There's PLENTY to do!!

"My mother has Alzheimer's. In the beginning,
we took her to all sorts of doctors; they gave her tests,
then each told us “there’s nothing we can do”. Just because
they didn’t have a cure for her disease, they kind of washed
their hands of her as a person. Nothing? really ‘nothing’?
Since then, we've been taking care of her at home for the past 8 years.
There's been PLENTY of things to do, everyday, such that many of
her/our days have been great.

But that attitude of the medical profession—there’s nothing they can do—
wasn't good for us. Initially it made us feel there was nothing WE could do—
which wasn't true at all. "(Karen Parenti, about Jo Parenti’s care)
www.patchadams.org

This quote really struck me as I read it on Patch Adam's website. A lot of people coming in for acupuncture have said, "The doctor said there's nothing they can do." Patch Adams, and hopefully many others in the "healing professions" would say...There's PLENTY to do!!!

I think in our culture we really don't know what a healer does. A actor acts. A gardener gardens. But does a healer really heal? Personally, I don't think so. We tend to look to healers to DO something to make us better, to "fix" us. I think a healer can be a big part of the healing, but frankly, if you have a broken bone, you're going to have to heal it yourself. Of course, myself, the MD, the PT, the OT and the LMT are all going to facilitate that healing, but man, your bone cells have got some work to do.

The idea of a Healer is attractive; somebody I can take this jalopy of a body to when the muffler breaks down, or the tires are feeling a little worn, and PRESTO! Everything's better and you can return to the way of life you had before . But the body doesn't work that way. The body is waiting for you to listen to it, to understand what it needs and act on it. To actively work together as a team to get the most out of life.

My brother is a physical therapist and I've always loved the concept of what he does. Somebody comes in with an ailment, and he uses his knowledge to tell the person to do a certain stretch, or a certain exercise. And to do it again. And do it again. And again. The knowledge he shares helps to get the person doing the right thing to help their body, but the person still has to put in the time and DO it.

I always hear about how lazy Americans are, but frankly I have never seen a lazy person come in through the doors of our clinic. I see people that are stuck in certain patterns that are putting a lot of time and energy to keep those patterns going, often ignoring cues their bodies are trying to tell them. I see people just trying to get by, to help their family get by, or to "follow the rules" they were taught in order to have a good life. I also see a lot of people taking care of a lot of other people, who never felt they were allowed to take time for themselves. Always, I hear people say they want to feel better, but there's nothing they can DO.

But there is plenty we can do. We can change how we're active. Maybe we have to exercise more. Maybe we have to exercise less. Maybe we have to work hard by learning how to DO NOTHING. Maybe our body has forgotten how to relax! That's a big part of our culture. That's a big part of our challenge.

Maybe we need to help others like the woman in the opening paragraph who is helping her mother with Alzheimer's enjoy her life. Maybe we need to stop helping others so much and turn that caring towards ourselves. Maybe we need to discover that feeling good and happy is not selfish.

Whatever we find we can do, we need to do it again. And again, and again. Use that incredible work drive we have and couple it with our boundless ability to care. And along the way hopefully there is someone that can help you achieve that. A healer who is an acupuncturist, an MD, a counselor, a PT, a nurse, a friend. Frankly you don't need letters after your name to be a "health care provider." You just need to help DO something. Even if that something is nothing at all.