Looking for a ‘one size fits all solution’?
There isn’t one: a beautiful & twisted double edged sword, depending on how you look at it. I think the “advil for everything'“ era did a number on our ability to remember things like bio-individuality, genetics, environmental stressors, diet, lifestyle, habits, & even attitudes play a role in each of our unique health blueprint. I’m not saying you can magically cure your dis-ease with positive thinking, but I absolutely know you can ‘pour gasoline on a fire’ with poor thoughts.
Perhaps you have a fairly good understanding of what’s happening internally, or maybe you’re still searching for your answers. I know all too well how difficult it can be to find proper support with the way our ‘health care’ systems are designed. Finding specialists, let alone getting more than ‘everything on your labs came back normal’ from an in network doctor is actually infuriating. Having experienced that myself, I can understand why some go ‘full granola-anti-western-medicalized-care’.
Especially after being guinea-pigged by money hungry psychotherapists.
Let me be very clear: I am NOT anti-doctor, anti-medication, or anti-medicalized care. I am however, anti-uniformed consent, anti-coercive care, anti-’doctor spent less than half a quarter of a semester studying the implications of diet & nutrition on our well-being & is going to try to tell me there’s no other solution but pills or surgery.’ I’m pro-’lets understand what the hell we’re doing to our bodies, holistically or otherwise’. Personally I don’t believe swiveling from one extreme to the other is the solution. I hope you haven’t come to this space expecting a ‘screw all doctors’ sort of dialog. Because truthfully, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this had it not been for the diagnostic tools available from western medicines development. STORY TIME!
Back in 2018 my annual pap came back with severely pre-cancerous cells. When receiving the results my doctor notified me if it progressed any further I’d have a cancer diagnosis. The big ‘c’. My passenger side seat was covered in vomit on the drive home that afternoon. So when I got the repetitive phone calls pressuring the ‘common & totally safe LEEP procedure’ - I mean literally more than four phone calls A DAY, I started to wonder what the ulterior motives or incentives were. This gynecologist was the first & last male gyno I ever went to. Without the gritty details, & to speak from a scar healed twice over rather than ‘a wound’, had this doctor not physically violated me during the exam I might not have learned to advocate for my health & my boundaries as soon as I did.
Doctors work for you, not the other way around. There should never be insistent pressure (coercive care). There should never be a feeling of discomfort or dis-ease. IF THERE IS, YOU REPORT THAT SHIT to the board immediately. So while searching for a new gyno, I began to do my own research. I knew the precancerous cells were caused by HPV, which if you’re thinking ‘well I got the Gardasil shot when I was a teen’, so did I babe, but why did I not know there’s NO WAY TO TEST MEN TO SEE IF THEY’RE CARRIERS? Crazy how there’s more funded research for male pattern baldness than there is on a condition that leads to cervical cancer.
The anger & rage you might feel reading that is totally valid. Feel it. Let it fuel you to decide to ‘search for a better way’.
That curiosity, ‘is there an alternative to this creepy doctor getting a $1,500 pay day from my insurance to cut into my cervix, which may or may not impact my ability to hold my bladder or give vaginal birth?’ led me to find a lot of valuable resources in naturally supporting my body reversing the precancerous cells, without surgical intervention. I also found a new doctor who was willing to work with me & advocate for the course of action I came to the conclusion of wanting to take. Despite the anxiety & fire alarm panic in my soul (it was the big C y’all, I did not brush it off or take it lightly), I stuck to my guns. Now in hindsight 20/20 I’m glad I did. It’s one of those pivotal turning point moments where I truly began to believe in not just herbalism being able to do more than just soothe an upset stomach, but beyond that, it’s a moment that helped me begin to trust in myself more.
Take note, I didn’t just say ‘screw it i’ll figure this out on my own’. I worked alongside my doctors who were able to monitor the augmented cells on my cervix. I had really no suspicion something was wrong prior to going to my annual pap smear, so for the love of all that’s good, please get your annuals. I firmly believe going forward, there’s gotta be an intersection between natural alternatives & medicalized care. There’s a way for these tools to work in tandem. For me, that looks like getting a diagnosis before I start blindly & haphazardly throwing remedies into my body. I spent a handful of years uninsured & was still able to find community health care centers that offered payment plans as well as sliding scale pricing. Please check local resources if finances have been one of the hurdles holding you back from getting the medical attention you need. & when you go? Ask for a copy of your full blood panels, results, everything. This is where you can then play detective. & if able, a functional health or Naturopathic doctor is going to be you best bet at decoding your labs. There’s even support groups called ‘ask a naturopath’ who may be able to explain more about understanding your pannels.
Alright I’m sure by now you’re thinking ‘Sarah i’ve read three posts now & not a single herb has been mentioned…’ Well you’re right babe. I think the foundations of our health often get overlooked. We’ve kind of conditioned ourselves to look for ‘quick fixes’ & ‘easy solutions with fast results’. Healing, & healing with the help of herbal allies is NOT an overnight process. In fact I implore you to start seeing ‘herbalism’ as more of a relationship to the earth than a skillset to add to you resume. Try to stick with me, we’re diving into all things herbalism here real soon
I’m attaching some resources for getting blood work done as well!
Instead of ordering random labs *do research on specific panels most recommended for your specific health concerns.
Vaginal microbiome testing
Normal lab testing