the willing suspension of disbelief

...in case the heat is starting to get you down...

The stack of books-to-be-read on my nightstand, coffee table, and desk is getting out of control! 

It's not that I don't like to read. I do. It's not that I don't have time to read. I do. The problem is that one interesting thing leads to another. For example, in "Brave New Medicine", Cynthia Li, MD talks about autoimmune diseases and the role of functional medicine (traditionally known as "alternative" medicine including such practices as acupuncture, Qigong, meditation, Reiki, and other forms of energy medicine) in treatment. This leads her to a discussion of the roles of neuroplasticity, quantum theory, and epigenetics in healing and how our health is affected by our thoughts, beliefs, and intentions. It's no wonder I get distracted.

Li, a board-certified internist, traces her own journey, beginning with a bout of postpartum thyroiditis that never really goes away. She describes the devastating effect it has on her professional and personal life, and the frustration and defeat she felt when traditional allopathic medicine failed for her. She encourages the reader to explore alternative, or functional methods, when all else fails.

"When you have exhausted all possibilities

remember this:

you haven't.

~Thomas Edison~

The point is that autoimmune problems run in my family, so I know they can be notoriously difficult to diagnose, and frustrating to treat. In fact, one of us underwent surgery just last week for an autoimmune condition that has insidiously progressed over the years despite ongoing medical supervision and treatment. And I was just switched to a drug that runs over $7,000 per month which puts it totally out of reach for most of us except that Medicare, supplemental insurance, and a generous patient assistance program through the company that produces it, cover most of the cost...if you "qualify".

Autoimmune disease exacts a harsh physical, emotional, and financial toll on patients and their families. The symptoms vary. The diagnosis can be elusive. The treatment can be expensive, cumbersome, and often ineffective. Not to mention that we know so little about its causes and prevention. 

When a patient encounters a difficult diagnosis, fails to respond to traditional treatments, and gets worse despite our best efforts to help them, it may be worth looking outside the proverbial box and consider something completely different. Li invites us to "suspend disbelief" and keep an open mind to alternative practices that have a long history of success in other cultures and systems, which is how she finally healed.

"Your body's ability to heal

is greater than anyone has permitted

you to believe."

~Bruce Lipton, PhD~

jan