Conventional and Alternative Healthcare – Too Much Trust or Too Little?

Holistic Practitioner Spotlight with Dr. Andrea Brockman

We are speaking with Dr. Andrea Brockman, BSN, DDS, who is Co-Creator and Blogger for ExploreHolistic.com

Trust in Healthcare

In the past several decades, there has been an erosion of trust in conventional medicine. Many have had personal experiences that revealed inadequacies in the system which fostered a perspective of disappointment, disillusionment, and even betrayal. Perhaps there was a misdiagnosis, a drug with horrific side-effects, a failed procedure, referrals without resolution, a lack of compassion from a physician who dismissed complaints, a downturn in quality of life, or a death resulting from error.

In my own case, conventional medicine offed me no diagnosis or treatment for symptoms that affected every system in my body. Heavy metal toxicity was simply not addressed in medical school education and therefore, not recognized. Only symptomatic therapies were available, which would not get to the root of what was draining my health. As a conventionally trained nurse and dentist, my own education did not prepare me to recognize the symptoms let alone safe management of this chronic environmental exposure in my dental practice.

When Trust in Practitioners Erodes, Other Treatments and Practitioners Fill the Void

I was in my early 20’s and the Internet was not yet invented. Information was difficult to obtain but I discovered Holistic Professional Associations that opened my eyes to taking more responsibility for my own health. This resulted in eating better, exercising more, and learning about detoxification of mercury. Unfortunately, the mainstream doctors knew nothing of this and were (and still are) judgmental and mistrusting of alternative therapies.

There are times in life when decisions are based on our intuition as well as training and experience. Driven by a lack of conventional treatment and seeking well-being, I learned about herbal medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic, cranial sacral therapy, reflexology, breathwork, yoga, meditation, detoxification and many more modalities. Saving my life, my mission as a practitioner was to approach patient care with more natural healing therapies. I practiced what I preached.

“Trusting is Hard. Knowing Who to Trust, Even Harder”- Maria V. Snyder

Trust, which is defined as having a strong belief in the reliability, truth, and ability of someone or something is influenced by experience and other forms of knowledge. I knew that too much trust could be reckless, but a lack of trust could likewise be perilous.

My personal wellbeing of body, mind, and spirit became the driver of my health decisions, which in the beginning was uncharted territory. I learned through new experiences that holistic treatments promoted health rather than just focusing on illness. Importantly, I was acknowledged as being an active participant in my own care.

By going outside the box, it was reassuring that healers spent unrushed time with me and listened to what I had to say. It was easy to relate as their values were congruent with mine. It made sense that the treatments did not produce immediate results but rather allowed my body to heal with no alarming side effects. In my discernment, I found a balance of trust between the expertise of conventional practitioners and the wisdom of ancient alternatives.

“Self-trust is the first secret of success.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Above all, there is great benefit in trusting your self-knowledge and danger in trusting opinions, your own or others. People in authority can have a great deal of influence but still should be vetted for knowledge and expertise of subjects they have strong opinions of. Become educated so you know what questions to ask. Exercise the control you should have over your own health and life decisions.

Biography

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