But First, We Must Fix The Food.

If I asked you what are the top reasons people go to see their GP, what would you guess?

Modern medicine has certainly changed the way of this world, and in no doubt has saved countless lives that would have once been lost, however, it is my view that modern medicine, should probably be called emergency medicine.  Say you have a car accident, you would want a surgeon, not a Chinese herbalist, you have a terrible infection, yes you want those life saving antibiotics, your baby is born prematurely and needs special care, you want the help of modern medicine to keep your baby alive.  Modern medicine, emergency medicine has it's rightful and much needed place in the world, there is no questioning that. 

But if we are to look at the main reasons the general public go see their GP, here are the top reasons.

1.       Skin issues

2.       Joint issues

3.       Back pain

Followed by cholesterol problems, mental disorders, blood pressure issues, respiratory viruses, headaches/migraines, and diabetes. If we looked at these ailments and tried to find a common denominator, we could assume that inflammation is very likely a major driver of these health concerns.  (2)

"We tend to forget that chronic inflammation, is our bodies way of signalling that something is off, something is out of balance, something is not right"

Our skin is inflamed, our joints are inflamed, our backs are inflamed. We go to the doctor looking for solutions, a quick fix, to relieve our suffering, which is understandable, when we are suffering all we want is a fast resolution so we can get back to our life as normal.  However, we tend to forget that this chronic inflammation, is our bodies way of signalling that something is off, something is out of balance, something is not right.  Yet, we often ignore these alarm bells and mask them with a band aid.  What ends up often happening is we become reliant on these quick fixes, that are not really meant for long term use. For example, as a personal sufferer of eczema, without getting to the root cause of why you have these skin conditions, you will most likely end up in cycle of steroids, healing, flare up, repeat.

The thing about inflammation is, it is not generally harmful unless it becomes chronic.  Acute inflammation is our bodies defence mechanism.  When we are injured or suffering from an illness our bodies go into defence mode and inflammation is used as a healing tool. Signs of acute inflammation are things such as redness, pain and swelling. However, when inflammation doesn’t resolve, what we end up with what is called chronic inflammation, and it is a contributing factor to half the deaths worldwide.(1)

So why are we all so inflamed? Chronic illness seems to be a new age thing, and we only need to go back as far back as our grandparents to see, we were never this chronically ill, not in the rates that we are seeing today. (3) We have managed to significantly lower rates of infectious disease but chronic disease has stepped in and taken its place. But why? What has changed? There truly are many reasons and things that have changed in such a short period of time, but a couple of big players, I believe, are what we are putting into our mouths daily, and our increasing exposure to environmental toxins.

If we are to start reducing the rates of these chronic illnesses we must start looking within, and become proactive instead of reactive. We need to ask ourselves these kinds of questions, and answer them honestly.

1.       How is my gut health? Have I had alot of antibiotics in my lifetime?

2.       Am I eating real whole organic foods?

3.       Am I eating too much processed foods, to many deep fried foods?

4.       Am I moving my body enough?

5.       Is my drinking water clean and filtered?

6.       Am I drinking too much alcohol?

7.       Am I consuming to much sugar?

This list is really just the tip of the iceberg when we start reflecting on our daily choices. It simply gives us a starting point. If we as a society are to heal, to stop relying on pharmaceuticals, and live our best lives, we have to be honest with ourselves and question, are the choices I am making daily, contributing to my conditions?  What changes can I make to help my body heal and get back to living an optimal life. 

Modern medicine is wonderful but in many ways it is a reactive form of medicine, there to help when we already have an illness. I like to practise healing and maintaining your health and wellbeing from a preventative perspective. Teaching you to take care of your body, remember it is precious, and it is the only one you will ever get. Treat it right, fuel it well. And before we go looking for magic pills to heal us, we must first fix the food.

'The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will instruct his patients in care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease." Thomas Edison.

Emily

 

References

1. National Institute of Envionmental Health Sciences. Inflammation (nih.gov)

2. Mayo Clinic. Top List of Reasons People Go To the Doctor - Mayo Clinic News Network. By Dana Sparks. January 16, 2013

3. National Library of Medicine. Feb 2019. The Age of Chronic and Late Chronic Diseases - PMC (nih.gov)The Age of Chronic and Late Chronic Diseases. Yun-Chul Hong