When opting for healthier alternatives to big pharma, we have to leave the big pharma thinking at the door. As we see an influx of people all over the world turning away from the machine that has become modern medicine and making a return to traditional healing, I do think we are vastly lacking in two key areas. The first, being that you don’t just trade one set of gurus for another— and you don’t trade your big pharma prescriptions for alternative medicine poisons. Secondly, you cannot just pop a specific herb or remedy and magically treat your problems. That is modern, big pharma thinking at it’s core, and really lends credo to the term “snake-oil salesman”.
In fact, when speaking to the latter, this is a gross misrepresentation of traditional herbalism and what a return to holistic approach actually looks like. True herbalism and alignment with holistic practice means treating the body as a whole. It is the cultivation and care of the Earth and Nature, connecting you to the stuff that YOU yourself are growing and putting into your body. It is developed over time, with consistency daily vs just trying a bunch of herbal remedies when you don’t feel your best. It is building sustainable, healthy habits as opposed to chasing miracle cures and elixirs.
Now, that is not to say that you can’t utilize herbalism daily and for your benefit. Sure, a cup of lavender or chamomile tea will help you relax in the evening, but it is not going to do anything if you are overstimulating yourself on the internet every night before bed, aren’t getting adequate rest, proper nutrition and hydration, or consuming enough caffeine to sustain an elephant. Further, let’s say you injure your ankle and decide some arnica rub might help with immediate pain relief. Great, but keep in mind, that is also masking symptoms as opposed to treating the root cause of the injury… which takes time, right? Buuuut, I do think we can all agree that a natural arnica rub is better than popping a tablet of aspirin. The point I am trying to make is that some things may provide temporary relief, but that a holistic, root-cause approach is the key to consistent overall wellness.
Now, I personally don’t place much value in what we have been told about the immune system and other academically disproven things about the body and the true nature of wellness. (Big surprise there for longtime readers, lol). But what I do know is that certain plants, herbs, and minerals have certain compounds, oils, etc. and that these do have a proven effect on the body. This is just basic chemistry, backed with a combination of traditional, anecdotal, and researched uses. To deny this and just dismiss it as quackery is just ignorance, as this is what many of the patented pharmaceuticals are modeled after: natural remedies that you cannot patent.
So instead, they just make adjustments and then patent their products and sell it to the populace for a disgusting profit. There is not much money in teaching folks how to grow and craft their own apothecary items and how to take care of their bodies holistically. It makes sense that teaching proper diet and nutrition is not really beneficial if you have statins to prescribe or vitamin supplements to push. There is, however, a great deal of money to be made if you keep people sick for a profit and never properly educate them about true wellness and how readily available it is to everyone who takes the time to learn. These companies know the value of what these natural compounds can do and simply don’t want the general public to know about it. Then when you point out the obvious, you suddenly become the bad guy to call it out. Why do you think they did everything they could to stamp out holistic heath care in the United States in the early 20th century? Why do you think we are currently experiencing a clear market push for “alternative medicines”?
The thing is, if one is to consider leaving all of the modern medicine stuff behind, you have to really commit to thinking outside of the paradigms and systems that have been enshrined by those who are still committed to selling you an idea of wellness with a different gimmick or promise behind it. I refer to the alternative wellness groups that would have people taking ivermectin or methylene blue or those who tell folks to take synthetic vitamins and lab-grown chemicals instead of big pharma pills. Hooray for miracle cures, right?
Wrong.
What these pseudopersonalities won’t tell you is that it is all the same thing, and many won’t even disclose their affiliates or who has endorsed them. They all seem to have something to sell (not always a bad thing, but use discernment) and an amazing gimmick to go with it. This is not holistic health, not by a fucking margin. You cannot replace pharmaceuticals with alt poisons and snake oil products. Full stop. You either get that or you don’t. It is not choosing the lesser of two evils when the same companies own the alternatives.
Problem.
Reaction.
Solution.
The real power comes from walking away from and ditching both the big pharma and fake New Age healing practices for true, rooted holistic care. A return to the Earth, putting in the work, making the long-term sacrifices and efforts and listening to your body as a whole is where it’s at. There is something so special and amazing about cultivating and using things on your own, things that have all of the love and care and attentiveness YOU brought to it. You know what was put into it, where it came from, how it was crafted or grown. You don’t have to question what hidden additives or gimmicks are hiding behind the healing headline because there are none.
When a return to that kind of tradition is made, it is no small thing. You can feel it, and you can feel yourself taking back that power. We also demonstrate for our children a better approach moving forward, so that they may carry that knowledge and appreciation with them. We stand to learn so much and gain so much growth and experience simply by rejecting the modern notion of health and wellness and returning to something much simpler and satisfying.
Moon Maiden MusingsRead More
T1
