Healthy self-sufficiency: grass roots health care reform

The other morning one of our cats received a nasty head wound in a neighbourhood stoush with another fiesty feline.

It must have been a tough fight, as he wouldn’t let us near him until late that night, not even for a touch of Reiki healing.

For those of you who don’t know, a cat’s bite is a hideous thing, as those sharp incisors are the next best thing to a hypodermic injection – except the injection is of all kinds of grotty microbes plunged beneath the skin.

Needless to say, our magnificent Bee Mai now has an abscess, despite our initial cleansing of the wound once he’d let us touch him.

Last night we had to intervene: we gently opened up the wound, and then cleaned and irrigated it, using a ‘magic-mix’ of river salt crystals, certain essential oils, freshly boiled water, and love.

The love is important! Cats – indeed any fearful being in pain – need to be approached gently when even a mini-procedure is in progress.

Time and patience, and focussed attention to detail are also important. Our cat’s health will depend upon us tending to his wound at least 2 times each day, and closely observing his general health and behaviour. Healthy self-sufficiency requires mindful attention. It is not the pop-a-pill-and-off-you-go health management typical of western medicine.

So what’s a little veterinary-science-in-the-kitchen doing on this blog?

Well, obviously this is one of those ‘do not try this at home’ examples. Having said that, I firmly believe in empowering folk to care for themselves and their families using common sense, kitchen remedies, and wise and judicious medical and veterinary assistance.

Our family’s recent experiences of the public health system illustrated how over- reliant so many people have become on the western medical model of health care.  ER waiting rooms, and those of any general practice, are overflowing with folk who have never been taught – in any meaningful, coherent way –  the rudiments of preventative health, correct first aid, or safe, commonsense management of everyday health concerns.

No wonder our health systems are in crisis! It’s the same in the user-pays-and-pays-and-pays model of the USA, as much as in the seeping, groaning ‘free’ NHS models of the UK, and my home town.

I mean… crickey! We needed flying-pig-flu before most Aussies { and I’d suggest, a few too many public health officials and politicians and employers } understood that  staying at home, resting, eating right, staying hydrated, hand-washing, covering our mouths and noses when coughing and sneezing, and seeing a doctor when necessary, are the best defence against seasonal influenza and rhinovirus.

Get started as a self-sufficient health care consumer with this basic to-do list:

1. Attend a comprehensive First Aid Course. Update your skills annually.
2. Keep a First Aid Kit in your home, and one in your car.
3. Drive safe. Drive sober.
4. Live a moderate life.
5. Keep your body moving.
6. Know your body and mind; be aware of what’s ‘normal’ and ‘typical’ for you. Be sure to carry that same knowledge about your loved ones.
7. Keep your body and mind unpolluted, and free of toxins and drugs.
8. Expect the unexpected, and have a management plan for such events.
9. Be sure you have a sensible, reliable family doctor whom you trust to hear and guide you. Have regular check-ups.
10. Be sure you have a sensible, reliable natural medicine practitioner, whom you trust to hear and guide you. Receive regular guidance and treatment.
11. Stay out of fights! {This applies to world leaders as well. Far too much money is diverted away from health during times of conflict.}
12. Eat fresh food including all the wonderful greens, and yellows, and reds, and oranges and purples and browns. If a foodstuff has a label with a string of chemical names and numbers on it, and a shelf-life of months or years, or is packaged in styrofoam, chances are it’s not food… it’s food-imitation.
13. Educate yourself.

How do you practice healthy self-sufficiency?

Share your wisdom with a short comment below.

Cautions and care: I do not advocate that readers treat their pets or family members for abscesses, or any other lesions, infections, or health concerns, without having sought appropriate medical or veterinary opinions. I treat our cats, because I am competent and safe due to my training, education, and experience. Today- based on my observations of my cat’s wound –  I know there is a 50:50 chance we’ll need a trip to the vet.

Today, and any other day, if in doubt about your health and well-being, or that of another, always seek appropriate assessment and treatment.