Answer
Answer:
As-Salamu ‘Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh dear sister,
We are sorry for the circumstances you find yourself in, sister. Indeed, it can be a trying issue. When a problem arises above the norm of what we are used to, it can seem as if that particular issue is a test. However, every day is a test, so is everything in that day. Therefore, we are always presented with a choice in everything we do.
There is a hadith where Prophet Muhammed (saw) says:
“Whoever of you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart – and that is the weakest of faith.” (An-Nasa’i)
You may question how this applies to you, but is it not an evil to give up on life, any life, including your own life?
“This is because Allah has never changed a favor which He has conferred upon a people until they change their own condition…” (Quran 8: 53)
I do not know about the nature of your neurological condition as you didn’t mention; however, the doctor you referred to diagnosed a condition, and you have established a path upon a particular journey. It is your reaction that has seemingly sealed your fate and not Allah (swt), but you have chosen to blame Him and take it as if He (swt) has given up on your life. With this, it has made the advice from Prophet Muhammad (swt) meaningless when he said that there was a cure for all illnesses. (Muslim)
Discoveries are being made all the time, and various forms of alternative medicine in its breadth and depth have challenged modern medicine in the understanding of the power of the mind over our bodies. Therefore, when you give up, you give up on what is available to you. Thus, it is no wonder that you feel depressed as you do.
Once again, you do not state what your condition is and what stage it is at, but even if nothing can be done to reverse the situation, something can always be done to improve your condition, in sha’ Allah.
When we see that our thoughts and emotions, our way of thinking, the relationship to our bodies and ourselves, and our world is what strongly influences how our body responds or does not respond, then we will be ready to live a more wholesome life.
When something seriously goes wrong with our health, in general it is a reflection of our mental health. This does not mean one has to be mentally ill to be physically ill, but what it does mean is that there is some disturbance at the mental-emotional level because of the inability to adapt to change whether it has come on the emotional, mental, psychological, or physical/environmental level.
Simply, the pattern of disease, holistically speaking, begins at the subatomic level (the level of thought), which then progresses to the atomic, the cellular (organ), and then the physical level. For example, let us say that you have the 20th century disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), an illness which affects mostly women. Here, stress factors have impacted on the adrenal glands by first causing changes (imbalance due to a predisposition) on the subatomic level which leads to changes on the biochemical level that sets into motion a pattern of disease. Changes on the biochemical level affect the body’s chemistry, blood composition, metabolism, and hence leads to changes in the functioning of certain organs (e.g. adrenal glands amongst other glands). This leads to a reduction in the adrenal glands which reduces further one’s ability to cope with stressors: emotional, pertaining to the immune system, and even physical. The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys and are responsible for producing hormones like adrenaline, cortisone, sex hormones, and for maintaining balance in the fluids of the body. Eventually, the effect on the physical level results in prolonged fatigue, frequent throat infections, headaches, no rest from sleep, muscle weakness, moodiness, numbness and tingling in the extremities, and inability to think clearly. Then, there are other infections, loss of appetite, blackouts, short-term memory loss, and all parts of the body aches, and inevitably depression.
Because of the nature of the illness, one of the most comprehensive ways to return one’s health back to balance is through classical homeopathy because it works from the physical level (symptoms) down to the subatomic level. However, one is still left with the stressors if one does not make the necessary life changes to prevent reoccurrence. These life changes include:
- Identifying the cause (emotional, mental, environmental, and physical)
- Changing one’s mindset by seeing the stress factors as a challenge (a lesson from which to learn) instead of a threat.
- Patterns of work and relaxation.
- Establishing the necessary social support mechanisms.
There are also dietary needs to help the body regain balance like:
- Avoiding all processed foods.
- Drinking lots of water so that the bodily fluids can detoxify.
- Eating antioxidant foods like fruits and vegetables.
This was just to get you thinking differently about your state of health and to be more positive. Maybe now you can understand why you are having problems with your kidneys. By allowing yourself to feel anxious and hopeless, you will only compromise your health more because your body will respond to those emotions directly or indirectly.
The most powerful thoughts you can have right now is “love and gratitude”. To really feel love and gratitude can be a medicine in itself. What do you have that can make you feel “love and gratitude?” You have an illness that offers you the opportunity to change your attitude towards the God-given gift of life, but be careful though as “love and gratitude” do not work separately. They work in synergy with each other as a proactive and passive force, and this leads you down one path, and one path only – for the sake of Allah (swt)!
Salam,
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