Truth in the middle

Usually, the truth is somewhere in the middle…

The battle royale I’ve seen between conventional medicine and the health and wellness community has been uncomfortable for me to watch.  Conventional medicine isn’t engaging in preventative medicine while alternative medicine is pseudoscience.

I don’t identify fully with either community. There’s things I like/value from both and disagree with a lot. It does sting a bit when my role as a health care provider is mocked or criticized.

I’m an allopathically trained nurse practitioner that wants more for my patients than a pill and a 15 minute visit.

So where is the middle ground?! The truth usually lies somewhere in between

WE CAN DO BOTH:

• Believe there is a spectrum of health/dysfunction before there is disease. We don’t wake up one day with type 2 diabetes, congestions heart failure, or high cholesterol. It’s also not normal for women to be experiencing excessive PMS symptoms like painful periods that interfere with there lives, heavy bleeding, or acne and being offered hormonal contraceptives as the solution. Looking for answers in unconventional places does not make you obstinate, when you haven’t found suitable answers in conventional ways.

• Use and trust conventional medicine when we need it. There are brilliant, caring, trusted conventional providers and scientists across the medical community that aren’t out to get you. Acute and emergency care is vital in our health system to assessment, diagnosis and treat patients with urgent medical needs. Modern medicine is also doing amazing things, we’ve witness this with the long studied mRNA vaccine! 

So when you’ve found yourself, whether as a provider or a patient, navigating the muddy waters between conventional and alternative medicine, know you aren’t alone. We can find our identity in the middle.