The hardest thing about being an alternative healthcare provider isn’t that the natural methods in use for thousands of years have been replaced by drugs and surgery—although that is definitely a bitter pill to swallow (pun intended). No, the hardest part is when people tell us with complete sincerity and certainty, “I don’t believe in what you do.”
In my educated opinion, statements like this are emblematic of the corporate brainwashing that has made drugs and surgery the kings of American healthcare. It’s easy for us to laugh off these comments. “We’re not like Santa Claus,” we sometimes respond. “You don’t need to believe in what we do for it to work.” But this attitude is so prevalent in our industry that business coaches and marketing gurus explain how to shrug it off with the line, “Some will. Some won’t. So what? Who’s next!”
Chiropractors are pigeonholed into the category of treating back pain. But when we start sharing information on boosting immune health, improving digestive function, or restoring fertility…that’s when people will say they don’t believe in what we do.
No matter how many times we explain that it’s not the doctor or even the adjustment that does the healing—we are simply enabling the body to heal itself—we’re met with a shrug that implies, “I don’t get it. What about my back pain?”
The same holds true for nutritional healing—again, not for lack of history or evidence. Dr. Royal Lee established Standard Process in 1929, making what would become the most potent and specific nutritional supplements used clinically all over the world. He was propelled by the global nutritional research of Dr. Weston A. Price, who made revolutionary health observations by proving how proper nutrition affects the health of entire populations. The clinical application of nutritional healing was further advanced through Applied Kinesiology, which was developed by Dr. George Goodheart. Today, advanced techniques such as Nutrition Response Testing continue to zero-in on the best individualized approach to healing using proper nutrition.
Thankfully, nutritional healing does not carry the same baggage as chiropractic. It has not been pigeonholed into any one thing, and in fact is still a wide-open frontier. One thing that has saved nutritional healing is that it has not been corrupted by insurance company entanglements or slick marketing from outside competition.
However, for all that nutritional healing does, we still battle occasional ignorance. It’s mostly benign ignorance, with thoughts along these lines: “Quality of food doesn’t matter. It’s just calories. As long as you fill up, you’re doing better than most of the world. The cheaper, the better.”
But food, like it or not, impacts your health even more than you realize.
You don’t think food can affect your energy production? Your morning coffee strongly disagrees.
You don’t think food can move your bowels? Castor oil would love to differ.
You don’t think food can improve your immune system? You’ve just offended vitamin C-rich fruits the world over.
You don’t think food can affect your mood? That late-night tub of ice cream would love to console you.
You don’t think food can change your mental state? Alcohol says, “hold my beer.”
You don’t think your diet can affect your weight the “right way”? You obviously know it can change it the wrong way.
The reality is that nearly everything you put into your body can create a change in your physiology. Down to the smallest level, how you function is affected by what you put in your mouth.
Some of the examples listed above are obviously not the best for your health—but that’s just more evidence that all the food you eat has an impact on your health, be it positive or negative. My intention is to simply remind you that you already use food to change your body. We all do.
For your sake, I implore you to begin considering how the quality of your choices affects the outcome of your health. If you are currently experiencing a health challenge, please talk with a trained and experienced nutritional expert to make sure that this part of your healing journey is on the right track.
Image from iStock/Motortion (main), nicoletaionescu (post).
Dr. David Kolowski is a chiropractor, speaker, and author in Loveland, Colorado. His booklet The Night Before Wellness gives the Big Idea of natural healthcare to readers young and old. Dr. Kolowski describes his mission as helping people ask better questions while seeing the bigger picture. You can find him at Inside Health.
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