by Mary-Jane Liddicoat (published May 2011, SIWA Discovery magazine)
Did you know your thoughts can contribute to illness? Scientists have shown this in research over the past century. Doctors acknowledge it in the placebo effect.*
What does it mean for you? Simply, be aware of your thoughts when you visit a doctor, especially in countries like Korea where doctors are usually the unquestioned authority.
Think about what happens when you go to a doctor. Do they look you over and say:
Or do you loyally agree with your doctor's diagnosis and do what he/she says? Be aware that if you agree, then you may literally be telling your body to be sick.
Have you ever known someone who died almost on the exact day their doctor predicted they would? Is this outcome the clever work of modern medicine? Or is it something else? (And if modern medicine is so clever, why doesn't it create wellness instead?)
Perhaps it's something else. Consider this. When given the death sentence 'you have three months to live', your body will go into fight or flight mode, which suppresses the immune system. In other words, your thoughts (stress) will deny you the very thing your body needs to fight disease – your immune system!
So what can you do? The 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Albert Schweitzer said: "It's supposed to be a secret but I'll tell you anyway. We doctors do nothing. We only help and encourage the doctor within." Does your doctor encourage your doctor within? If not, do it yourself. Start by asking some questions. For example, from an emotional point of view:
Certainly, sometimes you may need to see a doctor. So be aware that allopathic medical training, western-style doctoring, is pharmaceutically based and includes little or no study of nutrition. It treats the mind and body as separate.
Practitioners of modern western medicine are experts at treating symptoms with drugs. They are also excellent when it comes to emergencies and accident trauma, pain management, prosthesis, and infant survivability at birth. But about chronic metabolic conditions from which we suffer increasingly? Not so much. You only need look at the rapidly rising rates of people with chronic conditions. Cancer rates today? One in three for women and one in two for men who follow western lifestyles.
So asking an allopathic doctor for a natural approach is like asking for Korean food in a French restaurant. It's simply not on the menu.
When you see any health professional, remember that their opinion represents just one point of view. Rather than simply accepting their diagnosis, ask questions. Get educated. And if it's really serious, such as “X months to live”, get a second, third, fourth, 100th opinion.
You could say “Thank you so much for your expertise. I wonder what it would take to identify the cause so I can improve my own health and prevent recurrence?” You are not saying they are wrong; you are inviting them to help you identify and rectify the cause, rather than simply accepting treatment of the symptoms.
Are you willing to become a disloyal, naughty patient? What if this saved you time, money, suffering, or even your life?
It's simply an interesting point of view, and the choice is always yours.
About the author
Mary-Jane Liddicoat is an ex-diplomat now looking at ways to create more ease, joy, prosperity and abundance in her communities. For more information visit www.conscious-living.asia and www.healthyhomes.asia. In Seoul she works in partnership with New York Wholistic Care. Mary-Jane lives between Seoul, Korea and New South Wales, Australia, with her Korean sculptor husband and their three children aged seven, six and two.
* Want to know more? Start with Dr Robert B Stone's The Secret Life of Your Cells and Dr Bruce Lipton's The Biology of Belief.
Did you know your thoughts can contribute to illness? Scientists have shown this in research over the past century. Doctors acknowledge it in the placebo effect.*
What does it mean for you? Simply, be aware of your thoughts when you visit a doctor, especially in countries like Korea where doctors are usually the unquestioned authority.
Think about what happens when you go to a doctor. Do they look you over and say:
- you have X condition, take X drug
- we don't know, we need more tests
- you have three months to live, sorry
Or do you loyally agree with your doctor's diagnosis and do what he/she says? Be aware that if you agree, then you may literally be telling your body to be sick.
Have you ever known someone who died almost on the exact day their doctor predicted they would? Is this outcome the clever work of modern medicine? Or is it something else? (And if modern medicine is so clever, why doesn't it create wellness instead?)
Perhaps it's something else. Consider this. When given the death sentence 'you have three months to live', your body will go into fight or flight mode, which suppresses the immune system. In other words, your thoughts (stress) will deny you the very thing your body needs to fight disease – your immune system!
So what can you do? The 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Albert Schweitzer said: "It's supposed to be a secret but I'll tell you anyway. We doctors do nothing. We only help and encourage the doctor within." Does your doctor encourage your doctor within? If not, do it yourself. Start by asking some questions. For example, from an emotional point of view:
- What/who am I sick and tired of? What/who is the pain in my neck/gut/side/arse/[insert other as appropriate]? What/who am I dying to get away from?
- How have I contributed to this situation/disease?
- What can I do to change this situation/disease?
- What do I love about this situation/disease? What am I refusing to acknowledge that may have contributed to my situation/illness? (Ever known someone who loved being sick, who loved playing the victim? Did they like the attention? Did they see hospitals as some kind of escape from everyday life?).
- What could I be doing differently to create a healthier body? What would it take for me not to have this disease? (Uh oh, you might actually have to do something, rather than rely on a pill for every ill...How many people love to rely on someone else to provide an 'answer'?).
- Body, what do you require? Do I need more water/rest/nutrition/exercise/kindness/ gratitude/drugs and less stress/toxins/judgement/hate? Do I need the expert advice of a doctor/chiropractor/massage therapist/fitness coach/other health professional?
Certainly, sometimes you may need to see a doctor. So be aware that allopathic medical training, western-style doctoring, is pharmaceutically based and includes little or no study of nutrition. It treats the mind and body as separate.
Practitioners of modern western medicine are experts at treating symptoms with drugs. They are also excellent when it comes to emergencies and accident trauma, pain management, prosthesis, and infant survivability at birth. But about chronic metabolic conditions from which we suffer increasingly? Not so much. You only need look at the rapidly rising rates of people with chronic conditions. Cancer rates today? One in three for women and one in two for men who follow western lifestyles.
So asking an allopathic doctor for a natural approach is like asking for Korean food in a French restaurant. It's simply not on the menu.
When you see any health professional, remember that their opinion represents just one point of view. Rather than simply accepting their diagnosis, ask questions. Get educated. And if it's really serious, such as “X months to live”, get a second, third, fourth, 100th opinion.
You could say “Thank you so much for your expertise. I wonder what it would take to identify the cause so I can improve my own health and prevent recurrence?” You are not saying they are wrong; you are inviting them to help you identify and rectify the cause, rather than simply accepting treatment of the symptoms.
Are you willing to become a disloyal, naughty patient? What if this saved you time, money, suffering, or even your life?
It's simply an interesting point of view, and the choice is always yours.
About the author
Mary-Jane Liddicoat is an ex-diplomat now looking at ways to create more ease, joy, prosperity and abundance in her communities. For more information visit www.conscious-living.asia and www.healthyhomes.asia. In Seoul she works in partnership with New York Wholistic Care. Mary-Jane lives between Seoul, Korea and New South Wales, Australia, with her Korean sculptor husband and their three children aged seven, six and two.
* Want to know more? Start with Dr Robert B Stone's The Secret Life of Your Cells and Dr Bruce Lipton's The Biology of Belief.
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