I chose this image as an irony. Hah, but hey. Laughter
& jokes are health, yes?!

I personally found Naturopathic Medicine through a soul calling, one of those things that I was destined to find.  Having a name that calls for respect by society and healing the whole person was something I knew was necessary.  And, I knew from the first day of classes, that this education was not the only key to the deeper healing necessary to get to the root.

As I explored more into these areas: Yoga, Botanical Medicine, Plant Spirit Medicine, I kept running into a wall that was making me sicker than I was before: Appropriation.   Today’s image of health is the hot girl in Scorpion in the Jungle while sipping a green juice and wearing some sort of war paint with a caption of “Wild Women never could be tamed.”

These images and certifications that are very misleading  can kill us if we compare our personal standards of health to “that” image.  Especially, if you are a recovering perfectionist like I used to be.

I choose to discuss the stumbles of mistakes I made in hopes it will keep you from going down that same hamster wheel 😉 And I do have a loose formula for the activities to get you closer to health!

I wish I had one of those articles: 6 Steps to Freedom for the Warrior Women, but that is a lie.  It is misleading.  What I do have to offer is the fact that we have to find our own path and this takes a myriad of healing modalities.

The journey to perfection kills your adrenals and eventually puts you at ill, in dis-ease.  There are the misleads on our path to healing.  The tricks, the hooks.  Don’t grab the hook!

I am almost afraid to define what appropriation means to me, as this is a hot topic.  Here it is, for me: Appropriation is a broadly used term  used to identify & call out all the New Agey folk taking bits and pieces from the knowledge and medicine keepers then capitalizing and com-modifying on those statements of health, knowledge, fashion, etc.  Generally, these people that are responsible for appropriating a culture have given no reverence to the original knowledge carriers.  Also many people use themselves in order to represent as a spokesperson for an oppressed group, yet the intention is to bring the attention to themselves rather than for greater good for everyone.

What initially sparked my Yoga journey was the beauty of Yoga, Yolk of life.  The downloads of Patanjali Sutras to the future self to allow us to continue on our path as humans when we lose our way home, our true calling.
Then came the appropriation of Yoga.  There is nothing wrong with the fab women and men doing Asana in their booty shorts; but, what is wrong is that this is associated with Yoga to people like me that are still in exploration of comforts in our own bodies.

These images and videos made me simply want to be more strong, more flexible, more thin.  They did at some point serve me to go to a daily practice, but not necessarily for my health.  They drove me to become harder on myself and pick up more while I was already in a taxing program.

Luckily, my Yoga Teacher Training was well rounded on mindset living, and intention setting and less focused on Asana bootcamps.  Who knows where I would have gone if I had not received big picture healing at that moment.  Also, my first Yoga teacher was of great holism and beauty and less focused on the perfection of a posture or shape and I embarked into Yoga from there and Near East Yoga had singing and studies on the reg in Portland.

Then came the appropriation of health.  My idea of health shifted  as I came across ads. There was the girl sipping green juice or laughing as if her salad told her a joke, looking fab with her tan and possible photo shop contoured body, possible not.  Either way, she was beautiful.  Then came my issue again….that not enoughness.

I must not be running enough, I must not be eating the right things, I must be eating too much to get there.  It was once again, issues with my own image in comparison to others that veered my path to health off the road to health and actually moved me closer to disease.

Pollutants are amping up autoimmune disease in women.

• Toss (well, recylce) the plastics you use.
• Refill your Mason Jars at the bulk section of the grocery store.
• Drink out of glass & stainless steel.
• All of these are easy ways to discontinue the rampant use of materials that cause hormones to go haywire.

Independent of religion, tap in.  That something bigger than you is what pulls you through during the tough times.  Whether it’s to a Tree, God, Creator… it gives you a moment to set your own agenda aside and realize there is something out there much bigger than you.  Nature is begging us to become a participant in our lives instead of treating it like a spectator sport.  Get in there and have a good go!

Give up the control, refer out to the professionals that can help identify obstacles to cure and guide you on your path to amp up your health game!

Give up the control, refer out to the professionals that can help identify obstacles to cure and guide you on your path to amp up your health game!

Any ancient medicines revere the plants as teachers, as carriers of health.  They are here for a reason.  To be our allies, holler at your Doc to find the perfect plant to align you closer to health.

About Dr. Alexana

Dr. Cope deeply enjoys and appreciates working with patients to holistically balance hormones, manage depression and anxiety, and weight management. Dr. Cope also manages diabetes, endocrine conditions such as thyroid, and cardiovascular disease including high blood pressure and cholesterol. Dr. Cope's treatment comprises of a unique combination of nutritional supplementation, body work, custom herbal formulations, flower essences, personalized cooking and shopping plans. Dr. Cope truly believes minor changes in your daily routine is a key factor to health. Alongside treating the current symptoms, Dr. Cope investigates & addresses the root cause of your disease so that you may shift closer to centeredness and health with more ease. She will work with you in order to establish a daily routine that works with your schedule and most efficiently nourishes you so that you may go out in the community a more joyful beautiful you.

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