Many people ask me-“when do you make the decision, if at all, to take Western medicine?”. This is an interesting question and a very important one. And, there is not a “one size fits all” answer. I think the answer to this question exists in the space that a person finds their threshold for fear and discomfort live. For some, it is early on in thinking about this kind of treatment which turns them to a solution which does not involve such a focus on diet and lifestyle changes, whereas for others, it may be further into treatment where they find this process does not perhaps make sense for them or it is not moving fast enough. Others may have difficulty reconciling the “funny” terms we use in Chinese medicine and a Western paradigm and find themselves gravitating to more Western based thought processes. For some, that line comes with terms like, “Strep Throat, or Sinus Infection, or Pneumonia”, and others feel comfortable with a mixing of Western and Alternative medicines for many situations that come up in their healthcare. Finally, many may consider their threshold as being life and death. That’s more my boundary that I have drawn for myself. I don’t, however, consider my line more appropraite than the line of another. I think this is almost a sacred area of a persons life that is not to be tresspassed upon by others, but must be honored and respected as each of our bodies are our own to do with what we believe is best.
The past month I have seen many examples of all of these things with those I am treating, and none of them have been extraordinary-they each have fit into these different categories that I have just described above. One patient was urinating blood, one has been fighting a tooth infection, one needed to resort to an anti-depressant, and one went to the hospital by ambulance because she thought she was going to have her airway constricted and suffocate. I have treated all of these issues with great success except for the last. The last example is one that, is clearly life and death, and, yes, I am speaking of myself. This was my line-life and death. It came over me suddenly, of course close to the middle of the night. I have never experienced such a thing. I called 911 and thought they wouldn’t get here fast enough to sabe my life. I don’t think I have ever been quite so afraid, but I was very clear to have met my line.
Very long story short, they sent me home misdiagnosed. The next day they ended up calling me and telling me I have pneumonia, which I have had before and treated in myself and others successfully over the years repeatedly. When they sent me home, I knew I would have to treat myself because they kept saying nothing was wrong and clearly I knew something was very wrong which was what brought me to the hospital in the first place. I have been treating myself this entire time and have been getting better each day. it was kind of comical because I, the Alternative practitioner went to the ER seeking Western medical care, and the Western MD turned me away saying my symptoms didn’t warrant any potential side effects of the Western meds he would use. Hmmmm- what an interesting turn of events. Anyway, it was good he turned me away. The time it took for him to misdiagnose me allowed the last set of herbs I had taken to kick in just enough to make me feel comfortable enough to fall asleep and day by day I fought the fight. It was quite severe and coninued to be very scary, but, not to the point I had reached when I dialed those three scary numbers.
Anyway, my point is, in my case, and in the case of the others I mentioned above, I don’t think any of those choices were wrong. They were simply a person reaching their point of fear, which for each of us is unique to who we are as a human being. And, that can’t be wrong.
Something to think about!
Dr.M
