Two Pathways to Health and Healing
Pioneering doctors within the whole person healing movement have come to accept that seeming ‘miracles’ are often a direct result of the patient’s shift in consciousness. Physicians and psychological specialists report that in their experience catastrophic disease often serves as a call that patients need to examine other aspects of their life and how they had lived it prior to their illness. Those who are willing to consider the benefits of whole person healing methods provide new support for the body’s defense mechanisms. Every doctor admits that they do not heal the body…the body heals itself. The best any practitioner can hope to do is create the proper environment for that to occur.
In North American society mainstream medical practices of symptom relief and management has been at the forefront. However, it is still a relatively new modalities compared to healing systems of old.
Chinese medical practices have a far greater record of success than the modern approach of treating symptoms rather than addressing the root cause of disease. In ancient China physicians were paid to keep people well. When patients became ill…all reimbursements stopped until full health was restored. To this day Chinese doctors work with patients to restore balance and energy to the body so it can heal itself. Their approach was and still is very holistic. They teach patients the ‘art of living’ by encouraging balanced, accountable living, moderation in all things, sound nutrition, proper breathing, positive thinking and supplements only as needed. They use acupuncture as a means of creating proper energy flows within the innate life force or ‘chi’ within the body.
This is a radically different approach than the ones taken in modern medicine. This term is based upon the principle of counter-action: using medicines to impede or reverse unwanted symptoms.
The preventative and holistic approach to health and healing is like an umbrella that includes a variety of methods. Instead of masking symptoms and ignoring root causes it looks for deeper and inter-related connections. With the modern approach to intervention it is similar to seeing a red light on the dash board of a car. The mechanic chooses to sever the connecting wire and the light goes off and the driver carries on in blind faith that ‘symptom relief’ has fixed the problem. However, we all know what kinds of crisis that occur down the road. Using medication to mask the symptom may work for awhile…but eventually the problem will come back…because it never really went away. Within this approach there is no need for thoughtful, accountable choice making because temporary discomforts have been assuaged.
The significant difference within whole person healing is that there is a call to living a more aware, accountable life and considering the consequences of choice every step of the way. Whole person healing emphasizes restoration of balance in every area of life and a willingness to give up, alter or exchange detrimental life patterns for those that will lead to health within body, mind, spirit, emotional and energy fields.
