Mind-Body Medicine
What is Mind-Body Medicine?
Mind-body medicine is a broad term that encompasses many theories about disease formation and healing. At Thrive GI, we believe that every organ system in the body is interconnected, and that disease cannot only exit in one organ. If an organ is sick, then the body is sick. And the body includes the mind.
For certain patients with chronic illness, stress or trauma is major underlying cause . For others, stress is simply a reason why the body is not healing like it should. In both types of cases, addressing stress and the mental/emotional contributors to disease is imperative.
It is important to note that not every chronic health issue is related to stress or the mind-body connection. Many patients who seek naturopathic care have already been told by their PCP or other specialists that their symptoms are “all in their head”, and this statement is often dismissive and incorrect. At Thrive GI, we take the time needed to analyze all potential physical causes and contributors to disease as well as the potential that stress may be an involved factor. Just because your case is tricky to solve does not mean it is “all in your head”.
Therapeutic Modalities:
Counseling:
Often the first step in healing is identifying the problem. Patients are often unaware of how past traumas or current stressors may be contributing to their disease. Our thought patterns and/or suppressed stress/trauma can create or exacerbate symptoms, and we work with patients to identify possible emotional contributors and offer techniques to process and release these emotions.
Homeopathic Medicine
Homeopathy is a safe and gentle system of medicine that can help patients on the physical and emotional levels simultaneously. At Thrive GI, we specialize in “Constitution Homeopathy”, which is a specific type of therapy that aims to enhance the health of a patient on every level. This can be a very effective way to support the internal processing of stress and trauma.
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
EFT is a powerful therapeutic tool that is often used by councilors to help clients process trauma. We also use this technique with patients who have a significant emotional or traumatic component to their disease. EFT can help clear the emotional “charge” behind a traumatic memory or lessen the power of toxic thought patterns over the body.