Do you struggle with the word healer?
I know I have, and it was only because I didn't truly understand what the term healer meant. Typically our society thinks of healers as those woo-woo people practicing witchy things on other people behind closed doors. The term healer can be such a mystery and the human parts of us like to judge something we actually don't know much about.
So let's dive in to understanding what the term healer actually means.
If you Google "healer" you will find a variety of meanings from Oxford languages...
a person who seeks to cure diseases or heal injuries by means other than conventional medical treatment... "a spiritual healer and medium"
a person or thing that mends or repairs something..."aloe vera is a superb healer of the alimentary canal"
something that alleviates distress or anguish..."time is the best healer"
...and there a few more definitions that can be found, but for the sake of this article we will stick with these.
Now let's break this term down into HEAL... to heal.. the Oxford languages defines the word HEAL as this..
to become sound or healthy again..."his concern is to heal sick people"
Similar: make better, make well, cure, treat successfully, restore to health, mend, remedy, restore, curative, therapeutic
alleviate (a person's distress or anguish).
"time can heal the pain of grief"
And then there is this explanation I heard a while back...
So with all that being said...
What do us hygienists do?
We are healthcare providers who
- help to alleviate, repair, or mend gingivitis, periodontal disease, caries, apthous ulcers, and other common oral pathology issues by the treatment we provide and the recommendations we propose to our patients
- create a nonjudgmental space for our patients to listen to our recommendations, ask questions for their benefit of healing an ailment, and provide them with the right tools to support them on their own journey of health
Ok, ok so no, we don't have to walk around telling everyone we are healers, but if you approach your work each day with this in mind, think about the shift it will make in your relations with your patients and your views of what you do each day.
This simple mindset shift can help take you out of that
routine rut so many of us feel, and elevate your own beliefs
about how you see yourself in this profession!
May all be blessed by all of you hygiene healers!