What’s your medicine?

I say without shame that I am both a user and a fan of complementary medicine. While I’ve seen it oft referred to as alternative medicine, I prefer the previous term, ‘cos I believe there are areas in which it does precisely that – it acts as a complement to traditional medicine, and I don’t see either one as being the only way…

Having lived in the third world, I was regularly inoculated against all manner of vile stuff including cholera, yellow fever and TB. Despite being scared of needles to a phobic level, once I learned how to adapt, I presented my arm without complaint, and while living in malarial West Africa, I took quinine as prescribed without complaint.

After moving back to the UK, our doctor encouraged my family to take an old fashioned attitude to everyday ailments. As a result, I didn’t get into the habit of taking a tablet, but acted to facilitate the body in healing itself. As a result, anti-biotics have rarely passed my lips, and over-the-counter medications (including painkillers) will typically remain in my medicine cabinet for ages without being touched. Having had to take some seriously heavy-duty painkillers in the past for serious injuries, Himself now avoids them with even more enthusiasm than I.

The first time I was introduced to homeopathy was by a Pharmacist. I was desperate and willing to try anything, so was delighted to discover the suggested remedy worked like a dream. And everyone I’ve recommended it to since has had the same level of success. That led me to a number of other most effective remedies, most of which are based on old herbal remedies – as indeed are many modern drugs.

Traditional medicine has both saved my life and labelled me a WW (whinging woman for those not in the know on the shorthand used by UK doctor’s in patient records), while complementary medicine has been effective and done no harm. As a result, I choose to straddle both worlds. And there’s no doubting one attraction of complementary medicine is that you’re heard… because there’s no rushed 5 minute consultation here.

I have a new Osteopath who I’ve been working with now for a few months. Before I was foolish enough to headbutt the tarmac, we’d been covering the ground of my medical history. From those discussions has come the suggestion that the virus I suffered with in early 2023 – the one I called a plague – is continuing to wreak havoc on my body.

And in truth, if she can wind back the clock to get my body back to how I felt before that week (which is her stated aim), I’m all in. It won’t be happening overnight, especially after the headbutting incident, but I do promise to report back…

Do you straddle both the traditional and complementary medicine worlds – or are you strictly one or the other?

© Debs Carey, 2024