I have you. I get 'IT'.
I got this email today. 'Thank you for your prescription, it gives me a sense of calm when fear overwhelms me'.
It made my heart sing! Because I get 'IT'.
I may have never had your illness, or as much fear or pain as you, but having sat in the presence of the fear, the pain, the disease, the loss, examined the hidden signs of illness, having had the tough conversations, the chats through tears, having asked literally thousands of people what their deepest health goals are, I FEEL I can say "I get you, I am here, I have your back."
Can your health professional say that? When my patients are very ill, facing mortality or stepping into it, I have learnt a lot about illness, life, them and myself. I have learnt what matters.
With each patient I create a Care Plan. I focus on the patients goals BUT I also use my unique system to determine the specific health needs of each individual from a systems approach, using functional medicine principles, we look for the cause, the drivers of your ill health. This successful approach forms the basis of your care plan. I promote system medicine, NOT symptom medicine, as the Pill for an Ill approach does not work in chronic diseases.
With a solid Care Plan we have a way forward, a way to achieve those important personal health goals. Using traditional Naturopathic philosophies and evidence based lifestyle, nutritional and herbal medicines. A dietary plan, a supplement, some nice 'homework', a recommendation for pathology testing or maybe an allied health referral. You have been heard. And even if you have a chronic disease, you have been unwell for a long time or you have very ill health, I have experience, I get it, I CARE. We have Hope and a plan for Healing.
That email I got today, it went on to say, 'I keep reading your prescription to stop my fear thoughts of radiation side-effects.'
What can I do to help work through your fear thoughts? Come in, lets make a plan together.