Learning to see the forest despite the trees.
My dad was a physician before he retired earlier this year. He’s always been the first person I call if I come down with a cold or feel like I’m exhibiting some sort of symptoms that I’m unsure about. My dad is the best.
I grew up with the mindset that doctors always know what they’re doing and they’re pretty much always right. And if they by chance are incorrect or make an error, it’s still better than any one else’s best efforts. Even the idea of getting “a second opinion” seems uncommon and cumbersome. But when it comes to health, we should all be doing our due diligence. Hedging our bets. Making the most informed decision possible. Right?
About two years ago I realized something. I was outsourcing my health. I’d run around doing whatever I wanted, eating whatever I wanted, exercising twice a year (on a good year)… And if something were to negatively effect my body, I’d rely on doctors and specialists to figure things out with very little input from me. Pure naive bliss. That all changed when I started seeing a chiropractor. It took several years of being exposed to it before I felt comfortable seeing someone. A chiropractic friend of mine referred someone to me and receiving care was the best decision I’ve ever made for my wellness.
My chiropractor prescribed me a care plan and I took it very seriously. And at the end, it blew me away that my body responded favorably to it. I felt more satisfied from these results than I did after any of the braces I wore as a teenager. The greatest blessing of it all was that I, for the first time that I can recall, felt “straight”. I’m sure there were still obvious signs (to the trained eye) of my curvatures, but what matters is how I feel and I felt great.
This shifted my entire view of personal healthcare. I felt empowered, I felt in charge, I felt like I was in the driver’s seat and I now understood that it’s not a matter of neglecting my health and expecting someone else to pick up the pieces; just the opposite. I should be proactive about my wellness. It’s my body. I was gifted with it. It is my responsibility to take care of it.
The most common form of scoliosis – and the form I have – is idiopathic, which means there is no known cause. I found this information less than helpful. I blindly followed advice from my orthopedic surgeon. He was amazing at what he did. He took very good care of me. As I have grown into adulthood, I am able to see where I fell short. My surgeon did his part, but I didn’t do mine. I figured, he was the expert, he knows best. I didn’t realize that the other expert on me is me.
It’s an ongoing process, but I am learning to listen to my body and interpret what it is trying to tell me. There was a book a friend of mine had referred to me. I checked it out, and it was quite a bit over my head spiritually, but there was one part of it that really spoke to me:
Only the mind can create because spirit has already been created, and the body is a learning device for the mind. Learning devices are not lessons in themselves. Their purpose is merely to facilitate learning.
I liked that a lot. The body doesn’t teach us lessons, but rather facilitates our own learning and understanding. My hope is that instead of focusing on scoliosis independent of the rest of the body, that we begin to see it as a vehicle in which the body communicates. I believe we each should take ownership of this. I finally realized, I am an expert on my body. Though someone else has the title of Primary Care Provider, I need to be my own primary care provider by being in tune with myself and playing an active role in my health.
Disclaimer: the intention here is not to discredit professional medical care. I am not in the field of medicine, and these are my own thoughts that I wanted to share based on my experiences. Please discuss all health related decisions with your physician.
