The Cupboard

There is nothing okay about this picture. Unfortunately, there is everything typical about this.

And, as my MD friend and past team member said, about those that pursue multiple forms of medicine, and don't consider consequences of doing so without guidance:

“They are gonna do it anyway, so we may as well try to figure something out.”

She's my favourite doctor in the whole world and I'm not even her patient.

As a healthcare professional that is positioned on the ‘natural’ side of the fence, but always finds herself in the middle anyway, I always do my best to respect and work with the interventions and outcomes on the ‘western’/conventional side. I do this because I know that we are all humans, and, despite the pretend fence between us, we are all on the side of trying to help other humans.

I have a developed a deep need to understand and mediate between the two. I seem to have a knack for picking the hardest project, the trickiest obstacle course, and throwing myself into it, in a damn the torpedos kind of way. I really couldn't tell you why.

All "sides" of medicine have the same imperfect humans working in them and the only way to sort out the mess our healthcare system is in now, is to work with what we have. I agree with my wise medical friend. I believe we need to create some kind of bridge between the two worlds that has less landmines than the current trek. I also believe that we need to come to terms with the fact that, no matter what kind of medicine a person is looking to for answers, it is the same underlying cause and effect that is messing everything up. The lack of awareness of that cause and effect, that both of these currents have in common is the perfect storm. And now that they have collided, our health, and hope of it, has been sucked down into a never ending maelstrom.

We need a way out. And according to the laws of physics and nature and velocity, the only way out is for both currents to start heading in the same direction.

Is either system going to change just for fun? Nope. But can enough bodies of energy in those systems, that start trudging in a new direction create enough momentum to pull us out? Yes.

The current crossover in Canada right now, between "Western" and "Natural" medicine is like an unregulated border crossing. It is full of perils and traps that most of those who wander across, have no idea are there. They get sucked into the vortex and don't even know it. There are already so many people in there that it just seems normal. #commonnotnormal is the hashtag for that one.

From where I stand, I see the exact same problems on both sides, albeit manifesting in different ways. There is too much falling through the cracks, cracks that were made by lack of cooperation between 'departments' in our healthcare system. (If we ever talk, ask me about that time I had to mediate and communicate between a Renal Dietician, a Diabetic Dietician and an Endocrinologist, on behalf one one of my clients. And make sure I talk about how 18 months later she was kicked out of the High Risk Kidney Clinic as a medical miracle. And she's not the only 'medical miracle' on my resume. there was no miracle, just a connecting of the dots)

Anyway. Back to the situation at hand. Those cracks in our system, were then widened by the overburdening of that system, that we are in right now. This situation does not allow a doctor enough time to help as much as they want to and could. (Moral Injury now abounds among doctors and nurses because of this.)

"Moral injury occurs when we perpetrate, bear witness to, or fail to prevent an act that transgresses our deeply held moral beliefs. In the health care context, that deeply held moral belief is the oath each of us took when embarking on our paths as health care providers: Put the needs of patients first. That oath is the lynchpin of our working lives and our guiding principle when searching for the right course of action. But as clinicians, we are increasingly forced to consider the demands of other stakeholders—the electronic medical record (EMR), the insurers, the hospital, the health care system, even our own financial security—before the needs of our patients. Every time we are forced to make a decision that contravenes our patients’ best interests, we feel a sting of moral injustice. Over time, these repetitive insults amass into moral injury." NCBI

From the other view point, there are too many problems being poorly addressed by natural and complimentary practitioners, who do not have proper training. They are usually selling a product and/or arrogantly work and treat outside of their scope. (this drives me NUTS) Not ALL of them, and not my team members! lol. but it happens a lot.

We have become a one-pill culture, and, that's obvious no matter what form of medicine or what modality is being used. "Wellness" advocates saw this issue of compartmentalization in the system, and decided they could do it better. Unfortunately, because they lacked the ability to understand "what I resist, persists", they just recreated the exact same problem, except worse - because it was built under the guise of being better and safer. Fail.

