I know several people who have or are afraid of getting the next crazy illness. In today’s society, we have been trained to ask for a pill to fix things. The primary difference between allopathic medicine and naturopathic medicine in its simplest form is that allopathic medicine puts a bandaid on things whereas naturopathic medicine cures. Let’s look at a diagnosis from both perspectives so you see the difference clearly.
Issue: Upset stomach, belching, constipation, reflux.
Allopathic solution: Prescribe Nexium.
Benefits: fast results
Dangers: This chemical destroys all the acids in your stomach. Sounds good right? Well, that acid in your stomach kills any “bugs” in the food you just ate, it breaks down your food so that it can be properly absorbed into your body, and it also provides chemical signaling for hormones and further digestion. If you destroy the stomach acid, you destroy your own health. Additionally, those that go on the little purple pill, will find it quite difficult to go off it as it will take a long time for the body to come out of its funk and start recreating what was lost.
Naturopathic solution: Talk with the patient to see if there are certain food triggers. Find out what they have been eating. Talk about their emotions and if they may play a part in the problem. Determine next steps – allergy mapping, stress relief, allergy diet, etc. Revisit the issues until the client is healthy. Typically, this takes a minimum of six (6) months.
Benefits: Lasting change.
Dangers: None.
This is just one of many, many examples. I bring this up because I have many people ask me questions that they want simple fast answers for. Unfortunately, or fortunately – depending on how you look at it – every body is different and what works for me, may or may not work for you. I don’t recommend allopathic solutions for anything other than emergencies – breaks or necessary surgeries. Always start with the naturopathic way and move on from there.
If you are just changing from an allopathic way of health to a naturopathic one, there are some important mind shifts for you to perform. Some of these are generic, and some of them are specific.
Some things you need to change in your way of thinking.
- Your health is based on what you feed your body, what you feed your mind, and how you use your body (exercise).
- Diet is what you feed your body, not a way of limiting calories.
- Calories should only be used as a guideline as they truly have no bearing in your overall weight. As an example, would you gain the same amount of weight if you ate 1,000 calories of sugar as if you ate 1,000 calories of fruits / vegetables? Would your body react the same way for both?
- Everyone has cancerous cells in their body at one point or another.
- Your health is not only what you eat, but what you feed your mind. If you think you are sick, or that you will die – you will.
- Disease is eradicated by a change of mindset, exercise, and eating the right foods.
- Sugar will kill you.
- You should be consuming 3 parts fruits / vegetables (and of those 3 parts vegetables / 1 part fruit), 2 parts protein (beans, nuts, eggs, dairy, meat [meat doesn’t need to be consumed daily unless you are unable to consume proper protein from other sources, 1 time per week is sufficient]), and 1 part oils (omega 3 by way of fatty fish, proper polyphenols from coconut oil, and lastly olive / avocado oils).
- You should be drinking enough water each day. Calculator found here.
- Stop chasing a “fix.” Rather, change your lifestyle to ensure you are healthy.
- Supplements, tinctures, and medicinal drinks should only be consumed for things that you cannot get from a natural food source. They can cause more problems if you take things as a preventative.
These will be quite mind-blowing to some and will make perfect sense to others. Take one at a time and work your way through it. Everything is interconnected. Every change you make will affect your whole. Naturopathic medicine takes time, it is NOT a quick fix, but it is a healthy fix.
Think of naturopathic healing as paying for your future health today. You have one life. How healthy do you want to be in your 80s? Do you want to make it to your 80s? I’ve read that people that care for their bodies well live long healthy lives with only 1 – 3 years of needed care at the end of their life. Whereas, people who eat, drink, and live as if they will live forever spend the last 20 – 30 of their years needing routine care, some quite substantial. So consider how you want to pay for your health – with good food, or with your life.
One step at a time… You can do this!
Blessings… E