Thinking outside the box of modern medicine

It is only in sorrow bad weather masters us; in joy, we face the storm and defy it. 

~ Amelia Barr

Imagine a world where when one is diagnosed with cancer, a healthcare provider asks the following questions?

Why do you think you have cancer?

Do you want to live?

What’s your BIG why?

Are you willing to do whatever it takes to get well?

What brings you joy?

Where in your life have you not experienced support and compassion?

Fear makes us vulnerable. Love heals all.

What happens when people open their hearts? They get better. 

~ Haruki Murakami

I’m a coach, not a doctor.

To heal, trust that our caregivers have our best interests at heart is essential.

Those who believe that we are victims of our genes might be offended by the questions above, thinking it is callous to assume that somehow the afflicted may have contributed to the cause of their suffering.

These people are more likely to choose conventional care.

For cancer, surgery, chemo, and radiation to cut, poison, and burn the rogue cells with collateral damage to the rest of the body are the go-to treatments. If the patient lives beyond five years, they will be considered a cancer survivor and told that they are in remission, not cured. Fear is used to create compliance with treatment and life-long monitoring. 

Although fear can be highly effective for mobilizing action, living in fear makes one vulnerable. For those already in despair, it can be crippling.

How can we heal fully when the fight, flight, or freeze arm of the nervous system is on hyper-alert? We have to feel safe to activate the rest, digest, and recover arm of the nervous system. We don't just want to survive; we want to thrive.

In my ideal world, we treat the person, not the condition. When people open their hearts and minds, they heal themselves.

Developing mental fortitude and self-compassion are key to sustainable healing. Through the power of the mind, we can create prisons or palaces, wealth or poverty, joy or suffering.

When science becomes religion

It is difficult to get a [person] to understand something, when [their] salary depends on [them] not understanding it.

~ Upton Sinclair

While emergency medicine saves countless lives, chronic disease care is profit-driven and creates patients for life.

Seldom does modern medicine focus on the underlying cause of a disease. Through indoctrination, healthcare providers believe that we are victims of our genes and dependent on their care. Otherwise, they would ask about our thoughts, feelings, habits, and living conditions (or social determinants of health).

Optimism, a good attitude, and mental fortitude are key to sustainable healing. When we believe we played a role in the cause of our affliction, we feel empowered to fix it.

We need health advocates who can respectfully challenge medical dogma. Medical science is far from settled. Unless we question it, we maintain the status quo. 

When told they are not evidence-based, I take great pride in presenting peer-reviewed published literature for natural therapies. Mostly, it is well-received.

I'm excited about a patient-centered future of medicine, where patients partner with healthcare providers, and providers treat patients not only from a clinical perspective, but also from an emotional, mental, spiritual, and social perspective.