How To Be Your Own Health & Wellness Authority
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
That's a common saying we've all heard.
We can relate this to our health.
Don't put all your faith in one authority.
Our current medical system is showing to not be supportive for our current health issues.
The system seems to be more 'advanced' however, we are more sick as a society than ever.
People are frustrated with our current medical authorities because they aren't getting any better.
They're only option is to take medication and deal with the pain.
Most people have become so reliant on the authorities that they don't trust their own judgment & intuition anymore.
I've said it before, and ill keep saying it.
Your body knows how to heal itself, and it knows what it needs to heal.
We just have to ask the right questions.
“To find health should be the object of the doctor. Anyone can find disease.” - Dr. A.T Still
I had a client who came to me for shoulder pain.
We had gone through our talk of her history and then it was time for her to get on the table for assessment.
She wasn't even on the table for more than 3 minutes and she goes "What's located down in this area?" - she was pointing to her lower abdomen.
My response was "Well there are a lot of different organs, nerves, fascia, etc. Why? Does this area bother you?"
I thought it was interesting that she asked about this area because it seemed very random. It didn't come up in our initial talk.
My intuition led me to assess this area. When I first palpated it i noticed there was A LOT of tension in this area. So much so that I would have assumed she had had some sort of an abdominal surgery in the past - it felt a lot like scar tissue. However, she didn't have a previous surgery & had no history of problems in this area.
I could tell there was something bigger going on here. I wondered if it could be connected to the shoulder pain she was feeling. So I said "I'm just going to place my hand in this area and I'm going to have you test your shoulder range of motion."
She went through the shoulder range of motion...no pain and full range of motion.
Her mind was blown - how was this area affecting her shoulders?
What my mind was blown about was the fact that she KNEW! Some part of her mind knew that this area was contributing to her shoulder problem. She asked right away once she laid down on the table.
Trust your instincts & intuition around your health.
Now the other half of the story...
I actually referred her out to her doctor because of the amount of tension in this lower abdomen area. It was raising some flags as I was doing my testing. It made me feel like there was more than just fascia tension in her abdomen.
She went to her doctor - he didn't touch her abdomen, or do any testing. Just said she was probably fine.
4-5 Months later, she came back to me. She was still having shoulder pain and I was still feeling like there was something bigger going on here. So I suggested she get a second opinion. Or if she went back to her doctor to get him to actually palpate (touch) her abdomen and even ask for imaging.
She ended up have some digestive issues so she went back to her doctor. This time she asked him to assess and palpate her abdomen because something didn't feel right.
His thoughts were that she just had some back up of her bowels and it was probably nothing. He did though send her for an ultrasound.
It wasn't her bowels.
Turns out she had multiple masses on an organ. She had to have an emergency surgery. Thankfully after testing she was told she did not have cancer.
However, this woman felt let down by the authorities.
Let down by her doctor. And she was upset that she didn't listen to her body.
That she didn't take things more serious and advocate for herself.
Your body KNOWS.
We need to start taking authority for our own health.
Our current medical system was meant to be for emergencies - and it's very good at that. However, too many people think its going to bring them health and it isn't.
That's not it's purpose.
Health is more than surviving. Sure we need it in the short term at times. But long term you have to take ownership and responsibility for your health.
This is how you will be able to catch things before they become a bigger problem.
This is how you will lead a healthy life.
People Put Too Much Trust In The Authorities
To put it frankly - the system lets people down and fails at finding real solutions for their health.
But like I said, it really wasn't made for that.
It's like getting mad that a cat that can't fly.
It can try but at the end of the day, thats not what it is supposed to do.
People then think their health is lost because the "authorities" can't find a solution.
What if you're not looking in the right place to begin with?
People think authorities know best and to 'trust the science' but we don't know what we don't know.
Science is evolving, we can only put so much reliance on it.
Our medicine covers symptoms but never truly solves the problem. It's a quick fix for one symptom while it creates another.
Again, at times this is helpful and necessary but not long term.
If you're dealing with chronic health problems & not truly finding a solution - there is a deeper problem to it.
We need to start being a participant in our health and not just taking what one person says to be true. It needs to feel right for us and actually help us.
