Tuesday, December 8, 2009

What would our lives be like if we lived in alignment with nature’s rhythms?

For most of human history, life has been lived in concert with nature, with respect for the limitations nature places on us and with gratitude for the abundance nature provides. Modern life has led us away from the rhythm, regularity and simplicity of such a life and has produced many cultural norms that are detrimental to our well being, both as individuals and as a society. The idea that we can conquer nature by way of technological advances and, thus, live a life free of disease has not born itself out to be true when it comes to our overall health and sense of well being. This is because the human body, mind and spirit are not apart from nature but, instead, function according to natural laws. Consequently, true wellness and a high quality of life can best be achieved by re-learning how to live in synergy with nature and by optimizing the amazing healing power of nature to our benefit, instead of spending our time, energy and money attempting to overcome it.

In January, I'll be opening my new naturopathic medical practice, Evolution Natural Medicine, in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. Soon thereafter, I'll begin working with patients as an Intern at the Wu Hsing Tao School for classical five element acupuncture. In working as a partner with patients to improve their health and quality of life, my primary goals will be to help find the places in each patient's life where there are obstacles standing in the way of their true healing and to help patients find ways to naturally remove those obstacles, producing a lasting and sustainable cure for what ails them. And based on my past experience, the obstacles to healing tend to show up wherever a person is not living in alignment with the rhythms of nature.

The rhythms of nature will be a frequent topic for exploration on this blog--it's an almost limitless subject! And I'm really excited to explore here how naturopathic medicine and five element acupuncture can be used synergistically to help us all to heal and to sustain our health--sustainable healing! There are only a couple of other practitioners in the U.S. who are practicing these two healing arts together, so the territory is wide open for creating new healing possibilities!

Sustainable healing also has another meaning to me. It means creating a healthcare system that is focused on the cultivation of true and lasting wellness of body, mind and spirit instead of the current focus on disease management. It means the empowerment of each of us to create and maintain our own good health and high quality of life without expensive medical interventions. It means creating a healthcare practice that is a conscious and responsible local business and that treads lightly on the Earth and does no harm to its inhabitants. And it means providing healthcare that is financially accessible to all who wish to come.

So, if any of these topics interest you, come hang out with me here every now and then and we can chat about sustainable healing!

You can visit my website, which is still under construction, at www.evolutionnaturalmedicine.com. And if you want to make an appointment for January, give me a call at 206.419.8516 or email at drkate@evolutionnaturalmedicine.com.