I love to swim. Every lake I encounter beckons me to swim across it. Though I don’t swim as much as I did in my youth, those lakes still call. Every time! My response – because I have this strong urge to take the plunge, it follows that I end up making an assessment – questions the health of the body of water. Many times, I have found myself questioning whether it would be smart to plunge in, due to the murky condition of the water. The same holds true of pools that are loaded with chlorine.
Medical care in the U.S. in the 21st Century has taken on a similar state of murkiness. Traditional medicine has evolved into a state of un-health. I would even go so far as to say it has literally become toxic! The institution charged with helping to keep us healthy has become perhaps the most deadly!
I am not one to want to dwell on negatives. But we are in an opioid crisis. Our society has become drug addicted at extreme levels. It is called an opioid crisis because the primary drugs causing the problems are prescribed by licensed health care providers! Our traditional medical care has devolved to a drug dispensary. Your 5 to 15 minutes with a physician is enough to proffer you a handful of prescriptions and send you on your way to fill them. Thus begins a horrible downward cycle of dependence on drugs. Of course, the problem is much more complicated, but it has profound effects on every level of our society and the healthy state of the human being. (Andrew Sullivan wrote a brilliant expose on the opioid epidemic, “The Poison We Pick,” New York Magazine, February 19, 2018.) http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/02/americas-opioid-epidemic.html
Admittedly, I am deeply concerned about the state of health – or unhealth – in the U.S., and alarmed by the serious drug crisis we face. A truism I hold to is that things of quality take time and effort. And care. And investment. Including health.
Instant doesn’t usually hold up. Except maybe in emergencies, and as a temporary stop gap. Far superior is the deeper level of care.
Therefore, my search for good health steers me away from “traditional” medicine, and I find myself more and more embracing “non-traditional” forms of health and healing that encompass a more holistic approach. Good health is so much more than our physical wellbeing. It involves every level of our being, including physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social. There is no pill or shot to address the whole being. There is not one easy fix. In fact, good health is beyond correcting problems; it is about living well.
Traditional medicine, designed to address and cure physical ailments, is reactive. You go when you are sick. Holistic health takes a proactive approach toward preventing disease. If you are living well, you are less likely to get sick. And there are healthy ways to stay healthy! Learning about them, however, isn’t always easy. In fact, “alternative medicine” gets a bad rap on many fronts, including Wikipedia, which likens it to quackery. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_medicine
Naturopathic medicine emphasizes prevention and self-healing through the use of natural therapies and healthy living practices. Though the traditional medical world debunks alternative medicine as unscientific, naturopathic medicine embraces the use of centuries-old knowledge along with the belief that nature has much to offer for both maintaining good health and effective healing.
So, what is my point? Seeking quality products for my own skin care led me to creating my own. Which led me to want to share my discoveries with others. Which led me to start a business, Sheeperfect®. Which led me to include essential oils. Which led me to want to learn more and more about the healing characteristics of essential oils. Which led me to want to learn more and more about other natural practices for good health. Which opened up new insights. Which leads me to want to share those with others.
And who knows where this all goes? Except that I will share with you along the way. And hope it will benefit us all. And maybe I’ll find a wonderful lake to swim across!
To your – and my – good health!