If you're not seeing real results or feeling better, your body is telling you there is still something wrong.
You're shutting off the communication between you and your body by taking meds to cover up the symptoms.
“My philosophy is based on the principle of self-ownership. You own your life. To deny this is to imply that another person has a higher claim on your life than you do. No other person, or group of persons, owns your life nor do you own the lives of others.” - Ken Schoolland
You are powerful and can make changes for yourself.
A lot of chronic problems are lifestyle & emotional issues that go unresolved.
We don't want to make the hard decisions for ourselves.
It's time we start taking ownership for our health.
Seek out holistic therapies when it comes to finding solutions for
- injuries,
- pain,
- trauma,
- digestive issues, etc.
before you have a emergency medical situation.
I believe we should be using holistic therapies to maintain & preserve our health. That way we don't need medical intervention down the line.
How To Be Your Own Authority:
If you want to truly be healthy and happy - you need to trust your own path. You need to learn how to trust yourself.
Here are some thoughts around being your own authority to take into consideration.
1. Your subconscious knows what it needs to be healthy.
Your subconscious mind controls the physiological processes that happen involuntarily.
For example, you eat a sandwich and your body digests it without you saying "ok body, digest my food".
If you subconscious is in control of these things it also knows what isn't working.
The more in tune with your body and its feelings, the more you can start to give your body what it needs. I talk about this in my journal about interoception.
2. You have to think outside the box to find real solutions.
Thinking outside the box is really just being open minded to what could be causing your pain or symptoms.
The medical system will often offer you things (like medication) to get rid of symptoms. This doesn't really solve the problem, it more so lets you get through your day.
Like in the story I talked about above, she never really had a shoulder problem, even though thats where the pain was.
I also wrote a journal about this topic too. You can read it here.
3. Understand that no one can save you.
People can't force you to make changes for yourself. You have to want to do that.
When you look outside yourself for an authority to have all your answers for you, you're looking at them as your saviour.
It puts you in a vulnerable position. It puts you in a helpless position instead of a powerful one.
You're putting all those eggs in one basket & you might be disappointed.
I'm not saying don't look to educated people for advice. What I am saying is take what they say as that. Advice.
Play an active role in your health. Make better choices for yourself & create a healthy lifestyle.
Like I mentioned before, most chronic situations are from lifestyle & emotions stored in the body.
4. Take ownership for your health & that you got yourself in this situation.
If you really take a deeper look at your life, you can see how you got to the position you're in health wise.
Too much stress, coffee, sugar, bad relationships, etc. It all takes a toll on us but we have to be willing to face it and own it.
Life isn't perfect, never will be. But if we can't face our mistakes, we will have a hard time making changes.
You have to first recognize what isn't working before you can change it.
Take ownership for your health & find your own solutions. Do your own research & ask questions. Try different modalities to find what works and gives you long term results.
5. Look to people for guidance but not as saviours.
I mentioned this one before but it's so important.
We have to take advice and guidance with a grain of salt and not take everything so literal.
Try things out, see if it works.
I love giving people options around what to do so they can make a decision for themselves.
Find a routine that works for you. Find a therapy that works for you. Doesn't matter what it is, it matters if it works and actually helps you.
Only you will know, myself and other professionals will never know what you feel in your body. That's something only you know.
That's the power you have in helping yourself.
Benefits To Being Your Own Authority:
There are many benefits in being your own authority. Most times I see people enjoying being a part of their own growth.
They:
- Feel more in control of your life
- Have more trust in themself
- Make better decisions
- Do things that make them feel good, and
- Find real solutions not quick fixes for their health.
If you continue to look outside yourself for health answers you will be disappointed.
Putting people & professionals on a pedestal will lead to disappointment. People aren't perfect and they don't know what they don't know.
Find what works for you.
You are powerful and capable of making positive changes in your life that can change your health for the better.
You can have that control & ownership if you take it.
I hope you found this helpful or could relate to it.
Have a wonderful weekend!
All the best on your healing journey.
- Jo
If you're needing support along your health journey, here's how you can work with me.
1:1 Manual Osteopathic Treatment (in person): We will go through an assessment and treatment based on your needs & goals.
