Medicine
When asked about medicine, the first thing a typical person thinks of is drugs, be it pills, intravenous fluids, topical ointments, or some other sort of magical germ fighting agent that is introduced to the body. While most ailments can be cured with one of the aforementioned methods, the use and practice of medicine is a much broader and intricate web involving various types of treatments. Some methods are a tad more exotic than others, but medicine as a whole is more or less a leap of faith both for doctors and patients. The question isn’t necessarily which medicine to take, but how to improve the overall health of an individual.
New age medicine is deemed by many to be a silly hoax, a way for hippies to make money preaching the benefits of weekly acupuncture whilst breathing incense smoke. Although there may be some truth to the skepticism, scientists and doctors have proven just how valuable faith can be to the healing process. This faith refers not only to faith in a higher power, but also to the faith one carries within him or herself, faith in the strength of mind over matter, wellness over sickness.
Strength of mind is just as essential to the practice of medicine as are the drugs people take. For example, the Cancer Treatment Centers of America use many different types of new age “faith” medicine when treating cancer patients. Some of these methods include acupuncture, chiropractic care, image enhancement, mind-body medicine, naturopathic medicine, and spiritual support. While the first two are common physical alternatives used by the general population, the last four are almost entirely mental, and probably not used nearly enough.
Image enhancement, in short, is a way to promote self-esteem and good body image amongst patients. When a person feels good about the way he or she looks, that person will generally feel more confident. Those happy feelings branch out into other aspects of the consciousness, improving overall health. No one looks good when afflicted with illness, so why is image enhancement therapy not more commonly used in everyday medicine?
Mind-body medicine is similar to image enhancement therapy. Mind-body medicine charges the patient with projecting images of well-being and wholeness. The idea is that if the mind is sound and balanced, then the body should follow suit. If a person believes that he or she is getting better that person might actually get better. Thinking positively has profound impacts on the wellness of an individual.
Naturopathic medicine encompasses the body, mind and environment. In a healthy environment, with a healthy mindset, eating healthy, wholesome foods, a person will feel healthier overall. In taking in the pure environment, the natural flow of life, a person connects to his or her humanity, and, in doing so, can begin the path to wellness.
Another method of non-drug related medicine is spiritual support. Believing in the divine, a benevolent being to love, who provides shelter and peace, is a good way of easing the mind while struggling with illness. Praying for healing and release from pain can be soothing, and may actually help one’s outlook on life.
All these methods focus on positive thinking. The ability of a person to heal oneself resides in the individual. If one is strong of mind and heart, then one can become strong of body. There’s no harm in thinking positively as a way of finding peace, so why would anyone restrict oneself to physical drugs?