Several weekends ago while with some friends, we got to talking about the journey I'm on to understand my body, and help it become as healthy as possible. As I explained over tea, my mind is finally ready to seriously get to work, and I want to make sure that my body can support me for the next 40 years. No use in getting older and wiser if you can't live long enough to share it!
When I started describing my experience with Nutrition Response Testing, I started to get blank looks. Having a practictioner analyse your health using pressure on an uplifted arm didn't make sense, and sounded a little voo-doo-ish. I agree. But NRT is actually based on some principles that make a lot of sense to me and some broader principles that are true with many alternative medical practices. And while I don't think alternative medicine has an answer for everything that ails you, I am drawn to it for several reasons:
First. Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) places an emphasis on the body as a whole unit, rather than as separate and unrelated organs. The mind/body connection is embraced as well, with the underlying belief that how we think and feel affects how our body functions and how we live and move in our bodies affects how we think and feel.
Second. CAM encourages a partnership between the practicitioner and the "patient." The patient is empowered to understand and pay attention to their body, their input is important, and decisions are made in conversation with the assumption that the patient is the one who will take ultimate responsbility for their own health.
Third. CAM utilizes natural and non-invasive means of healing. Whether through organic whole food supplements, deep massage and manipulation, change in diet, or a series of stretches and postures, alternative medical practicioners search for answers in nature and through the natural healing power of our bodies.
I originally pursued Nutritional Response Testing because my daughter had been successfully diagnosed with several food allergies that had become almost debilitating. When I bumped into a friend who knew of a doctor in the area, I called for an appointment, partly out of curiosity and partly because I was having some allergic swelling I was concerned about. After the initial consultation, we started working on eliminating some toxic build up and strengthening my immune system through diet change and supplements. Along the way, I started becoming more aware of my body, and tuned in to what I was feeding it and how it responded to diet and stress.
NRT is just one of many alternative medicines around. There's acupuncture, reflexology, massage therapy and chiropractic to name a few. I believe they're the forerunners of what medicine will look like in the future - more intuitive, natural and self-responsible. For more information on NRT, you can check out this wellness center who has done a nice job of writing it up for their clients. If you'd like to share your own stories and recommendations, or websites, I'd enjoy hearing them in the comment section.
When I started describing my experience with Nutrition Response Testing, I started to get blank looks. Having a practictioner analyse your health using pressure on an uplifted arm didn't make sense, and sounded a little voo-doo-ish. I agree. But NRT is actually based on some principles that make a lot of sense to me and some broader principles that are true with many alternative medical practices. And while I don't think alternative medicine has an answer for everything that ails you, I am drawn to it for several reasons:
First. Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) places an emphasis on the body as a whole unit, rather than as separate and unrelated organs. The mind/body connection is embraced as well, with the underlying belief that how we think and feel affects how our body functions and how we live and move in our bodies affects how we think and feel.
Second. CAM encourages a partnership between the practicitioner and the "patient." The patient is empowered to understand and pay attention to their body, their input is important, and decisions are made in conversation with the assumption that the patient is the one who will take ultimate responsbility for their own health.
Third. CAM utilizes natural and non-invasive means of healing. Whether through organic whole food supplements, deep massage and manipulation, change in diet, or a series of stretches and postures, alternative medical practicioners search for answers in nature and through the natural healing power of our bodies.
I originally pursued Nutritional Response Testing because my daughter had been successfully diagnosed with several food allergies that had become almost debilitating. When I bumped into a friend who knew of a doctor in the area, I called for an appointment, partly out of curiosity and partly because I was having some allergic swelling I was concerned about. After the initial consultation, we started working on eliminating some toxic build up and strengthening my immune system through diet change and supplements. Along the way, I started becoming more aware of my body, and tuned in to what I was feeding it and how it responded to diet and stress.
NRT is just one of many alternative medicines around. There's acupuncture, reflexology, massage therapy and chiropractic to name a few. I believe they're the forerunners of what medicine will look like in the future - more intuitive, natural and self-responsible. For more information on NRT, you can check out this wellness center who has done a nice job of writing it up for their clients. If you'd like to share your own stories and recommendations, or websites, I'd enjoy hearing them in the comment section.
