The World As Medicine

© April Pinsonneault 2024

Nine Lives

“My battery is dying and it is growing dark”. — Last words of Mars rover “Spirit”

The medical world has documented that cells and organs regenerate. A change of bad habits to healthy habits causes restoration down to the cellular level. Everyone knows that physical well-being fosters emotional well-being. Healing occurs in measure to how much unhealthy habits are replaced by healthy habits. Entertain this: do healthy people crave unhealthy foods and substances? A look at the world as elements that cure or cause harm can inspire each of us to restore a sense of self through better food choices. Addiction is a habit that can be redirected.

Self Medication

Everyone knows about and employs self medication. A good question to ask when choosing a food or medicine is about the desired result and to identify the cause of unrest in one’s self that is causing unhealthy habits. This requires a look at the unconscious mind— the unconscious mind is the pool of emotions both positive and negative that fuels conscious choices. A wonderful example is from Carl Yung who wrote that salt represents the unconscious mind and that the homeopathic salt remedy natrum muriaticum is indicated for people who are no longer able to integrate their inner self with the outer world and have, in their past, overused salt.

Most people have difficulty integrating with the world in one way or another and going to the beach is often an esteemed cure for resistance to the “world.” The ocean refreshes the battery. This is not to say use salt or natrum muriaticum; in fact, table salt is the cause of many problems but sea salt in moderation is healthy. A total lack of salt is said to be dangerous.This is, instead, an example of how elements support the mind and body and to tune in to the intake of foods to see their healing or destructive properties.

Seeing is Believing

Most of us can not see our inner drives so clearly as to understand how a particle like salt is good for people who are no longer able to integrate their inner self with the world, but in terms of bad habits and addiction, it is helpful to identify what causes the need for a crutch and what makes us feel better down to the smallest particles and to what measure. As the mind becomes clear the path unfolds.

Take night as an example: identifying night as a transition time, helps. Night is a difficult time for people but no one really thinks about that as much as reacting or trying to fix it. How many people love the dark? How may people identify the dark with danger or being tired? Dark is great by the campfire with marshmallows, dark is great in the stars where there are no distracting lights but, dark is difficult at the end of the day. So, it is no surprise that people use alcohol to transition from daytime to night time. Transitions in general are difficult.

Witching It

Drinking involves elements that soothe or distract: beer contains hops, a calming herb. Wine contains tannins, the element of caffeine that causes wakefulness. These elements help everyone to transition or shake loose insecurities. In moderation these crutches are not bad medications. The problem is when self medication becomes an unhealthy addiction. The balm is to understand, as most of us do at some level, why we use substances and to bring this awareness into our conscious minds and actions: when this is achieved it is easier to think about healthy substitutions. Warm water with ginger and sweetener…. A nice tonic to replace alcohol. Pure grape juice is amazing and highly overlooked but not over rated.