Whether it’s a personal journey
towards spirituality, prevention or recovery from illness, or you simply want
to “clean up” your way of living, many people are adopting a more holistic
lifestyle. While the change to a more natural lifestyle may initially
seem daunting, it is not impossible.
One of the most challenging aspects, certainly, is how to handle healthcare when the world of modern medicine no longer fits into your life’s purpose.
One of the most challenging aspects, certainly, is how to handle healthcare when the world of modern medicine no longer fits into your life’s purpose.
What exactly is holistic
living?
Living holistically is living a lifestyle that supports the mind, body, heart, and soul connection. Living in this fashion can help you to achieve balance in your life; and having that balance positively influences your health, relationships, spirituality, and finances. When balance is achieved, you become happier, healthier, and find that your life has become more fulfilling.
How do you achieve “balance”?
The path to balance is wide and varied, but often includes activities such as yoga, meditation, positive thinking, affirmations, and especially changing the way you eat.
As you adopt a more natural lifestyle, you may start by avoiding pesticide- and GMO-ridden foods, opting for organic varieties instead. Your curiosity into this new “world” may lead you to explore the numerous health benefits of the foods you’re now eating. Soon you realize that eating an organic diet can actually prevent many illnesses from ever developing in the first place.
Often when choosing to live a more natural lifestyle, people become vegetarian or vegan as well. The reasons for this choice can be many and varied. Spiritualists choose it because the death energy in the animal meat can lower their personal vibration and spiritual growth. Others choose it because they believe an animal not should be killed to be served on a plate for our consumption. By avoiding meat in your diet, you are eliminating the growth hormones which animals such as chickens and cattle are given to become “meatier” and produce more milk.
In the most basic sense, it’s about avoiding all products and choices which you consider “poisonous” to your health, personal growth and well-being.
What does modern medicine have to do with it?
When living a more natural lifestyle, an allopathic or medicinal choice becomes a thing of the past. Your focus is drawn to the prevention of illness rather than the treatment. Modern medicine focuses on treating the ailment or illness by use of prescription drugs and surgery. And this is where the challenge begins.
What do you do if you have a condition that requires a trip to the doctor? You know in your heart that the last thing you want is for the doctor to write you a prescription (one of those pesky poisons to your system) or request an X-ray (radiation exposure), or get tossed around from doctor to doctor so they can properly “remedy” the situation.
You begin to feel like you’re a pawn in the medical version of chess. You feel trapped because if you’re fortunate enough to have health insurance, naturopathic doctors are not typically covered under most insurance plans. So, in order to be financially responsible, you may feel you’re stuck seeking traditional medical care. Seeing a naturopath will mean out-of-pocket costs for you, and let’s be honest . . . in this economy that may be hard for many to afford.
Living the holistic lifestyle myself, a situation recently arose which left me in just this predicament. My doctor quickly grabbed her prescription pad and set me up with a slew of doctors for testing. I was even “offered” by one doctor a medicine that would make my condition worse AND cause me pain (which I hadn’t been feeling to begin with). Finally, in a worst case scenario, they offered me a surgical option. It left me feeling very frustrated as I tried to decide the best thing to do.
I had originally followed the traditional route because I initially felt it was the only thing to do. But I ending up choosing not to follow their advice or take any their prescriptions or suggestions. What I chose to do was about it was practice meditation, use the power of intention, and positive thinking. Instead of constantly asking myself, “Why is this happening to me?” (which focuses on the negative), I shifted gears and began focusing on healing (which is positive). And so far it’s working.
Now, of course, my choice is not for everyone. And you shouldn’t feel guilty if you need to take a step away your holistic lifestyle and seek traditional medicine. Your choices are your own and there are no rules: no right or no wrong. It’s about taking care of yourself and doing what’s best for you and your health.
Living holistically is living a lifestyle that supports the mind, body, heart, and soul connection. Living in this fashion can help you to achieve balance in your life; and having that balance positively influences your health, relationships, spirituality, and finances. When balance is achieved, you become happier, healthier, and find that your life has become more fulfilling.
How do you achieve “balance”?
The path to balance is wide and varied, but often includes activities such as yoga, meditation, positive thinking, affirmations, and especially changing the way you eat.
As you adopt a more natural lifestyle, you may start by avoiding pesticide- and GMO-ridden foods, opting for organic varieties instead. Your curiosity into this new “world” may lead you to explore the numerous health benefits of the foods you’re now eating. Soon you realize that eating an organic diet can actually prevent many illnesses from ever developing in the first place.
Often when choosing to live a more natural lifestyle, people become vegetarian or vegan as well. The reasons for this choice can be many and varied. Spiritualists choose it because the death energy in the animal meat can lower their personal vibration and spiritual growth. Others choose it because they believe an animal not should be killed to be served on a plate for our consumption. By avoiding meat in your diet, you are eliminating the growth hormones which animals such as chickens and cattle are given to become “meatier” and produce more milk.
In the most basic sense, it’s about avoiding all products and choices which you consider “poisonous” to your health, personal growth and well-being.
What does modern medicine have to do with it?
When living a more natural lifestyle, an allopathic or medicinal choice becomes a thing of the past. Your focus is drawn to the prevention of illness rather than the treatment. Modern medicine focuses on treating the ailment or illness by use of prescription drugs and surgery. And this is where the challenge begins.
What do you do if you have a condition that requires a trip to the doctor? You know in your heart that the last thing you want is for the doctor to write you a prescription (one of those pesky poisons to your system) or request an X-ray (radiation exposure), or get tossed around from doctor to doctor so they can properly “remedy” the situation.
You begin to feel like you’re a pawn in the medical version of chess. You feel trapped because if you’re fortunate enough to have health insurance, naturopathic doctors are not typically covered under most insurance plans. So, in order to be financially responsible, you may feel you’re stuck seeking traditional medical care. Seeing a naturopath will mean out-of-pocket costs for you, and let’s be honest . . . in this economy that may be hard for many to afford.
Living the holistic lifestyle myself, a situation recently arose which left me in just this predicament. My doctor quickly grabbed her prescription pad and set me up with a slew of doctors for testing. I was even “offered” by one doctor a medicine that would make my condition worse AND cause me pain (which I hadn’t been feeling to begin with). Finally, in a worst case scenario, they offered me a surgical option. It left me feeling very frustrated as I tried to decide the best thing to do.
I had originally followed the traditional route because I initially felt it was the only thing to do. But I ending up choosing not to follow their advice or take any their prescriptions or suggestions. What I chose to do was about it was practice meditation, use the power of intention, and positive thinking. Instead of constantly asking myself, “Why is this happening to me?” (which focuses on the negative), I shifted gears and began focusing on healing (which is positive). And so far it’s working.
Now, of course, my choice is not for everyone. And you shouldn’t feel guilty if you need to take a step away your holistic lifestyle and seek traditional medicine. Your choices are your own and there are no rules: no right or no wrong. It’s about taking care of yourself and doing what’s best for you and your health.
By Kristen Lee Curtis
Originally published at http://www.insidershealth.com
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