Naturopathy - the Basics (2)

Naturopaths recognise that dis-ease may be due to inherited, congenital and developmental factors as well as infection, trauma, nutritional, structural and emotional imbalance. Naturopathy is an approach to health rather than one specific therapy. Modern naturopathic medicine is based on a philosophy which emphasises the unity of life and sees health  and dis-ease very much as the product of human physiological, biochemical and emotional harmony and disharmony. The diagram is one of the most basic you will ever see, and yet is quite profound. It deals with both CAUSE and EFFECT

A physical aetiology may produce both emotional and chemical affects - an emotional condition may have been produced by our own thought forms or environment etc. but there are often chemical and physical changes as well. Just because we may be dealing with a mechanical condition it doesn't necessarily mean that the cause is mechanical - it may be chemical or emotional. A symptom such as pain may be due to emotional aetiology (long term stress, anger, tension, jealousy), a chemical imbalance (eating foods or taking chemicals or drugs that cause stomach or liver imbalance) or plain old trauma. Take the case of a 'frozen' shoulder. If the client tells you that it occurred due to an accident - then treat the shoulder. If they tell you that it just happened - the DONT treat the shoulder - that is where the symptoms are, it is not the cause.

However, they should also be considered in isolation. the treatment for an obvious mechanical (physical) condition should be a physical therapy, like wise the treatment for a chemical imbalance should be internal medicine. Therefore treating a spinal condition with chemicals (drugs) is about as daft as going to see an osteopath if you have chicken pox! Next time - a little on Constantine Hering and the Law of Cure and possibly Hippocrates - you lucky people! - JRC

Naturopathy - the Basics (1)

Today we make a start on the basics of Naturopathy, Natural Medicine or Nature Cure as it used to be called. I firmly believe that every practitioner of complementary medicine should be aware of the basics tenets of naturopathy.

Definition : - It is a system of medicine that seeks to facilitate and promote the body's inherent physiological self-healing mechanisms by means of exercise, massage, hydrotherapy, nutrition, diet, or manipulative therapy. Naturopathy is one of the world's oldest system of medicine and is based on four main principles.

• Recognition of the individuality of the patient (or client). Allopathic (orthodox) medicine has a tendency to 'clump' patients with similar symptoms as being the same and they are often given exactly the same treatment. Each person is an individual with different  physical, chemical, emotional and spiritual make-ups. We each live in different environments and have varied external stimuli. Each one of these should be taken into account before treatment commences.
• That one should attempt to establish and treat the cause of the condition and not just treat or palliate the symptoms. Allopathic medicine, in part, may also state this but naturopathy goes much deeper into the possible causes which are not always apparent, because of the different basic philosophy from allopathic medicine. An example of this would be the treatment of 'frozen' shoulder. Allopathic medicine would use analgesics, physiotherapy, exercise - all naturally assuming that the cause is a mechanical one. Natural medicine would give scores of other possible causes - including dietary imbalance (too many refined foods) that cause constipation, emotional upsets such as anxiety and lack of free expression.
• That one should recognise the whole person and not just the locally affected area. This means that we should look at the patient in an holistic way - mind, body and spirit - and appreciate that a symptom is simply an expression of imbalance within the whole. It is the person's way of attempting to express their energy imbalance.
• That everyone has the ability to heal themselves. Hippocrates called this 'vis medicatrix naturae'. It simply means that we should never suppress symptoms but allow the patient to heal themselves by their own built in energy system

More next time - JRC

LIGHT TOUCH REFLEXTHERAPY

As I took out a particular package with AuthorHouse, they choose the price - not me. They have made it RRP £20.99. I think this is far to high but it will cost me lots of money to try and change it. I shall though be selling it for £14.45. P and P is £2.50 so the total price is £16.95. I'm doing a special price if both Book and the LTR poster are purchased - instead of £27.90 there will be a saving of £2.00 to make it £25.90. It is all I can do as they are sent under separate cover - one package and one postal tube. The new postal charges start late April so margins are quite tight. The book should be out by the middle of May.

I am honouring a favour to Michel Hamilton (who created the chakrapuncture.org website) and writing an article on two less known chakras - the Soma and Hridaya for him to put on his web site. It will come in useful for a future book on the minor chakras that I am thinking about. I shall soon start a series of blogs on naturopathy and the real meaning of various conditions.  Be good - John 

Update

Yes I'm still here!! I've been a bit busy lately but promise to do more blogging in the future (honest).

Good news - My latest book 'Light Touch Reflextherapy' is being published by AuthorHouse of Indiana.They used to have a UK branch in Milton Keynes, but no longer. It should be published the middle of May and you will be able to buy it through my website as well as Amazon etc. Price unknown at the moment but it should be £9-£12 bracket. I am really pleased with it - lots of illustrations to add to the 20,000 words. the A1 size poster will be available to go with it. I aim to self publicise it as I have a bit more time these days since retiring from clinical work. Why pay over £2000 to have a publicist when you can download to Kindle all you need to know for £1.85. Watch my web site for details and I shall be running advertising through POSITIVE HEALTH web site as well as specialised reflexology journals. I'm also starting a new Facebook page soon called John Cross Publications - its all go (in a nice relaxed way)

At long last Google have upgraded what you can do on a blog - so I'll be able to import illustrations etc. when describing acupuncture points. I was sooo limited before. Let me know what sort of stuff you want - clinical, political or general?? Be good - John