With all of the different medical treatments and healing methods out there, you have to wonder why so many people stay stuck on their healing journey and never quite reach the level of health they’re looking for. 

And if YOU are one of those people, then you know how frustrating it feels to try “all the things” (maybe even working with a practitioner) but nothing is working 100%.

In our experience, the one of the biggest reasons people don’t reach their healing goals is because their plan has been focused on going after symptoms or a specific diagnosis instead of actually BUILDING HEALTH.

Let’s talk more about this because, once you truly understand this concept, the way you approach your health will change forever.

What Is “Sickness”?

First it’s important to know that what society calls “sickness,” “disease,” or even “symptoms” are actually just indicators.

These indicators are telling us that something is out of balance with your nutrition, hydration, sleep, circadian rhythms, breathing, structural integrity, toxic load, emotions, environment, relationships, self care, etc.

In naturopathic medicine, these are examples of what we call the determinants or  foundations of health, and they are the non-negotiable pillars that influence your state of health at any given time.

Your Body Knows What to Do

When there are disturbances in one or more of these foundations, your body will compensate in some way. 

For example, if you catch a cold, your body will develop a fever to kill the virus. If we don’t have enough of a particular nutrient for a vital function, we can pull that nutrient out of our tissues and replenish it later. Even disturbed emotions will trigger a physical compensation like crying.

This compensation is a GOOD thing, because it means that your vital force (your “inner doctor”) is working hard to maintain as much balance as possible. Your body is always trying to move in the direction of restoration, repair and balance. 

But when your foundations are out of balance for too long, your body’s efforts to compensate will eventually become dysregulated and manifest as signs and symptoms…

…and this is the critical point where most healing approaches go wrong.  

They focus solely on eradicating the signs and symptoms, not recognizing that signs and symptoms are merely INDICATORS of underlying disturbances.

You Are Wired for Self-Healing

Health is your body’s preferred state of being, and healing is a process that is ordered, intelligent and predictable.

Your body knows exactly what to do in order to be well, but healing can ONLY take place when the conditions are right (ie: when you are supporting the foundations of your health).

To put it simply, we should be trying to create the CONDITIONS for health (supporting our foundations) instead of just “getting rid of disease.” 

(Even natural approaches like diets, herbs and supplements can be used in this way as piecemeal “symptom maskers,” which is why a lot of the holistic regimens out there don’t work.)

So if you’ve every wondered how to heal naturally, the answer is that health comes as a natural byproduct when all of your foundations are supported and balanced.

Your body will then have the capacity, resources and opportunity to do its healing work automatically.

This is a HUGE paradigm shift, because it causes you to ask:

“What is my body trying to tell me? Which of my foundations are out of balance, and how can I support them so that my body can return to its default state of wellness?”

Instead of: 

“What supplements or meds can I take to get rid of this problem?”

See the difference? With the second approach, you are simply masking the symptom (the indicator) without removing the actual disturbance or imbalance. And this leads to more imbalances as your body continues to compensate and cry out for help.

Your Path Forward

Working with your body’s natural foundations and rhythms to build health and create an effective path toward healing is the main thing we help you do in our 8-week Body Bliss program.

In the program there is the option to purchase a functional medicine test that will help more clearly identify where YOUR symptoms are coming from so you know which recommendations will be most helpful for you.

From there, we look at your lifestyle, circadian rhythms, and even your emotions to help you identify the patterns that are keeping you stuck.

We also show you how to properly incorporate supplements, herbs and nutrition in ways that relieve your symptoms WHILE you address the true underlying imbalances.

When you approach healing this way, you can expect to return to health as your own self-healing mechanism does its perfect, intelligent work. 

If you’d like some help rebuilding your health so you can return to a normal life with confidence, then we invite you to check out our Body Bliss program and get started today.

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The naturopathic doctors (NDs) at Attune Functional Medicine proudly serve the Denver metro area including Broomfield, Boulder, Arvada, Louisville, Thornton, Lafayette, Westminster, and Erie. Telehealth is also available.