This is an interesting time to be around. It wasn’t so long ago (at least, so it seems to those of us over thirty… or forty…) that state-of-the-art software and computers could be used to help us find information that we were specifically looking for. In other words, the big benefit was all the time saved not having to go to an actual library and sift through actual books to find what you’re looking for. Got a book report on Moby Dick due first thing tomorrow morning? Well, thanks to technology circa 1997, you could quickly and conveniently access concise plot summaries and character studies without ever having to actually read the book (not that I’m condoning such shortcuts). Similarly, if you found yourself suffering from seasonal allergies or an odd fungal thing on your left big toe that never seemed to go away, you could just look it up, learn about it, and perhaps find a few things to try (with highly variable results). Sure, you had to know which questions to ask, and you never knew who was dispensing this advice over cyberspace, but still, it was the dawn of a new information age.
Fast forward a few eventful decades, and now we find ourselves knee-deep in the world of A.I., where anyone with internet access is mere seconds away from accessing just about anything they can imagine. Want a picture of Gollum from The Lord of the Rings dressed up like a goalie from Team Switzerland while wearing skates made of ice cream? Done (though not recommended). Want a list of foods, supplements and topical remedies to finally get rid of that fungal toe thing? Done. Not just done, just done with an accompanying list of published articles and professional opinions driving each recommendation. It really feels as though the answer for any health concern we may have is at our literal fingertips. However, it’s not quite as simple as that.
One very key aspect to naturopathic medicine is the notion of personalized medicine, specific to each person. While the solutions generated by A.I. can certainly serve as a useful foundation and starting point, they do not take into account you as an individual. In other words, should you look up remedies and treatments to improve low energy, the potential solutions that pop up may or may not be useful, safe or helpful to you. The most important question you should be asking if not “What should I do to help low energy?”, it’s “Why do I have low energy?”. While many other potential causes exist, it’s important to find out if it’s from high stress levels, blood sugar and/or thyroid imbalance, iron deficiency, toxin exposure or poor sleep (if that’s the case, is your sleep poor due to sleep apnea, excess screen time, melatonin or other hormone imbalances, stress, etc)? Similarly, even knowing the cause doesn’t necessarily mean that the advice dispensed via A.I. (or, for that matter, the wisdom of social media) is right for you. The fish oil you were “told” to take for joint support may have undesirable blood thinning effects. The curcumin you added for joint pain may interfere with many of your prescription medications. The melatonin you’re taking for sleep may not do anything if your sleeping issues are not related to melatonin deficiency, but some other cause (see above). It really is essential that naturopathic medicine both: 1. Treat the cause (as much as we can), and 2. Treat the individual.
Of course, don’t be afraid to use the incredible wealth of resources that we now have at our disposal. Learning new things has never been easier, and we should be taking advantage of that to deepen our connection to ourselves and our world. However, when it comes to our health, it’s important to make sure that your path to optimal wellness is personalized to you, naturally.