Alternative healing

I have recently been stirred by the idea of delving into all alternative healing methods- studying them, asking experts about their ideas, and experiencing the benefits, of course. Among the stories of sicknesses and diseases that are all around us, and all the fear propagated by the media, we may be led to feel hopeless. The stress adds up, and it can feel like nothing is within our control. Like it’s never going to get better. Like the way out is through medication, drugs, or alcohol. But there is another way- a way that is our birthright.

Our bodies are so much more than we may imagine. We, as humans, are so much more than we may realize. There are so many modalities that offer help. The help is merely to teach us how to grasp onto the superpowers our own bodies have to offer, and then, we can do it all ourselves.

Here in Webster County, we have a wide array of natural healing options. Attending a farmer’s market, which are held on Fridays in Marshfield, can offer guidance. Several great locals there make homeopathic products and love to explain the process behind the ingredients they use. There is also an acupuncture clinic in Marshfield, which also offers other holistic treatments, including herbal and nutritional advice. There are also massage therapists and chiropractic businesses, as well as mental health counseling.

All are great starting points, but in the end, it’s the right mindset that heals the body. As has been said before, all healing is self healing. In the Bible, when those that Jesus healed thanked him, he responded, “Your faith has healed you.” It all depended on themselves! Their mindset of faith made it possible. He was just a catalyst, someone so awesome that they could believe that anything, even healing something deemed “incurable,” was possible to cure, after all.

Lucky for us, here in the Western world, we have access to the most advanced medical care in the world. If there is a bone broken, or any other emergency, we are comforted to know that a team of doctors is there to offer the best the world has to offer. It’s only when we start to rely on others for every aspect of health that we get mixed up. We are in charge of aligning the best life for ourselves every single day. No doctor can change your lifestyle, know the intuition you know, can spend as much time with you as you can, or fix anything that should be under your control. It’s up to us to take back that control, and think for ourselves.

So many traditional Eastern practices emphasize the importance of daily life practices, and paying attention to each and every thought. Why? Because it’s our thoughts that affect our whole lives, those invisible electrical signals that control how our bodies react on a cellular level. If we think relaxing thoughts, our bodies are signaled to go into the parasympathetic nervous system mode, which lets us digest and rest, and is conducive to healing. If, on the other hand, we are threatened, our sympathetic nervous system is needed, invoking the fight or flight mechanism. Here, increased blood is circulated to prepare our bodies for a scary encounter. Our breath speeds up, as well as our brain waves, and digestion, and other bodily deemed secondary to survival, are slowed down.

That’s great news, when we actually are in a survival situation. But, not so great when our brains are being told they are in survival situations too often via watching the news, being assigned tests, or performing high stress work activities. While these situations are stressful, encountering them and activating the sympathetic nervous system too often, hinders the healing effects that the parasympathetic system’s restful state can offer.

Embracing the peaceful and purposeful mindset that Eastern practices encourage, while utilizing the Western medical advantages when they’re called for, can cultivate a healthier, self-reliant lifestyle. The marriage of these styles two bring unity, just like how the two hemispheres of the brain work better together. When two seemingly opposed ideas begin to merge together, and figure out how they can coexist, and that they belong together, then it’s like the curtain that tore in two when Jesus died. The separation of man and God, which the curtain, or veil, signified, can be removed, and the divine forces are allowed to join together to offer all of their lovely assistance. Beyond the veil, all things are possible!