I don't want to expand on that here, this is already going to be too long, but here are a few snapshots from someone (Tim Frie) that talks about this even more often than me. He's usually a little angry, lol, but he makes really good points on a regular basis.

None of this is okay, and it is SO expensive. The cost to our health and pocket books is enormous.

What most people have not quite put together yet, is, that at this point, it is Canadian companies, that are now paying for the overflow of that burden.

If you own a company and have employees, you are paying for this in the form of rising benefit costs, stress leave and absenteeism. The most invisible (and usually the biggest long term) cost, is in presenteeism, which slowly leads up to that nasty stress leave expense.

Does your wellness program have a strategy to intervene on this? Do you have a way to understand how much this is actually costing you?

Nope, you don't. You bought a fancy cookie cutter program from a broker that has no training in healthcare or wellness. Not his fault, or her fault, they are just making a living in a world they merely perpetuate, they didn't build it. Benefits and health insurance hopped on the bandaidwagon. That wagon full of bandaids was travelling along the same fault-line, that was leading to the same vortex, that I have already described.

I'll give you two examples, one from my personal life and one from my professional life. Although, who are we kidding, those things have never been separate. That's another myth from the 80s. I'll get annoyed about that in a different article, on another day.

"Professional" example:

Clients pack up their cupboards into a box and bring it to my office. When I look at the contents, I often see that I will have no choice but to let them know that many of the symptoms they are asking me for help with, are probably caused by what's in the box. The frequency of this makes me occasionally consider quitting all of my trying.

Does your wellness 'program' know about this?

Do you have someone like me on the schedule to come in and do the presentation on this? To teach them how to navigate healthcare, wellness and advocate for their actual needs that they now actually understand? Nope, you don't. But you could... ;) ...haha. couldn't resist.

The "Personal" example:

A few years ago I headed over to the walk-in clinic to get a perspective for myself, personally. I make the trek between different forms of healthcare all the time too. I was almost two years postpartum and I instinctively knew that I should not be battling the extreme fatigue I still experienced sometimes.

I also knew something else, which I asked the doctor about. I said:

?“So I am way more exhausted than I should be. I already had PTS/trauma therapy, which took a lot of my symptoms away. However, I still get threatened and harassed on a regular basis. He stalks my business social media, even my sister's, he tells me he will ruin my career here, and other things that I don't want to talk about. Unfortunately, the threats are not bad enough for any law enforcement agency to protect me, so I am stuck with it right now, probably for years. I know that this kind of chronic stress is damaging to the body and could be the main cause of my exhaustion, but I was wondering if we could we do a basic blood test to rule out anything obvious like B12, or iron or whatever else could be causing this…?”

?The doctor said “Sure, that makes sense to check, we can do that....”

?And then she said something else: “Would you like something for the stress?”

I replied without really thinking, it just kinda slipped out of the essence of my weary soul, I said, “No thanks, I don’t really want to medicate the fact that I have a huge asshole in my life.”

Walking out of that appointment I realized that I was on to something embarrassingly obvious about humanity and our society. It took saying it that way, out loud in real life, for the final pieces to fall into the puzzle for me.

How does medicating a person, because they falter in a situation where anyone would falter, help anything? What does it do? It keeps them from fighting, it tells them it's their fault, it tells them they deserve it.

Why do we encouraged the numbness that comes with most intervention? Numbness that will block us from feeling the full heat, until we get burned so bad that we may never fully come back from it? Why is that the standard?

Do we really want to be given the diagnosis to hold on to, and blame, so that we settle into believing that there is something is wrong with us, instead of trusting our intuition to dig deeper?

When something like my 'personal' situation here is at play, how much is your company paying for this? How many sick days is this person taking because they were up all night being yelled at? How many tasks do they not complete because the chronic stress response that they are in, is reducing blood flow to their rational brain, dampening their immune system and having a corrosive effect on their digestive tract lining? How is their ability to be creative, problem solve and exercise good judgement going to keep up?

