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Lessons I Learned From My Grandma


As a doctor, one of the most important things I have ever learned was from my grandma.  Not one of my lectures in pathology, or microbiology or nutrition.  But a real life clinical lesson, from grandma.

My grandma was an amazing woman who enjoyed good health until her early 90s.  She proudly told us that she had only been in the hospital twice in her life.  Once to give birth to my mom, and once to give birth to my aunt.  She lived on her own and enjoyed such a busy social life that I had to book her 3 weeks in advance to get a lunch date.  She drove herself from Richmond Hill to Aurora once a week all year long to get her adjustments.

Never Give Up Hope

She was fiercely independent.  So one day she decided to clean all of her grandmother’s china.  In the course of accomplishing this task she was up on top of a step stool and she managed to pull the huge oak china cabinet over.  It came crashing over and just before it landed on top of her and crushing her, it flung her across the room and she landed on her shoulder.  At this point she was in her late 80s.

An accident like this can be devastating.  This one left her in agony in her left shoulder.  So she went to see her medical doctor for help.  This is where the story gets really tragic.  I will never forget seeing her in my office, in agony from the fall, with tears in her eyes.  She was more discouraged than I had ever seen her.  I asked her if the pain was making her cry and she said the pain was bad but it was more out of discouragement.  So she recounted the story of her visit to her medical doctor.  This is what she heard:  “Betty, your shoulder is in really bad shape.  At your age you cannot expect to heal from this fall, so you are going to just have to learn to live with the pain for the rest of your life.  I can give you some pain killers to help.”

Talk about discouraging!  No wonder she was upset.  I gave her a hug and told her that her doctor had it all wrong.  I told her that she would not have to live with the pain.  That her body could absolutely heal from this fall.  I gave her an adjustment, worked on her shoulder, prescribed some home exercises and a few nutritional changes and told her she will get better.  At that moment her entire demeanor changed.  All of a sudden she had hope once again, and that made all the difference.

So 6 weeks to the day after this heart to heart with my grandma she came striding into the office with a big smile on her face.  “Look Craig.” She said as she raised her arm over her head and twisted it around in circles, “No pain.”

A Lesson I’ll Never Forget

So here is the lesson I will never forget:  No matter what age or state of health, humans were made to heal.  Our bodies always want to do what is best for us in any given situation.  They will always strive for health.  As long as you take breath, you having healing potential within you.  The healing process may slow as we age but it is always there inside you, working for you.  And as long as you do your part in taking care of your body, it will take amazingly great care of you for a very long time.

Have faith in your body’s innate healing ability.  Do the work, stay the course, enjoy the results!

Dr.  Craig
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