (and learning the lessons of our less-than-ideal prior choices).
We are constantly making choices regarding our health. We can use that opportunity to improve our intuition. For example, we can ask our inner guidance to help us choose food when shopping and eating. See how a particular choice feels; don’t go on automatic pilot or intellect alone.
Some illnesses can be healed and some cannot, depending on many factors:
• General cause: Is it structural (due to injury or malformation)? Infectious? Karmic? Environmental? Emotional?
• Severity: Is the body beyond repair?
• Motivation: How much does the person truly want to heal and thrive?
• The efficacy of the tools we have for addressing it.
Sometimes healings are considered unsuccessful if there isn’t a complete erasure of the disease and its symptoms. Especially if people die, healings are deemed failures. But if they at least became more comfortable and at peace before their passing, healings could be regarded as having been somewhat successful. We don’t win every battle, but at least we can grow from every experience.
Ask the universe for the highest good in all things. It’s fine to ask for a particular result, but be ready to accept that what happens may be the best that is possible under the circumstances. Zen Buddhism teaches nonattachment. All we can control are our choices. Sometimes, apparent miracles occur, but they occur because they were actually possible, even if that wasn’t seen beforehand. Sometimes the result is different but even better than what we requested. The principle: Focus on right cause (wise choices, loving attitude, etc.), and let the results take care of themselves.
INNER GUIDANCE
Spiritual teachers worth their mineral-rich unrefined sea salt advise that we access our inner guidance. Doing so is essential to healing and spiritual growth. Inner guidance refers to the wisdom of our body and emotions combined with our essence (higher self) and spirit guides. Our inner guidance doesn’t have all the answers and isn’t even always right, but it tends to be more on target than information that comes from intellect divorced from intuition. Best results come when all parts of self work together rather than one part (such as intellect or emotions) always dominating.
If those in spirit had all the answers, channels would have already given us the cures to every disease. They are still learning, too. Finding answers is collaborative. A certain amount of trial and error is necessary. Sometimes, for example, our body needs direct experience with a supplement or modality to know whether it’s providing something it needs, although muscle testing (applied kinesiology) in the hands of a skilled practitioner can indicate that our body is drawn to something. A common way to muscle test is to stretch out your arm while holding, say, a supplement in your other hand. The practitioner gently pushes your arm down. If it stays strong, that means that your body perceives it as positive. If your arm goes down, it perceives it as negative.