The Healing Realm

There are many definitions for medicine, but one of them is it refers to the practices and procedures used for the prevention, treatment, or relief of symptoms of a diseases or abnormal conditions. This means medicine can be energy healing, naturopathy, homeopathy, healing with herbs, Eastern Medicine and the one we are most familiar with, Western Medicine. Let’s explore the various forms of medicine.

American physician Andrew Weil, is recognized for his work in the emerging field of integrative medicine, said “I have always believed that the primary function of doctors should be to teach people how not to get sick in the first place. The word “doctor” comes from the Latin word for “teacher.”” I find this quote interesting, especially the part that says, “the primary function of doctors should be to teach people how not to get sick.” How many of you have experienced that? I haven’t, not really. Comedian Bill Maher once said, “I’m not into western medicine. That to me is a complete scare tactic.” There’s a lot of truth in that statement. Many times I left a doctor’s office afraid. Interesting, American physician, Richard Clarke Cabot says, “Every educated physician knows that most diseases are not appreciably helped by medicine.” That is an alarming statement. Are we wasting our time with medicine? Dr. Cabot is likely referring to Western Medicine which has its place. When it comes to things like motor vehicle accidents, I want western doctors putting me back together, but when it comes to dis-ease, not so much. Why you ask? Irish surgeon, Denis Parsons Burkitt once said, “Diseases can rarely be eliminated through early diagnosis or good treatment, but prevention can eliminate disease.” Rarely has a western doctor ever talked to me about prevention. In fact, they aren’t even taught how. As the article, Why Do Doctors Overtreat? For Many, It’s What They’re Trained To Do says, “medical education is built on the assumption that the more procedures or treatments doctors see and do, the more competent they’ll be when they’re independent.” The truth is, Western Medicine is failing us.

Most people are unaware that ‘Medical errors are the third leading cause of death’. In fact, Errors in Health Care are the Leading Cause of Death and Injury. That is also true in Canada as affirmed by this article  Medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in Canada. That’s alarming!

What about Eastern Medicine? The article, Western vs Eastern Medicine: Which Is Best for You? says

“Eastern medicine was developed in China over five centuries ago, and uses a comprehensive approach that emphasizes balancing energies within the body and maintaining good physical and mental health. Eastern medicine stresses preventative measures like healthy lifestyle choices through diet modifications and exercises like qigong or tai chi. One of the most prominent features of Eastern medicine is its use of natural treatments such as herbal medicines, acupuncture, cupping therapy, meditation, and massage. These therapies aim to restore the body’s balance by stimulating its self-healing abilities.”

I like the sounds of that, but practitioners of Eastern Medicine aren’t as readily available, at least here in Canada.

What about Functional Medicine? The article, What is Functional Medicine? explains Functional Medicine as “a personalized, patient-centered, science-based approach to healthcare that addresses the gaps in the conventional healthcare system. It empowers patients and practitioners to work together to identify and treat the root causes of illness, using a holistic lens that considers personal history, genes, diet, environment, and the social determinants of health. By understanding the full picture, functional medicine helps restore health and well-being.”

The article, Functional Medicine Doctors: Identifying the Root Cause of Disease describes Functional medicine doctors as using “specialized training and techniques to find the root causes of chronic illnesses. They work holistically, considering the full picture of your physical, mental, emotional, and sometimes even your spiritual health. They provide “patient-centered” care, which means they spend time learning about you, your lifestyle, your medical history, family history, and your needs in order to find a solution to your health problems that’s personalized to you.”  Now that’s talking my language, and the good news is Functional doctors are more readily available. In the Province of Alberta, there are functional doctors in the major urban centers.

What about Energy healing, Naturopathy and Homeopathy. Some of the other blogs I’ve written address Energy Healing, so I won’t get into that here. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health explains Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, as a medical system that has evolved from a combination of traditional practices and health care approaches popular in Europe during the 19th century. People visit naturopathic practitioners for various health-related purposes, including primary care, overall well-being, and treatment of illnesses. Naturopathy focuses on trusted sources, the body’s capacity to heal itself, preventing health problems, and a personal responsibility to optimize health

The American Institute of Homeopathy explains Homeopathy, or Homeopathic Medicine, as the practice of medicine that embraces a holistic, natural approach to the treatment of the sick. Its holistic because it treats the whole person rather than focusing on a diseased part or a labeled sickness. It uses remedies from natural sources, whether vegetable, mineral, or animal in nature. These practices sound very promising since they focus on the person and preventing dis-ease. I’ve used both Naturopathy and Homeopathy and both helped me.

Ever wonder how Big Pharma came to be? Well, in the early 1900’s over 50% of doctors in Canada and the US practiced a form of holistic medicine using knowledge from American Indians, the Europeans and the Chinese. That all changed when billionaire John D Rockefeller who controlled 90% of all oil in the US implemented his vision for health care. In 1900, it was discovered that petrochemicals could be used to make pharmaceutical products which Rockefeller saw as a profit making opportunity. To create a monopoly and eliminate competition, he needed to alter the view of doctors and patients who supported holistic medicine. Hence, Rockefeller began a campaign to villainize holistic medicine. He hired Andrew Carnegie to tour the US and report on his findings of hospitals and the medical community which led to the Flexner Report which recommended a complete overhaul of medicine.

Hospitals were shut down, holistic doctors were imprisoned, and millions (equating to billions today) were donated to recreate the medical system with their researchers, scientists and professionals. In 1902, The General Education Board was created with money from Rockefeller whose purpose was to wipe out any memory of holistic medicine and replace it with Pharmaceutical products. This would involve medical schools funded by him and under his control. Any university and research center that supported holistic medicine were barred from receiving funds. For more details, read How the Rockefellers eliminated natural medicine to create the modern pharmaceutical industry and watch the video John D. Rockefeller – The Destruction of Natural Herbal Medicine. The truth is, Big Pharma doesn’t want you to heal or get well. They’re in it for the money, so they want you as a life-long customer.

So, what type of medicine is best? To answer that, let’s refer to Hippocrates, often referred to as the “Father of Medicine.” He said things like, “The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well,” and “The greatest medicine of all is teaching people how not to need it.” He also said that the “Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease,” and that “Science has learned so much about diseases, but has learned very little about health.” Hippocrates furthermore said, “If you are not your own doctor, you are a fool,” and to “Leave your drugs in the chemist’s pot if you can heal the patient with food.” And it was Albert Einstein who said the, “Future medicine will be the medicine of frequencies”—like one of our services, Sound Therapy. According to Hippocrates and Albert Einstein medicine is anything but Big Pharma.