I Made a Mistake

I am excited this week because it seems the treatments my daughter has undergone worked to rid her of several allergies that have wreaked havoc with her for the last several years - one for all of her life.

Traditional medicine has had nothing to offer her, so she decided to venture out of our comfort zone and try an alternative medicine. I've been labeled a fool for letting her attempt this and much maligned even hearing that the allergies were not legitimate. Right. I entered into the experiment with my own misgivings and doubts, but once it was explained by the practitioner, it made a lot more sense.

Though it is "eastern" medicine, it is not without research, history of success and is not tied to eastern religions as it is practiced. In short, it seemed worth trying.

It seems that we in the west are so caught up in the belief that only new and modern medicine can be effective and so programmed to believe that doctors are next to God Himself in ability, that we are distrustful of other methods. I am actually a registered nurse. Guess what! I know that medicine is a practice and there are no sure treatments for anything. Doctors and nurses are human and do the best they can, but knowledge is limited and medicine is not a perfect science.

A recent example of what I've heard involved the common use of Tylenol for headaches. Thirty years ago, when I was finishing nursing school, we were taught that it was impossible to overdose on Tylenol. Yet, just in the last two weeks, much has been said in the news about the significant numbers of people who are overdosing on Tylenol. Oh, we were mistaken. I see. Years have perfected our knowledge base a little more.

Though I take Tylenol on occasion, I have made strides in recent months toward more homeopathic treatments. Before I resort to pills, I try aromatherapy and a cold pack. More often than not, it works. I do believe that's what our ancestors used to treat ailments. Some worked and some did not. Just like some experimental medications work and some do not.

I'm going to try the alternative medicine myself, not just for allergies, but for other issues I am dealing with because I do not want to be on medications long-term. It may not work. But it is certainly worth trying.

Am I a fool? Perhaps, but I know for certain it can't hurt me, and it just might help. It's okay to question and research, but it really isn't okay to make judgments about what other people are deciding for themselves. I wasn't asking for an endorsement when I got my severe "dressing down". I was just asking for a little celebration about something that was special to me.

So what happened? I was hurt by the response, and I hurt the responder in retaliation. My little celebration turned into one of the darkest hours of my life. It led to hurts, tears and repercussions I hadn't dreamed of. I'm so down today it feels as though someone has died. From ecstasy to depression in one ten-minute timeframe. How I wish I could go back in time and do it all again. I'm praying I'll be forgiven and the relationship restored. Please pray with me.