Health and Alternative Medicine

Are you healthy? I’m fairly certain that the vast majority of people would define healthy as not having symptoms of being sick. This incorrect and even frightening definition of healthy has probably been impressed upon us as far back as we can remember. It’s just the way things are. But, is it right? Does the lack of symptoms mean that you are not sick?

It is a well known fact that illnesses can ‘hide’ for many years before they manifest themselves in symptoms. The communication ‘super-highway’ is an extremely intricate system within your body and, if even one part of that communication gets off, it could mean the beginning of disease or illness for you.

Do You Think You Are Health-Minded?

Many years ago, I would have placed myself with the majority of the general public when it came to health care. I thought I was health minded - and tried to do all the ‘right’ things to remain healthy. I believed (and did) what my doctor told me, but I still found myself in a position where I knew that my body was not functioning the way it should.

When years of ‘traditional’ healthcare could no longer offer me anything to relieve my symptoms, when test after test came back inconclusive - when I got tired of just not feeling good - I took a deep breath, dug in my heels of stubbornness and began my journey of looking ‘outside the box’ of what I had always known to be ‘health-care’. I refused to accept my declining health as the end product.

Alternative Medicine - Looking Outside the Box

I will readily admit that there were some real eye-openers along that journey. It is not a journey for the ‘faint of heart’ - for lack of a better phrase! It takes determination. It takes guts and it means being open to the possibility that the answers could be found somewhere other than your doctor’s office. I am thankful there are great doctors who really do care. However, they can’t always keep up with every need for every person - and, let’s face it - they mostly treat symptoms: not usually the root problem.

The path of alternative medicine is not necessarily an easy one. To make it even more difficult, I was a complete beginner with little guidance from anyone. I tried many things that did not work for me. None of it was covered by insurance - but then again, nothing my insurance covered was helping anyway! I continued my search and, as I asked questions, listened to seminars, and studied information - I found my answers.

Understanding What It Takes to be Healthy

My search ended (or should I say began) with something as simple as understanding the role of nutrition. How could it have been that simple? What I learned was: our modern day diet does not support our bodies as it once did. Our bodies do not get the nutrition they need on a daily basis.

The very quality of the food we eat is a major problem. Did you know that in 1951, two peaches would supply a woman's RDA of vitamin A and today she would have to eat almost 53 peaches to meet this requirement? (CTV.ca News 2002) Years of chemically treating the very ground your fruits and vegetables are grown in have taken a toll. When you give your body the nutritional ingredients it needs, it has the ability to function optimally.

Today, I enjoy feeling better than I have in years - leaving me a lifetime student of a better way of health. Remember, ‘healthy’ is simply the absence of symptoms. It doesn’t necessarily mean you are healthy. When it comes to your quality of life and health, I’m here to suggest to you that perhaps there might be a better way.There is another world of healthcare waiting to make a difference for you ‘outside the box’.