Blending Medicines
I sit writing this blog entry from a space of total transparency as I write about my struggles with Western medicine, and the challenges that arise as I try to blend Western and Eastern medicine. I love the word “blend” because it comes from a neutral standpoint, offering both sides of the coin equal respect. As a neuro-spic individual, I tend to see things in black and white, and have very strong opinions as to why one color is better than the other. Medicine is one of my most sensitive subjects. I’ve experienced intense medical trauma, misdiagnosis’s, drug reactions, and years of symptom shaming and turning the fact that I was a woman with a “painful period” against me. Ultimately leading to seeing nine different doctors to finally agree to a laparoscopy showing endometriosis, internal bleeding, and scar tissue binding organs together. That was an eight-year journey I will never forget which still requires lots of healing.
Western medicine hasn’t been my “day of good times,” so back in 2023, I started my journey with functional medicine. I loved functional medicine. The root cause of my symptoms was being addressed, hormone testing was easy and quick (something Western medicine HATES checking, and requires several hoop jumping procedures to get done), and I felt supported and heard for the first time by a doctor. But the testing was outrageously expensive, plus the cost of the visit, none of which are covered by insurance. I have my own thoughts around this, but I’ll save them for today. Compared to the cost of insurance and western medicine bills, it was nothing, but by mid-2024, we were seriously short on cash after my husband and I went nearly two years with no steady income. I could no longer afford care. Western or Eastern. It was disheartening to say the least.
Finally, in early 2025, my husband found a job with excellent insurance—some of the best I’ve seen. I was sitting with a huge realization. I need to take care of myself, but I don’t trust Western Medicine doctors, but I couldn’t afford functional medicine either. Do I disregard all the knowledge I’ve gained in the past four years as I watched our medical industry be exposed over and over again for costly wrongdoings, or ignore what I know about how very wealthy, very powerful people make billions of dollars off of us staying sick, not treating the root cause, but medicating and suppressing instead, so we keep visiting the doctors office and hospitals? This has been a push and pull operation unlike anything I expected.
“Why is it so difficult to get good, affordable care?”
I ask myself frequently. It should not be this hard. But I decided to make the appointments and give Western Medicine another go. I know any experience I have is a reflection of my own internal state, and if I make my faith bigger than my fears, I could open up opportunities for caring doctors. After two years of being outside of Western medicine, I'm seeing big changes happening, and I'm here for it! I’ve been pleasantly surprised by seeing Western and Eastern Medicine blending and becoming more cohesive in the US. Such as acupuncture and chiropractic being covered by larger insurance companies, and mental health providers being covered as well. More doctors are learning about the effects of trauma and stress on the body, and recognize that more is needed than a pill. They’re starting to teach their patients more about the importance of stress reduction and giving them tools to help them calm down. This was unheard of ten years ago. We’ve come a long way, but we still have a way to go.
I would love to see the world come to a place of taking action towards real health. Learning more about food and gut health. Or learning about breathing techniques you could do while you’re sitting in traffic, learning to set boundaries when it comes to balancing family, work, and leisure time, or the best of all - Feeling worthy of health. A lot of us are programmed to believe that sickness is a part of life, and aging is painful and ugly. If we could come to a place of knowing our worth, and acting on it, it would change the world. We would see the beauty in our wrinkles and be thankful for the information carried in our drooping eyelids. We would learn to listen to the signals of our body and take steps to accommodate ourselves better. Instead of popping an Advil when we have a headache, we could rest our minds and find a way to take it easy through the pain, offering ourselves grace instead of “pushing through.” We could see energy healing practitioners as a way of maintaining our health between check-ups, and listen to sound bowls to heal illness instead of relying on invasive procedures unless absolutely necessary. This would be a beautiful blending of medicines, and I believe this is where we are heading. Whole health should not be a privilege. It should be a right, and we are worthy of it.