Never mind the micro-managing bully that you might have unknowingly put in charge of them - making it 3 times as bad, because now there is no safe place for them anywhere.

And don't get me started on ACES or we will be here all day. We will go with a single quote that says a lot on that one, in one sentence:

When a past or personal situation is medicated in a way that keeps the individual where they are now - when the intervention displaces, or interferes with, the other changes that need to happen to restore balance - something is wrong.

I don't have an issue with a A-B intervention, mind you. I've totally had clients that consciously choose the meds to stay sane until they had healed enough to cope and finish the recover without the meds. Sometimes I send them to their doctor and they end up on meds because what I have to offer is not what they need as a priority. That makes a hell of a lot of sense in some cases. And do you know what that is? That's called a strategy. Very different way to accept an intervention, right? Strategy or numbing? Numbing or Strategy? Which one sounds more productive? And while I don't exactly enjoy helping them through the withdrawal, it's always worth it, and we always do it under the guidance of their doctor. And sometimes things have hurt for too long, sometimes the imbalance is too imbedded in their neurobiology. Sometimes they go back onto meds after being off of them for a year. Am I ever going to judge anyone for taking the best action to live their best life? No. Do we give up when we are limited by things that we and the rest of the world don't know how to 'fix'? No. My personal situation mentioned above is ongoing and it is specific to me and my history. We do what we can. We do our best. The problem comes in when we create a systemic habit in a culture that looks to a pill before we look to anything else.

And let's not kid ourselves, ‘natural supplements’ and meditation and whatever else, can create the exact same situation. I also find myself saying things like

“I don’t have a supplement or diet for your joint pain, you need a physiotherapist.”

Why is it so hard for us to truly help ourselves? Why are still stuck in the vortex when we should know better?

I have also said this:

I don't have anymore supplements for your adrenals that are being shit-kicked by the stress of the abuse your spouse rains down on you. We have to bring a counsellor and domestic violence support in or you will get sick. This is out of my scope.

We are stuck because, for too many, this is all too much already. For some, the childhood trauma that was never resolved keeps a part of them locked in fight or flight forever, it’s exhausting. If finances are an issue, the debt they have makes them feel like they are drowning some days. All the sugar they eat has them locked down in a vicious cycle of looking to the next hit of sugar or caffeine that will make them feel okay. The effect this has on the nervous system, the stress response and blood sugar regulation can be debilitating. Or a substance like alcohol to help them get through that hour of the day when they feel the worst. The disappointment that their life is nothing like what they thought it would be never helps either. The death of a loved one. The loss of something important. The divorce that took their self-worth away - because if that’s gone, then why would they do anything for themselves if they don’t even like themselves and don’t think they are worth it?

So many people are hurting, they are drowning on some days, there are no pills for that kind of pain. We keep trying though, and our heads are literally aching from hitting the same wall over and over.

When I accurately tell a team of leaders that their participation rate for wellness initiatives have been around 10% give, or take a few %, they look at me like I'm a freak with a crystal ball.

And then I explain.?

“Anything from the outside, like a ‘challenge’ or a healthy lunch delivery or a free pass to the gym, is only going to be used by the people that are already taking care of themselves... For the rest of the population, that is completely overwhelmed with day to day survival, all you’re doing is adding another layer to the pressure - life pressure that already feels like a threat to them.

?If you can’t figure out a way to take some of the other pressure off, figure out a way to help them help their little Suzie with her anxiety ,or little Johnnie with his IBS, or how to manage their debt, or give them tools to manage some of the stress, they are not going to have the wherewithal to help themselves. They won't be able to tackle their own anxiety, high cholesterol or hypoglycemia or sugar addiction or reliance on coffee, mood swings, brain fog, or back pain.

If they need coffee to wake up, an anxiety med to cope after lunch and a glass of wine to put the kids to bed, they don't have spare energy to cook more or move more or meditate. It's not going to happen.

