This Body of Mine

A poem in honour of those whose works have enriched my understanding of myself.

Dec 02, 2024

silhouette of person standing on rock surrounded by body of water — Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

This gut of mine is certainly no dump;
Dr Zac Bush taught me that much.
Its flora mints the money of the mind,
and we benefit from having many kinds.

This brain of mine is certainly no slump;
Iain McGilchrist taught me that much.
It wrestles with both known and unknown,
bringing context to the images I’m shown.

This heart of mine is certainly no pump;
Dr Tom Cowan taught me that much.
It pushes back when my blood is boiling
and holds me back when my anger’s raging.

This body of mine is certainly no chump;
Gabor Mate taught me that much.
It can heal anything so long as we let it
and transmute the trauma pit.

This life of mine is certainly no flump,
but that I had to learn for myself.

This Body of Mine ~ A Poem by Tom Shaw

Last year, a family member I was living with at the time came back to the UK from Lanzarote in a medical emergency. While in Lanzarote, the doctors performed a CT scan revealing a haemorrhage at the back of the head, seemingly indicative of why she was getting dizzy spells. Unconvinced at the quality of care abroad, she opted to fly back early to be seen in a hospital here to operate and drain the bleed to alleviate the condition.

I went to the family member’s GP to see if they could give advance warning to the hospital that she would need surgery. The response? A resounding “no” - supposedly, the GP did not have the capability to give the local hospital advanced notice that one of their own patients would be requiring surgery. The only scenario where they would be able to do so was if the patient had come to see the doctor there first for an appointment, and the doctor felt it fit to refer the patient directly to treatment. I asked if it would thus be possible to book an appointment on the family member’s behalf to allow for this to happen, as she was not in a condition to do so herself. The answer to this? I would have to apply for online triage first.

I’m not surprised that this amount of procedure and bureaucracy is getting in the way of something that, in theory, could be relatively straightforward. I saw first-hand through my dental studies that most “healthcare” has simply become about the most inefficient ways of bringing in top-down policies. But, here’s the bit that stuck with me the most from this interaction: the receptionist told me that, because there are about a thousand requests made every single day to their online triage system for an appointment, it may take up to 48 hours for anyone to respond. She said we’d have more luck going straight to A&E, even with a half-day wait.

A thousand requests a day! A thousand people, all ill, seeking help.

What a reflection this paints on UK society. The unhealthiness of the people is a reflection of the unhealthiness of society - and I’m not just talking about biological unhealthiness, although it is important. All these people are at the mercy of a healthcare industry that does not teach people how to be healthy. A thousand people a day unable to keep on top of nutrition, exercise, physical and mental trauma, and to avoid toxic substances - which would have likely prevented their ailments and even help them recover from existing ones - is telling. Glued unhealthily to silver screens feeding us fear porn and messing with our dopamine, it’s no wonder so many are addicted to instant-sugar ultra-processed pleasure foods instead of eating properly. A thousand people a day outsource an unhealthy amount of decision-making about their own lives to people who are not incentivised to take adequate care of it.

Yet the body itself is blamed for being the problem.

Given the right inputs and right environment - which we control - we can give the body everything it needs to heal itself. It doesn’t mean its easy, but it is doable. Nature is not at fault here, it is the things we do that are unnatural.

Some believe that the appointment of RFK Jr. to Trump’s cabinet will help in turning that tide and ending the assault on American’s health. On the one hand, I am satisfied at some of the policy announcements made by RFK, such as the end to fluoridation. On the other hand, we get photos like this emerging:

So much for fighting seed oils, ultra-processed foods and high carb diets I guess.

To me, this all speaks to the need for us to take agency of our own health, and not have the government need to be the ones to manage it for us. We have the power and ability to choose what is right for us - and if more people felt confident in doing so, I suspect we’d be far healthier and happier for it. Maybe some good can come from certain toxic influences being removed from people who have no interest in taking control of their health. Maybe it’s what is needed to begin that process for some of questioning what it is they put in their bodies. But if you’re here reading this post, then you know it’s possible to achieve that for yourself, regardless of what Kennedy, Trump, or whatever government you interface with does or does not.

Thank you for taking the time to read this piece. I hope it inspired something within you.

With gratitude,

Tom

I began writing poetry as a means of clearing up my thoughts and making sense of an increasingly strange world that surrounded me. In my lowest times, having quit a dentistry degree after having become disillusioned with the current medical system, it was poetry that helped me find a path towards sanity and sensemaking. I now couldn’t imagine a life where I wasn’t writing.

With this in mind, I’ve developed a poetry workshop expressly designed with this in mind, taking elements from my own writing practises that I’ve found useful and combining them with ideas from the best self-development and group-based work I’ve experienced from master facilitators. “Basecamp” is a group workshop where we read and write poetry to help make sense of the challenges coming to us in our lives, and how we can re-activate the innate gifts and talents we possess to overcome those challenges.

The next session is taking place online on Thursday 19th December at 7.30pm UK Time - and its completely free. Use the button below to find out more and sign up for the session:

Basecamp ~ Poetry Workshop