Never mind that doing so saved my life. As soon as the goldenrod would start to bloom my allergies would kick in extremely bad, and my tonsils would swell to the point where I struggled to breathe. Let your child suffocate or have them undergo a procedure that eliminates the risk? Seems like a no-brainer, right?
Well, there were those who believed she just didn’t take the time to find the right ‘natural’ remedy, or that she didn’t have enough faith in the Earth Our Mother to look out for one of Her children. (Sound familiar? Thought so.)
Now, don’t get me wrong. My mother is all for holistic medicine and doesn’t discount the benefits of spiritual Healing or herbal remedies. I mean, she herself is a spiritual Healer. But she doesn’t believe that these methods can’t be used in harmony with modern ‘technological, scientific medicine.’ Science, and advancement through science, is natural. And this brings me to one of the best things my mother taught me (out of many):
Skepticism is healthy. By questioning the supposed ‘truth’ of a claim, we investigate and learn. Or at least, we should. Simply dismissing something out of hand because you’re skeptical can be just as detrimental as blindly believing in everything you’re told by a so-called ‘expert.’
My mom is an intelligent woman; she uses that intelligence to educate herself and taught me to do the same. Whether the advice was coming from a certified medical professional or an herb woman whose knowledge was passed down from generations of oral tradition, my mother never took anything at face value. She found other sources to consult, did her research, sought to understand why something worked... or discovered when it was just snake oil and best avoided.
This has served me well over the years, and especially now that I have Fibromyalgia.
There are a lot of organic methods out there for boosting energy, managing fatigue and pain, promoting joint, muscle and organ health, and so on. Many of which can be applied to management of Fibromyalgia symptoms, and which I use. However sometimes the organic methods just aren’t enough to quite cut it. (And if that prompts you to think “Well, she just isn’t doing enough/trying hard enough/doing it right.” you can just bugger off right now. We all of us are different and not all methods will work the same, or as well, or at all, for everyone. Here ends the mini-rant.)
I take prescription pain medication, muscle relaxants, and an SSRI. The SSRI is daily, to help boost my energy levels. Before I started using it, even with dietary changes and organic energy boosters, I was flat out exhausted most of the time. I pretty much turned into a koala, such were my periods of sleep vs. wakefulness. Being prescribed the SSRI was one of the best things that happened. No, it is not a magic cure-all for my fatigue, but my episodes of ‘koala-ness’ are now infrequent, rather than every single day.
The pain meds and muscle relaxants I take ‘as needed.’ Which means that some days, when my pain levels are low enough to be tolerable, I don’t take the prescription pills at all. And the muscle relaxants I take even more rarely, as they are largely a preventative measure when I get warning twinges from my back.
This is a balance that works for me. I know there are those out there with Fibromyalgia who don’t use prescription medications and they’ve found ways to make that work. Good for them! But such is not for me.
I guess where I’m going with all of this is my own little counter against both the “All natural all the time!” and “Modern medicine is the only way!” arguments/attitudes I’ve seen. These two things need not be mutually exclusive; they are, at least to my mind, two sides of the same coin. Both have much in their favour, and both also have their share of problems.
Recognise the benefits, be aware of the dangers, educate yourself. Sound advice. Thanks, Mom.
I've said to Mary a few times, nothing makes more sense to be than having a surgeon working alongside an energy-healer at the same time.
ReplyDeleteThe fact is, most of modern medicine is old medicine, purified, advanced, concentrated, and sterile. To rule out a course of anti-biotic or a minor surgery because... bullshit, is stupid - It works, there's a reason it works, because it's been tested a thousand times and worked every-one.
That said, to ignore higher powers and the state of flow, that's just as foolish - because it isn't predictable, I can't necessarily generate a repeatable scientific test.
Sometimes a few prayers and crystals and make advanced-stage cancer dissapear.
Other times a thousand believers can't stop a common cold, nor heal a broken bone.
Partnership, or death - pretty much.