Are machines and healthy gadgets keeping you from real healing? Everywhere you turn these days, there is a new high tech device promising to optimise your health, boost your energy levels and even reverse ageing. From PEMF therapy to ozone treatments, hyperbaric chambers to Rife machines, these technologies claim to revolutionise wellbeing, often with a hefty price tag attached.
But what if nature already had everything you needed at absolutely $0? What if jumping into cold water, basking in a sauna, or simply walking through a forest could deliver the same or even better benefits without the wires and the shocks and the beeps or the endless expense?
I’m Savannah Alalia and welcome to the latest episode of High Functioning Human podcast where you connect yourself as a high functioning human.
So let’s take this back to basics, we’re talking human vs machine. So of course there are some worth spending money on for your health. But is everything? Are these cutting edge therapies true breakthroughs or just expensive echoes of what nature is already offering? That is the question here.
Have we become so fixated on machines that we’re overlooking the body’s own ability to heal?
So obviously some of these machines are amazing. But here’s what worries me. Vulnerable people in pain or distress are being sold hope at a premium. And sure you might say “Okay, so good things cost money and what’s the big deal? If someone promises you better health, anti aging, peak performance, like some kind of wizard. Of course there’s going to be a cost, right?” It reminds me of a character from Oscar Wilde’s book Dorian Gray who looked absolutely fabulous but at a cost. And the cost being his soul. It’s a scary thought, right?
If every machine on the market was regulated, proven and widely tested, this would be a very different conversation. But unfortunately a lot of what is out there is a “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” marketing situation. Selling the idea of something new and shiny over something that actually really works.
This is where you need to ask yourself: are we seeking something that is even possible? Just because the machine looks like a Star Trek medibed, does it actually provide a significant advantage over a more natural cost effective approach?
Here’s something you need to know about me. I will try almost anything – once. I’ve guinea pigged my way around the world trying all sorts of treatments. But I have high expectations and I’m wary of the disconnect that comes with jumping into a machine and expecting magic to happen. And honestly, the best results I’ve ever had have come from increased connection with humans and nature. And it makes me wonder if we’re rushing in to give ourselves something and actually shortchanging ourselves by divorcing it from nature.
One of the machines I tried recently cost hundreds of dollars per session and I think lasted for about 25 minutes. And you know what I walked away thinking? A sauna, ice water and nature would have done more.
You have to be wary of the unregulated nature of these machines. They may claim to be promoting a certain effect, and yes, there is a hint of that being, but a lot of the time sensation can mask actual effectiveness and you may only be reaching a fraction of the benefit that’s possible. And that fraction could be costing you a fortune.
And I get it. The world is fast paced, busy and expensive. If there’s a shortcut to better health, of course you want to take it. But is that shortcut actually delivering the results that you think it is? Take Rife and PEMF, which I mentioned earlier, they can stimulate in a way that is a bit deregulating sometimes, sending shocks through your feet and then your spine. And if you have trauma adhesions, that can be incredibly jarring.
And some brands are better than others, of course, so this is, you know, just something to think about, basically. But what raises a very important question is, does healing need to be forced or can it be coaxed along in a way that opens? From my experience, opening the fascia, for example, is much more effective when done in a connected, slow way. Your fascia is free and flowing, healing happens naturally, and the next steps that your body is ready for show themselves more easily.
And this is why I always come back to nature.
The Western world struggles to accept how powerful nature can be. But in Japan, doctors actually prescribe time in nature with a practice called Shinrin-Yoku, which we call forest bathing. Imagine that: a doctor handing you a prescription and saying, go spend some time among the trees. Sounds fab to me.
Well, what about if I take it to the next level and tell you that there have actually been studies showing that forest environments can boost natural killer cell activity? Which sounds like a bit scary and a bad thing, but basically what it really does is play a role in cancer prevention – cells that target and kill tumour cells.
So why is there such a push towards machines over hands on bodywork and natural methods? Well, let’s ask the obvious question. How much does it cost to walk through a forest? Let me be even more cynical and point out that it removes a huge amount of training time needed as rather than training a whole human in a whole therapeutic modality, you just need a human trained enough to use the machine and press a few buttons. Selling a machine for someone to use in their home takes it one step further and turns healing into commerce for all.
Its unregulated aspects of home machines, along with the manipulation of people’s desire for healing, is the reason I want to so encourage you to question and research before you use anything. And if you decide to be curious about what you feel might help your body, check in and see how your body responds after you use it. That’s also why I prefer using basic tools like my Face Stick and Face Spoons and my hands, because there is so much better of a connection between the signals that your body is sending and the release that you’re working towards when you are that bit more hands on, if you know what I mean. I will always stay open to new things, of course, but I will always come back to my love of nature and the basics.
And I hope this episode has given you some food for thought about your connection with your body and the treatments that you choose. So do me a favour, go and stand barefoot near a tree today and tell me what is your favourite way to reconnect with your body without a machine? Let me know in the comments below.
Remember, trust your body. Stay curious about sensation because the world needs your voice and the magic it brings to us all.
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I look forward to chatting next time on High Functioning Human Podcast. Take care and talk soon.
As always, I remain a cheerleader for your inner self-worth,
