In a recent episode from my radio show, Uplift Your Life: Nourishment of the Spirit, my guest, Maggie Hadleigh-West, revealed some disturbing facts about the medical profession and pharmaceutical companies. She described her 30 year journey of failed attempts to diagnosis her lifelong thyroid condition. Maggie did her best to take care of her health with acupuncture, homeopathy and her naturopath. When she was ready to give up on Western Medicine, she stumbled upon a doctor who diagnosed her correctly just by looking at her, even before he examined her. She told us that the main diagnostic test for thyroid disease is only accurate about 15% of the time. As if this weren’t disturbing enough, she explained that the American Medical Association and many medical schools received large sums of money from the pharmaceutical companies in the beginning stages of their development. The pharmaceutical companies’ money gave them a great deal of influence on the medical profession, which is still strong today. These companies conduct a lot of the trainings that doctors attend for required continuing education credits. The content of those meetings is often advertising for new products they’re marketing. When Maggie added that a lot of the research used to prove the effectiveness of various drugs is falsified, I began to feel like I was in a bad crime movie, but I wasn’t. If you’re skeptical, the Sunday after this show, May 27, 2018, 60 Minutes aired a story about employees who were aware their company hid research results that didn’t support the benefits of the drugs they were wanting to bring to market. Each of us must take charge of our own health and find health care providers who deserve our trust. To listen to this show, I encourage you to click here.
Dr. Paula’s Tip of the Week
My Tip from my e-book, 33 Tips for Self-Empowerment is: Be Grateful. People who are grateful, are happier. Manifestation is most successful from an attitude of gratitude. Start and/or end each day reciting or writing the things that you are grateful for. Include what you usually take for granted, like: breathing, shelter, food, seeing, hearing, etc. This is especially important to do when you are struggling with illness, stress, depression, anxiety, financial problems and other difficulties. When people are in a place of fear or negativity, it’s hard to see all of the wonderful things that are working in our lives and all of the blessings that we do have. We can choose to look at what we do have or we can focus on what is missing. It’s like that picture where you can only see the vase or the profile of a face. You can’t see both at the same time, just like you can’t smile and feel sad at the same time. In every second of every minute of every day, we have a choice as to where to focus our attention.
Dr. Paula’s Silver Lining Story
Now it’s time for my silver lining story. As my regular listeners know, I have been healing my scoliosis since 1980. That was when it started to get worse and the medical doctors told me I needed an operation to put a steel rod in my back. Instead I chose to work with alternative medicine and spiritual healers. The process of healing has been long and often painful and exhausting. The alternative, however, would have left me a cripple for life. My silver linings are the vast education I am getting, the amazing people I have gotten to know, the profound healing I continue to have emotionally, mentally and physically, and the ongoing beautiful spiritual experiences that have touched my heart and soul. All of this has changed my life in ways that are beyond what I ever dreamed possible. And best of all, I now use what I’ve learned to help others heal and grow and lead better lives.
Marian Stephens’ Story
This episode of Uplift Your Life: Nourishment of the Spirit really hit home with me. Maggie Hadleigh-West exposed an aspect of healthcare in America that desperately needs to change. She was misdiagnosed for a long time before she was diagnosed correctly and given a treatment that made her sick in an all new and devastating way. Many Americans suffer from thyroid disease and are not diagnosed due to tests that are not comprehensive. Most Americans who are diagnosed are given synthetic thyroid treatment that have harsh and dangerous side effects instead of a more expensive version that is made from ingredients occurring in nature. I was misdiagnosed for years and years – even being told once that the symptoms were all in my head. When I was diagnosed properly, I was treated with extremely potent immunosuppressant therapy (chemotherapy) due to the severity of the damage Multiple Sclerosis was inflicting on my nervous system. I was never fully counseled on the potential side effects of these treatments, or given honest statistics outlining the minimal effectiveness of the treatments. Because of those treatments, I have had serious infections including sepsis, side effects such as hair loss, and now have other autoimmune illnesses including Type 2 Diabetes.
The component that was missing from my treatment twelve years ago is still missing from my treatment today, and that is any prescribed treatment to promote wellness. I have never been counseled on nutrition, been referred to counseling, encouraged to explore supplementation, had the benefits of meditation explained to me, or told to explore safe alternative treatments. I have asked about each of these over the years, and always told that they are fine, but mostly a waste of energy. What is the most powerful aspect of Dr. Paula’s show is that she promotes all of these ways to create health in almost every show, never eschewing incorporating traditional medicine into the process of healing. If medical doctors were to model her way of treating the individual, it would revolutionize the healthcare industry.
Dr. Paula asks this week: what action are you going to take to change the situation that’s upsetting you? The situation that most upsets me is my physical health, and I have begun to use the coaching responses and other methods Dr. Paula has given me to change this. I am going to further my efforts by advocating for myself with my doctors and telling them that I am using these methods combined with an appropriate diet for MS instead of starting a new, potentially dangerous, immunosuppressant.
Dr. Paula’s Coaching Response
Marian, your insights are profound. You are absolutely correct that you do not have to choose between your medical doctor and the other methods that you are exploring. Science has proven that our emotions, thoughts, stress, relationships and diet all have a huge impact on our physical health. Deepak Chopra, MD says that genetics accounts for only 5% of disease. The other 95% is due to lifestyle. As you heal other parts of your life, Marian, and make new choices, you have the possibility of also healing your MS.
Science has also proven that when we don’t know how to process and let go of our emotional pain, it settles somewhere in our body. This can be in one place or multiple places. The emotional pain becomes physical pain. It wants to be paid attention to, felt and released. Most of us can ignore emotional pain but not physical pain. The body is wise and knows how to get our attention. As we allow ourselves to feel the emotional pain and release those feelings and experiences that are hurting us, we have the potential to let go of the physical pain. This takes time because we have been collecting negativity for many years. Starting on the journey, as you have, means that you can stop collecting more pain and let go of the old negativity that got buried in your body. Spending the time and energy healing is certainly better than sitting and watching yourself get worse. I commend you for your new choices and encourage you to search for what will help you heal emotionally, mentally and physically. The mind, body and spirit truly are connected. When we choose to work with the spiritual realm in our healing, miracles become every day occurrences.
For previous shows on Alternative Medicine Combined with Western Medicine:
- Cure Yourself: Love, Laughter and Miracles with Dr. Bernie Siegel on April 3, 2014
- Treating the Whole Person: Mind, Body and Spirit with Dr. Paula Fayerman on July 3, 2014
- No Prescription Drugs and Only One Pill a Day! With Dr. Lewis Cone on July 17, 2014
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Dr. Paula, The Life Doctor, has helped thousands of people improve their health, wealth and relationships through writing, coaching and speaking. She was recently ranked #11 out of 314 life coaches considered in Dallas by expertise.com. Contact her today to get started on your personal journey.
Cell: (214) 208-3533
Email: paula@paulajoyce.com
To learn more about Dr. Paula, please visit her website at www.paulajoyce.com.
To hear more shows from Uplift Your Life: Nourishment of the Spirit, please click here.
