By Dr. Daniel McDonald
1) Follow the doctor’s recommendations as best as you can. If the doctor recommends you should avoid soy, then you should pay attention to food labels and avoid it as much as you can. If the doctor recommends eating sauerkraut, then get some and eat it daily. Results are proportional to the effort you put in to the healing program.
2) Keep your appointments. Maintaining a consistent schedule of appointments is very important so the doctor can help facilitate the positive changes as they occur and help you take the next steps necessary to help you get to a new level of health.
3) Maintain open lines of communication and mention any new challenges or symptoms that may have come up since the last visit. If you just had a sudden change in your life or if you woke up with a fat red lip this morning seemingly out of nowhere, let the doctor know as soon as possible so you have an understanding and instructions on what is the right thing to do.
4) Keep an eye on your inventory. If you run out of a supplement, call the office and let us know in case it is a critical part of the program.
5) Set a goal for each appointment and bring a list of written questions with you. By writing down your questions ahead of time, you will maximize the time of your visit and you don’t have to worry about forgetting anything that might be important.
6) Identify your top method for managing stress. We are all different people and we all have different ways of handling stress. Examples include prayer, meditation, exercise, cleaning your house, listening to music, cooking, and the list goes on. Find which one is best for you!
7) Do not suppress symptoms and avoid taking medication unless absolutely necessary. Please allow the body’s innate healing to work through the health challenges as it is designed to do. Stopping a fever by administering Tylenol immediately halts the immune system from completing a very important task; instead use home remedies such as tea, broth, or freshly squeezed fruit juice. By interfering with the natural immune response, you can turn a short term mild irritation into a more serious chronic issue.
8) Pick one holistic resource per month to enrich yourself with natural healing information. Books, articles, websites, videos, informative presentations, recipes, podcasts, or just talking with your healthcare provider about where to look can pay big dividends.
9) Understand you may experience criticism from others who don’t believe that natural therapies will work. In the world of healthcare, everyone has a different opinion. People will say things out of fear of what they don’t understand. The pharmaceutical industry is the #1 lobbying group on capitol hill and the #1 revenue stream for the mainstream media. They spend billions of dollars trying to convince you that taking drugs leads to greater health. This is a lie; do not believe it.
10) Never give up; every healing program has its ups and downs. It is true that sometimes the path to good health has some harsh twists and turns. The most important thing is to focus on the bigger picture and the long term goals set forth.