Where the American Healthcare System Meets Jikiden Reiki®
So this just happened, and I am still in awe …
I just left my endocrinologist’s office for a follow-up visit and was pleasantly surprised that THIS happened.
During the visit he opened my chart and my eyes could not believe what I saw. I had to take a double take. What was it? It was the word Reiki written in kanji.
My doctor began to tell me that after my last visit with him, he was so taken back by my last visit that he decided to do some research on Jikiden Reiki® in his own. He even went on to show me his written notes from my last visit where he wrote the word Reiki in kanji. I was pleasantly surprised as this was unexpected.
So TODAY he inquired more about Jikiden Reiki® and how it has helped me overcome some of these “issues” where the American healthcare system was unsuccessful.
He was very curious and inquisitive which was refreshing to see from someone in the medical field. He said as a physician, he is limited in scope of care and there are many things that in the healthcare system, people just have to live with and listed many examples on why that is – eluding to how broken the system is.
My reply was “But it does not have to be so and this is why”. He said he’s never met a patient like me before in all the years he has practiced medicine.
I thought wow. I made this much of an impression on this western doctor so much so that after my last visit, he took it upon himself to research how reiki works medically.
Granted what I have overcome throughout the years shocks many. I explained to him that I am not a doctor, and looking to solicit his assistance to help working together to find out what this last issue that is hindering me to back to myself fully 100%. It is my belief that he can help me do that with appropriate tests and a diagnosis so I know how to treat possibly myself either via Jikiden Reiki®, nutrition, supplements, etc.
To give you a little back story about me and how I landed here…
Some of you know my story, but most of you don’t. To summarize, I left an abusive relationship in 2005 only to have my abuser use the system to continue patterns of abuse until 2014. As a result, I was officially diagnosed with complex PTSD.
In search of “healing the broken me” as I would like to call it, I originally delved into the traditional American Healthcare System in hopes I can quickly return to my unbroken self. Like many others, I have felt that I was not getting better and band-aids were being applied to my mental, emotional, and physical symptoms that were not getting better and began to spiral out of control.
This affected everything with many bizarre symptoms that I felt or manifesting physically as a result of the trauma and abuse I endured.
Some of these symptoms include:
- From my ability to swallow
- Choking on water and own saliva
- Enlarged thyroid
- Extreme fatigue
- Intestinal issues
- Bladder issues
- Hemorrhagic uterine bleeding
- Low stress tolerance
- Heart flutters and palpitations while in a calm state
- Avoidance issues and fear
- Nightmares and flashbacks
- Anxiety and panic attacks
- Chronic physical pain
- Memory issues
- Vision disturbances
- Left sided weakness
- Fluctuating weight
- Circulatory issues
So I increasingly became very frustrated with our system and their ability to help me put myself back together with each new physical symptom that popped up. No one seem to be able to connect the dots to whole picture.
I am more than my uterus or brain or thyroid etc. My body is a miraculous being that is interconnected and multi-functional. There is NO one shoe fits all as the system attempts to do. Just look at how separated our system is designed by specialists in areas of body parts. Where is the physician who can tie into the link between what is going on in my inner ear with my gut for instance? That what might be going on in one area of my body my actually be caused in another area of my body?
I realized there had to be more to all this and began looking into the spiritual aspects of my issues that the healthcare system couldn’t figure out.
I started reconnecting to my spiritual path. I began meditating. I eliminated inflammatory foods. I sought out reputable teachers and healers. I started connecting with the divine within me and my divine team. I learned and studied multiple holistic health modalities and spiritually based practices.
It wasn’t until I learned Jikiden Reiki®, my entire life drastically changed. I had already been practicing and teaching the more westernized cousin of reiki for 6yrs. But this was different, and in a league of its own.
I’ve learned over the last several years that we have become a culture that will take something that is pure in its roots and traditions … that is connected somehow deep to some ancient wisdoms and healing … and “Americanize” it or westernize it. This is when we have lost the magic aka medicine for the soul to fully heal those deep wounds that escape our awareness.
While practicing all these other westernized forms of healing and spiritually based practices, I didn’t quite understand this until recent years. As time goes on and I work on my craft and my own personal healing, the clearer that gets.
Needless to say, today I see my health almost fully restored thanks to these alternative treatments.
I avoided a hysterectomy, a root canal, 3 rounds of antibiotics for infections due to these therapies and saved my body from additional physical traumas and toxins that would stifle the work I am doing to restore wholeness in my life.
So sometimes, there is more to what’s going on with you than meets the eye.
My question for you is this … when the healthcare system is unable to help you restore “wholeness ” in your life, do you or would you consider alternative therapies to help you?
Do you believe there is more to illness and disease than what’s presented in the way the healthcare system categorizes it?
I come away with a few thoughts:
- Don’t give up on you docs who are AT LEAST open to learning, supporting, and aligning with the concept of mind-body medicine or proven alternative therapies
- Be a good patient. Walk the walk. Do the work to improve your life physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually without spiritually bypassing, and watch everyone around you ask you how you did that. Best testimonial is your own story.
- When you take responsibility for your life and health – eat right. remove toxicity – foods, thoughts, poisons, environment, etc. not only employ therapies such as yoga, reiki, meditation, thai chi, etc, but embody them… your health care team will want to learn more on how you do that without the need to “sell” them.
- A pill and/or a procedure will fix very few things so called, wrong. When we understand this and understand how to support our body’s ability to heal itself, and actually choose to live a better healthier life, toxic pills and harmful procedures will be lessened and the burden on our health care system financially will be significantly reduced. This is not to mention the side effect of a lessened burden on our ecosystem and environment due to reduction of medical waste.
- Trust your instincts and listen to the wisdoms of the body.
- I can keep going on, but won’t. This is a long enough post. The rest may just be added into a chapter in the book I am writing. So stay tuned …
Have you had a good experience like this bridging western medicine with holistic therapies? Please share.
Thank you for sharing this journey with me and supporting my life’s work
With love and appreciation,
Laura
To learn more about Jikiden Reiki, click here.
To learn more about Trauma, click here.
To read more about my reiki stories, click here.
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“Do you believe there is more to illness and disease than what’s presented in the way the healthcare system categorizes it” I absolutely believe this!! I’ve known the healthcare system has been broken for a very long time, longer than I’ve been alive. I saw this as a young child as I had issues with physical illnesses. I was always frustrated with the system. I’ve had talks with drs over the years that didn’t want to hear what I had to say. They refused to have an open mind. I shared part of my journey in a blog not too… Read more »
Wow Laura! What a journey you have been on! You demonstrate such courage and compassion. Thanks for sharing your story. I so believe in your statement that “my body is a miraculous being that is interconnected and multi-functional”, and the importance of listening to and trusting in our body’s wisdom. The fact that you openly shared with your physician the alternative therapies you were using is so special. I believe that many health providers are open to holistic treatments and complementary medicine. Keep up the good work!
Laura, you continue to be an inspiration to me! I love reading your blog. Like you, I had to search for those who were open minded, who trusted that medicine is still as much an art as it is a science. So many of our healthcare decisions in the west aren’t made by doctors/nurses themselves but are instead rules of engagement drawn up by insurance companies. I hope your upcoming book will help clear the path for change. I look forward to reading it!
