In short

History doesn’t have to create our future however, it can be utilised to propel us forward by taking the good with us, observing the bad & developing the lessons of both to take us to new levels. In recent years, quality & trust in healthcare services has eroded. Most days it’s challenging to be able to see a way forward but truly we’ve come so far & we’re on the cusp of greater changes.

The birth of new medical practice

Allopathic (mainstream) medicine has many great facets. Firstly, the free element is very welcome. Also over the years, I have witnessed countless success stories, particularly in acute ailments. However, in chronic experiences, I’ve observed a long-standing struggle where it seems we didn’t want to admit we don’t fully understand & we’ve told ourselves that it can’t be understood. Older medical systems appear to have a much deeper understanding of chronic symptoms. Ayurveda (Indian) & TCM (Traditional Chinese medicine) have been used for thousands of years, compared to allopathic’ few hundred years. Today we’re moving into a time where we increasingly utilise all the great from every system. Integrative medicine focuses on this.

With AI technology developing rapidly we have an opportunity to merge the use of it, and leverage its power; however, I can understand why some have reservations. While I’m not concerned about robots taking over, I feel for those individuals who won’t understand that the gift of technology isn’t so robotics can do everything for us. The Industrial Revolution reduced our manual work, we then found a need to schedule this thing called movement! Now social interaction has come under threat.

While robots can do a lot, they can’t be us; expressing & enjoying fulfilment along our life journey. Why would we want them to; it just robs us of experiencing life. Personalised & precision medicine are practices that use technology in various ways to understand, suggest & support treatments. While apps & small heart rate monitors are interesting, they’re like kids’ toys compared to other tech developments that are already being used on a smaller scale & will soon change our world drastically.

Utilising all senses

There is a discord whereby Western medicine has focused on getting direct, measurable & quantitative results. Through this over-attention to specialising, the generalist, over-view role has diminished. The general practitioner role is deduced from a trusted person in their town to a person who has just 10 minutes to “fix” the patient.

By highly specialising, we neglected the indirect, emanating energy of discovery, the intangible immeasurable & the qualitative. Have you ever shared a challenge with a friend, who had no advice but you felt better having just expressed yourself? While there is great discomfort in knowing we’ve made mistakes… this is what it means to be human, to explore, fail to an extent, learn, repeat.

Excitingly there is still much to be explored & learnt. Many things we thought were true historically we now understand differently. Who knew the bowel was not just full of C**p but also a wonderland of a microbiome community. Parts we wrote off as unimportant, the appendix; again very useful if you take care of it. These things seem obvious when we look back, so although being high achievers often got us to where we are; it’s also about time we gave ourselves a break.

The language that no longer serves

While we can say A is the main treatment & B is complimentary; is A not less or even nothing without B? For example, give a load of chemotherapy to a patient who vomits in excess, unable to continue. In this case, the antiemetics are required, not a complimentary, alternative or supplementary but a necessity. Both A & B are two parts of one whole. It’s time we recognise & utilise, sleep, hydration, nutrition, fasting & movement, to name just a few interconnected treatment pathways. There is mounting evidence that proves how we develop our internal environment to begin healing if we support it to do so.

While in many respects herbal, homeopathic & other not currently mainstream treatments, are often concerning at first glance. In my experience, it’s not due to misunderstanding but from a lack of any knowledge or exploration. Fortunately, we’re entering a time where language is being redeveloped, out of necessity. People are sick & tired of being sick & tired. As we return to what we once knew thousands of years ago, we’re moving toward cures, greater management of chronic symptoms & faster quality of acute healing.

While highly manufactured medications have become our norm, praised as better than herbals. The truth is the manufactured ones are still made from or at least inspired by plants. Herbal & natural remedies come with the bonus of being better value, causing fewer side effects & carrying fewer risks. Ayuvergenomics is an emerging field where ancient Ayurveda concepts are being translated into medical language, creating a larger knowledge base. Including understanding how & why Ayurveda poly-herbals, from whole plant extracts are more effective than single chemical pharma.

3 proactive steps forward

1. Natural product sales have been increasing in recent years. For some, they have read & know why natural products have such a great advantage. Others, have been hypnotised by the fashion of natural beauty care, or out of desperation to cope with a growing population of allergies & intolerances. Whatever the reason, the facts that reason, why natural produce is better, are difficult to ignore once contemplated.
Some foods are easy to access & quick to grow, this shows us these are easily digested when eaten regularly. Whereas foods that take longer to grow & are more difficult to access, are better consumed irregularly. Nature is clever like that. Examples include berries easy to get to, and milk harder to chase down an animal. Similar to vegetables vs meat, I’m not saying vegan, vegetable dominant. Eat an orange, easy. Peel & juice 5 oranges… it’s a mission for a reason!

2. One of my favourite topics to share is flow. When we are in flow our systems are working synergistically. From a place of flow, we can better explore what feels right, listening to the beings knowing. In a physical sense, the body thrives in a flowing environment. Air flows in, around & out. When well hydrated, fluid flows in & leaves in various ways. Fasting, consumption, rest, sleep, movement, exhaustion; all need regularity to maintain quality function throughout the body.
We can’t get ahead of these activities, we can’t catch up per se. However, to return to homeostasis, is an alignment of sorts that all medical systems speak of. Psychologically suppressing ideas, thoughts, and feelings all need to flow through some way. This is where creative pursuits often enable these expressions to flow out.

3. Lastly spirituality, regardless of style & means of creating meaning & purpose in our life; it is a necessity we naturally ponder. We often don’t ponder too long as it’s easier to distract ourselves with… well anything else. How can we implement this back into our lives? For me, I understand who I am by interconnection with a higher power (or energy). For me, this means to experience self reflection, expression & preparation for interaction with the external world. Any time that holds space to positively reflect, fuels our mitochondria & our ultimate journey. It’s not what you do, it’s the way that you do it; & that’s got to grow from within.
Although I hear a lot of negative talk about health & the health systems, I have faith that we will continue to increasingly focus on where we’re going. We’re rediscovering the superior technology we already have on board (our brains- heart, gut & mind)! While external technologies are the root to the science of achievement…that is missing the point. Life is not a race, because the endpoint is death! Whose racing to there? When we race, we forgo then the art of fulfilment. Enjoying the gift that it is to be ALIVE & robbing ourselves of the excitement of exploring & discovery. As I understand this more, I have an abundance of energy & feel replenished, ready & able to contribute more.

FREE 3-minute practical

• What is your perspective on the different medical practices? Take a few minutes to reflect in silence. How does this relate to your work, will these changes that are already beginning affect your practice?
• Talk to a colleague, and get their perspective. Do they do anything to care for their well-being?
• Do you think it’s important to practice great habits to gain better alignment in your being? What one practice could you commit to being, to support yourself, so that you can continue to contribute to others?

In association with Interpractive nurture consultant Ltd

[The X in the title refers to the infrequent & little known aspects of our history.]