For much of human history, there was no such thing as alternative medicine.
There was simply… medicine.
Long before pharmacies lined street corners and commercials listed medications with side effects longer than their benefits, people cared for their health using the tools available to them: food, herbs, rest, movement, sunlight, water, community, and wisdom passed down from generation to generation.
Mothers, midwives, herbalists, apothecaries, and physicians worked with what they observed in creation.
People noticed certain plants soothed discomfort. They learned fresh air mattered. They recognized that rest restored the body. They observed that stress, grief, and hardship could affect physical health.
In many ways, the foundations of health were woven into everyday life. And if you think about it, as Christians, we believe God “fearfully and wonderfully” designed the human body.
From the beginning, Scripture reveals principles of stewardship and care. In Genesis, God placed man in a garden, not a pharmacy. Food came from the earth, and work had purpose. Rest had value, and healthy relationships mattered.
This poses the question: Are all modern advancements good if we forget the foundations of health God designed?
Before the Prescription Pad
Historically, medicine looked very different from what it does today. Health Care included methods like:
- nutrition
- herbs and botanicals
- hydrotherapy
- rest
- movement
- lifestyle practices
- emotional and spiritual support
Physicians commonly used natural remedies because those were the tools available to them. Many salves, ointments, and tinctures originated from natural substances found in plants and from traditional healing practices.
Over time, however, medicine changed.
In the early 1900s, after the Flexner Report, medical education became increasingly standardized and science-centered. Universities, hospitals, laboratories, and research transformed healthcare into disease care. Although these changes brought some wonderful advances, such as improved emergency medicine. Surgical skill advanced. Lives were saved.
Most of us are deeply grateful for those gifts. But it does have it’s down side.
When the Focus Shifted
As science advanced, medicine increasingly focused on identifying diseases and finding targeted treatments.
And in many situations, that approach works beautifully.
If someone has trauma, a severe infection, or a medical emergency, modern medicine shines.
But today, many people, especially women in midlife, are dealing with something different: metabolic issues.
- Fatigue.
- Brain fog.
- Sleep struggles.
- Hormone changes.
- Digestive complaints.
- Weight that suddenly seems stubborn.
- Inflammation.
And often these women hear: “Everything looks normal.” Yet they know something feels off.
So they start asking root-cause questions:
- Why am I tired?
- Why am I waking up exhausted?
- Why does my body feel different?
- Why do I no longer feel like myself?
And in many ways, they sound a lot like the questions our ancestors asked:
What has changed?
What is out of balance?
What support does the body need?
The Words of Knowledge
When we start searching for solutions to our fatigue, brain fog, hormone issues, and chronic pain, we are instantly met with a flood of information. Dr. Google, trending diets, conflicting expert opinions, and an overwhelming “health industry” are all fighting for our attention.
In Hosea 4:6, the Lord gives a sobering truth:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge...”
When we lack true knowledge about how our bodies were designed to function, our health suffers. But it’s not just a lack of knowledge that harms us; getting instruction from the wrong sources can be equally destructive.
Blindly following fad diets, quick-fix supplements, or a godless world system that treats the body like a machine rather than a temple can actually deepen our fatigue and worsen our health.
Proverbs 19:27 gives us a clear, protective warning:
“Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.”
What a powerful reminder from the Lord. God is telling us to stop listening to instructions that pull us away from His truth, and we can absolutely apply this to our health stewardship.
As Christian believers, we cannot afford to blindly follow every trend, opinion, or message coming from a secular medical view. We must be discerning about whom we listen to and always ask whether their teaching aligns with Scripture and God’s natural design.
Not every voice speaking about wellness is rooted in truth. Not every expert points us back to God’s natural design. And not every popular message truly helps you become a good steward of your body.
Friends, it is so important that we take responsibility for learning what God designed for our well-being. Self-care is not a selfish, modern invention; it is an act of biblical stewardship.
We need to understand the body as a beautifully interconnected system that functions with remarkable order, rather than as isolated parts to be managed separately with a pill for every ill.
Sometimes, overcoming the fatigue, brain fog, and sleeplessness that drain our energy begins with simply renewing our knowledge and filtering our health choices through the Word of God.
If we follow God’s health care plan, we can protect our health legacy and minimize our reliance on man’s “disease care” system. Enabling us to show up for our families, our marriages, and our ministries with the vibrant energy and clear minds God intended for us.
If you are ready to start learning how to care for your body as God intended, I would love to share a free resource to help you begin that journey today.
Get my guide, 7 Steps to Renewing Your Health Get the guide
