Natural Health has several components. In general, natural health is a non-drug method of attaining and retaining health and improving health via methods such as proper nutrition, vitamins, lifestyle coaching, homeopathy, naturopathy and bodywork (massage therapies).
Eating whole foods (non-processed), instead of processed foods will greatly improve your body’s ability to heal itself. Eating organic foods is also a simple and effective method for improving natural health. Although minor variations in standards exist across countries, the term ‘organic food’ is usually taken to mean a food that has been produced without artificial fertilizers and that has not been subject to treatment with synthetic pesticides or growth promoters of any type, including hormones and antibiotics. Although vaccines may be used in animals grown for organic food production, the use of veterinary drugs is generally avoided or minimized except for genuine remedial care, in which case such meat animals may be withdrawn from certification.
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Lifestyle coaching focuses on sustainable healthy lifestyle changes — behavioral changes that enhance both the well-being and happiness of the client. The lifestyle coaching program specializes in fitness, lifestyle changes, stress management, and realistic weight loss. The program’s design, factoring in realistic health targets and physical condition, stems absolutely from the client and is shaped solely by the client’s agenda on any scheduled day of a session.
Homeopathy is a system of medicine based on the principle that a disease with a given set of symptoms can be cured by a medicine (remedy) which is known to produce a similar set of symptoms. This principle where “like cures like” is called “The Law of Similars” and is the foundation of homeopathic medicine.
Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a system of medicine based on the healing power of nature. Naturopathy is a holistic system, meaning that naturopathic doctors (N.D.s) strive to find the cause of disease by understanding the patient as a totality of body, mind, and spirit. Most N.D.s use a wide variety of therapies and techniques (such as nutrition, herbal medicine, homeopathy, and acupuncture).
One of the body’s natural means of staying healthy is its ability to detoxify itself. Many of the harmful substances we absorb, inhale or create are rendered harmless and expelled from the body.
The organs of detoxification are the liver, kidneys, bowels, lungs, and skin. Sufficient fluid intake supports the eliminating function of the kidneys, the bowels, and the skin. We often forget the skin’s function as a detoxifying organ, and yet many therapies rest on this ability, including saunas, which promote sweating. Fever is a natural means of toxin elimination during sickness. The heat triggers chemical reactions that enhance the immune system, and destroy bacteria and viruses. By routinely reducing fevers, we remove the body’s self-healing mechanisms. Only when a fever becomes dangerously high should we attempt to lower it.
A very effective method of detoxification is massage therapy.
Massage has its origins in several locations around the globe. New age practitioners will claim that massage extends back to 3000BC in China, or that it is documented in ancient Chinese writings from 2000BC. These claims seem rather dubious. The earliest known writing—Cuneiform, used by the Summerians—dates from shortly before 3000BC and almost all remaining fragments from the period are only administrative and economic. Chinese writing dates from around 1400BC, near the start of the Shang dynasty, and it from around this time that we can reliably date massage. The history of massage is typically written by doctors and so, as seen in the previous section, we are left with a very medical perspective. Indian massage, however, provides a delightful counterexample.
Most records of Indian massage focus not on its medical qualities but on its sensual. The erotic sculptures at Khajuraho and elsewhere, for instance, and the Kama Sutra, bear testament to a culture that understands and uses these properties to change peoples’ moods, to arouse them and to calm them.
While we could only guess that massage was widespread in other cultures, we have definite evidence that it was common in Ancient Greece. In the medical field, massage was a typical Hellenistic remedy along with poultices, occasional tonics, fresh air, and a corrective diet. The top schools in Ancient Greece were those of gymnastics; the practice of athletic sports and the required nudity set apart the Greek way of life from that of barbarians. The schools were essentially open-shaped sports grounds with cloakrooms, washstands, training rooms, massage rooms and classrooms around the outside.
Benefits of Therapeutic Massage
Therapeutic massage can help individuals become more aware of their daily stress level. It can also help them to recognize what true relaxation feels like so they can more easily recreate it for themselves before stress becomes chronic and damaging. Having this downtime from stress can enhance one’s ability to enjoy, cope with, and understand life, as well as increase one’s energy level and vitality. The stresses and strains of modern living have given therapeutic massage new recognition and acceptance as part of an overall beneficial plan for maintaining good health.
The Experience of receiving a Massage
The experience of receiving a massage will vary from person to person. Each modality of massage will also offer a different experience. There are a few sensations that all receivers can expect. You will improve your circulation, experience enhanced relaxation, have improved digestion, more even skin color and tone.
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Resources:
- Bastyr Center for Natural Health
- OrganicAuthority.com
- Naturopathic Medicine Network
- Natural Health & Wellness Directory
- Acupressure for Common Ailments
- Tappan’s Handbook of Healing Massage Techniques
- Stories the Feet Can Tell Thru Reflexology
