New Millennium, New Healing Attitude

New Millennium, New Healing Attitude
by author Zoltan Rona, MD

Questioning authority is good for your sanity as well as your health.

Prescription drugs are often unnecessary and even harmful in treating a long list of chronic ailments including high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, high cholesterol, arthritis and immune system problems, especially chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. In fact, studies published in 1999 indicated that prescription drugs, even when taken as directed, are the fourth or fifth leading cause of death in North America!

Fortunately there are well-documented, safe and effective natural alternatives to most drugs. Health experts believe that maybe only 10 per cent of all prescription and over-the-counter drugs are really necessary.

While your mainstream medical practitioner probably won’t tell you about the harmful effects of vaccines, the information is readily available from many different sources.

Beware of needless surgery, especially for the heart, uterus, ovaries, gall bladder, bowel and joints. Fibroid tumors of the uterus, kidney stones, fibrocystic breast disease and even prostate cancer may not require surgery. Not all conventional surgical procedures are cast in stone. After all, it was only a decade or so ago that radical mastectomy for breast cancer was abandoned for the simple lumpectomy. Also, Dr Dean Ornish demonstrated in the 1990s that a combination of a diet low in animal fats, exercise and meditation could reverse coronary artery disease and prevent bypass surgery in a high percentage of cases.

North Americans, especially medically socialized Canadians, are the most operated-upon individuals on the planet. While I am by no means saying that surgery is always a bad thing, get a second or even a third opinion.

Question Conventional Dentistry

A few years ago, only a handful of Canadian dentists dared to question dental orthodoxy on the subject of mercury dental fillings. This has changed radically and will be one of the great battles in the new millennium.

It is becoming increasingly evident that mercury from dental amalgams escapes as a vapor into the circulation, leading to neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, chronic fatigue syndrome and other suboptimal immune system disorders. More and more dentists are seeing the light on this issue as well as the dangers of fluoride and root canal surgery. If at all possible, find yourself a dentist with a more biological orientation.

Develop Self-Dependence

Medical school still teaches doctors to focus on disease rather than wellness and to be interveners rather than teachers or equal partners with their patients. This negative and paternalistic attitude encourages ignorance and dependence on both doctors and the socialized disease care system. Such a system views natural life events like pregnancy and menopause as diseases requiring prescription drugs. This attitude, thankfully, is changing.

The latter half of the 20th century has witnessed the emergence of a new paradigm. Responsibility for health maintenance is shifting on to the individual instead of the doctor. Health care practitioners are only now beginning to see their roles as something other than "doing something to the patient."

The human body is capable of healing itself from virtually any illness, provided the right nutrients are present whether these be vitamins, minerals, light, water, a positive mental attitude or spiritual nourishment. Learn to depend on this.

Learning Self Care

Since grade school, high school and colleges offer no training in nutrition, preventative health care and other aspects of self-healing (although I expect this will change in the new millennium as well), one has to become an avid student outside the mainstream. My favorite patients and letters from readers are those that demonstrate a serious attempt to research and understand their health situation.

The more an individual knows about health matters, the greater the healing potential becomes. Psychologists, psycho-neuro-immunologists and other holistic healers too numerous to list have proven the immense value of visualization and positive thinking in treating diseases such as cancer and heart disease. One visualizes tumor cells being gobbled up by the white cells and guess what? The cancer is better controlled!

Knowing what coenzyme Q₁₀ and hawthorn does for high blood pressure and visualizing how these remedies work will produce more positive results in blood pressure control than the biochemical effects of these substances on their own. In other words, the more you know about the therapy and how it works, the better the results.

Take courses on natural health care from the alive Academy of Natural Health or another school of natural healing. Take a natural cooking course. Get your personal copy of the Encyclopedia of Natural Healing (published by alive books) and make a habit of reading a bit of it every day. Get on the Internet and do research on your own before spending thousands of dollars on visits to health care providers. Learn, learn and learn some more by reading magazines like this one.

Don’t wait for your doctor to give his or her blessing before you take antioxidant vitamins, minerals or other nutrients. I don’t recommend that you approach prevention or various "anti-aging" tactics blindly but one should not take health maintenance lightly.

Research as best you can and take the initiative in controlling your health. Consult a health care practitioner if you have various health challenges but don’t be sheepish. Direct action builds confidence. Confidence boosts energy, endurance, stamina and your immunity. Happy millennium!

Source: alive #207, January 2000

What is Environmental Medicine?
First of all, environmental medicine does not reject modern medicine. In certain acute and traumatic situations, head for your nearest hospital. Be grateful for the research and technological progress which has allowed patients to survive incidents that would have meant certain death at one time in history.

Environmental Illness Is Not A Life Sentence
Imagine a world where your dreams are manifesting before your eyes; a world full of hope and promise. Imagine all this coming to a sudden, crippling halt and down into the cocoon you go . . .

Copper Overload
I would like to share with the readers of alive my story about a hidden illness that most doctors don't recognize. I feel this story could help a great many people.

Millennial Medicine
Conventional medicine can learn from alternative medicine how to "gentle" its approach by focusing on the patient's inherent capacity for self-healin.

