BODY. An Underrated Tool In Illness and Injury.

We have all been there, always begrudgingly so: injury, illness, an unexpected something that knocks us down from our pillar of productivity and vitality. It comes with the territory of this thing called living. As a good friend used to say to me, “Cannot have color without contrast.”

During these times, we often search for something to fix it. Make it go away. Shorten it. Stop it. Get back to “normal” operating systems and way of life.

This very scenario just happened to me Christmas 2023. I could feel a slight something coming on when I landed in Florida to see my family. But I had the tools: anti-viral herbs and supplements up the wazoo, fasting, hydrotherapy, good rest, cloves of raw garlic with honey (yup, I went there), herbal steaming … I could fend whatever this was off. I was looking for the thing to help me make this go away.

But it didn’t. I had a day of being knocked down by this viral whatever it was. But phew - now it was over, let me get back to my life and expectations of this time with my family. The next day, I woke up worse. Sore throat, unable to swallow. And then a high fever - I haven’t had one of those in years! What was going on (answer: strep throat) and why? And just make it all go away so I can enjoy my vacation, please. I am a naturopath. I am supposed to be healthy. I am healthy. Why is this happening to me and what can I do to make it stop?

While it is true - I have a whole arsenal of tools - one I was not utilizing well. And that would be the Tincture of Time. I was not giving my body the time needed to recover. And to listen to the message it was likely trying to tell me: you’ve been working a lot, down on sleep with travel, burning the candle at all ends. I am forcing you to rest. Be patient.

I often find we are all looking for that thing that will help us avoid the illness, discomfort, pain. Maybe it’s a pharmaceutical, supplement, herbal concoction, device that will be the miracle. I am not discounting any of those things - I use them and they can be brilliantly helpful. But what if it is really just time that is needed as the main modality? And trust? To know that our bodies are self-healing miracles and likely doing what it needs in our best interest. And to give it the time to do just exactly that.

While my tools are valuable, I realized I forgot the merit of the Tincture of Time. And trust. And also, gratitude for being knocked on my butt for a week. It was truly the rest I needed. To allow myself to be taken care of by family, which was a healing experience itself. And I will say, I finished that back-to-back illness with a sense of being reset, ready, cleared out. I felt awesome afterwards.

None of us will escape illness or injury. And there are so many useful tools out there to help us get through those times and ease the difficulty, because I know - some are really difficult. However, don’t forget, Tincture of Time is greatly underutilized these days in our instant culture. It is a powerful one, too.

Cover photo of this blog post taken in May 2019 two days after breaking my arm in three places. My range of motion in my left wrist is now better on that arm. This was my first lesson in the Tincture of Time.