With 8 weeks remaining until Christmas Day, it means that 2013 is quickly coming to an end. As I reflect on my life this year in clinic where I have partnered and supported a range of individuals on their unique health journeys and I combine this with my own personal experiences & learnings in this world, an important theme has blossomed.
Life is precious. Life can change at any time with and without warning. Health & happiness is an important life goal, often ignored.
In listening to the stories of many people as they share their life and health journeys with me in our naturopathic consultations, it is clear that our bodies speak to us via signs, symptoms, mood and more. Often the language of our bodies which speaks volumes to let us know that all is not ok – is ignored. Often the messages from our bodies get louder and louder if we ignore them. Exhaustion, anxiety, gut issues, skin issues, autoimmune flares, weight gain, sleep disturbances, low mood and the list goes on.
I often say to my clients that our bodies give us warning signs that ultimately, things are out of balance. Sadly, I see individuals who have ignored these signs and waited mostly because of fear. Fear of what might come from talking with their GP and going for specialist checks. Skin cancer checks, mammograms, pelvic ultrasounds, pap smears, gut pain assessments via colonoscopies or endoscopies, bowel cancer stool tests, blood tests to understand cholesterol and blood glucose levels better.
Other times, there is no warning. Often breast cancer or cervical cancer sufferers have no warning whatsoever and a heart attack is often the first symptom of cardiovascular issues. For this reason, preventative testing is critical and then survival rates are greatly improved.
As a naturopath whilst I treat conditions naturally including working with oncology patients undergoing various conventional therapies, it is important that I know what I am treating so that treatment strategies can be strategic and worthwhile.
Obviously, a huge part of my role is in preventative health support through lifestyle, dietary strategies, herbs and more. However early diagnosis of most diseases or high-risk test results picked up early means that there is a lot of room to make a valuable difference to disease progression and ultimately Health & happiness.
I often guide my clients to take the next step in testing when they are afraid or refer them to one of the wonderful mental health practitioners in my clinic so that fear of the unknown is supported wholistically and they can take empowering steps towards health, physically and emotionally.
Natural medicines are beautiful, and I have a passion for the plant kingdom that is tough to describe. Making a difference to clients at every stage of their life journey is a responsibility that I take seriously. This encompasses not only a high level of research in developing unique health treatment plans for my clients but a duty of care to ensure that proper testing is done to support long term health.
It is true that as a naturopath I use a variety of tests and laboratories for specialist testing myself however I also work closely with and refer my clients to GP’s and highlight the possible need for specialists & testing in my commitment to “Identifying and treating the cause” and “Prevention is the best cure”.
Your see, the practice of Naturopathic Medicine emerges from six underlying principles of healing based on the observation of the nature of health and disease, and they are as follows:
The Healing Power of Nature
Identify and Treat the Cause, not only the symptom
First, Do No Harm
Treat the Whole Person, not simply their disease.
Education
Prevention is the Best “Cure”
With this in mind, this blog is a reminder to us all that life really is precious. I have had people close to me be diagnosed with various cancers including breast, prostate, and skin, unruptured aneurysms and more and early detection was a key reason for their healthy state today. Putting in place powerful holistic heath and wellness goals then becomes a priority.
Many of my clients have confirmed with me that facing their fear around symptoms and doing what needs to be done to exclude or include health conditions is an enormously empowering experience and then they are able to happily focus on optimal health with some wonderful life wellbeing goals in place.
Are you at an age where your risk for disease is higher or do you have symptoms that need more attention? I hope this blog provides you with some support and empowerment to take the next step for peace of mind as life truly is precious.
Please reach out for support either by a fact-finding call or initial naturopathic consultation via my website here or email me on [email protected]
