Take Your Health Into Your Own Hands
“The Healing Power of Nature” is a fundamental principle in naturopathic medicine. It's a short way to say something that we all know to be true. Our bodies have an incredible capacity heal and be well. For example, we maintain many aspects of our physiology such as our pH levels, temperature, chemical concentrations within very tight parameters (this is known as homeostasis). We have an incredibly complex immune system capable of fighting off the smallest of invaders and ability to clot and heal from injury. As I often say in my office, a surgeon may sew you back together but your body then heals and closes that wound permanently.
What might be getting in the way?
Naturopathic doctors often see people who have mysterious illnesses with no specific diagnosis. Not having a reason or definition for poor health can feel scary. While having a diagnosis can certainly be comforting and helpful, one of the best aspects of being a naturopathic doctor is that by focusing on creating the best possible environment for wellness, we don't always need a diagnosis to help healing happen. Instead, we look at systems in the body for clues about what might be getting in the way of optimal functioning such as poor digestion or an abundance of stress.
My approach to wellness
Medicine, both conventional and holistic has all sorts of remedies for helping us to feel better. Pharmaceutical drugs, surgery, IV injections, acupuncture, herbal medicines, vitamins, and homeopathy are some examples. As much as I love and appreciate many of these tools, when it comes to long term solutions, (I'm not talking about acute conditions here) to me, it makes most sense to first check in to make sure our bodies have the most fundamental ingredients to be well.
Don't make your body work harder than it needs to. Remove the obstacles that get in the way of your body doing what it does best.
I am a big fan of simplicity and efficiency. As I see it, there are four key areas of wellness that we need to prioritize if we truly want long term solutions to our health. It doesn't make sense to me to pour time, money and energy into other health solutions if we are not also looking to optimize these fundamentals (you've got to eat, so eat well!).
Four fundamental ingredients for good health (in no particular order)
These are the four areas that I prioritize when thinking about giving my patients the optimal ingredients for good health.
- Good food, and the right food for your body. There are key nutrients that our bodies need to function and there are also foods and chemicals that slow us down and make our bodies work harder.
- Good quality sleep. Your body needs to be able to rest and regenerate to function well.
- Movement. Your body can not function optimally if you don't move.
- Stress management and a healthy understanding of ourselves. I've heard it said that up to 95% of all illness can be linked to stress and I believe it! For me, this category includes many aspects of our mental and spiritual well being.
Where to start to improve your wellness?
Part of my job is to help people create plans to implement strategies to improve these fundamentals. However, so often when I am sitting with a patient I find they already have an idea of practices that will improve their health such as eating more vegetables, getting started on a new exercise practice or signing up for that meditation class. If you've been contemplating improving one of these areas of your health, I encourage you to jump in, these things can make a big difference! I am here to help you with the rest. :)
Dr. Alexis Blanks is a naturopathic doctor who is clinically trained and naturally focused. She is co-owner of Flourish Naturopathic at Moss Street Healthcare Centre. Learn more at FlourishND.com.
