Making the Most of Preventive Medicine by Janice Balla During consultation with the people who come to me for care, I usually ask what sorts of things they've tried on their own to find relief. I have, in the course of my professional experience, listened to a long list of therapies - mainstream and alternative alike - that have failed to provide whatever solution the user was hoping to find. In many cases, it wasn't that the treatment itself was ineffective, rather that the treatment was not adequately administered, was not appropriate for the original problem, or simply wasn't done to the degree necessary to create a positive change. Our approach to healthcare, our approach to our very selves, and our philosophy about the processes of health and disease have a greater influence on our response to treatment than does the type of treatment we receive. Our current thinking on health and healthcare has been completely formed by allopathic (Western) medical practice. When we hear "fever," we think of acetaminophen. When we hear "upset stomach," we think of antacids. Mention diabetes, and insulin is the first word in most people's minds. We have, at this point in time, a virtual armory of medications against every conceivable physical sensation we might experience. We have come to equate a lack of bodily sensations as being "healthy" and the presence of bodily sensations as "sick." Our current health attitudes and practices allow us to pursue a physically detrimental lifestyle beyond the normal point of physical breakdown and well into the point of no return. Take the idea of hypertension. We've all heard about how people with high blood pressure are at greater risk for heart disease, atherosclerosis, or stroke. We know that if you go to your doctor and have your blood pressure taken, and it's above a certain rate considered normal, you'll be given a prescription for anti-hypertensive drugs that you will be expected to take for the rest of your life. Did anyone stop in this diagnostic process and ask "Why has the body elevated the blood pressure to such a high degree?" Obviously the body, in trying to keep you as healthy as possible, thinks it's necessary for you to have high blood pressure. We will, however, attempt to counteract that physiological process without ever stopping to consider that we may be causing more long-term damage by subverting one of our body's own protective mechanisms. Dr. Batmanghelidj discusses the role of adequate water intake in the prevention of hypertension in his book Your Body's Many Cries for Water. Our body will automatically decrease the lumen, or diameter of our blood vessels, in an effort to keep a consistent blood volume in circulation. As we become dehydrated, our blood volume drops (water is basically the substance in which our red and white blood cells float). To compensate for a decrease in blood volume, the blood vessels constrict, creating an elevated blood pressure reading. An increase in blood pressure is actually one of our body's regulatory mechanisms to ensure that our vital organs, especially the brain, continue to receive adequate blood flow. The difficulty we are currently experiencing in preventive healthcare is caused by our own tendency to take these new forms of treatment and apply them following old medical lines of thought. In order for natural and alternative therapies to be effective, and by effective I mean to restore true health, they must be utilized with an entirely different consciousness. Following are what I consider to be the four most critical factors for the effective utilization of natural remedies. These are by no means all-inclusive, but will assist each of us in avoiding some of the major pitfalls in providing and receiving treatment. 1. The body must be regarded with unconditional respect. Most of us feel a positive connection with our physical body when we're feeling good, but as soon as something becomes uncomfortable, our body becomes "the great betrayer." We have a tendency to view anything that happens to us physically as "wrong." It's uncomfortable, an inconvenience; it's disrupting our day, week, or month. All we want is to get rid of it, to manipulate whatever's happening in our body without trying to understand why it's happening. What should be seen as an indicator of an existing imbalance, a sort of a warning light, is taped over and forgotten. There is more to the practice of alternative or preventive medicine than the substitution of "natural" pills for "synthetic." From one moment to the next, our body is continually trying to adapt, in the most beneficial way possible, to its internal and external environment. This capability is called a "homeostatic mechanism." It means that, providing a few basic conditions are met, our body will be able to heal itself. What we label symptoms are actually our body's signals that we are experiencing some sort of imbalance that our system is currently unable to self-correct. This is when we we're actually called to do something. We will either suppress the symptom with medications or take some time to figure out what is needed to actually restore health. It makes no difference whether we suppress the symptom with a synthetic painkiller or an herbal one; the end result is the same. The signal is extinguished, and the imbalance is allowed to persist. Our steadfast refusal to heed our own body's signals may be the precursor to our future crisis. There is more to the practice of alternative or preventive medicine than the substitution of "natural" pills for "synthetic." 