Early one morning I was out exercising and I heard this crazy goose honking overhead for what seemed like forever. I caught glimpses of him here and there through the trees, but I couldn't tell if he was lost from his mate or just trying to get all the other gaggle of geese to set-up for their trip north. Pretty soon I saw him again alone on the lake paddling along, no other geese in sight. We are all like this at sometime or another, motoring along in life and we get stuck and then we start calling everyone and trying to see what we should do to take care of whatever is ailing us.

In the book "God's Hotel," Victoria Sweet, MD describes the difference between pre-modern medicine and modern medicine. Dr. Sweet had studied the ways of Hildegard and her old ancient ideas on how to "do medicine." According to Dr. Sweet, Hildegard's pre-modern medicine was "slow-fussing and fiddling, removing obstructions, nourishing viriditas, and calling in Dr. Diet, Dr. Quiet and Dr. Merryman for every patient." As I read her book, I was impressed over and over again by the idea that there is a part of our brain that knows what we need to heal ourselves, if we could just get quiet enough to listen.

It seems it's not so hard for us to be well; we just don't seem to be listening to our doctor. That extra 20 pounds we lose will make our back feel better, and that old knee injury will not ache so much if we get it strong again. Our stiff neck just needs some stretching and some massage to feel well again and that old shoulder injury that "gets caught" every morning when you reach for your purse and briefcase just needs some attention before you tear your rotator cuff due to neglect. The pressure in your chest when you climb the flight of stairs at work really needs to be looked at by your medical doctor and not ignored for another day, and the fact you haven't slept well in six months is not a good sign, and means your body is trying to tell you something is not in order in your life.

Whatever it is that is nagging you just means it is time for you to listen to it and make a choice to be well. It is possible to be well! All it takes is a commitment on your part, a choice everyday to make the right decisions for your life. It can be described as a tincture of time, lots of time outside in the fresh air, good food, and of course time to laugh and be merry with your family and friends. It doesn't mean you don't need modern medicine too, of course to help you make the right decisions, it just means that often your doctor is in, you just have to listen to her.

Sheree DiBiase, PT, is the owner of Lake City Physical Therapy and she and her staff can be reached in the Coeur d'Alene office at (208) 667-1988 and in the Spokane Valley office at (509) 891-2623. Please join us next Wednesday night from 5:30-6:30 p.m. for our wellness meeting, we understand all the honking and we can help you be well.