Don’t Let Your Housekeeper Repair Your House

Have you ever thought of your medical doctor as a repairman? That’s really what he or she is, you know. 

I mean, think about it: You go to your doctor when you’re in need of repair. You’re sick or damaged in some way. Your doctor is not in the business of keeping you well. Those professionals belong to an entirely different industry: the wellness industry. I guess you could say they’re “housekeepers.” They keep you nice and tidy so that you don’t need your doctor to repair you.

So, if doctors are repairmen and wellness professionals are housekeepers, why do so many people expect their housekeeper to repair their house?

Over and over again, I encounter women who consult their naturopath for thyroid dysfunction. Your naturopath is a wellness provider ... a housekeeper. He or she has no medical education, no license to prescribe medications, and no business trying to fix your broken thyroid gland. Naturopaths are only capable of keeping your already-healthy thyroid healthy. In other words, they are housekeepers.

It’s not uncommon for women to use their herbalist to treat the symptoms of menopause. Menopause is the result of a hormone deficiency, and estrogen is the deficient hormone. But, herbalists are housekeepers. They can reduce symptoms, but not alleviate them completely. More importantly, they cannot replace the deficiency. That falls into the realm of repairs. And the only professionals who can repair the deficiency are doctors.

This lack of recognition between housekeepers and repairmen is not without consequences. 

Just think about it: How would your house fare if you asked your housekeeper to repair your house? If your roof were leaking, it would continue leaking. And the leak would get worse and worse until the roof collapsed. And, when it collapsed, your household belongings would get ruined, making things worse still. The cost of repair would be much greater than it would have been if you’d hired a repairman in the first place.

And the converse is true, too.

If you’re not in need of repair and you consult a repairman, the repairman is either going to roll his eyes at your assumption that you have a large enough problem to warrant their services, or he’s going to repair something that isn’t in need of repair. 

Time after time, women tell me that they are appalled at their doctor’s reaction to their desire to manage various disease risks using diet and lifestyle options. They can’t understand why any doctor would say that diet has nothing to do with disease risks. Sometimes, they accuse the doctor of wanting to push drugs.

The fact is that your doctor is a repairman, not a housekeeper. Reducing your risk for diseases falls within the realm of housekeeping, not repairing. And doctors receive no education whatsoever on keeping you healthy (or housekeeping). Their entire education entails learning how to repair you once you’re broken.

In essence, using your medical doctor for your housekeeping will result in failure simply because you are seeking the guidance of the wrong professional.

Successful management of your health and disease both require that you use the proper professional. Use housekeepers in the wellness industry if you’re well. They include naturopaths, herbalists, acupuncturists, and hypnotists. Use repairmen in the medical industry if you’re not well. They include medical doctors, some osteopaths, and some nurse practitioners. 

Just don’t confuse keeping your house with repairing your house. And never let your housekeeper repair your house.