And it's not fair that you're the last resort in this country now, it actually totally sucks for you, but this is the reality. You need a strategy that is as cost effective as possible and can create systemic change. And it's going to take 2 years. The shift will be palpable in 6 months, subjectively measurable in a year, and show up in the numbers in 2 years. And it's going to happen in ways you haven't done it before. Because if that was working, it wouldn't still be this way."

I say a lot more, but if you're still reading this then you probably need to get back to work, so we'll save it for the call if you ever want to chat about this.

In conclusion - and with one more anecdote coming up soon - cause it's one of my favs...

People are sick and tired of being sick and tired. To keep believing that we can find the one answer, one pill, one diet, one program or policy, for the galaxy of symptoms that come from all the sad, scary, disappointing, heartbreaking, toxic, polluted, refined, altered, chemical-ized, industrialized, modified, confused, dysfunctional, disconnected, terrorized, and traumatic things that make up the current state of our world, is the very definition of insanity.

And, JSYK, I wrote the first version of this article in 2019... and call me crazy, but my sense is that it's all been a little more stressful since then.

So maybe take another look at the photo above, the cupboard full of supplements. It's real. My client sent it to me and gave me permission to use it. Now imagine a medicine cabinet full of pain killers, cholesterol and blood pressure meds, eczema cream, muscle relaxants, Tums and Nexium, appetite suppressants, Tylenol cold and flu. Got that image? Now imagine that bookcase full of every self-help book since Suzanne Sommers. Got that too?

Now ask yourself this: What’s the difference?

It looks different, but the pile up comes from the same need that is continually not being met.

It’s all the same, I don’t bite anymore, I know better.

One memorable and short conversation I once had with a 'natural health' advocate, sums it up best:

"Frankincense kills cancer.’"they said.

“Not if you eat white bread, drink diet coke, don't like yourself, have a bad memory stuck in your amygdala and spend 4 hours on your phone every day it doesn’t.” I replied.

It’s not the doctor’s fault. It’s not the massage therapist's fault. It’s not the government’s fault. It’s not the specialist's fault. It’s not the system’s fault. It’s not natural medicine’s fault. It’s not Chinese medicine’s fault. It’s not the Iridologist's fault. It’s not even the drug company's fault. (I hate saying that last one, but people, it’s true. They have their faults, some worse than others, but it is not what drives what has happened to us, at worst they are a chicken and egg question)

We are overwhelmed. Our world has made so much progress that it has backfired on us. We thought we were so great when we pushed our life expectancy up with the interventions of conventional medicine. Except it is now those very interventions, that were used in places where prevention should have been implemented, and what has happen to our food supply, that is the key catalyst for the reversal of our life expectancy. The generation growing up now is on the downward trend.

We will need more than one moment, one pill, one supplement, one diet, one book, to get back to the balance and happiness and function that we crave. In my experience, a map of all this cause and effect is needed - because that is what informs the strategy. The better the questions we find, the easier and more impactful the answer will be. And if you've been following me for a while, you know my super power is in the questions I am brave enough to ask. And you've realized that I might actually know where the back door out of this madhouse is.

We all have a cupboard like the one above. It may look a bit different, it may be in a different room and be full of different things, but we all have one.

And there is one thing that is true no matter which way you look at it:

If these cupboards had actually had the answer we were looking for at some point, then they wouldn't be so full.

Sonia

Sonia Funk is a Registered Nutritional Therapist and Corporate Wellness Strategist. She has travelled the world as both student and teacher, gathering as many perspectives as she could and trying her best to integrate them all. She doesn't think she as ALL the answers. But she's pretty sure she has some damn good questions. You can DM her if you'd like to hop on a discovery call, or go to?The Whole Avocado ?to check out some of her corporate offerings and coaching programs. She also has a new Corporate Wellness-Recovery Package designed specifically for post-pandemic support