"They never told me it might do that!" she wailed - the anthem of the complacent and the compliant, who expect to be led and fed, directed, protected and shielded from consequence. It is this desire to be guided and directed which limits the freedom of natural medicine and brings with it a major and new challenge: that of being continually, personally informed and updated, and being personally responsible for the outcome of one's choice.
The world of Natural Medicine is fraught with potholes and pitfalls which are increasingly complex to navigate with the explosion of information, mis-information and dis-information "out there" and with the increasing regulation of governments globally. Simply wading through the endless treatment options and modalities already requires a serious commitment of time and not a little knowledge. The days of having one local "General Medical Practitioner" who managed all the medical needs for a family in one locality, are long gone.
I have a sore back. Should I consult an osteopath, a Feldenkrais practitioner, an acupuncturist, a sports massage therapist, a Bowen practitioner, a physiotherapist, a chiropractor or take a yoga class? How do I even begin to make that natural medicine choice?
Increasingly insurances, regulations and certification requirements require registered natural medicine practitioners to "keep up" in order to legally practice, and the cost of this constant professional education, accreditation and consumer protection is ultimately borne by the consumer. In the western world, a single natural medicine consultation might now cost somewhere in the order of $120-$200. As people feel pressured financially and unable to commit to regular consultations with the legal registered practitioners, natural medicine has largely become the domain of self diagnosis and self treatment.
In my Thai natural products business, Pure Thai Naturals I am restricted legally in what I may or may not say about a traditional herbal product. I MAY NOT claim that Phlai (a type of chinese yellow ginger) reduces inflammation or relieves muscle pain. Why? Because legally that is a medical claim for a product, at which point I have to go through expensive and very time consuming government process of PROVING THAT with dedicated clinical research, before having it registered as a therapeutic or medical product. So what do I do? I simply list all the ingredients on the pack. I explain on the packaging that traditionally phlai has been used for inflammation and muscle soreness. And then elsewhere (but removed from the point of sale for legal reasons) I also cheerfully blog about the natural medicine benefits of Phlai and quote other independent studies and medical research. And how useful it might be for muscle strains and back pain.
The person seeking the natural medicine for their sore back needs to be COMMITTED to a personal information, learning, study, research and discovery process. To knowing enough about the various modalities, their strengths and their weaknesses to even be able to CHOOSE a natural medicine practitioner. To being able to select the right form of a product for their needs, and knowing where to look to join the dots and piece together the information which is deliberately scattered and fragmented and nearly always NOT at the point of sale.
Let's say you are magnesium deficient (at least your careful observation of yourself and your symptoms suggests that). What kind of magnesium should you take? Should you use magnesium citrate or magnesium malate? Is magnesium sulfate the best form for your stiff and sore back muscles? Is oral use the best idea, or would the magnesium chloride spray be better absorbed and more bioavailable? The person at the pharmacy, the health food store or the owner of the online store is not legally able to tell you nor advise you. Your osteopath probably knows little about magnesium and back pain; likewise the acupuncturist. So who to ask and how to decide??
The freedom of Natural Medicine demands a willingness to read, study, learn and discover.
What if it goes wrong and you make a poor judgement call? Turns out the chiropractor didn't ask about your diet, nor did she ask about your sleeplessness and irritation. The muscle spasms in your back continue (since you are still acutely magnesium deficient) and you are seriously out of pocket after x3 chiropractic sessions at $100 each. Our led-fed-guided-protected culture wants to BLAME someone, and thus we can be drawn into accusations of unprofessionalism, or (if we are feeling mean spirited) resort to giving bad online reviews. When simply the self-diagnosis and personal choice of practitioner was not optimal or suitable. WE are to blame here.
Personal responsibility can lead to you making yourself quite ill. I was testing a treatment for Dengue Fever on myself some years ago now, and had quite high fever for many days. Having read extensively, I prepared and consumed a broth made from the leaves of the red sweet potato. An excellent treatment to shorten the fever intensity and duration and to fight the virus!! Encouraged after modest consumption the first day, I drank about 4 cups of this broth the second day (cos more is good, right, if it's working?) only to start feeling VERY VERY ODD, very quickly. Turns out that this remedy (after much more reading) disturbs pancreatic function and blood sugar levels and can induce diabetic coma. Now I'm NOT diabetic, but I got a first hand taste of it from being seriously unwell from disturbed blood sugar levels. Luckily easily fixed by rethinking dosage.
Not everything turns out so well. An Australian man was two weeks from death and needed an emergency liver transplant after taking a protein powder containing green tea extract and a supplement with garcinia cambogia — a tropical fruit used in weight-loss supplements. An intriguing case - you can read more here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-14/man-faced-death-after-taking-popular-weight-loss-product/7162378
The more governments try to regulate, protect and close down natural medicine products, the MORE this lifelong learning aspect of natural medicine freedom raises its head. Yes, it IS frustrating that there is so much contradiction. Yes, it IS enormously time consuming. Yes, it IS frustrating when several remedies or treatments don't appear to work. But diligence, study, learning and personal responsibility with natural medicine lead to the ULTIMATE FREEDOM: the personal choice to be free from damaging & toxic side effects from Big Pharma's so-called medicines, and the choice to not be enslaved to exorbitant medical cost structures which enrich governments and pharmaceutical companies whilst impoverishing the communities they claim to serve.
Life Long Learning and Personal Responsibility are intrinsic to the evolving natural medicine paradigm. With great freedom comes great responsibility.
I'm delighted to be part of this growing and vibrant Natural Medicine community on the steem blockchain. Delighted to learn and share my knowledge, and thrilled to be part of the paradigm shift back towards sensible, effective, natural health care.
BlissednBlessed
Please check out my natural Thai herbal business:
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