We all know that if we want to stay healthy, we should eat a balanced diet, avoid too much fat and sugar, exercise regularly, cut out smoking and avoid stress. In other words we should remain as much as possible as nature intended us. But we might want to ask what part does nature play in the natural healing process?
There are times when the intervention of drugs or surgery is essential, however, many illnesses will get better of their own accord regardless of treatment. This is because the human body has an inherent ability to heal itself. The fitter we are, the easier we will be able to cope with the illness and our healing power will also be greater.
We all know that our mental attitude can have a powerful effect on the course of our illness. The desire to get well is often a strong factor in early recovery. It has often been observed by medical profession that of two patients with identical illnesses the one with the positive outlook will recover far more quickly than his counterpart.
Naturopaths have long been advocating a natural whole-food diet that is free from artificial flavouring and preservatives. They are always concern about the prevention of illness by exercise, fresh air, healthy diet and freedom from stress. Naturopaths belief in treating the person as a whole, not just the illness. They will examine all aspects of the patient’s life from eating habits and posture to muscular tension and psychological problems.
Naturopaths differ from the medical professional in that they belief illness is nature’s way of restoring harmony to the body when the body is disturbed in any ways. They therefore advocate that illness should be allowed to run its course and that to suppress the symptoms with drugs will ultimately create more troubles.
There are also concerned to find and deal with the underlying cause of the problem rather than provide temporary relief of the symptoms. Naturopaths do belief that illness is caused by a faulty diet and will often prescribe several days of fasting to eliminate poisonous substances from the body. The patient will then gradually be introduced to a new and healthier diet.
The influence of the mind on illness is well demonstrated in the use of placebos or dummy drugs. One in three patients who are given a placebo which they belief to be a painkiller actually do experience considerable pain relief. Emil Coue, a French chemist, found that many patients were cured simply because they believed in the ‘efficacy’ of the coloured water they were given to drink. Coue concluded that conviction had a powerful effect on the human body and suggested that we should repeat phrases such as “Every day in every way I am getting better and better.”
Relaxation exercises, meditation and yoga, which likewise draw on our body’s resources, are also equally helpful in preventing ill health and in recuperating from it.
Source : “Doctor’s Answers – Published by Marshall Cavendish Partwork Ltd”
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