You may not have heard of it, but the term medicalization is so significant and relevant it has its own Wikipedia entry. Around since the 1970’s, the word applies to the process of regarding as much of human life as grist for the medical model mill as possible, to essentially control as much of human life as possible, using drugs and devises and doctors and medical procedures and make lots of lucre while doing it. It can be construed as a type of social manipulation that attempts to enforce and superimpose so-called standards and thereby “normalize” the wide ranging spectrum human activities which are, diverse, idiosyncratic and often based on nothing more than the unique nature of personal preference and individual biochemistry.
One of the problems with the medicalization of everyday life (that’s the title of a book of essays by the medical writer and psychiatrist Dr. Tomas Szaz) is the tendency for it to become disease mongering. At what point do we need to control all aspects of body and being such as health and the development of disease? At which point do regular mammograms and prostate exams and colonoscopies become excessive? And even worse, when does diagnosis like depression, ADD and Oppositional Defiance Order (which according to the psychiatry’s diagnostic bible, the DSM IV, is defined as “disobedient, hostile, and defiant behavior toward authority figures”) become oppressive?
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Dr. Joel Wallach talked about the human body's innate ability to heal itself through natural means and supplementation. Wallach addressed what he considers to be one of the biggest myths in medicine today-- the idea that cholesterol is harmful. Cholesterol is an essential nutrient and necessary for many body processes, he said. The statin drugs prescribed to reduce "bad cholesterol" are actually associated with causing many ailments and diseases, such as Alzheimer's, early menopause, erectile dysfunction, and Type II diabetes, he claimed. "Alzheimer's disease did not exist until statin drugs came out," Wallach continued, adding that cholesterol is needed to maintain and repair brain function.
Speaking about chronic Lyme disease, he suggested that 85-90% of the people diagnosed with this condition don't actually have it, but have just tested positive for the antibodies, indicating that they were exposed to the bacteria at one time. Most of their symptoms can be treated by going on a gluten-free diet, and supplementing with essential nutrients, he offered. The biggest health issue for the western world is nutritional deficiencies, he argued. Even though this population gets plenty of calories and protein, their diet lacks various essential vitamins and minerals, which leads to disease and birth defects, he explained.
At some point we all face sore knees, thumbs, fingers. hips. The list goes on. Over time the cartilage that buffers the bone in all of our joints wears down and inflammation sets in causing pain and discomfort. This can be debilitating for some. Good news. Many recent studies show that it is not only possible to regrow cartilage, but it can be done without poisonous drugs!
"For example, my doctors (I ended up seeing four specialists) left me deeply pessimistic about damaged knee cartilage ever getting better on its own. After listening to them, I would have guessed that healing of any kind occurred in one or two percent of patients -- at most.
The History of Sound Healing
Sound has been used as a healing force for thousands of years. All ancient civilizations used sound for healing. Traditional cultures still surviving today understand the remarkable healing power that lies in sound.
In the Bible we are told that David played his harp to lift King Saul's depression. Egyptian papyri over 2,600 years old refer to incantations as cures for infertility and rheumatic pain.
The ancient Greeks believed music had the power to heal body and soul. They used the flute and the lyre for treating illnesses such as gout and sciatica. It is reported that Alexander the Great's sanity was restored by music played on the lyre. There is an ancient Greek saying, 'Men have song as a physician for pain.'
Pythagoras used special songs and incantations with particular melodies and rhythms, to cure diseases of the body and mind.[1]
What is Sound Healing?
Sound healing is the therapeutic application of sound frequencies to the body/mind of a person with the intention of bringing them into a state of harmony and health. The dictionary defines 'harmony' as 'congruity of parts to their whole or to one another'. 'Health' is defined as 'the state of being bodily and mentally vigorous and free of disease'.
When most of us think collagen, we think skin and for good reason. Much of the dry weight of our cutaneous covering is composed of this resilient fibrous protein, which keeps skin firm, taut and youthfully plump. There’s not an adult female in America that doesn’t want more of it.
But collagen is much more than an anti-wrinkle fiber. It acts as a type of biological scaffolding that makes up a third of a typical body’s weight. Collagen tissue is matrix that gives support, shape and bulk to the internal viscera, which are embedded in collagen like fruit in a jello-mold. It is by far the most abundant protein in the body and a key component of eyes, bone, blood vessels, the digestive tract and teeth.
