I have a confession to make. I am scared of medical procedures, operations, and all other unnatural and invasive treatments. I am scared of going to a dentist, even having a medical checkup. I would rather not know that something is wrong or could be wrong with me. When I know that some part of my body is afflicted, I worry and get sicker from the resulting anxiety and apprehension. I don’t recommend this way of thinking, of course; a professional medical checkup can literally save your life.
I guess many people feel like I do, and all over the world, they are constantly looking for alternative medicine or processes to heal various ailments and diseases. Many schools of thought and therapies have sprouted to ease man of his health problems ranging from herbal, aromatic, nutritional, diet, fasting, exercise, and dancing to music therapy. Other disciplines, exercises, and cures include homeopathy, hypnosis, meditation, biofeedback, yoga, qi gong, aerobics, Pilates, acupuncture, and special massages like reflexology, shiatsu, etc. And then there are the more exotic and oftentimes controversial means of spiritual, religious or faith healing.
Naturopathy
What is natural healing? Also referred to as naturopathy, it is the kind of healing that draws on everything and anything of a drugless nature to help the patient: herbs, hydrotherapy, massages, mud packs, manipulation, exercise, enemas, hypnosis, nutrition — whatever has been proven to alleviate the pain and discomfort of the sickness and promote the well-being of the patient. Sadly, the real practice of naturopathy has disappeared because of legal strictures. A naturopath can be arrested if he diagnoses and treats — two functions that are limited by law to licensed physicians, dentists, chiropractors, and medical specialists. In the Philippines, naturopathy is still practiced in remote provincial areas by old wives and arbolarios (herbalists) who are sometimes regarded as witch doctors.
The Key To Natural Healing
I was reading about Elke Sommer (she was a popular film star in the 1960s and ’70s) when I chanced upon the secret to natural healing. Elke had a disk injury in her neck and had already seen about 22 doctors. She reportedly wanted to commit suicide because the pain she was suffering greatly affected her lifestyle and career. Then she went to a North Hollywood neurologist, Dr. Ronald M. Lawrence, MD, who treated her only once using osteopuncture, a treatment whereby a low-voltage current is delivered from a battery unit through a needle (much like in acupuncture, thus the name) to the afflicted bone area. Then she wrote a story for a major news publication about how the osteopuncture doctor changed her life back to normal after a long bout with pain.
The Body Heals Itself
For bodily afflictions, especially arthritic conditions, Dr. Lawrence believes that the most important thing any treatment (in his case, osteopuncture) can do is to reduce the swelling and pain. That allows the person to start using the body part or joint again.
“Use is the key to natural healing,” Dr. Lawrence asserts, “When a body part is moving in a reasonably normal function, the body takes over the healing. Movement is the key to all problems, whatever they are. You need to get the patient to the point where he/she can move again, because movement sets up a pumping action to push fluids through — especially the stagnant fluids that cause swelling. Then the muscles can develop again. And, of course, weak muscles around the joints are responsible for keeping the joint immobile.”
So that’s the secret, as the good doctor divulged, that movement is the key to all problems. And use (not un-use, misuse or abuse) is important for natural healing to take place. It is the body that truly heals itself, and the procedures, pills, and therapies just help bring that point when it can take over.
And yes, there is truth to the popular admonition, “Use it or lose it.”
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