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Patient heal thyself - spiritually

 

Published January 15, 2005 in the North Island Weekender

 

I happened onto a travel show about Peru the other day and was impressed by the travels into Machu Picchu. The journey was incredible! Traveling along perilous mountainous roads then along narrow mountain paths for the remainder of the long journey on foot. One young tourist from Great Britain said that actually getting to Machu Picchu was anti-climactic; it was the journey getting there that was the most spectacular.

According to a recent Globe and Mail article typing pilgrimage and spiritual into Google yields 465,000 hits showing the growing desire to find spirituality in this complicated world in which we live in. People are trying to find themselves and often they find the language of institutional religion no longer expresses their faith or beliefs. They are traveling to ancient sites in North America, Greece, Ireland, Britain, Egypt, Spain, Middle East, Asia, India, China and South America. These people are not traveling as tourists but as searchers after meaning. What people hope for when they return to their busy life is a greater capacity to wrestle with contemporary reality. CS Lewis stated; “There is all the difference in the world between looking at a map of the coastline and going down to the beach and being drenched by the spray of a great wave.” What is being sought is an experience of God.

Well what has this to do with medicine and medical practice? There are often times when the best medicine does not make a difference in a person’s life and the problem is not merely physical but spiritual. I see this with long protracted cases of depression or chronic illnesses of any kind. As a physician I see the potential of health for each person in front of me but sometimes they don’t see it. I see them recovering their health 100%, but often people are happy with an improvement of 50% because the next 50% is too much work and as long as their pain is gone or their skin condition cleared they are happy. If it means taking antacids to relieve their recurrent heartburn, they don’t mind!

Dr. Deepak Chopra, in his books, outlines the power of mantra’s or chanting certain words with a high vibration. The vibration of the word not only changes every cell in the person’s body over time, but also affects those around them including their neighborhood. The mantra is best chanted out loud, however similar effects can be had with silently chanting the word.

Once such ancient word is “HU” another word for GOD. This word has been used for centuries by tribes in Africa as a way to fend off evil spirits. It is a mantra that is used by any religious denomination and I will suggest that some of my patients try it if they need help on a more spiritual level. The recent movie What the Bleep Do We Know is another testament to the power of thought or prayer and using such a positive word as HU aligns the cells in the body to function better.

I recently a book called "Wonderful Magical Words that Work" by Bill Arnott and I have been recommending Louise Hay’s book You Can Heal Your Life to my patients for years. Words are powerful things and the next time you catch yourself thinking “Oh how tired I feel” say to yourself  “I choose to feel good” and see how your life can change over time.

Instead of spending big dollars on spiritual pilgrimages, try the pilgrimage into your own heart, using these powerful mantras and see that this is the best pilgrimage and powerful charged words can get you there. Sometimes taking good medicine just isn’t enough for healing!

 

Dr. Pincott has been practicing naturopathic medicine since 1985 and is currently practicing in Campbell River. She can be reached at (250) 286-3655 or www.DrPincott.com