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| Health & Wellness |
 Dazed
& Confused - The Search For HealthBy Dr. Marie Lagault, D.C. From Acupuncture to Zootherapy, there are many treatment options to consider when it comes to improving one’s health. In Canada, we have a culturally diverse society, giving us access to a variety of healthcare options. In a large city such as Calgary, a person can have an MRI, and also seek the counsel of a Native American medicine woman, all within an hour. While this allows for more choices, it can also leave us feeling dazed and confused over what to do. Consider this exaggerated, but still quite real example: There is a woman, named Confused. Confused has a rash. It is a simple, non-threatening rash on her right shoulder. This is her story: Confused wakes up one morning with this rash. She tells her roommate, who gives her some cream from the local drug store. It doesn’t help. The next day, she tells a co-worker, who suggests a natural cream from a health store. It too doesn’t work. She makes an appointment with her medical doctor who prescribes her yet another cream. It doesn’t work. An appointment is made with the Dermatologist. In the meantime, she visits her Chiropractor, who says that it must be due to a nerve being pinched in her neck. Her neighbour swears she had the same thing last year and sends her to a Homeopath. The Homeopath says she needs some Latin-sounding remedy...the Naturopath says she is toxic...the Acupuncturist says her Chi is off...and the Dermatologist gives her more expensive cream. By now Confused is freaked out. She needs therapy. The Psychologist says it’s because of her father (the right side is the masculine side)...the Psychiatrist says she needs more Dopamine...and the Body-Centered Therapist says she has too much responsibility on her shoulders and is angry about it (the masculine thing again). All the therapists say it is because she doesn’t have enough sense of self, but the Buddhist says that it is about too much sense of self. Confused has a new name - she is now Dazed. Can you relate to this story? It may be slightly exaggerated, but I have certainly been in similar situations where I didn’t know who to believe and what to do. I have heard someone say once; “If the only tool you have is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail.” That’s the theme of the above story. Every healthcare practitioner has a philosophy, a specialty, a technique through which they view the world, and their clients. Even though the majority of them truly care about healing others, and have dedicated thousands of hours to learning, they are limited to their system. So why is it that all these different therapies and modalities work on some people, but not others? Sometimes the answer is obvious. If I have an iron deficiency, then an iron supplement should do the trick. If my arm falls off, I would like a surgeon to sew it back on. Other times though, the choice is not as clear. My past experiences taught me that unless something changes inside of me, I won’t get well. Symptoms are a way the body communicates with us. It is a way for us to know that something is not right, that something has to change. It forces us to pay attention. I can receive all the best and newest therapies, but if I don’t connect with my body, nothing will happen. If something does happen, it won’t last and the symptom will come back, or another symptom will appear. The healing modalities that have worked for me in the past were the ones that struck the right cord in me. They made me more whole, more connected. Some of them helped my symptom directly, but many of them made me look at my body and relate to it differently. They helped me to listen to what my body had to say. Sometimes I was consciously listening; sometimes it would all happen without my conscious awareness. The therapies that “worked” for me took me from a state of illness to a state of wellness. It was this shift that initiated the healing process. This little theory of mine has similarities to the placebo effect. A placebo is a drug or treatment that closely resembles the real drug/treatment, but is intended to produce no effect. It is neutral. An example would be a sugar pill. Placebos are often used in studies to test the effectiveness of the treatment. One group is given a real medication or surgery; the other group, a placebo. The funny thing is that placebos work. It has even been reported to work for people with angina! They received a “fake” surgery (were opened up, but no work was done on the heart), but had relief of symptoms. In fact, placebo is the only drug that has passed the test of time. Studies showed that 30-70% of people receiving a placebo will get better. So how does a placebo drug or procedure work? I believe that it gives us hope, and an opportunity to change the way we relate to our illness. It changes our state of mind which in turn changes the state of our body. So really, no therapy or modality, remedy or supplement can ever heal us. They are there to support us, guide us and perhaps teach us some new ways to better adapt to our lives. They provide us with the nutrients and the chemicals we need. At the end of the day, however, we are the ones doing all the healing. Next time you have a symptom, I encourage you to seek out something new. Try things out! Search for the therapy that will strike the right cord in you. Choose to be made more whole rather than just cured. Dr. Marie Legault, D.C. works in Calgary. Her specialty is called Network Spinal Analysis. Her purpose is to promote wholeness. She can be reached at 403.263.9978. |