As a medical professional, I believe in the power of medicine, but I also believe in the power of education and holistic care. When people find out I am a registered nurse and that I turn to chiropractic care and herbs before going to the doctor, I tend to get some odd looks or judgmental comments. It’s like it’s taboo for someone trained in the healthcare field to stray from the field of medicine.
I haven’t turned away from medicine. I believe in the power of medicine and its benefits, and it certainly can be life saving. But I think it has been overused. Health care has turned into “sick care.” Yes, there is a place for that. But what if we were truly educated on the power of the foods we put in our bodies? What if we were educated on how a series of adjustments from a chiropractor could save you from a lifetime of living in pain, or avoiding unnecessary surgery? What if we were educated on how to not get sick, instead of just getting treatment when we are sick?
We can’t avoid getting sick all the time, but we can definitely improve our bodies abilities to fight off disease and illness. We need to make a choice to take care of ourselves and our families, and we can do that by learning about preventative care. As a registered nurse, that is one of my passions. Education. If we would quit treating the symptoms and instead, treat the causes of disease, maybe we wouldn’t be such a sick country. I believe in medicine. I do. Obviously, because I am a nurse! But in my opinion, holistic care should be just as important as medical care.
I believe that if chiropractic care had been incorporated into my first pregnancy, I would have had a different outcome. I believe my risk of c-section would have been dramatically decreased, but I was uneducated on the benefits of maternity chiropractic care. My son had about 10 ear infections before he even turned one. I was about to get him tubes until I learned how chiropractics can help children with chronic ear infections. He hasn’t had an ear infection for almost 2 years and we avoided an unnecessary surgery since we have been seeing our chiropractor. What if I had been taking E to get adjusted since birth? We would have avoided all the agony that comes with a sick and hurting infant. I was uneducated. You best believe that my next child will be getting adjusted within the first week after birth.
Holistic care appears scary because we, as a nation, are uneducated. And it’s taboo to go against the medical field. Let me say it again, I believe in the power of medicine. I am not against the practice of medicine. I am beyond thankful for doctors. But I am also thankful for holistic medicine. We are blessed with a family doctor that does believe in the power of both, and I am so very thankful for that! We discussed holistic care with him when E had ear infections and he encouraged us to pursue it.
Now prepare yourself for my soapbox. Lack of education leads to judgement. I know this because what has happened to me since I have chosen to incorporate holistic medicine into my families lives. In May, I went to an urgent care when we were traveling. I listed the herbs I was taking for a couple different issues, and you know what the doctor said to me? She rolled her eyes and said “I’m not going to lecture you on taking these herbs. But I am rolling my eyes at you. You know they don’t work…” She said some other comments about me being uneducated. It hurt my heart to be judged like that. I didn’t judge her for choosing to not take them, but she felt she needed to make me feel bad because of my choice? They do work for me and I am educated. I am in less pain, have less headaches, and when I am in a houseful of sickies and I take certain herbs, I often avoid the sickness (and apparently I have the worst immune system known to man! ) so don’t tell me they don’t work!
I’ve been judged for taking my whole family to the chiropractor. But without chiropractic care, I would be in so much pain from my degenerative disc disease. I would still be having migraines and my son would have tubes in his ears. Since I started taking him to Dr. Pochucha 2 years ago, he has gotten sick only a handful of times. My child was such a sickie his first year of life. Now when E does get sick, he tells me “I see Dr. Chucha…He will make me better.” My 2 year old even gets it!
I believe that everyone need’s to make their own choices about their health, but to do that, you need to be educated. You need to take what you learn from both the medical field and from holistic medicine, and figure out what choices are best for you and your family. If someone does something different from you, do not judge them. That person is simply making the best choice they can based on the information they have. There is so much judgement in this world, but there is only One True Judge:
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. – 2 Corinthians 5:10
So let go of the judgement. Get educated! And then do what you believe is best for you and your family!
If you live in Plainview, Lubbock or the Amarillo area, this weekend you have an opportunity to learn about keeping your family healthy. My friend (and chiropractor) Nate Pochucha, and several others who are passionate about educating the public on how to live healthy, have put together an expo that will be taking place this Saturday, November 16th, from 11-2pm. And my friends, it’s free! Come learn about: the benefits of exercise, how to make healthy choices, how to cook healthy, and the benefits of holistic medicine. For those of you that do not live close and follow this blog, I will be sharing what I learn, so stay tuned 🙂
What’s your take on health care and holistic care? Feel free to state your opinion but be civil about it!
Loved, loved, loved this post! I have two children with Juvenile Arthritis, and I feel the same way! Some parents look at me like I am crazy when I tell them that we took the plunge and traveled all the way across the country to a leading university in California, JUST because we wanted to work with a program that integrated some holistic care with traditional western medicine. Holistic care in the Midwest scared the you-know-what out of me because I had a very difficult time finding practitioners that would work with both sides- it seemed like one would always contradict or pooh-pooh the other. With a serious chronic (and potentially life threatening) illness, I want willing to “dump” western meds either. The balance has been fantastic. I believe diet and alternative therapies can play a VERY important role, and we have seen significant contributions to my sons’ condition. Feel free to come visit me and read about it, I covered some of it on my blog back in August. THANK you for being a medical professional willing to talk about this!
Kim Miller recently posted…Taking The Bull By The Horns
I think that is incredibly awesome!!! Good for you taking the stand for you and your families health! I believe there needs to be a balance between traditional medicine and holistic medicine in all of healthcare. But you are right, they want you to make a choice between the two, like they can’t go together. But they can!!!!
Im happy to see an RN who believes in holistic care. I have 2 aunts who are as well and I’m pretty sure neither of them do. I say this because I have sick family members who would rather listen to them and their doctors who have them in multiple surgeries and on a zillion medications. I have often stated maybe some should save up some money and pay for a consultation with a holistic doctor since they can give you answers based on knowing your entire body. Often people get conflicting info from different MDs that they see that specialize in different parts of the body. I’ve suggested it but I’m sure it will take someone older and well respected to suggest the same before they will listen. I’m fine with that. People will do what they want, when and how they want. All I do now is keep them in my prayers.
BRITTNEI recently posted…Tips to Get Your Toddler To Eat Vegetables
There are some really amazing MDs that believe in holistic care, but there are doctors that are specifically trained, as you said, to be holistic doctors. What I love about holistic medicine is that the patient has a choice in what to do. I choose to go to the massage therapist. I choose to go to the chiropractor and have learned to tell when my body needs an adjustment. And it is focused on treating the cause, not just the symptoms. Like I said, I believe in the power of both. And you are right, the best thing we can do is pray for those we love and allow them to make their choices that they believe is best for themselves.