Is stress stopping your healing? Dr. Tina Marcantel is a naturopathic doctor in Gilbert, Arizona, who also serves the East Valley cities of Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Scottsdale, Queen Creek, Apache Junction, and the greater Phoenix area.
Transcript:
I give people an analogy when they come in–talking about the root cause of people’s problems.
This is a glass and it’s almost half full of water. Now, I can Band-Aid your problem. If a person comes to me and they need something for anxiety, they need something for depression; I give an antidepressant, give an anti anxiety–we’re starting to fill up the glass. But if this glass has a crack–this vessel represents the patient–if there’s a crack here I can keep pouring things in here, whether it’s a prescribed medication or whether it’s bioidentical hormones or whether it’s adrenal support, but if there’s a crack here we keep leaking out that vital fluid.
The crack is symbolic of the root cause of that disease process. What is that crack? Why is it that we fill up the person with what they need and they’re doing okay for a while and then the energy starts going down? A lot of times that crack can be traced back to stress.
I see that when a person goes through stress in their life their hormones will shift, their biochemistry will shift; even the thyroid, which is one of the master glands, will be affected by that stress. I always tell people that come here that I can help you by putting hormones in you and giving you things that you need but your responsibility, besides educating yourself, is to work with your lifestyle on an everyday basis.
We have to treat the whole person. I always ask the patient, “Where is this stress coming from? Who or what are you giving away your energy to?” I want people to be very reflective of this.
I start telling people about the importance of meditation. Being present, being aware of things as simple as what we are putting in our mouths without consciously thinking about it. Being in the present moment so we can be aware of what might be draining us.
We have to look at the emotional part and at the mental part and we have to detach from those things that are draining us of our energy. There are certain things we can’t change–I know that. But if you become aware of those things that are draining you of your energy you can get in a place of becoming detached–making a conscious effort to detach from that.
Most people that do come here are so exhausted, so fatigued, they’re at the end of their ropes and they don’t know what to do. But most of the time they are giving, giving, giving, out there to everyone else except themselves and I tell them, “Take your power back! Put yourself at the top of the list.” Take care of yourself first, because if you don’t you can’t take care of anybody else or anything else. And if you don’t take care of yourself, nobody else will. It’s your responsibility.
So this is very important, again, getting back to the root causes. What is the “crack,” what is draining the energy from your very being? We talk about that on a mental, emotional, and spiritual level and together we walk through this healing process so the patient will become more balanced with their life and, basically, just enjoy life.
