Naturopathy/Natural Medicine/Alternative Medicine ( Archived) (51)

I had a request a while ago to create a thread about this subject since it's what I'm currently studying to go into as a career, and I decided it is a good time for it tonight.

Traditionally, Western medicine has treated a person for a specific disease, and basically treats that person as that disease. Naturopathy approaches a person as a whole and looks at mind, body, and spirit when dealing with health concerns, and accepts that we have the ability to heal ourselves by achieving homeostasis, or balance, within ourselves, and that it is being out of balance which causes disease.

This method of treating diseases as part of a person's overall health being unbalanced has been part of medicine in many parts of the world for centuries, and is just gaining widespread recognition finally in the United States, and is even becoming part of a more holistic approach in traditional western (allopathic) medicine finally.

Traditional Chinese Herbal medicine, acupuncture, acupressure, reflexology, and massage therapy have been practiced around the world for centuries, and so has western herbal therapy...but now they are gaining ground here. For me, the final catalyst that put me on this path was watching my late husband choose only chemotherapy and radiation to treat his cancer when he was diagnosed with Stage IV laryngeal cancer, and reject any alternative therapy, including diet and meditation, when there was nothing to lose by doing so, and possibly everything to gain. Juxtaposed against this, I had the knowledge that a good friend of my sister had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Stage IV, and had lived in full remission for six years, against all odds...he was in a 3% survival rate.

While I was caring for him, and watching him die, I started to really live, and to change my life to get it more in balance by going to the gym, and going to a spiritual and healing center to get my spirit healed. It was during this time that I knew that my purpose for the rest of my life would be to help others to achieve health through homeostasis and balancing mind/body/spirit.

So...what are your thoughts and experiences? How much of an overall healthy lifestyle do you now live, or wish to live? Is this something you grew up with, or something you incorporated into your life as an adult? Do you feel that allopathic medicine still has a place in your life, or do you only follow natural and herbal therapies?

To answer my own questions...I now eat more raw, organic fruits and vegetables, I buy all of my meat organic as well, and I use herbal therapy for most health issues. I treat my fibromyalgia and myofacial pain syndrome through meditation and stress management. I treat the rare headaches I get by soaking my feet in tepid water. I no longer take many of the pills I used to have to take for my allergies, nor suffer from them as badly, since eliminating gluten from my diet. I exercise more, meditate, and am incorporating yoga into my life again. I take time to do the things I enjoy, and to relax.

Yes, I still struggle with nicotine and smoking, but that is a battle I will eventually win...and I will do it naturally. No more patches, since I still have bruising on my arms from my last round with those.

I still believe allopathic medicine has its place for diagnostic testing, and for some medications. I have hypothyroidism, and the only way I know to treat that is by taking a pill each day to replace that low hormone. However, I don't like long-term steroids for diseases like asthma. My older son has severe asthma and is doing very well with it on herbal supplements. We got him off of the steroid inhaler because as a teenager we felt it wasn't good for him long term.

Honestly, I will not take a pill with 10-15 side effects if there is an herbal therapy, or other natural alternative, to it. I will not have a surgery performed if there's an alternative. And I fully believe that the human mind and body are capable of healing themselves if we give them a chance and the right nutrition and exercise plan.

Sorry...these really did turn into books again.

Anyway...just throwing this out there for conversation.

I already do healing with two crystals. One to seek, one to help create the healing bond and focus the energy more precisely. There are other energy healing tools as well...heliospheres, biomats...all work well to ampliphy healing energy.

I agree that very few dis-eases are cured through western medicine, though I still feel it has its place in diagnosis and treating things like severe fractures, and saving lives from heavy trauma. But for most ills, natural alternatives are safer and more effective, IMO.

Good to see you, my friend!

Agreed, Cusp...it takes time and readjustment for alternative and natural therapies to work sometimes...but slower is better in the long run to me. It's better to work with the body than introduce unnatural substances into it.

It was also interesting to find that most oncologists, when diagnosed with cancer themselves, will turn to Naturopaths for help because they don't want to die. That tells me a lot.

I want to help those that wish to live, after having to help someone die by their choice. And yes, I saw him do it...he chose to die, and I had to let him. Me? I would choose life...always.