CVS Closets, Beard Trimmers and Health Care

OK.  I got up this morning to a beautiful, sunny, crisp late summer day in Arlington.  I did my usual routine which includes trimming my beard with an electric beard trimmer.  I decided it was time to clean and lubricate its head, but as I took off the part the blades got stuck in an unusable position.

After struggling to fix them for awhile, I thought “No problem.  I’ve got an old one in the closet that I can scavenge the head from.” 

So I opened our upstairs linen closet, which my wife Carolyn and I affectionately refer to as our “CVS mini-outlet” – she does a great job of keeping it well-stocked with sale items – to look for the used trimmer. 

I just couldn’t find it.  She heard me grumbling, got out of bed, and went right to the spot where it was located.  There it was in plain view, but I had been focused on the wrong spot – admittedly frustrated at how this was all delaying my day. 

Well, all ended fine. 

After thinking about what had taken place, I realized that we’ve probably all done something similar.  We thought the solution to our needs was in one place and had inadvertently blocked out any other possibility. 

Now it seems to me that this applies to health care, also.  I would venture to say that most people in our society look primarily to traditional western medicine.  Yet there are other systems of care that have been successfully used by many people in our culture and elsewhere.

So here are a couple of questions:

Could this looking in one spot be too limited an approach when the solution to our individual health needs might be staring us right in the face if we just opened our eyes – our thinking – to its presence?

Given that medical research is beginning to show a connection between how our thinking actually affects our health outcomes and sense of well-being, shouldn’t we be considering modalities of health care that take this into account? 

I’ve certainly seen how my thinking has affected my health.  When my thought is spiritually-based, my health is commensurately improved and maintained.  There is an undeniable connection – a connection that’s as sure as 1 + 1= 2. 

Moral of the story?

When you look in your “healthcare closet” think about looking at all the possibilities.  You may be surprised to find exactly what you need!