When Wellness Becomes a Gray Area
By Dr. Sofía Swatt, PhD
Disclaimer:None of the following is meant to be taken as medical advice. This is simply an opinion-based piece on the philosophy behind both allopathic and naturopathic medicine. This perspective is also not meant to diminish those who lack access to adequate healthcare, financial resources, education, safety, or supportive environments. Many people are suffering within systems that make healing extraordinarily difficult. This piece speaks more to the importance of personal participation in one’s healing journeys, recognizing that integrative care itself is often a privilege not equally available to everyone.
We all eventually reach a point where we must decide whether we are willing to participate in our own healing.
One of the biggest debates in healthcare today is the argument between medications and natural alternatives. People often feel pressured to choose one side entirely, as though healing must fit into a rigid philosophy. Either you are “natural,” or you are “pill-dependent.” Either you believe in pharmaceuticals, or you believe in herbs.
Personally, I do not believe healing is that black and white.
I am a proponent of medication in certain instances. Which is controversial, and some might even say hypocritical considering the field I work in. But I stand firm in this belief, because I am in no way, shape, or form dogmatic about being 100% natural.
And here is why.
Medications (particularly prescription medications) manipulate biochemistry at a very palpable level. They alter cellular signaling. They can suppress certain pathways while amplifying others. In many cases, this creates a much stronger and more immediate therapeutic effect on the body and mind. Sometimes that is necessary.
If someone is severely depressed, actively suicidal, unable to sleep for days, in debilitating pain, telling them to simply “take magnesium” or “drink chamomile tea” can be unrealistic and even irresponsible. There are moments where the nervous system and physiology are so dysregulated that immediate intervention is needed to stabilize the person first. This is where medication can be life-saving.
Herbs and supplements work differently. Rather than forcefully overriding the body’s chemistry, they generally work with the body’s existing machinery. They support pathways and correct deficiencies, thus improving resilience. They help the body regulate itself more efficiently and smoothly over time. But natural medicine often requires patience.
One of the biggest frustrations people encounter with herbs and supplements is that they do not always create immediate results. It may take three to four weeks before someone starts noticing meaningful changes, and of course, this varies greatly depending on the severity and complexity of the condition.
A person who has been dealing with anxiety, hormonal dysfunction, gut inflammation, or metabolic issues for ten years cannot realistically expect complete reversal in seven days simply because they started taking a tincture or supplement protocol. Healing the root imbalance takes time.
The issue is that modern culture has conditioned people to seek immediate symptom relief, not necessarily long-term restoration of function. We are taught to silence symptoms as quickly as possible because symptoms are uncomfortable. But symptoms are often communication, attempting to reveal imbalance.
And this is where I believe integrative medicine becomes so important.A person may use medication to receive immediate reprieve from debilitating symptoms while also working deeply on improving their physiologyand overall resilience.
Situations Where Medication May Be Necessary or Life-Saving
Sepsis or severe bacterial infection
Fever causing significant distress
Active psychosis or suicidal crisis
Severe pneumonia or respiratory distress
Uncontrolled seizures
Diabetic emergencies
Acute allergic reactions/anaphylaxis
Major surgery or trauma
Extremely debilitating insomnia where the nervous system is collapsing
Severe autoimmune flares causing tissue damage
Emergency pain management when quality of life is severely impaired
In these situations, medications can stabilize the body quickly enough to prevent long-term damage or death.
Situations Where Medications Are Often Overused
Mild viral illnesses being treated with antibiotics
Chronic stress being managed only with sedatives while lifestyle remains unchanged
Digestive symptoms being suppressed without addressing diet, microbiome health, or nervous system dysregulation
Hormonal symptoms being masked without investigating metabolic or inflammatory drivers
Acne being treated solely topically while ignoring gut, liver, hormonal, or stress-related contributors
Fatigue being managed with stimulants while sleep, nutrition, and adrenal health deteriorate
Long-term acid blockers without investigating why reflux is occurring in the first place
My Personal Philosophy
Use the least invasive intervention possible while still honoring safety and quality of life. No one should feel obligated to remain in unnecessary suffering out of rigid ideology. If a naturopathic protocol is not producing meaningful improvement in a person’s quality of life, then medication may be the appropriate intervention to help restore stability and reduce suffering, thus enabling the capacity for deeper healing of the underlying dysfunction to occur. Sometimes the choice is not one or the other. Sometimes the answer lies in how we intelligently blend both allopathic and naturopathic approaches together simultaneously.
