Today is the first day of Naturopathic Medicine Week, a celebration of naturopathic medicine across Canada.
To celebrate this week, I will be posting a short post each day to give some insight to the beauty of naturopathic medicine. If any of you, my readers, would like to share your stories about how naturopathic medicine has enhanced your lives, please feel free to message and I can compile and share these thoughts at the end of the week.
Personal power is a key attribute that my patients attain when walking through my door.
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase“don’t give your power away”. That phrase could refer to actual power and your hydro bill but most often refers to personal power.
Q: So what constitutes personal power in regard to health?
A: Education about your body that allows you to make decisions that you alone make, contributing to your overall well-being.
With respect to your health, making decisions that are individual is difficult. I love the internet however when it comes to health information, sometimes it is too much information to be helpful and very generic in nature. Truly, if sea buckthorn was the cure to all inflammation of any kind, then we should all be eating it everyday. Same with pomegranates, spinach, fresh-water fish… but how do you know if your health habits (mental, emotional, and physical) and what you have seen on Dr Oz is really the best for you? Health advice really needs to be tailored to the individual, or what you think might be best may not be having the outcome you truly want. What works for some doesn’t work for all.
Personal power is learning about your health, what your organs do, which organs or systems are your “weaknesses” and how you can interrupt that process. Heading things off at the pass… or slowing down progression. Personal power is when you are not in the office with your doctor, knowing what to do to calm your stomach, soothe your skin, handle the flu, knowing what is an emergency and what are warning signs. Linking behaviour with action in the right ways.
Naturopathic doctors help to establish personal power. Knowledge of yourself is powerful, and the sexiest and most appealing thing you can do for yourself.