Who is the best authority on your health?
May 4, 2009
I would say you are — or you need to become — the best authority on your health. Ultimately we all are our own authority. Even if we place our trust in someone else, we have made the decision to do so. We have come to the conclusion that this is the authority to trust.
Deciding who to listen to when it comes to diet, exercise, treatment choices, etc. can be confusing at best. Currently I have been reading about solutions for chronic back pain. Each book I read enthusiastically promotes its ideas, with lots of impressive testimonials to boot. As I read many of the books, I find myself thinking — oh yes this makes so much sense, this is the final answer. And yet, many of them disagree on even the most fundamental recommendations. Any suggestion, from how the pelvis should be tilted to whether back pain is related to physical abnormalities or stress, will have an opposing view.
I’m finding in my own healing journey that I learn a little bit of value from each book I read and every therapist I see, even if it is what doesn’t make sense for me. Every idea can trigger an insight for me, as I put together what works for me. It’s ultimately my own insights and observations about what works for me that I’ve come to rely on. How many times has a recommendation for health been made by a major authority, only later to be withdrawn as faulty? How many times have you followed a piece of advice simply because it came from an “authority”, only to later realize it wasn’t helpful at all, maybe even quite the opposite of helpful. I feel it’s vital that we view everything in the light of common sense and our own intuition. The best advice comes from what our bodies tell us, our inner knowing and testing things out for ourselves. At the very least, if someone says “always do this”, “never do that”, “eat this”, “don’t eat that”, etc., actively search out the opposing viewpoint and weigh the options for yourself.
Perhaps conflicting viewpoints are most obvious when it comes to diet. You can find an overwhelming number of conflicting theories and recommendations about food. Some say eat only raw food, others say eat only cooked food. Some say a food is wonderful for you that someone else says is toxic to eat. I’ve been very interested in Ayurveda for years. Ayurveda contains an extensive list of what foods are good for what types of people (which is a big improvement over recommending the same foods for everyone as is done in most systems). Many of these recommendations are consistent among Ayurvedic experts, but even there you can find differing viewpoints.
I always get a chuckle when I remember how someone reconciled opposing viewpoints about whether to eat tomatoes and/or potatoes. One vaidya (Ayurvedic physician) said eat potatoes but don’t eat tomatoes. Another said eat tomatoes but don’t eat potatoes. Someone made an amusing remark — my conclusion is that I can eat both tomatoes and potatoes to my heart’s content! Someone else would have avoided both “just in case”. The ultimate test, of course, would be to see how your own body responds to eating both. And always, moderation goes a long way to negate the possibility of eating the wrong thing. “Eat a little of everything” might be the best advice if you are unsure.
To say that we must be our own authority on our health doesn’t mean not to consult experts. But it does mean to ask questions, educate ourselves about what they are recommending, listen to alternative viewpoints, and ultimately make the decision what makes the most sense for us.
Since I feel that I need to be my own authority, I feel it’s important to develop certain skills. I spend time learning about anatomy and how my body works, noticing the sensations and signals my body sends me, observing how my emotions affect my body, and being thoughtful about the choices I make. I spend time clarifying my values and what is important to me. Being my own authority means being willing to rely on my own common sense and intuition in spite of what the outcome will be. There are never any guarantees for outcomes in life, but we can make sure that we make the best decisions possible and that we honor ourselves and our own inner knowing in the process.
“No mother? Don’t worry, as long as you have Triphala…”
May 2, 2007
Triphala, one of the most popular remedies in traditional Indian medicine (“Ayurveda”), is thought to care for the internal organs as a mother does for her children. That explains the popular folk saying that forms the title of this post. A compound of three fruits, triphala is also becoming popular in the US as a laxative, especially because it does not promote dependency and actually strengthens the bowels. It is said to have the unique ability to gently cleanse and detoxify the body while simultaneously replenishing and nourishing it.
I was first exposed to triphala when I was being trained as an Ayurvedic technician and walked into a kitchen where a strong smelling potion was simmering on the stove. It was being prepared for someone to take as part of a cleansing routine. I prepare it that same way for my own use, but most people would prefer to take it in tablet or capsule form as it has a very strong, bitter taste.
Although I began using triphala for its laxative properties, I have learned that it has a whole host of other uses. In addition to being a bowel regulator, triphala is said to:
- improve digestion
- reduce serum cholesterol
- improve circulation
- have a cardioprotective effect
- reduce high blood pressure
- improve liver function
- have anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties
- assist internal cleansing
- have antioxidant properties
- cleanse and strengthen the urinary tract
There has been a lot of research on triphala’s many benefits, including some which indicates that triphala may be able to help combat cancer. A BBC news article recently reported research at the University of Pittsburgh which confirms what Indian scientists have long proclaimed — triphala has been shown to have anti-cancer effects. They found that extracts of triphala slowed the growth of human pancreatic tumors grafted onto mice.
Although you need to do your own research, triphala seems to me to be one of the most beneficial formulas you can take for overall health. It’s relatively inexpensive and I haven’t found anything to indicate there’s any risk in taking it. You can consult one of the many good books on Ayurveda on how to use it.
Wishing you well!
“You don’t have a mother? Don’t worry, as long as you have Triphala in your life!”