Alternative Medicine to Prevent and Heal Diseases ~ Joanne Lefebvre Connolly, DVM
Early in the course of my career, I came to the realization that conventional medicine, although great at taking care of the physical body, was sadly limited to only helping the physical body. No one taught us in school to care for the mind or the soul. I wanted more. My mother being a naturopath, I knew there was more. For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the question : Why do we get sick? After over 18 years of practice, research and powerful life experiences, I have found many answers.
In order to remain healthy, the physical body must remain balanced. Balance is everything in all aspects of life. The mind, body and soul being closely connected, they must all feel good and work together. When they are balanced, the immune system is also at its best to fight infection and prevent diseases. Since animals and humans are much alike, what goes for one in our discussion goes for the other.
Let’s take a look at all the different aspects of life in which we must achieve balance for ourselves and our pets, in order to remain healthy: diet, lifestyle, environment, genetics, stress and emotions, past lives closure, not getting our energy drained or polluted by someone else, staying in tune with our life mission… which are all described in the book I wrote. There are a few additional situations where we can become sick, which are also discussed at length in my book “Animal Teachings from Hayley’s Angels Methods”.
Professional help may be needed to sort out the cause of your pet’s illness. But more often than not, the best person to figure out why an illness, trauma or life situation happens and what it is here to teach you is yourself.
HOW TO HEAL?
The main benefits of conventional medicine are to stabilize the physical body during times of crisis (asthma, stroke, trauma, infection). Conventional medicine buys time and brings rapid relief to both people and animals. Unfortunately, we all know that conventional medicine cannot help everyone in all situations. Sometimes, doctors must tell their patients that there is nothing they can do for their disease. You then must decide where to go from there. In such cases, the doctor might be right that no treatment option will help you or your pet. However, there might be other ways to help, which are certainly worth investigating. I have two very close geriatric feline friends who have rallied more times than ever expected. No one knows for sure when our time is up. I think it is wise for everyone to become actively involved in their healing as well as in the healing of their pets, and not wait for someone to magically heal their ailments.
Aside from conventional medicine, there are several other tools that can help one heal, which can all be included under the name of alternative medicine. These different methods of restoring health focus mainly on long-term health maintenance as well as prevention of illnesses. Some examples of alternative medicine therapies are naturopathy, Chinese medicine, herbal remedies, homeopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, applied kinesiology, hypnosis, energy work and psychic work. I deeply believe that no single tool can help everybody in every situation. We should therefore investigate and pick the necessary tools for healing to occur.
My life experiences have taught me that not all patients suffering from the same condition will respond the same way to therapies, whether conventional or alternative. Again, based on what emotion might have triggered the illness in the first place, or what the illness is here to teach in relation to one’s life purpose, the speed in healing, recovery and recurrence will vary greatly. This brings us to a discussion about Intuitive Medicine. A patient trying to figure out why he got sick and how to prevent it from happening again is where intuitive medicine begins.
Furthermore, another concept that I always integrate in my practice is: treat the patient as a whole, not just the disease. The conversation about stress, quality of life and dignity must happen between the doctor and his patient or patient’s family. Again, for each patient there will be a unique treatment. Find what is in each pet’s best interest, what is the safest, what brings the lowest stress level. Tailor your care based on the patient’s personality, emotional needs, lifestyle, relationship with his family, the role that the pet plays in his family’s life, and the patient’s soul mission. Be fair to him. We must always weigh all options for each patient. One of these options includes doing nothing. The right answer is given by the patient. When your best friend tells you it is time to free him from his suffering, honor his wishes. Honoring our loved ones’ requests, being fair to them and preserving their dignity is by far the highest priority in making medical decisions. Quality of death is as important as quality of life.
I believe that high quality food is the first and most important medication of all. Additionally, numerous natural supplements are available, such as herbs, vitamins, enzymes and food products to regulate the immune system and detoxify the organs and tissues that have become clogged secondary to environmental pollution, poor diet, modern lifestyle or emotional imbalance.
A positive attitude and a zen mind will also promote health for both you and your pet. Stay light mentally, emotionally and materially. Give your life a good clean up! Surround yourself with people that have good and uplifting energy as opposed to people who are damaging you and bringing you down. Follow your intuition, your gut feeling, at each step of the way, in all aspects of your life. Listen to what your pet has to say and follow the signs of guidance sent into your life to reconnect with your and your pet’s life purpose and soul mission. Ask yourself, what do I love? What are my passions? What does my pet live for? What makes him or her feel happy? Doing the things we love increase our energy level and makes our minds and our bodies feel alive! Reclaim your own inner power and feel healthier than ever NOW!
For more info, contact Dr. Joanne www.hayleysangels.com, and read her book “Animal Teachings from Hayley’s Angels Methods”.