Let's talk about something that is very common in the Integrative/Holistic/ Functional Medicine realm: using natural means to continue to medicate symptoms without actual treatment of the root issue.
Here are some examples of what I mean by this:
All of us know someone who's taking melatonin to help them sleep every night. Things like this seem totally normal, and healthy- right? Melatonin is naturally produced by our body, so we are inclined to feel that it is a healthy choice and we need to just "boost" our supply a bit before bed. While melatonin is a better choice than an Ambien, have we begun to consider the long-term effects of melatonin on our bodies and our ability to produce melatonin on your own?
Melatonin, when used long-term, can disrupt our body's natural production, causing it to be more difficult for us to fall asleep on our own. It can also lead to hormone imbalances- affecting estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Here's another popular self- prescription: Popping some B12 to make it through the day and boost energy supply. B12 is a much better alternative to energy drinks and coffee and is often viewed as the "healthy choice". I would argue that anything that is used to mask a greater issue, in this case- low energy and fatigue, defeats the purpose of identifying and treating the root cause of that issue. Not to mention, long-term B12 use can lead to GI issues, and can mask other underlying conditions such as anemia. *Now- this blog post is NOT meant to bash these common natural remedies, but to highlight how the reliance on them, and similar supplementation can hinder healing and understanding our bodies. The goal here is for your body to do what it was made to do and heal without the need for much intervention. To truly benefit our health in the long-term, we need to reframe our mindset from managing symptoms to optimizing the function of our bodily symptoms to work together seamlessly as a whole. How we choose to tackle these symptoms when they pop up is often an indicator of what our results will be. Will we continue to medicate the symptom to suppress the issue, or will we dig a little deeper to understand why and how it showed up in the first place?
If we choose to investigate the root issue, we can take proactive steps to heal the instigator of the symptoms, often resulting in a total resolution of the symptoms all together. So, what is our body saying, and more importantly, are we listening?
Comentários