Welcome Heather Barnes, BA
I’ve often heard people say, “Do what you love.” Excellent, then let me talk about natural and herbal remedies!
Over the last eight years, I’ve researched and tried different herbal remedies. I desire to share what I’ve learned (and am continuing to learn) with the entire nursing community! The general public likes to make their own choices, especially regarding their health. Many people currently choose to incorporate alternative treatments into their lives. I would like to support that ability to choose, while providing information for nurses and patients that will allow for safety and coordination of alternatives treatments with mainstream medicine.
Pregnancy and children have funny ways of changing our thinking about our health, and both certainly did that to me by having four children in six years and two months, all in my 30s! About the time I had my second child, I began to focus on taking better care of myself. I devoured information in books and on websites, gathered input from more experienced people around me, and formulated what I believed about health, wellness, and freedom of choice.
One of those choices involved using herbal or natural remedies. Controversy (heated argument??) rages over such things, and the debate is nothing new. This battle has been going on for quite some time, well nigh the time of Hippocrates, but the story remains the same. Who knows better? Who is in control? How much will it cost? How will treatment be rationed and administered?
You see in those questions the very issues that continue to plague every discussion on healthcare in current times!
Health is daily. I believe it is a personal responsibility, and as such, each person should be allowed the freedom and choice to decide among various treatments and methods of administration, and what defines “wellness” for them. I would venture to say that if our society would return to one that not only believes in personal responsibility, but actually practices it, we would see a healthcare “crisis” that would greatly diminish.
Ben Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” I believe most people interest themselves in alternative treatments in order to avoid the long lists of potential side effects associated with many mainstream medications and treatments. Many of these people end up in our hospitals and clinics with problems that they no longer feel they can manage on their own, but fail to inform their healthcare providers of alternative treatments.
I think one reason why patients may be reluctant to talk about their alternative treatments is that they feel a stigma continues to be attached to these treatments. However, if we are truly going to help the whole person, we must remove the stigma, be willing to discuss all treatments openly, focus on education, and send a patient out the door better equipped to make a decision about his or her own health. I believe it is important to get professional medical advice, but I also believe it is equally important that healthcare providers be open-minded about the choices their patients make.
So the key is…education! (And money…but isn’t it always about that?) When healthcare providers are educated, they can pass on that education to their patients. Everyone benefits, and one aspect of freedom of choice remains preserved.
And NOW, on to the fun stuff!
In my next blog post, I will be discussing the powerful herb Echinacea. Though the name may be quite familiar, most people are unfamiliar with the true nature and properties of this pretty pink flower.