3/02/07 - First Post - An Introduction

It doesn’t matter that the package isn’t gaily wrapped like a Christmas or birthday present, there’s something about opening a package when you just know that it’s going to be life-changing that is thrilling. I opened the envelope from Sciona with nervous anticipation. I had committed to write this blog about getting tested, learning my results and then implementing a new diet, exercise and supplement plan, in the interest of living healthier, longer and more in tune with my own body’s strengths and weaknesses. And, with this package, the clock started ticking.

To backtrack a second: I spent far too much of 2006 managing my health. I am already healthier, but it took a team of traditional doctors, a few different hospitals and a couple of nontraditional healers to get me to this place. This experience positioned me perfectly for Sciona’s approach. I believe in both traditional and alternative healthcare. I am committed to living as healthfully as possible. And, perhaps most importantly, I intend to leverage my body’s particular foibles to live life optimally.

One advantage of Sciona’s approach is that it doesn’t take a homeopathic leap of faith, (as I had to take when I tried vibrational healing, for example). It is grounded in widely accepted traditional medicine, although it relies on the latest advances in our understanding of how our bodies work.

The other, and possibly most important, advantage is that it depends on my DNA and my living habits. So it is really all about me. This matters. With my recent medical history, I learned that the majority of traditional doctors are time-pressed and lawsuit-phobic. My MDs, for the most part, treated me like a number – just another cog in their assembly line to be dealt with. There was no personal relationship or even memory of who I was and what I was experiencing, and a complete unwillingness to comment on my general health. They limit themselves to one body part, with no concern for the gestalt.

However you feel about alternative or homeopathic healers, they do, as a rule, treat their patients much better. They met me on time; they talked to me like a person; they were interested in my lifestyle and eating and exercise habits. My appointments were about me.

So, here I was, with my questionnaire and DNA swab, ready to embark on the Sciona approach to living well. The whole thing took about 15 minutes. The questionnaire was simple and clear, and covered how I eat, exercise, live, and what supplements I take.

The actual swab was scratchy – no big deal – but it was easy to do and I had no problem keeping it hygienic. With the postage-paid envelope provided, all I had to do was drop it in my mailbox the next morning, so the whole thing was about as simple as it could be.

All right, the ribbon’s off the gift; but the present hasn’t yet been opened, so the anticipation is intensified. Now, I just have to wait for the results. Check in with me when I get them.

Some questions to discuss:

What are your feelings about traditional doctors and nontraditional healers?

Have you looked outside conventional medicine for guidance or relief?

Have you ever visited a nutritionist? Was that helpful?

Do you feel better when you know that a treatment is grounded in traditional medicine?

How much do you trust your own body?

Do you feel that each of us is fundamentally different?

2 Responses to “First Post - An Introduction”

1. J. Taylor Says:
   April 25th, 2007 at 2:48 am

   This is fascinating. I’ll be most curious to see the progress of your health with this adventure!

   I’ve had generally good luck both with traditional doctors (especially the brilliant brain surgeon who saved my life when I had an aneurysm) and some nontraditional healers. Western medicine is unmatched, I think, for certain things, and I like my regular doctors and trust them. But there is a lot to be said for a holistic approach that recognizes that the mind and emotions are at least as important as the body, and I think that attitude is more often found with nontraditional healers.

   At various times I’ve found acupuncture helpful, and Asian herbal medicines not helpful or pleasant at all. I take a number of supplements and am working on the assumption that they’re helping me, but frankly have no idea if they are; I take them on the recommendations of doctors and healers I trust.

2. Michael T. Says:
   April 26th, 2007 at 8:07 am

   Though traditional medicine has its problems such, as Karen states, being at times, impersonal, time-pressed and law suit phobic, it has years of scientifically sound development and proven success to back it up.

   So much of non traditional medicine is completely unsupported by any science, and is indeed, prone to quackery. This is not to say that all of it is hokum, but much of its allure is based on the fact that at any given time, traditional medicine has its limitations. People, especially the chronically ill, will naturally look to non traditional methods that hold out the promise of a cure or a more comfortable existence. Perhaps it is the hope that non traditional medicine offers, however unscientifically based, that is its real benefit.

Leave a Reply