Just Give Me a Pill!

Do you want to take a pill to fix your heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, migraines, insomnia, or even your problem with weight? If you are like most people, you answer yes to that question (even if you won’t admit to yourself). Heck, who wouldn’t? A pill solution to health problems is a tantalizing and attractive proposition. The problem, though, with many pill-solutions (both natural and pharmacological) is that they are not real solutions, only temporary bandages that only cover up the problem rather than truly helping.

Whether you know it or not, you are under the influence of a system of medicine that supports a pill philosophy and is deeply ingrained in all of us. Even if you are in to natural medicine, you are still take this medical philosophy with you on your trip to the naturopath, acupuncturist, chiropractor, or your trip to the vitamin section of a store.

Sound Familiar?

What is the standard medical philosophy? It goes something like this: you have an illness, you go to the doctor, and she then prescribes you something for that ailment. Sounds pretty straight forward. This medial philosophy can be summed up like this: Disease – Diagnosis – Dispense (You have a Disease, you get a Diagnosis and then a pill is Dispensed). We are so used to this notion or way of doing things that it is natural we would transfer this to our health practitioners and trips to the health food store. But I’d like to tell you that true health is not that simple and that there is another way of doing things that is not Disease – Diagnosis – Dispense.

Here is the little secret no one in the natural community will tell you: natural medicine is generally not as strong as pharmacological medicine. That may be heresy to some of you, but it is true: Most drugs are much stronger that most natural supplements.

For my way of thinking, that is actually a good thing: stronger medicines are much more likely to do you harm than medicines that act more subtlety. And there is another point: Natural medicine is much more powerful than pharmacological medicine, first because it is a more complete medicine (instead of a single chemical molecule) and, second, most natural medicines work to support your body in healing itself instead of taking over the control of your body.

The key to taking natural medicine and making them more powerful than standard medicine is that you have to take them the right way. What is the right way to take natural medicine? Let’s take a look.

How about a New Way of Thinking?

Here is what you have to understand about you and your health. There is not a pill in the world (natural or otherwise) that can do anything to improve your health more than the choices you make every day. The most powerful health-promoting “pills” in the world are actually what you eat, what you think, how well you sleep, and how much you exercise.

If you are looking to just make your symptoms go away, then just take a pill; but if you are looking for true health, then you are going to have to put in some sort of effort. Eating better, getting enough sleep, and exercising are what put your body in an ideal state to heal itself. There is an incredible self-healing machine inside your body and all you need to do is feed that machine and your body will correct itself. This is much more complex than Disease – Diagnosis – Dispense and takes much more of your time, but this is the way to true health.

The Right Way to Take Natural Medicine

Natural medicines are powerful when you combine them with improving your general health. It takes personal responsibility on your part, but the results are well with it.

There are times when we all need to grab a pill to help us through a difficult time. This is like using a crutch when you have a sprained foot; of course you are going to use the crutch. But no one is going to suggest that you use that crutch for the rest of your life when all you have a sprained foot. You diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, migraines, insomnia and other health issues are the same. If you want real change and the chance to live longer, feel better, and get the most out of your life, take the time to learn and feed your body what it needs.