alternative: an enlightening alternative for me

I absolutely adore my alternative therapies support network. My massage therapist also works with energy, so I get Reiki along with my massage. My acupuncturist and my network chiropractors (alternative chiropractic care) are also highly intuitive and psychic, so I receive assistance and insight not only on a physical level, but also on emotional, spiritual and energetic levels. When someone in my family starts to get sick, we opt for chinese herbs from our acupuncturist over a visit to the doctor. Even my Western-trained doctor is alternative medicine focused, so it is easy for me to obtain natural bio-identical hormones and natural thyroid medicine (i.e., not synthetic), as well as additional and often healthier options to deal with health concerns than what conventional doctors even know is available. (Don’t take me wrong though, when I need a traditional doctor, I am quick to make an appointment and I am grateful for their expertise and care.)

When I reflect upon this network of loving, compassionate healers, I am so completely consumed with gratitude and I am also amazed at how easily I created this. I remember when I first became aware that there were alternatives to traditional medicine. The alternative options were like a foreign land and language and I was completely clueless and overwhelmed by them. The number and variety of healing modalities and healing arts were completely beyond my ability to grasp, so I didn’t jump in at first. Then menopause hit and I was not satisfied with my doctor’s options of synthetic hormones or anti-depressants, so I found a medical practice that was also well versed in the alternative medicine and wellness fields.

In Costa Rica, I had a massage by a woman who also used energy work and toning in her session. When I returned home, I was determined to find a massage therapist who brought more than massage to the massage table, and the Universe connected us shortly after. Through her, I found my acupuncturist. And now, I have this amazing network of wellness providers whom I have close personal relationships with, whom I trust wholeheartedly, whom always leave me with golden nuggets of insight and with so much more than the service I pay for, and whom are my resource for other healers in the community. 

It is interesting that today I still do not come close to knowing all of the different types of alternative healing therapies that are available. But today, instead of feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed by the abundance of options, I trust that the right healer and the right modality will show up for me when needed. Typically, I will hear a name of a particular practitioner two or three times in a short period of time, which is always a sign for me to check them out. 

We are incredibly blessed in our culture and society to have both traditional medicine and alternative medicine so readily available to us. Both are gifts. I have been enlightened, supported and enriched beyond description by my choice to bring alternative medicine and healing into my life.