Got a headache? Take some paracetamol. Feeling blue? Try an antidepressant. We live in a society that believes in a pill for every ill. We expect quick and easy results because we’ve been conditioned to believe that this is normal and achievable. My experience has shown me that this is both unrealistic and potentially harmful.
I’m not anti-medication. I have seen the benefits that medication can have in helping people live more fulfilled and productive lives. My concern is that their use has become too heavy handed. I feel that at the point at which people present to their Doctor with illness, there should be a greater emphasis, encouragement and support to make nutrition and lifestyle changes in order to halt and possibly reverse progression of the disease.
I see symptoms as messages from the body that something is off balance. Our impulse has been to eradicate these symptoms at any cost and so that we can carry on with our busy lives with minimal disruption. Instead, we could see the onset of symptoms as a signal to turn our attention towards our health and make the necessary changes to bring our bodies back to a state of optimal health, instead of just masking symptoms with pills.
This approach usually takes more time and asks us to practice patience. However, the pay offs are potentially life changing. By tapping in to the bodies innate capacity for healing, we can arrive at a state of health far beyond what we could have initially imagined.
