“If you look at healthcare today, it’s all about disease. It’s not about understanding wellness at all.” ~Leroy Hood
In a recent short article I wrote I was focusing on the difference of the common “health” mindset in our country (possibly the world at this point). I put quotation marks around the word “health” because we have somehow gotten it all skewed to be synonymous with the word “disease” rather than wellness.
As I was watching someone I consider a “mentor” on YouTube, he was describing growth – both what we wished would happen and what actually does happen – I began to equate it all to what happens with health. He was explaining that we often want something to happen over night – it’s the nature of our microwave society I think. He used a great metaphor of plants growing. He said if you put a seed in the ground do you expect it to be a full grown tree the next day with ripened fruit on it? No, instead we nurture the tree, feed it, sunlight gets to it, its roots are growing, etc., well before we see anything above ground, then it sprouts and so on. It is quite a process that can take a few years to really get grown up enough to produce good fruit.
That brings me back to health. It can take years for our companion animals to show signs of a decline in health that was already happening in their bodies. Then once our companion is obviously sick, and we have exhausted all conventional methods only then in desperation do we reach out to someone like me, an animal naturopath, to hopefully help us. Even worse the expectations are often unrealistic as well. Often the person may say after one week or one month, if there aren’t drastic results then “it didn’t work“. That statement really doesn’t make much sense because the illness did not manifest overnight and neither will the restoration.
“I appreciate health care that gets to the root cause of our symptoms and promotes wellness, rather than the one-size-fits-all drug-based approach to treating disease. I love maintaining an optimal quality of life – naturally.” ~Suzanne Somers
As your animal is restored to a well state they may begin to appear worse initially rather than better even though their energy levels often increase and their sleep is calmer and deeper. It takes time for nature to restore us and our animals back to homeostasis, back to a harmonious balanced state – spirit, mind and body. Even if the illness was acute it can take a little while to restore the balance. Much longer if the illness is chronic. That is so the body has time to release toxins in a way that is gentle, restoring balance bit by bit.
Our society has taught us to expect instant results and instant healing even though the very reason most animals end up in this situation is because we tried the quick conventional “fixes” that in reality aren’t fixes at all – they merely mask symptoms until the illness has been driven so deep into the body that disease is the only outcome.
As we often encourage our students, simply take the journey and be amazed what you witness and learn along the way. Remember nature is slow but sure. It takes time, but I know the journey is worth the outcome.
“Wellness is the compete integration of body, mind, and spirit – the realization that everything we do, think, feel, and believe has an effect on our state of well-being.” ~Greg Anderson
Kim Bloomer, V.N.D., N.D. is an animal naturopath as well as being certified in small animal nutrition, with years of experience in animal wellness. Dr. Kim is a published author, writer, and blogger. Subscribe to her DOGgone Newsletter for updates or to her blog via email. Copyright ©2005-2024 Aspenbloom Pet Care, Dr. Kim Bloomer, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the Author/Publisher. This article is intended to be educational. However, it is not intended to be a substitute for diagnosis or treatment from a qualified animal health professional. Dr. Kim Bloomer and Aspenbloom Pet Care, do not assume any legal responsibility for misuse of the products discussed in this article. The only essential oils referenced on this website are Young Living.
