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I just discovered a great resource for natural medicine or naturopathy, an example of alternative medicine that focuses on natural remedies and the body’s ability to maintain and heal itself.
I have to admit that I’ve been suspicious about alternative medicine ever since I started showing interest and passion in the medical sciences, but when I read more about naturopathy, and especially when I discovered WellWire, I realized that it’s really all about going back to basics and learning to live a sustainable, self-sufficient, and balanced lifestyle, which are things that I also personally uphold.
When we go back to basics and when we acknowledge how much we’ve been underestimating our bodies’ capabilities, you’ll realize that you can totally do away without taking in all those pills and multivitamin capsules and acai berry drinks, and still be healthy. All you really have to do is, again, look around you and embrace what nature has to offer. And I think WellWire’s pretty good at advocating this philosophy.
Going back to basics when it comes to health is something that I work on each day, what with all the health trends being endorsed by models and so-called health gurus every hour on TV. It’s tough; I often forget about what my body really needs. And there’s also this ongoing paranoia when it comes to sickness, when really, at the end of the day, health and wellness isn’t about completely obliterating disease from the face of the earth. I think we’ve allowed this fear of disease (and death from disease) to take over our every day lives, that we end up stuffing ourselves with all sorts of meds that end up destroying our liver anyway. What’s even worse is when we shrug it all off and say, “Ah, to hell with it. We will all eventually die of cancer anyway. Let’s live in the moment!” and allow our bodies to waste away in drunken escapades and cigarettes.
Naturopathy is such a refreshing avenue in healthcare because it reminds us of the common sense we tend to overlook each day. Yes, it’s pretty much common sense, really — “eating the rainbow” (every color of fruit and veggies), managing stress to maximize your immunity to the flu, staying outdoors early in the morning to absorb all that sunny, Vitamin D goodness, etc. And with the ridiculous expenses attributed to hospitals and treatments, going back to basics also means saving yourself if not hundreds, thousands of dollars just to stay in shape. The sun is free, for one thing!
So, like I would always tell you guys — just look around you! Nature demands our attention… and for a pretty good reason, too.
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Comments
08.21.09
The great point you make may be lost on many. It's too simple.
I'll give you an example. Over the summer, one of my friends got a chance to be part of an invite-only free endurance training program for triathletes. The catch was there was no regimen to it. The 3 guys leading it knew their business and exercised everyday. It was less talk and more do. All you had to do was come whenever you wanted and train with them. No requirements. My friend barely went a handful of times.
Then mid-way through the summer, there was a discount program run by a local gym offering similar endurance training. There were classes, lectures, strategy and days when you'd exercise. My friend signed up, went occasionally, got bored and lost the money he put into it.
Btw, "my friend" is not me. Lol.
I completely agree with where you're coming from. To run, all you have to do is get out on the pavement and track and go. Do pushups and situps. Eat right.
But what the marketing folks have realized is that people want algorithms for these things. They want to outsource the doing and figure out what's "best" and pay a whole lot for it. The nutrition books, the gyms, the CDs, the self-help gurus, etc.
With all that information out there, we've lost track of what's easy and doable; your recommendations. We want to pay money for something that works, not work for something that we physically have to pay for.
08.21.09
Very true. Information on health is so overwhelming that I overlook the simplest, cheapest, most accessible things that work just as well to keep me in shape. There was a point in my life when the larger chunk of my paycheck went to gym memberships, yoga sessions, exercise equipment, etc. When I started reading up on self-sustainability and natural remedies, I realized how much money I had wasted and felt a bit silly for spending too much on something I could get for free.
Then again, you also pay for convenience. It's great to have a personal trainer, yoga instructor and all those awesome machines. Sometimes it really takes a lot to get your ass off the treadmill and run outside with your dog. But if you really take time to calculate the pros and cons, you'll realize that going au naturale really saves you a whole lot of time and cash. You just have to be willing to rough it every once in a while. ;-)
08.21.09
That, and, when you allow yourself to go back to the basics, the effects are longterm. So much better than having to come back to the plastic surgeon when the flab reappears, or getting into a really extreme diet technique that makes you binge and fall back to where you started.
08.21.09
Since going the natural route about three years ago, my only rule has been to do at least one kind of exercise - anything - during the day.
What's the point of a rule if you can't break it though? If sticking to a plan were that easy, we'd all be governors of California. Point being, without even meaning to, I usually have one day in the week where I don't do anything and splurge on foods I know aren't good for me. Relatively I feel so awful that the next day is almost always a running day.
Just by keeping an extremely simple "rule" and not being too hard on myself, I've been able to do pushups or situps or run or walk once a day consistently for a long time. Am I going to win any competitions? Only the one against my lazy nature.
08.21.09
Haha! I totally agree. It's like when you break the rule, it makes you want to follow it even harder the next day. So yeah, that awful(-ly sinful) slice of 4-cheese pizza would feel so disgusting the next day that you have no choice but run an extra mile to forget about it. :-P
Being too hard on yourself when it comes to staying in shape just never works. At least that's what I've experienced. It's kinda like raising a kid, I guess. When you're too rigid, the kid rebels. I find that when I punish myself for having that slice of pizza, I end up taking another one the next day.
I like how you said it, it's perfect: "Am I going to win any competitions? Only the one against my lazy nature."
08.21.09
Karla, I really am a big fan with the common sense approach to living (don't eat an entire cheesecake no matter what the voices in your head are telling you!)
I think that naturopathy can be a real asset, but only if it doesn't get complicated with all its various herbs and tinctures.
I'm down with exercising, resting when you get sick, eating and drinking healthy and living in balance. People have done it for centuries. And it appears to have worked!
great post!
08.21.09
Mehnaz, that is awesome. Hahaha, I find it quite difficult to ignore the voices in my head that say I should eat the entire thing even when I'm already full. Do you get those moments too? I've learned that once you're full, you should stop. But sometimes, I just can't. I think it's called...gluttony? Lol.
Yes, you're absolutely right about naturopathy. Just like mainstream medicine and treatment, it takes a lot of serious education and definitely say no to self-prescribing. And you raised a great point about people doing it for centuries -- that's exactly it. :)
08.25.09
This approach doesn't work with genetically related conditions. I can exercise all I want, eat healthy and so on, but my blood pressure and cholesterol won't decrease at all without the intervention of medications, thanks to my family's medical history.
08.25.09
@JRandom42: I would have to respectfully disagree with you there. I don't think genetically related conditions are too strong to battle or manage with natural remedies compared to pharmaceutical remedies. I know that it takes a whole lot longer to lower a long-running high BP and cholesterol level by simple exercising and eating healthy, but sticking to the natural route is much safer and has longer-term benefits compared to regular medication.
I'd like to think about it this way -- pharmaceutical meds basically come from plants and natural chemicals. They just seem a lot more effective because they target the symptom at once; in addition to its most basic component (the plants and natural chemicals), some other chemical components are also there to address things a bit faster than usual. The trouble with this "fast relief" style is that they address the symptom alone, and not the ROOT of the symptom. Natural medication, such as herbal remedies, normally address the root of the symptom, which makes the effects more long-term.
Educating people earlier on when it comes to living a healthy & balanced lifestyle will definitely help manage the onset of whatever it is they got from their parents. But more importantly, I think it's never too late to introduce natural healing to anyone.
I found something for you, and you might find it useful. I'm pretty sure that if you try to break down your BP and cholesterol pills, you'll find that their components are basically things you can find in fruits and herbs and whatnot. Hope this helps: http://www.naturalnews.com/025715.html
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