Why We Choose To Do Things Naturally

I think that people first meeting me think I’m weird, and I think that those who do know me find it odd that I have found such a switch in my life. I did not used to be this way though, in fact I was a very modern person and I never imagined I would be in a place where I preferred to hold my own rather then seek help. So how did I get to this point in my life? I think we would really have to look at several years and evaluate my experiences.

Growing up we didn’t really see the doctor a lot, sure we had our check ups but that’s about it. I can recall twice when we had to see the doctor. Once in elementary for strep throat and another time in high school because I sprained my ankle really badly. That was it, and while my mom was no stranger to OTC medicine, I had never felt like that was a band-aid solution to my issues and my mom certainly found us many natural remedies. Such as homeopathic ear drops, or baking soda in water to soothe a tummy ache (this one really worked and for some weird reason we liked it so we drank it all the time). I don’t equate my child years to finding a solace in medicines, in fact my mom was the person to introduce me to the netti pot in which without I would be in much worse shape.

So how did I get to a point in my teen years and adult hood that medicine was a daily occurrence? I had frequent headaches, like a lot. At the time I brushed them off because I had incredibly thick hair that I frequently wore in a ponytail. I thought my head was hurting because of my tight ponytail. Advil was my best friend. Once I was living on my own, I would pop medicine over just about anything, even seeking medical help and being prescribed melatonin when I had issues sleeping. Looking back, I just needed to get off my phone and cut the screen time.

From there a dependency grew, and marrying my husband it was kind of an understood thing that with anything there was an OTC we could buy. I found they never gave me relief however, and I was forever frustrated that my illness would last several days to weeks. At one point in my life I went in several times for chronic sore throats but doctors would hardly look, they just told me to take a pain medication.

My turning point was going in for back pain, the doctor looked my over and felt my spine. When she asked if I had been diagnosed with scoliosis and my only answer was “no” because I hadn’t been the doctor then tells me “huh” and prescribed me the strongest muscle relaxer they could. It did nothing, I took 1 and tossed the rest. It did nothing because I did indeed have scoliosis but no X-rays were ever given until I went to see a chiropractor. I realized really quick that doctors now days care more about giving out meds rather then helping.

From there I was pulled into essential oils, I was given the Young Living Panaway (I utilized essential oils more, and in a much safer way once I was trained) and for the first time in my life I found relief from back pain. It was a slow dive into natural ways, we didn't really start exploring these options until we had my first baby and started cloth diapering. Once I was into the kind of crunchy side of motherhood I began to realize that we had so many other options.

We kicked fragrance out of the home first, and for the first time in my life I did not have chronic headaches. I began to explore essential oils and from there I explored homeopathic medicine and herbalism. When I learned that there were at home remedies for just about everything (and I’m not talking about the weird random advice that was passed down from the 20s that could actually be harmful, I am talking like YEARS of solid evidence and use to these herbs and remedies) I was shocked. Honestly, why was I going into the doctor over every little sniffle, why was I buying medicine to cover up my symptoms rather than getting to the root of the issue?

2020 as a whole really opened my eyes to what our medical system is in the US and really gave me motivation to just take care of things myself. I was honestly the last person you would expect to make such a leap. At the start of everything, I was that person telling others to wear their mask and just trust that it would all be over. After months of doing exactly what I was told and seeing no results I was quite honestly fed up. It was at that point in time I began to re-evaluate things. I noticed inconsistencies, I noticed a lack of care and a push for control. I know that the people who pointed out “well maybe this is something they used to control us” got a lot of negative push back. I was one of those people telling those people they were insane! So when I say I saw things for what they were, it’s the truth. I used to be on the opposite end.

I had a couple more experiences with doctors that really just solidified my stance on things. I would go in for seemingly ordinary things, common things, that I wasn’t successful trying to take care of at home. I would be seen super fast, told something and then prescribed something. My biggest stand out was in 2021 after my baby had gotten a really bad rash. After waiting in the car literally wrestling with a toddler (because you know, I wasn’t allowed in the lobby) I was seen for less than 20 minutes and the doctor did not even look at her rash. He told me it was an allergy and gave me some allergy medicine that he told me was probably okay for a 1 year old. I gave her 1 dose with absolutely no change and I stopped. From there I did my own research and found out that this rash was roseola, which starts in the diaper/chest/tummy area and follows a fever. She had a fever previously, I told the doctor this. He didn’t think that was a concern or worth looking into.

Now don’t get me wrong, I respect modern medicine. I don’t hate doctors, but when it gets to the point where every visit the doctor isn’t listening to you, and all they do is throw medicine at you. There is a problem. I bounce around doctors a lot, so it’s not like I kept going back to the same doctor or even the same clinic. I have tried so many different doctors and places and they were exactly the same. I had one doctor even pull up Google in front of me! GOOGLE! I’m sorry but we are told we can’t do our own research, mocked about our Dr. Google degree but a doctor can do so right in front of a patient? That is insane. When I found that I wasn’t going to get adequate help and that I would never be listened to, I decided it was no longer worth my time to try.

At this point I was well into my aromatherapy certification and was studying herbalism on my own as well. I bought some books, invested in more books and got even more books. I began to read up, research and study what I could do in possible situations. Short of any major impaling incidents or severe broken bones I am now confident in my ability to hold my own. I paired this with switching out products and food we use, cutting out the things we didn’t need in life or that were harmful. I still get sick occasionally but I am feeling the healthiest that I have in a long time. I have energy, I feel great, I sleep well (and that is saying a lot with a nursing baby) and overall I can see the difference between now and even 3 years ago.

I am the first person to appreciate modern things, trust me I love my technology and all of these inventions that make life easier. I am also the first person to say that maybe with this strive for modernism and convenience is slowly killing us. Whether or not I believe it’s intentional is still up for debate, but it is clear to me that the same people telling us we need to depend on them do not care. I for one am not willing to sacrifice my family to follow the orders of people who clearly do not care. This is why I made the switch and strive to live a more natural lifestyle.