When Natural Medicine Is Best – and When Emergency Medicine Is Non-Negotiable

People often assume that because I’m a Doctor of Naturopathy, I’m “anti-medicine.” They imagine that I always choose herbs over hospitals, green drinks over scans, and natural therapies over doctors.

Not true at all.

There is a place for both natural medicine and conventional medicine – and the real wisdom comes in knowing which to choose, and when.

I learned this painfully and personally last August.

My partner Mark slipped and fell down our stairs and landed hard – so hard that he broke five ribs, filled his thoracic cavity with blood, and suffered a collapsed lung. This wasn’t a moment for turmeric tea, a cleanse, or a green drink. This was a moment for:

• an ambulance
• emergency medical care
• CT scans and MRIs
• monitoring
• and a skilled surgeon.

Emergency medicine saved Mark’s life.

But Here’s Where the Story Turns

After he got through the crisis… after the hospital stay, the scans, the procedures, and the medications… that’s when my world of natural medicine became essential.

To rebuild.

To restore.

To detox.

To heal – not just survive.

Once the danger had passed, Mark didn’t need more trauma care. He needed:

• gentle detoxing from the heavy medications.
• chiropractic care to improve circulation.
• magnets to help with the numbness in his feet.
• high-nutrition, building foods.
• herbs like bee pollen and spirulina.
• and daily nourishment with our Ka’Chava shake.

And you know what happened?

Six weeks later, he and I walked – slowly but steadily – over 75 miles through Italy.

Natural and conventional medicine worked together. One handled the crisis. The other handled the healing.

This, to me, is the heart of real wellness.

The Wisdom Is in Knowing Which Medicine You Need – and When

There have been moments in my own life when natural remedies simply weren’t enough.

When my hip pain reached the point where I cried most days, all my usual tools – wraps, insoles, anti-inflammatory herbs – were not cutting it. I didn’t need turmeric. I needed a surgeon. In fact, I needed two new hips.

And thank goodness for that.

But afterwards? My healing didn’t come from more surgery or more medication. It came from:

• stem cell activation patches,
• magnetic insoles,
• anti-inflammatory herbs,
• daily movement,
• rebuilding nutrition.

A year later, my joints feel better than they have in decades.

Natural medicine helped me recover and thrive – but emergency medicine gave me my starting point.

And Then There’s The Story That Still Takes My Breath Away

When my daughter was 14, she fell on her head in a cheerleading accident. Doctors kept telling us she was “fine.” But she wasn’t. I knew it. Her color was off. She was weak. And started to vomit. Something deep inside me said, keep pushing.

So I did.

I insisted on more testing. I demanded attention. I advocated for her – so much so that I pushed her ahead of a gunshot victim in the ER.

And that’s when they finally saw it:

A brain bleed the size of my palm. One that was only hours away from rupturing and ending her life.

Emergency medicine saved her. Diagnostics saved her. A surgeon saved her.

And after that? Natural medicine – herbs, cleansing, nutrient-dense food – supported her recovery.

That experience sealed my belief forever:

There are times when natural medicine is powerful… and times when emergency medicine is non-negotiable.

But for Almost Everything Else? We Have So Much More Control Than We Think

Most of the daily issues women face – especially in midlife and beyond – can be supported or resolved naturally:

• a sluggish gut
• post-nasal drip
• poor sleep
• bladder weakness
• floaters
• low energy
• visceral fat
• weak muscles
• parasites
• dull skin
• brittle nails
• heavy metals
• poor memory
• low libido
• cholesterol
• lung capacity
• yeast overgrowth
• UTIs
• hair thinning

We are not powerless. We don’t have to choose one camp or the other.

We can choose both. We can keep our bodies strong with natural medicine… and seek emergency care when it’s truly needed.

This is not an either/or situation. It’s a partnership.

How We Stay Strong: The Lifestyle Medicine That Matters Most

Health isn’t just supplements and herbs. It’s the way we live:

• Eat organic, vibrant foods.
• Drink pure, clean water.
• Choose non-hormone meats and cheeses.
• Sit still for a few minutes each day.
• Start a gratitude practice.
• Get outside.
• Travel the beautiful world.
• Nurture our relationships.
• Move our bodies.
• Be kind to strangers.
• Compliment generously.
• Support one another.
• Be gentle with ourselves.
• Lose the weight we’re ready to release.
• Read inspiring books.
• Get our hands in the dirt.
• Love and care for a pet.
• Take the supplements that protect and strengthen us.

Because the truth is simple: No one else is in control of your health. You are.

We are all where we are today because of the choices we’ve made. And where we’ll be a year from now? That will be shaped by the choices we begin making today.

If you’d like to start building that healthier, more vibrant future, here’s a resource I created just for you:

PDF: 25 Ways to Regenerate Your Body Naturally

Let’s Have a Conversation:

When was the last time you needed emergency care? What natural remedies do you use for wellbeing?