2. Treatments are most effective when they are matched to the type of conditions they are treating. In complementary and alternative therapy, there are a wide variety of treatment modalities. For simplicity's sake, they may be broken down into three broad groups: structural, metabolic, and energetic. Structural work includes such modalities as chiropractic, massage and other forms of bodywork. Metabolic therapies include nutritional therapy, herbology, vitamin and mineral supplementation, and aromatherapy. Energetic modalities include homeopathy, acupuncture, Reiki, hypnotherapy, SHEN, and polarity therapy. Understanding that changes on a physical level affect and influence changes on metabolic and energetic levels and vice versa, we can see that all therapies will affect each of the other levels to some degree. However, there are certain types of therapy more appropriate for certain situations than others. Structural therapy is generally most efficacious in the treatment of structural problems, metabolic therapy for metabolic problems, and energetic therapy for energetic imbalances. Obviously, there can be a good deal of crossover on each of the levels, and that is where a little common sense comes into play. A good rule of thumb is to consider how the problem developed. If you're currently experiencing a structural difficulty (for example, pain in your hip) because you fell down, then a structural approach would be indicated. If you're having structural pains because you've created a metabolic imbalance (you have a headache because you had too much wine the night before), then a metabolic approach would be more appropriate. What I see frequently in my office are individuals attempting to create structural changes with energetic or metabolic techniques, which is not to say that it can't happen, only that it takes significantly longer. Depending upon the type of imbalance being experienced, there is an appropriate therapeutic approach. 3. Most therapy needs to proceed from the macro level to the micro. The macro level would be represented by the larger or more predominant issues influencing a person's life, and the micro would be found in the smaller details. An example can be seen in considering the concept of dietary or nutritional therapy. The macro level is the quantity, quality, and composition of the food that is eaten every day. The micro level is the supplementation that a person takes in the form of vitamins, minerals, and herbal preparations. There is no amount of food supplements that can be taken to offset the effects of an imbalanced diet. Attempting to rebalance nutritional deficiencies with supplements, without considering the content of the day-to-day diet, is futile. Similarly, many forms of bodywork begin treatment by releasing the large postural distortions before focusing on specific restrictions. The point is to attempt to clear the greatest amount of imbalance or disturbance first and save the fine tuning until that is accomplished. In an ideal healing situation, we would be sensitive to our body's signals and a few simple changes would correct the imbalance permanently. This concept is another area that may lead to some crossover among the three main therapeutic groups. Energetic blocks (micro) may often be seated in a structural obstruction (macro), whether it be articular, myofascial, or visceral. Release of the structural obstructions can facilitate a more rapid response to subsequent energetic work. Many people who have been micro-managing their health without positive effect finally find what they're looking for when they become willing to address the macro issues. 4. Treatment must be timely. Natural and alternative therapies are mild; it's what makes most of them so safe. However, their mildness also means that they usually take longer to have a noticeable effect. That means treatment must be started while the imbalance is still small. In an ideal healing situation, we would be sensitive to our body's signals and a few simple changes would correct the imbalance permanently. My own studies in herbal medicine taught me a very simple formula: the quicker the action, the shorter the effect; the longer the action, the more permanent the effect. An aspirin takes effect in thirty minutes and lasts four to six hours. Feverfew will need to be taken twice a day for several days before a noticeable change is detected, but the improvement will last much longer. If the condition becomes more advanced, more aggressive treatments are required. Our medical system has specialized in this type of end-stage care. End-stage means "The End." Our hospitals pull people back from the brink of death daily. They utilize the most harsh and invasive of measures: open heart surgery, chemotherapy, organ transplants. Once a condition advances this far, there is no alternative. The simpler the imbalance, the easier it is to correct. The more imbedded the imbalance, the more treatment will be required, either in length of treatment or in aggressiveness. Hopefully, most of us will realize the importance of preventive health care early on and look after our health challenges while they are still small and easily treated with conservative measures. Dr. Janice Balla is a chiropractic physician and practices in Lynnwood. She specializes in the treatment of acute musculoskeletal injury and chronic pain conditions. If you are interested in finding out if she may be able to help your condition, mention this article and receive a no-cost/no-obligation examination. Call (425) 771-2048.