Hi William, I was kinda waiting to respond to this to see what others
thought since I don't have the clinical experience yet that you're
looking for. But since it's kinda quiet, I'll go ahead and jump in.

First, my most basic response is, if the patient is having "issues"
that are resulting in discomfort, pain, or decreased quality of life
and there is a way that I can treat that successfully, then I feel
it's my responsibility to do so. If the body's innate wisdom is
showing up as this discomfort or pain, then I think I would take that
as it whispering - or shouting - to us that there is something amiss,
something that needs attention, something that is struggling to be in
balance. Then I need to look for what that thing is and follow our
principles, the therapeutic order to help the body/mind shift. It
seems like doing that IS honoring the body's wisdom, that the body
knew to send out an SOS signal!

Perhaps, as has been said, the problem of "aging" is not innate, but
an accumulation and the damage is too extensive to allow a complete
return to physical health. If this is the case, I would still do what
I could to palliate suffering. I've worked with hospice for 20 years
now in various capacities. While those cases are more extreme than
your example, I think some of the same things apply. "Suffering" from
a disease is very subjective and sometimes serves as a magnificent
catalyst for Self healing. But it's much more difficult to realize
the wonder of that Self healing if the suffering is so physically
extreme that it consumes all awareness. For this reason (in part),
hospice practices very good palliation and I've seen it do miraculous
things in people's lives -- and deaths. I'm not advocating opiates
for achlorhydria! But I am advocating good naturopathic care, which
includes a true understanding of the patient's current state of body,
mind and spirit, that leads me to the best course of
treatment/non-treatment for that patient at that time. To me that
feels like honoring everything that needs to be honored.

Enjoy your day.
Kim Palka
SCNM student - almost grad!






-- In NDPhilosophy@yahoogroups.com, William Franklin <wfranklin_4@...>
wrote:
>
> This has come up a few times over the past few months and big time
today so I thought I'd put it to the group.
>
> Let's say you have a geriatric patient. And let's say this person
is having GI issues you attribute to achlorhydria as a normal process
in aging. Do you treat this? or do you choose to honor the body's
innate wisdom in this case and not treat it? Do you choose to treat
the deficiencies in growth, testosterone, estrogen, thyroid hormones
after determining that these too are reduced as a result of aging? Or
do you choose to honor the body's innate wisdom? If you would treat
one and not the other, why?
>
> What I'm getting at is that I hear doctor's all the time referring
to things that they won't treat as being an honoring of the body'e
innate wisdom and so I am wondering where do you draw the line and
more importantly, why? What determines when the innate wisdom needs
honoring and when it needs treatment? And, what makes the two
exclusive? In other words, why is treating something seen as not
honoring the body's wisdom?
>
> Thanks y'all,
>
>
> William Franklin
> SCNM Student
>
> "How can a man find a sensible way to live? One way and one only –
Philosophy. And my philosophy means keeping that vital spark within
you free from damage and degradation, using it to transcend pain and
pleasure, doing everything with a purpose, avoiding lies and
hypocrisy, not relying on another person's actions or failings. To
accept everything that comes, and everything that is given, as coming
from that same spiritual source." --Marcus Aurelius
>
> ---------------------------------
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