Healing Chemistry
It doesn't matter whether the molecule is Potassium in your diet, a prescription of Prozac or a Psilocybin journey. Molecules have shapes, they fit into receptors, that trigger electricity, that shoots down a nerve and trigger a reaction. The reaction could be wildly toxic or wonderfully therapeutic. That's the magic. Chemicals can heal, if you know what you're doing. If you don't bad things can happen and it can get very ugly, very quickly.
Foods
You are what you eat, literally. What you put in your mouth, gets broken down and distributed throughout your body. If you eat with health in mind, your are giving yourself the best chance to be well. You're setting yourself up for cellular success. Proteins are essential for muscles. Fats are flavor and fuel. Carbohydrates are the flame that lights the fuel.
Plants, Herbs and Spices
The plants that you see today are not wild. They have been chosen and bred to optimize their pest resistance, their color and shape, even their nutrient content. What they have in common is that they contain the natural configuration of the nutrients that we need to operate efficiently and effectively. They also make your skin and hair look healthy.
Vitamins and Minerals
Over the years we have figured out what nutrients we need to thrive and then isolated them. There are many, but not countless, molecules that make the machine and keep it running. Vitamins go from A to E and minerals include everything from the sodium that makes food tasty to copper that is needed to make certain cogs turn.
Nutraceuticals
After vitamins, herbs and minerals there is a veritable alphabet soup of other healthy bits that people have isolated and monetized. Some of them have great value, others are the flavor of the week. They include things like protein shakes, Macha, Ubiquinone and what have you.
Medication
They are easy to knock and we all know that pharmaceutical companies are not interested in your health, but there are many medications that save lives. The right medication, in the right person, at the right time, taken the right way can make a dramatic difference, helping manage symptoms and allowing the person's natural healing to take over.
Psychedelics
New, but not so new, are plant based and synthetic molecules that have healing powers that often defy explanation. They can open the doors of perception, allowing people who have suffered immensely to change their minds and heal their hearts. These molecules have the potential to revolutionize psychiatry. Connecting chemicals and counseling creates a unique contribution that augments the healing powers of the empathic provider.