Many
women today suffer from chronic illness. It may be autoimmune related diseases
like Rheumatoid Arthritis or Lupus or it may be digestive issues like Colitis
or Crohn’s.
And those are only the very tip of the iceberg.
I don’t think there
are verifiable statistics for this phenomenon because it doesn’t appear that
there is a real awareness of the seriousness of this trend—but it is there.
I
see it.
I
hear it, too.
Since
I’ve spent the better part of the past three decades (and probably even more
time than that but I just didn’t put the pieces together) with what can best be
described as “chronic illness” that evades concrete diagnosis, I may just be
more sensitive to seeing and hearing the telltale signs of this trend among our
female population.
But
I’m no doctor. I have no qualifications to address this subject except my own
personal experience—and those I continue to see and hear about which keep
bringing the subject back to my awareness. Women who have suffered so long that
they now are in the depths of depression as well.
What
I’ve found is that a Catholic woman with undiagnosed health issues—or diagnosed
health issues that are not getting “cured”—faces an issue when considering
alternative medicine. She is often torn between her desire to get well and
trying to find what avenue is acceptable to her faith.
A
decision to consider alternative medicine as a piece of her health care is a
personal one; it can only be answered by the woman herself—the seeker, the
believer. Everyone seems rather comfortable with what I now call “traditional”
medicine. Traditional medicine includes a doctor who has a license to practice
medicine by a recognized university and through proper exams, tests, and
certifications. All their accomplishments are worthy of praise and ought to be
valued; but what I’ve found is that they are only a piece of a medical puzzle
when a person suffers from things not in the “normal” range of traditional
medicine—and even then, it can still be a hit-or-miss journey towards health.
Traditional
medicine has been part of my journey, too, in the past few decades;
unfortunately it has been to no avail. I’ve been told I had Lupus, RA, and other
diseases along the way. None have been firm, conclusive, or have provided
physical relief. It has been a roller-coaster ride, to say the least.
At
some point I found myself interested in seeing a Naturopathic doctor. I liked
her a lot and saw her for a few years. And while I can’t say that seeing her
actually provided any more help than my time seeing traditional doctors, I did
form a bond with her because I felt that I was working with her in seeking
understanding and “cures.” Whereas my traditional doctor was offended when I
inquired about the safety of HRT (at a time when it was a given that a woman
would take it—which is no longer is!), my naturopathic doctor explored with me
as I read and researched and sought health.
And
once I entered into the realm of “alternative medicine,” I wanted to keep a
foot in that world but I also wanted whatever I was doing to be reconciled with
my faith. Fears of stumbling into “new-age” practices kept me hyper-aware of
each step.
That’s
both good and bad.
What
I’ve learned is that lots of good things are thrown out under the fear of
new-age. The new-age banner has been applied to things which may well be
God-centered. What I’ve concluded is that the only person who can truly decide
if seeking alternative medicine is right is the seeker herself.
I
believe it is important to recognize that what is more accepted today—things like
kinesiology and meditation to reduce stress—were once considered outside-of-the-box
thinking in the health care industry. This means that the label “Alternative
Medicine” is either greatly expanding—or shrinking—depending on how you look at
it. Either way, it is good for the seeker of health: alternative medicine is
expanding and pushing into the realm of “traditional”—or traditional is
expanding to pick up what was once alternative. It ultimately means more
options that are seen as viable enter the arena and the chances of those who
are stumbling through their years of chronic illness will more likely find some
combination of things that will lead to health.
I
accidently came across Hildegard of Bingen’s writings last year and it opened
up a whole new world to me. While “gem therapy” is thrown out as new-age and
has frightening and damnation consequences written all over it—you can only
imagine my surprise when I read about Hildegard of Bingen’s crystal therapy and
her understanding of “energy” systems in the body! We are talking about a
doctor of the church explaining how holding a gemstone in your mouth can cure
something or that a certain type of cookie can help alleviate spiritual and
physical symptoms. I say I “accidently” came across her work but of course
there are no accidents in a faith walk. Although I am not advocating
gem-therapy in the new-age sense or any alternative treatments that conflict with
or possibly undermine traditional medicine, I am confident in saying that there
is a bigger world of health care than we are currently offered through strict traditional
medicine and a woman of faith—yoked to Christ through constant prayer and
adoration—shouldn’t be afraid to ask for guidance from the Holy Spirit to find
answers.
Someone
needs to say this and I’m willing to be that someone.
Many
Catholic women today—myself included—have tried to reconcile their suffering
and seeking health with their faith but have come up short. It’s exhausting and
frustrating. It is depressing. Confusing and mixed messages (take up your
cross, “no” is an answer to prayer, offer it up, and so on) send us back and forth
between suffering and hope. In the end, a woman of faith should be confident
that she can be guided by the Holy Spirit towards those things that will
provide her with the health she seeks and which may include alternative things
like biomagnetic pair therapy and attending healing masses while also seeing a traditional
M.D.
We
don’t replace “traditional” with “alternative” but we can certainly live in
confidence that God who loves us and desires we live in health and peace will
help us on our journey.
My
prayer for you—whoever is reading this message—is that the God you serve, the
God who loves you and sent his only begotten son to heal you through his stripes, the God who hears your prayers for health and healing,
answers you today.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
(Image:
ID 27770634 © Alexmillos | Dreamstime.com)
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