Medicine has limitations
Nutrition has limitations
Exercise has limitations
But, the human mind and body? Limitless.
Doctors don’t heal you. Medicines don’t heal you. Nutrition doesn’t heal you. Pranayama doesn’t heal you. Your body heals you. What heals a fractured bone that’s put in a cast? Your body again! Doctors, nutritionists, medicines, superfoods, all of this can create an environment that’s conducive to healing, but it’s your own body that does the magic.
So, while you continue to take medicines, foods apt for you, advice from your nutritionist, what are some of the things that lie in your capacity? Let’s go through some superpowers you already have so you can put them to use.
YOUR OWN ATTITUDE
Most people struggling to reach their goals have the wrong attitude. The attitude of an individual is as important (if not more) than the drug and the treatment. Yes, no one likes to be told that or hear that they lack the right attitude. But those who realize this, accept it and start to make changes, the magic begins to flow into their lives.
When someone is struck with a disease or illness, you do not throw your life and body into the hands of your doctors and healers. You must involve yourself in the process of healing. When you are not involved, you put full responsibility on your doctor or healer, you open up the doors to blame, complain, find fault, judge and all this only goes against creating a conducive environment for healing. Yes, your experts can put in their knowledge, wisdom and experience to bring you back to normalcy, but it cannot work effectively if you do not equally participate.
The worst attitudes are those of blame, complaining and ungratefulness. These attitudes poison you, rusts your soul, robs you of happiness and weighs you down like an anchor.
To have the right attitude you should also be able to have trust and faith in the team that is treating you. If you can’t feel that faith and trust, it is important you change the team that is handling your health and life. Nothing works without faith, trust and belief.
YOUR MIND
Our mind is the most powerful drug that we have, however for it to become our best asset or biggest enemy is totally under our control and that can be achieved by controlling the quality of our thoughts. Simply changing the way, you think and taking charge of what occupies your mind, can improve your physical health and well-being.
More and more studies done around holistic health today prove that human beings are more than just the physical body and that emotions, thoughts, attitudes, and spirituality play an essential role in healing. No amount of healing can occur if our mind believes otherwise. Healing starts the very moment we believe we can heal. This is why when we consult our patients, our first question to them is – Do you believe your health can improve? If they say – yes, we know the next few months are going to be successful. If they say – no, then we put in the effort to first work on their mindset.
We handle so many cases of cancer as of today, but no two cancer cases of the same type and stage respond to the treatment in a similar way. One reason could possibly be that everybody is different and unique and the second one is the mind. While some approach the disease with a positive attitude and mindset, some lose hope completely – which automatically reflects on their response to the treatment.
FORGIVENESS
Today, science proves the connection between unforgiveness and its effects on our health. Something as small as the inability or unwillingness to forgive can cause immense stress in the body and suppress our immune system.
While you can continue taking medications for anxiety and stress, none of that truly addresses a problem at an emotional level which might probably be caused due to your inability to forgive. Let go. Release all the grudging you are holding onto. You too have been forgiven by others several times. So, what is holding you back from not forgiving others? Do it for you, and see how smoothly that emotional burden lifts off your chest, and your health improves. Yes, it’s not easy, but difficult does not mean we do not try.
The list of self-healing tools is endless because there is so much an individual can do beyond their usual protocol to assist their own healing and health. It doesn’t matter if you are white, black, brown, man or woman, child or senior. It doesn’t matter if you are Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish. These powerful self-healing tools remain the same and hold the same values. You can spend a fortune on medications and treatments, but at the end of the day, it becomes our personal responsibility to participate in the process of healing and getting better. Know that you have immense power in you, which is beyond medicine to enable a healing internal environment and restore your health. Use them well.
The writer is a Holistic Lifestyle Coach – Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine and Founder of You Care – All about You.