With the physical wellbeing of the global community in
jeopardy, the COVID-19 pandemic has instigated many to take an introspective
look at personal health, but not everyone is taking the traditional approach.
“I think people are taking a little bit more of an interest
in their health, in general, which is exciting,” said Dr. Kaley Burns, owner of
Big Sky Natural Health. Dr. Burns is a naturopathic doctor, who approaches patient’s
health with a holistic perspective.
“For naturopaths, we look at the whole person,” she said,
adding that immunity is a central component to the holistic approach.
On March 16, researchers with the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity published a study in which they examined a 47-year-old Chinese woman who had been diagnosed with COVID-19. After studying the subject’s immune responses over the length of her illness, the researchers concluded that “early adaptive immune responses might correlate with better clinical outcomes.” One of the researchers later said that although COVID-19 is caused by a novel virus, a robust immune system is associated with recovery, according to their study.
Dr. Burns offered what she dubbed “the big three” tips for
supporting immunity from the vantage of a naturopath: hydration, nutrition and
rest and relaxation. She added that enjoying the outdoors is a bonus to this
trifecta, an especially accessible practice in Big Sky and all of southwestern
Montana.
Dr. Kaley Burns, owner of Big Sky Natural Health, spends a lot of her time enjoying the outdoors, a practice she describes as being extremely important in maintaining daily mental and physical health. PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. KALEY BURNS
Just as the driving concept behind social distancing is
collective cooperation, Dr. Burns added that supporting individual health can
have much broader effects. “Each of us focusing on our own health also makes
our families and our community healthier,” she said. “There’s kind of that
ripple effect of all of us supporting ourselves to support each other.”
Dr. Burns suggested that while she hopes to bolster
healthcare options for Big Sky, she believes that naturopathic medicine works
really well when paired with conventional medicine. Especially during these
times when the healthcare system is overwhelmed, she is hopeful that her clinic
as well as other conventional clinics can support the community adequately and
collectively.
Using more alternative and homeopathic methods, the Cauldron
Apothecary in Big Sky is also tackling COVID-19 from a nonconventional
approach. The Cauldron Apothecary’s owner, Tara Gale, describes herself as a
healer. Having completed various trainings in herb and aromatherapy, nutrition
and energy, Gale uses the Cauldron’s space for various types of health
consultations as well as to sell a wide selection of natural remedies and
homeopathic medicine.
Gale does 60 percent of her business with clients outside of
the community, from Los Angeles to Thailand. Recently, Gale has worked with
three out-of-state clients diagnosed with COVID-19. According to Gale, some of
these clients reported experiencing a complete reversal of symptoms within 24
hours of receiving intuitive healing from her.
Gale described intuitive healing as looking into the
emotional, mental, spiritual and physical realms of the body collectively to
identify imbalances of energy. For one specific client with COVID-19 that
reported a complete reversal of symptoms, Gale said she did “heart work,”
addressing the client’s childhood trauma and how it was still affecting her. Results
from intuitive healing, including those shared by Gale, are often self-reported.
Tara Gale, a self-described healer, is backdropped by rows of homemade remedies, including tinctures, oils and herbal blends. PHOTO COURTESY OF TARA GALE
Dr. Maren Dunn, a physician with the Bozeman Health Big Sky
Medical Center added that mental health does correlate in some instances with
physical health and that in some cases untreated depression and anxiety can affect
the immune system.
She referenced heart disease patients, such as those that
have suffered a heart attack and experience depression instigated by that
event. When the depression goes untreated, the patient is more likely,
according to Dr. Dunn, to suffer a second heart attack.
For those seeking less exploratory holistic approaches, Gale
reiterated Dr. Burns’ big three, with an emphasis on drinking enough water and
eating lots of colorful fruits and vegetables. Gale also suggested diffusing
essential oils with antibacterial and antiviral properties.
Despite the current amplified concern for health and
wellbeing, Dr. Burns said our bodies are often stronger than we give them
credit for, and that an opportunity for empowerment comes when we take our
health into our own hands. There are many fundamental things that we can do to
feel better, she said, that give us a lot of control. Gale concurred through
her own observations, expressing a belief that bodies know what they need, it’s
just a matter of drawing out those needs.
Dr. Burns hopes that the heightened inspiration people are
experiencing to take better care of health survives the COVID-19 pandemic. “One
of the things I hope can be a takeaway for us is how we approach our health in
general,” she said.
“We’ve got a lot of other chronic diseases in the country
and I think it would be a great thing for a lot of people to maybe come to an
understanding with themselves of how they might want to feel better on a daily
basis.”