A message from clinic founder and naturopathic doctor, Doctor Jacqui Fleury:
May 14 through May 20 is Naturopathic Medicine Week. During the week there will be several events across the city including a movie screening at the Broadway Theatre on Thursday night. True Potential Health will be hosting a “keto BBQ” event! Watch for our Instagram and Facebook posts for details. I hope you will join us!
If you are already familiar with Naturopathic Medicine and its benefits, wonderful!! If you are new to Naturopathic Medicine, this is a great opportunity to learn more about it and meet us in person. Health issues can be overwhelming – so I thought I would share some thoughts on how the little things can have a big impact on your health (in both a positive and negative way). Please read on to see what I mean:
Your Health and The Straw the Broke the Camel’s Back
According to Wikipedia…. “it is the last straw that breaks the camel’s back”, describes the seemingly minor or routine action which causes an unpredictably large and sudden reaction, because of the cumulative effect of small actions.”
This saying describes a common scenario we see clinically as Naturopathic Doctors. In my practice, the following would be examples I might hear a patient share:
“I was doing fine then all of a sudden I bent over to pick up a napkin on the floor and I couldn’t stand up.”
“I was feeling great, then I caught a flu and I haven’t been the same since”
“It seemed it was one thing after another – I was in the middle of exams, my grandma died, my car was in a fender bender, I caught a cold, and two months later I had the first MS flare.”
One of the refined skills Naturopathic Doctors have is the ability to take a thorough health history and to use our knowledge of how the body works to come up with a functional assessment of why a patient might be feeling the way they do or why they have certain health conditions.
Daily Habits Can Have Cumulative Detrimental Effects on Your Health
When a patient presents with a list of health concerns ranging from fatigue to anxiety to chronic pain or digestive symptoms or skin issues, there is very often a health history that can explain why the person may be experiencing those present symptoms. For example, a person may have chronic diarrhea, gas and bloating and bowel pain. Upon taking their history, it may be revealed that they have a history of antibiotic use, are slightly lactose intolerant but still consuming a little dairy, and they may be on the birth control pill. To use the example of the “straw that broke the camel’s back”, this person may have been functioning ok until they caught the stomach flu, developed diarrhea, and has been gassy and bloated ever since. “the seemingly minor or routine action which causes an unpredictably large and sudden reaction, because of the cumulative effect of small actions” would describe the factors that contribute to a person being less resilient and more susceptible to developing health problems by doing certain daily things without understanding the cumulative detrimental effects this may be having on their health.
Obstacles to Healing
In our practices, we work with clients to help them understand what these “obstacles to heal” might be. We achieve this through certain tests like food sensitivity blood tests, saliva hormone panels, urine tests to look for heavy metals, and standard bloodwork to assess their biochemistry in addition to assessing lifestyle to determine if there are certain daily habits that may be contributing to the way they feel.
Little Things Make a Big Difference!
By making dietary and lifestyle recommendations, suggesting certain supplements that may correct deficiencies in certain nutrients and encouraging the patient to follow these recommendations daily or a close to daily as possible, we see the “straw that broke the camel’s back” work in reverse!! Meaning the “seemingly minor or routine action which causes an unpredictably large and sudden reaction, because of the cumulative effect of small actions” could actually be a positive effect, an accumulation of the daily positive choices in the diet and lifestyle that can have a positive effect over time. There likely won’t be an unpredictable large and sudden reaction though… rather a person may look back over the past 3 or 6 or 12 months and realize they haven’t had a cold or flu in many months, or that their migraines have cleared up, or their acne has resolved, or they are finally sleeping through the night.
Positive Lifestyle Changes
Hearing these positive results from patients is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a Naturopathic Doctor. Patients feel empowered and encouraged as they see the benefits of making positive lifestyle changes, and its their positive results that generally help them hold the course for sustained periods of time, as they experience “accumulative positive effects”.
In health,
True Potential Health Clinic Founder and Naturopathic Doctor
