Did you know that lead and mercury were commonly used in Western Medicine at one time? A massive dose of “heroic mercury” was what killed George Washington. He had been suffering with a bad cold. This was a practice in Allopathic (“Western”) Medicine at the time. Despite this, and In just a few generations—about 100 years—our culture has generally turned to the Heroism of Allopathic Medicine to “save” us with pills and surgery. When you think about it, 100 years over the millennium of human existence is a very short time. And today, The FOURTH leading cause of death is via prescription drugs, taken AS PRESCRIBED.
ALLOPATHIC MEDICINE
In our clinic, if there’s a broken bone, a heart-attack in progress, if you are bitten by a poisonous snake—for any trauma or urgent care condition–Dr. David is likely to send you to the Emergency Room. There are other marvelous inventions in modern Western Medicine as well. Both Dr. David and his wife Deb had Lasik Surgery years ago, and it was a miracle to see without prescription aids again. Deb was considered legally blind before her surgery, and 10 years later, after a month of taking a marvelous herb, she no longer even requires reading glasses.
There is definitely a place for Western/Allopathic Medicine, sometimes by itself, sometimes as a precursor to natural healing. Sometimes in combination—otherwise called “Integrative Medicine”. However, for chronic and/or “odd” conditions, we recommend and practice Natural & Herbal Medicine because it has worked for centuries. This approach tends to be the most effective for chronic issues. Since chronic illness is what we Americans spend 75% of our health care dollars trying to solve, herbal remedies are often the best place to start. Chinese Medicine, one form of Natural Medicine, works WITH the whole body, not against it.
DID YOU KNOW?
…that 25% of prescription drugs come from plants, and 25% are modeled on plants? Most times, the synthetic drugs are stronger than a natural medicine. They may separate out parts of the plant. For example “Aspirin” comes from the natural world, but a component of the willow bark is separated out, and the resulting product can damage the stomach lining. If you consume the natural plant, you get the pain relief AND there is a tannin in the plant which protects your stomach!
HOW DRUGS WORK
Did you also know that 50% of prescription drugs are recalled within 10 years due to severe, unintended effects? Many of these recalled drugs work at the cellular level and cause damage to the mitochondria, which are the cell’s power producers. Mitochondria convert energy into forms that are usable by our cells, and the mitochondria are both intentionally and unintentionally targeted by many chemicals and drugs. For example, and this is a big statement for a medical journal (Molecular Nutrition & Food Research Journal), “All psychotropic drugs induce mitochondrial damage.” This article also discusses the importance of Antioxidants, Coenzyme Q10, L-carnitine, and Lipoic acid. See full article here: http://psychrights.org/research/Digest/NLPs/DrugsCauseMitochondrialDamage.pdf
Western/Allopathic Medicine looks at the human body as separate parts. There are times when that may be exactly what you want. Certainly when you have trauma, focusing on the injured area makes sense. However, WE CANNOT ADDRESS THE WHOLE PERSON BY LOOKING AT THE PARTS. The lesson is to bring in personal understanding of what’s going on in a person’s life, mind and body to determine how to manage the situation and get best results most effectively. It requires a conscious awareness too. I often say Natural Medicine is “a participatory sport”. For example, if you have a problem with your nervous system and you are drinking caffeine, you are over-stimulating and harming yourself. You must be conscious enough to think and notice what you are doing and how your choices are working to support or damage your health.
GOOD NEWS IN SPICE:
THE ULTIMATE HERBALISM: It’s what you put on your plate every day. A healthy diet = 70% plants!! Add in the SPICES! Cardamom seed, cinnamon, ginseng, turmeric, cloves, sage, thyme, oregano, ginger, garlic are all useful. Sage leaf for sore throat, ginger to dispel pathogens, garlic for anti-bacterial effects…and more. BE SURE TO ADD SUPER ANTIOXIDANTS TO YOUR DIET SUCH AS RAW CACAO, Ginger and Tumeric!!!! I recommend that you make a cup of herbal tea and hang out with Wikipedia for a while looking up spices and herbs and what they are “good for”. Empower yourself thru learning more about “Ecological Medicine”—Herbology. You may well be inspired to grow some of them yourself to acquire the highest quality of these foods for you and yours.
DIGGING YOUR OWN GRAVE?
If you think you might be digging your own grave with a knife and fork, you can join the ‘natural revolution’. Want more? Let us know if you want classes, or make an appointment for a consultation with Dr. David to learn how you can use that same knife and fork to improve your health.
Wishing you Balance in All Things,
Dr. David and Deb Martin
www.LotusBlossomClinic.com
(239) 277-1399