Sometimes I'm surprised at the fear and hostility that is generated in certain circles when the subject of health and healing comes up. Apparently it's a huge insult to share the story of how you got well from serious illness - at least in my native Norway, where two women were attacked by a horde of pitch fork-carrying cybercritics this week for doing just that.
Maybe these people are just trolling for attention. But I've experienced similar attacks in international online health forums, where the idea that "people can get well from chronic disease" generates intense hostility.
It seems to be a question of different world views rather than simply a question of different experiences with medical treatment. When you've struggled with chronic and incurable disease for a while, bitterness is almost invariably one of the gremlins you have to fight. When the doctors had given up on me, I'd tried every treatment in town and was broke, down and weary, the cheery notion that I could get well by taking responsibility for my own health felt almost akin to a rude accusation: "You aren't doing enough!"
This kind of interpretation fuels frustration and fear, and in a hypersensitive state I could start blaming myself for not getting well; "What am I doing wrong?!"
But is taking hope away from a person a better solution?
If you suffer from a disease or condition which modern medicine has no cure for, isn't it only wise to try looking outside the box? And who has the right to tell me I should give up and succumb to the constant torment of chronic incurable pain instead of trying any and every option to overcome it?
Hiding behind the wall of the currently accepted health paradigm and shooting sarcastic cyber-insults at everyone who dares to try a different route seems to me to be an extremely cowardly strategy.
Today's pain-free tip is:
Don't be afraid of thinking outside of the box, many times that's where the answer lies.
Wise words!
ReplyDeleteI sometimes wonder if the people who get so angry because someone got well due to diet changes etc are really just scared of change? They've maybe never been seriously ill and experiences that the doctor couldn't help them? And they so much want to believe that the doctor could help them that any mention of alternative therapies scare them?
Or maybe they're just scared someone'll be after their unhealthy habits next? ;-)
Yes... I agree one should be careful who to trust when it comes to medicine, but just because it comes from a doctor doesn't mean it's good for you either.
ReplyDeleteAnd it must be easy to talk about right and wrong in health and medicine when you haven't battled chronic disease yourself :(
I didn't think the originally attacked blog post was very well written, but it just didn't warrant the kind of hateful personal attacks that it was subjected to. Makes me rethink my role as a blogger...