Magnetic Power Heals
We are magnetic beings-magnetic energy affects everyone's health. From the smallest particles to the largest celestial bodies, positive and negative electrical units called protons and electrons are fundamental constituents that establish and maintain the empty space that dominates all matter.

State-Of-The-Art Health Care
The "functional medicine practised at the CCFM, explains D.

Achieving True Health
Illness, not health, is quickly becoming the norm in our country. Statistics show that childhood, chronic degenerative, autoimmune and malignant diseases are steadily increasing to epidemic proportions. So the question that everyone is asking is: "Why are we so sick?"

Holistic Health Research
Wouldn't it be nice if Canadians who support complementary and alternative medicines, including researchers, practitioners, and organizations, banded together to share resources and support one another?

Supporting Evidence
Science is working constantly to help us understand the role vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and other natural compounds play in promoting health and healing. Many noteworthy clinical studies with natural products were published in 2004.

Wearing Life Well
Many of us know Marilu Henner best as Elaine Nardo on TV's long-running series, Tax.

First Nations Medicine
Where does learning end and stealing begin? That's the hard question non-Natives interested in exploring traditional Native North American medicine are forced to ask themselves.

Speaking of Plants
Have you ever taken time to go outside and just sit next to a big old oak tree? Did you feel anything, hear anything? Some people have an impassioned relationship with trees and believe it is possible to take energy and learn from them.

First Steps Toward a Healthier Future
If you've ever suffered a health problem or been close to someone who has, you know how improving nutrition can improve health. Knowing what foods to eat is just as important as knowing why we need to eat them.

Iridology
Our eyes can reflect inherited tendencies to weakness in just about any part of the body; neuromuscular problems or stiffness in the joints; or even hearing disorders. In fact, new information suggests iridology can identify a whole range of syndromes, from simple bowel tendencies to complex glandular problems.

Parkinson's Disease Treated Naturally
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disease of the nervous system. It is symptomized by tremor, muscular rigidity and emaciation and used to be a malady of the aged. That's not so anymore. The disease is afflicting younger and younger victims.

How to Choose a Health-Care Professional
When seeking professional help about your health, do your own research. Some health food stores offer consultations with qualified staff or can recommend a herbalist, homeopath, naturopath or nutritionist in your area.

Profile of Dr. Andrew Weil
Andrew Weil is definitely changing the face of medicine. His familiar, white-bearded face has beamed at us from the cover of TIME magazine twice in the last nine years, most recently last October when his new book, Healthy Aging (Knopf, 2005) hit the stands.

Nature's Essentials
Along with your bear spray, bandages, and homeopathic arnica, you may want to pack some essential oils that can help with common ailments such as itchy bug bites, bruises, cuts, rashes, blisters, and sunburn. Compact, versatile, and effective on a variety of levels, essential oils such as tea tree and lavender are must-haves in your first aid kit and can be used directly on the skin without a carrier oil.

Biofeedback for Beginners
Biofeedback, also known as physiological feedback, is a treatment technique established through scientific experimentation that helps people improve their health by making use of signals from their own bodies. This noninvasive technique measures bodily functions such as breathing, blood pressure, skin temperature, and muscle tension.

Spa Treatments
Spas attract a wide range of clients from teenagers to seniors, both male and female. I put spa treatments into three rough categories: holistic, stress release, and cosmetic. Often these categories overlap; simply stated, holistic treatments are therapeutic and include various types of massage, reflexology, and hot paraffin wax treatments.

Health Shows
The Health Show is coming to Edmonton in September. I wouldn't miss it for anything! Mixing entertainment with education is a perfect way to learn. Information seems to sink in better when it's in an informal, fun environment.

Electrodermal Screening
Many Canadian natural health providers use electrodermal screening (EDS) to gather bioenergy feedback and find energy imbalances that may be symptoms of disease. Some naturopaths also use the devices to test for sensitivities to certain foods and other substances. How effective is electrodermal screening?

Looking for a Healthy Tax Break
Benjamin Franklin famously said, "In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes. A coalition of groups involved in natural health products and services would like to ease the burden of the latter for those who take care to delay the former.

Flower Essences
On a recent wilderness walk, I was greeted with the refreshing briskness and sweet aroma of wildflowers. I felt alive as the rays from an early morning sun sparkled on dew glistening with the essence of the flowers. Was this how people discovered the power of flower essences millennia ago?

What's the Buzz?
There's a lot of buzz about the health benefits of bee pollen and royal jelly, but apart from being good for bees, are there any real benefits for people?

Sweet Healing
Who needs a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down when honey is medicine itself? Long used in traditional medicine, honey has recently been the subject of many scientific studies that provide evidence of its effectiveness as a healing agent.

Lacking Libido
A healthy libido or sex drive is a normal part of being human. While it is not uncommon to go through periods when sexual desire declines or wanes, libido problems become self-evident when these low periods recur and lead to personal stress and interpersonal problems.

Check your Chocolate
Over the last decade, the medicinal value of cocoa has been the focus of scientific scrutiny. For example, researchers from the United Kingdom found that cocoa is rich in naturally occurring polyphenols, plant chemicals with antioxidant activity.