More than One Way to Heal

An adobe house isn’t going to be very successful at the beach. Insulating a house in San Diego the same as a house in Alaska is going to be an inefficient use of materials and funds. Just as some building techniques and materials are best suited to certain environments, different types of healing practices can be better or worse suited for different needs of the body. Just like there is more than one way to build a house, there can be more than one way to heal the body. 

One of my most empowering lightbulb moments related to wellness was realizing that western medicine is only one stream of thought among many healing philosophies. For the first couple decades of my life, western medicine was all I had known. If you weren’t feeling well, you’d make an appointment with your physician or OB-GYN and come home with a prescription. If that didn’t solve your problem, you might try some other prescription, physical therapy, specialists, or even consider surgery. 

It wasn’t until I first experienced the power of chiropractic care in my mid-20s that a much wider range of options was opened up to me. At that point in my life, I was struggling with some breathing issues. The ENTs and pulmonologists couldn’t figure it out, and my doctor eventually suggested that the problem was all in my head and I shouldn’t make a big deal of it. (Medical gaslighting is all too real, especially for women, but that’s a topic for another day.) Later, it was completely mind blowing to me that a few months of chiropractic care took away the vast majority of my symptoms and discomfort. 

Our modern medicine model, also known as allopathic medicine, is a gift. It certainly has its place, but it isn’t the best suited for every need of healing. There are the super crunchy families who take pride in never going to the doctor and never using antibiotics or even ibuprofen, and that can be great if that works for them! But I also believe holistic approaches can coexist with and enhance what our modern medical system has to offer. You don’t have to be confined to only one healing modality or philosophy. 

In the case of my breathing problems, I had spent so much money trying to get answers from medical doctors and specialists without really considering if the conventional model was even the best suited for my problem. Like trying to build a house with just a screwdriver set, I was using only a small portion of the toolbox available to me for my health.

Sometimes when we’re not getting good answers or solutions, we need to back up and consider if we’re asking the right questions. Then we need to consider if we are asking those questions to the right experts. For example, your pediatrician is likely not the best expert you could consult for nutrition or breastfeeding issues or how to recover from toxic mold. Until our medical professionals learn to better appreciate and refer to the expertise of adjacent disciplines like nutritional therapists, IBCLCs, and herbalists, you may need to take the initiative to create the integrative team and approach that is best suited for your unique needs. 

Is it time for you to consider expanding your wellness toolbox? Here’s a few options to consider:

1. Western Medicine or Allopathy — This is what most of us are familiar with as the globally dominant system of healthcare. It is characterized by its reliance on scientific research and clinical trials and uses pharmaceutical drugs, surgery and other interventions to treat symptoms and disease.

2. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) — TCM is a holistic system of medicine originating over 2,000 years ago and still in widespread use today. Herbalism and acupuncture are among the therapies used in this system. 

3. Ayurveda — While having much in common philosophically with TCM, Ayurvedic medicine originated in India. Herbalism, diet, movement, and detox therapies called Panchakarma are all used to pursue balance of body, mind, spirit and environment. 

4. Homeopathy — A holistic system of medicine developed in the late 1700s by German physician Samuel Hahnemann. It is based on the principle of “like cures like”, which means that a substance that causes symptoms in a healthy person can be used in very small diluted doses to treat similar symptoms in a sick person. 

5. Orthomolecular Medicine — Meaning “the correct molecules in the correct amounts”, Orthomolecular was coined by Nobel-prize-winning doctor Linus Pauling in the 1960s. This system focuses on using minerals, vitamins, amino acids and other nutrients to achieve balance and promote healing and holds that treatment must be based on each individual’s biochemistry. 

6. Naturopathy — Naturopathic doctors (NDs) take a holistic approach that combines traditional healing practices with modern scientific knowledge and focuses on natural remedies, such as herbal medicine, nutrition, and physical therapies. The philosophy behind naturopathy includes the importance of treating the whole person and the belief in the healing power of nature.

7. Functional and Integrative Medicine — Both of these approaches seek to address the underlying causes of diseases rather than only treating symptoms by combining conventional practices with alternative treatments. 

8. Manual Therapies — This encompasses all kinds of hands-on techniques like chiropractic, osteopathic manipulations, massage, craniosacral therapy, myofascial release, cupping, postural restoration therapies, and more.

9. Bioenergetic Healing — Healing practices in this area focus on the interplay between the body’s energy systems and both physical and emotional health. Muscle testing could be used in bioenergetic practices. Other examples could include therapeutic touch, tapping, magnetic therapies, breathwork, visualization and movement exercises designed to release energy blockages.

10. Psychotherapy — This area focuses on the emotional and psychological aspects of healing. Some examples would be cognitive behavioral therapy, EMDR, and art therapy.

One thing to notice is that in many of these systems of thought, physical and emotional healing are very much connected with each other. We are created body, mind, and spirit, and I believe all three need to be addressed for optimal health. Sometimes the symptoms of the body are the most obvious, so the emotional and spiritual needs don’t get the attention they are really calling for. As you expand the tools in your wellness toolbox, remember that we are more than biochemical machines; we are also energy. In my next post, I’m going to talk more about foundational health and how the very best healing tools and methods are free or low-cost!