Naturopaths are people too

Author: Dr. Michelle Durkin on 4 December 2018

So often we feel like we those that are trying to help us reach our health goals don't understand. I mean they already have it all figured out and are doing great, right?

Wrong.

See the ego wants us to think that whoever is doing what you want to be doing is somehow special. That there is some elusive quality that they have, that you don't.

This couldn't be further from the truth.

Naturopaths are people too. We have our health challenges as well. And it is through those challenges that I am learning how to help my patients more effectively.

So here are 5 things about me that you probably don't know that I am working on too:

I was diagnosed with skin cancer and had to have surgery for it
I don't have children because I have never been able to conceive
I am a (recovering) workaholic
I have spent the last year healing from the breakdown of my marriage
I do not forgive myself easily

The truth is we have more common with each other than we think. And if I can heal and address the challenges in my life it means you can too.

Now I would love to hear from you! What is one health challenge that you felt like your naturopath or doctor didn't understand? Leave a comment below and I'll be back next week with another edition of Doctor as Teacher Tuesday!

Michelle Durkin
4 December 2018
6:00 am
9 comments

9 Replies to “Naturopaths are people too”

Stephanie Trattner

4 December 2018, 9:28 am

Do you eat Hamburger ?! LOL

What a beautiful read, THANK YOU for sharing Michelle and make it a little less intimidating to come for a visit!

Dr Michelle Durkin ND

4 December 2018, 10:28 am

Lol! Yes, I do eat hamburger occasionally, grass-fed as much as possible of course!

Karen H

4 December 2018, 10:36 am

So sorry for all your struggles health wise and others but I believe it has made you the strong, caring person and health professional that you are today. Years ago when I was having my first bout with my health problems, I had mentioned to my GP about my circulatory problems as that’s what I thought it was at the time. It mimicked what my mother had and just as I left his office he said you don’t had circulation issues and then he told me what I had. I was stunned, not only because I was never told this before but because I’d never heard of it. He whisked off to his next patient without another word. It was a very long, upsetting ride home.

Dr Michelle Durkin ND

4 December 2018, 11:48 am

I believe that too Karen. I hope you have found a doctor that listens to your concerns.

James Pott

4 December 2018, 2:47 pm

I am hesitant to send a comment because I cannot help being trained in the past as a psychologist, albeit a developmental. Yet the clinical part is and has always been a part of it. Therefore one has to be careful not to analyse friends. Which I will try not to.
I can understand the need for you to unload and also to get your friends and patients to understand that the grass is hardly ever greener on the other side. I also fully agree with you that sharing personal things can make you vulnerable and you need to have the strength and resources to weather that which in the end will make you stronger. As you quite well know there are different kinds of strength and I don’t think I will have to elaborate.
Several points that you mentioned are interrelated as you probably know. The one may cause the other as well as the other cause the one.
We are grateful for your personal revelations. It can help others to do the same or at least to begin to understand that we all have our own crosses, our own struggles.
Thanks for sharing Michelle, your name has already become a household name in a number of discussions and believe me those discussions are quite lively when all the four kids are home for holidays and special days.

Dr Michelle Durkin ND

4 December 2018, 5:28 pm

Thank-you James. It is often a fine line to determine when sharing will be beneficial for others. I like the quote by Neil Gaiman – “The moment that you feel, just possibly, you are walking down the street naked, exposing too much of your heart and your mind, and what exists on the inside, showing too much of yourself…That is the moment, you might be starting to get it right.”