Blending Natural and Conventional Healthcare

Some people are a little wary or nervous about exploring natural health treatments because they’re afraid they will have to go “all in,” leaving behind any conventional treatments.

While some people do choose that route, many people using one or more natural methods also see a conventional doctor, and vice versa.

Natural health is about options. There usually is more than one way to treat or prevent a health problem. And some treatments are better for certain conditions. If you break your arm, for example, you should probably go to a conventional doctor to set the bone and get a cast. If you’re having a heart attack, don’t call your chiropractor, go to the emergency room!

But if you have chronic pain or issues that your regular doctor hasn’t been able to fix, or a combination of issues that might be symptoms of a deeper problem, talk to a naturopath or functional medicine specialist.

Take Heather, for example. She has high blood pressure, high cholesterol, digestive issues, and anxiety. She doesn’t want to take a statin for her cholesterol, but she’s taking prescription drugs to control her anxiety and blood pressure. She used to be on acid reducers for her digestive issues, but after a while they just seemed to make the problem worse.

Heather is very happy with her anxiety treatment, but she would like to explore natural treatments for her other health concerns. After watching a presentation at Be Healthy Utah, she sees that many of her other conditions may be connected by a deeper problem, such as a thyroid imbalance or chronic inflammation. She also sees that her anxiety may be connected to this root condition.

Heather makes an appointment with a functional medicine specialist. She tells him that she doesn’t want to stop taking her anti-anxiety prescription yet, but she does want to find and resolve any deeper conditions causing her other symptoms. She tells him about all the prescriptions and supplements she’s taking so he can avoid any negative interactions.

After further testing, the functional medicine specialist recommends some lifestyle changes and treatment with supplements.

When Heather sees her regular doctor, she tells her about the natural treatments and her plans to stay on the anxiety medication for now.

Working with a variety of specialists, Heather has taken control of her health treatments, finding the balance and treatments that work best for her.

Here are some other examples for how you can blend natural and conventional treatments:

• Use acupuncture, yoga, and chiropractic care to control joint pain and recover from athletic injuries.
• Use herbs and essential oils to control nausea and other side effects of chemotherapy.
• Use meditation, mindfulness, and EFT to control anxiety and improve your mindset.

Bottom line: Keep whatever treatments are working and explore options for the rest. YOU get to choose. YOU can take control of your health and make the decisions that work best for your specific needs.

Want to explore dozens of options and get reliable information from experts? Come to the 2020 Be Healthy Utah natural health and wellness conference! Get more information here.