As an intuitive healer and manager of a natural health clinic, I have seen the dramatic changes alternative healing practices can have on a person’s health and life. I, myself, have made dramatic changes in my own health and well-being. You could almost say I am a poster child for alternative healing.
By the time I was 34, I had arthritis and endometriosis. I had gained quite a bit of weight and my naturally curly hair had gone straight. In short, I was in a lot of pain and I didn’t feel well most of the time. Arthritis and endometriosis are generally considered incurable diseases. If I had listened to what Western medicine had to say about my conditions, I never would have tried any alternatives. Fortunately I am blessed with a questioning mind and stubborn spirit. It was not only alternative medicine but an alternative way of looking at my body and my life that helped me regain my health.
I think we all know there are no magic bullets. My healing didn’t come from one miraculous modality or miracle cure. I used chiropractic, massage and acupuncture to realign my body and help heal old injuries. I used Applied Kinesiology for diagnostic purposes and to find out what foods and nutrients my body really wanted and needed. I used nutritional and herbal supplements to cleanse and restore function to my organs and tissues. I worked with energy healing and used meditation to address my spiritual and emotional blocks and traumas. I went after my healing on all levels.
While all those modalities and practitioners were truly godsends for me, the biggest shift in my healing really came from within. One day I experienced a paradigm shift.
I had read several times that the body completely replaces its cells every few years. That day it really struck me and I thought, "That must mean that I could replace the old unhealthy cells with new healthy ones! I should be able to make a whole new body!" Some might say that I was a bit overly enthusiastic or naive, but I felt very deeply that my health was in my control and I wasn’t a victim to my body or some outside forces. This new thought about my body gave me hope and motivation to do whatever I needed to do. And I knew that it would work. It took time and effort, but once I made that inner shift in my thinking I made huge progress on the road to health.
With this shift in beliefs came a fairly dramatic lifestyle change. I continued to use alternative healing modalities and taking the nutritional supplements that my body needed, but I also began eating organic, whole healthy foods, and drinking pure water. I chose not to eat refined sugar or red meat, drink alcohol or caffeine. I chose to surround myself with people I loved and who inspired me as often as possible and to limit my intake of the daily news and negative media. My body responded to this shift in my inner and outer life by getting healthier faster than before.
Now at the age of 44, I no longer have the arthritis, endometriosis or the extra pounds – and my curly hair came back. I look and feel ten years younger than I did at 34.
Alternative healing methods are about helping the body to restore itself to balance and thereby health. We all need to find therapies and practitioners that can help us do that. In my experience we also need a strong belief in ourselves and our ability to heal.
