Lifestyle–It’s a Choice
"My friend has (x disease/symptom). What do you take for that?"
Ahhh...the biggest misconception of our times! We have become so accustomed to taking a pill or syrup for whatever ails us, that we think natural medicine means taking an herb or a vitamin instead of pharmaceuticals. We see it all the time.
"Well, I really can't tell you that when I don't know your friend or haven't asked a long list of questions about his symptoms"
Then I usually go on to tell her about different treatments for "x" depending on the situation, but that he should go see a naturopathic physician near him.
It's true, there are some things we typically prescribe for certain ailments. Elderberry syrup, for instance, is great for viral sore throats and the common cold. Homeopathic medicines are prescribed based on symptoms, however "symptom" does not equal "diagnosis". For instance, you don't give "x" homeopathic for a "sore throat". But you might give "x" homepathic for a sore throat that feels raw, burning, swollen, with stitching or tearing pain on swallowing accompanied by red swollen tonsils on a child with bright red cheeks (Belladonna).
However, most diseases, especially chronic ones, are not this simple. Usually the naturopathic practitioner takes into account the whole person: their symptoms, their medical history, their family medical history, their diet and sleep patterns, stressors, and way of interacting in the world. More often than not, lifestyle plays a major role in disease. It can both cause and treat disease.
Case study: Kimberly was a 40 something female, underemployed but getting ready to open her own business. Up until this point, she had worked seasonal jobs with large gaps of unemployment every year. Finances had always been a stressor and starting a business didn't make it any better. Her spiritual practices, including meditation at very early hours of the day, helped the stress but also interupted her nighttime sleep. She had been experiencing insomnia, feelings of being faint and dizzy, and irritability that seemed to be worse with PMS. During the intake, it became clear that she was somewhat perfectionistic in her zeal to be at peace. She felt guilty when feeling anxious, irritated, or angry.
We ran a few tests, ruling out vitamin deficiencies, immune problems, and female hormonal problems. We did find that her cortisol was low during the day and high at bedtime--a pattern opposite to normal--a pattern that could be causing her faintness and insomnia.
How does lifestyle play a role? First of all, this cortisol pattern could have been caused by her daily patterns of shortened sleep, peaceful meditation in the morning, lack of work and excercise during the day, and then stressing about finances and other important issues at night. In addition, computer useage in the evening hours may have contributed to the insomnia. All in all, her adrenals (responsible for making cortisol) were not regenerating from restful sleep, were not being stimulated in the day, and were being overstimulated at night.
Her prescription: a nutritive supplement at bedtime to help breakdown cortisol, an herbal supplement in the morning to support the adrenals and jumpstart cortisol production, exercise during the morning hours, work during the day, and no computer use or work after 6 or 7 pm. No caffeine after lunch, but she could continue her one cup of tea or coffe in the morning since she really enjoyed this aspect of her day. In addition, I prescribed a flower essence that she could take when feeling irritated, anxious, or angry. The prescription was based on treating perfectionism related to the idea of spiritual bliss.
After a couple of weeks, Kimberly was falling asleep easily, sleeping through the night, and feeling more calm overall. She felt envigorated by the exercise and hopeful about her health. The drops helped calm her down when anxious. Eventhough we did prescribe two items that come in capsules and one in drops, a big part of her prescription was lifestyle change. Without lifestyle change, she would never be cured of the imbalance causing her symptoms.
Even if you feel healthy, you may already know that lifestyle is the main factor for other problems in your life: the inability to get things done, to lose weight, or to simply be the person you really want to be. What you may need is a "life coach", such as Amy Applebaum. Similar to the naturopathic practitioner, Amy takes a long time to get to understand her client before making her "prescription"--the lifestyle changes needed to get to the client where he/she wants to go. She describes it as a "bootcamp for your mind" and gives accountability to her clients to make sure the changes are implemented. Once on a consistent track of new habits, clients typically see their dreams realized.
If you think you need a life coach, you're in luck because Amy is starting a group life coaching series (Group Boot Camp) at the beginning of the year. This is more affordable than individual lifecoaching, and you can participate via phone from anywhere in the world. For more information, go to www.bootcampforyourmind.com or www.amyapplebaum.com .
