Natural Healing or Medical Intervention?
August 28, 2003

In this article I will discuss some of the differences between two different philosophies and methods of health care-- natural healing and medical intervention. In actual practice these are rarely absolute, but for the sake of discussion, we'll look at them separately. Both types of care have much to offer, and it is wise to take advantage of each according to your needs.

Here's an example of how this works for me. As a holistic health care practitioner, I practice natural healing methods whenever possible. When I had an accident, however, I went to the emergency room and took advantage of medical technology to evaluate the injuries. Then, instead of filling the prescription for pain killers, I used EFT to erase most of the pain and herbal salves to heal my skin. Chiropractic adjustments eliminated the rest of the neck pain and dizziness.

Natural Healing
The focus of natural healing is to create a healthy person. Symptoms are used to guide the healing process. They are the way our body communicates that something is wrong
and gets our attention. These symptoms: mental, physical, emotional and/or spiritual, are considered together to get a picture of the whole person.

Treatment depends on the needs or desires of the client, and the training of the therapist. It can include energy work, acupuncture, detoxification, bodywork, emotional healing, and hydrotherapy, to name a few.

Typically, the aim is to set up a living environment that helps the body heal itself. Organs and systems are supported and strengthened through changes in diet, elimination, emotions, movement, and/or lifestyle. Therapeutic products include wholesome foods, whole food supplements and herbal products. Properly used there are usually no side effects.

Natural healers believe that in many cases we have created our current health level and therefore we can change and heal it. The client has control of the healing process with the assistance of the practitioner. This belief is backed up by research. Statistics state that 51% of all illness and 60% of deaths is lifestyle-related. Other statistics claim that at least 75% of illness has emotional causes.
Someone who made this real to me was a woman with a twenty-year history of "out of control" blood pressure, despite the seven drugs she was taking to manage it. When I asked her when it started, she said it was when her husband died, leaving her with three teenagers. This is a classic case of emotions causing illness. Natural healers often link high blood pressure with anger. Two other widows shared that they also had anger and high blood pressure!

Medical Intervention
The goal of medical intervention is to destroy, kill or cure disease. Symptoms are suppressed or removed without assessing what the body is communicating and what is the cause. This is accomplished by using manmade vitamins or drugs, surgery, radiation and testing which can be invasive. Diseased parts may be altered or removed.

The attitude surrounding illness is often one of victimhood. We say we "catch a cold" or disease. Patients give away their power to others, usually to a doctor or family members who "know what's best." This leads to negative emotions including fear, coping, depression and anxiety that may then be suppressed with more drugs.

Speaking of, side effects are a huge problem with many drugs. According to JAMA, over two million hospital patients experience an adverse drug reaction every year. Over 100,000 folks die. This is the 4th-6th cause of death in the U.S. today.

Use it to decide what kind of health beliefs you have and to decide how you want to continue your health program. You have many choices to make that can greatly affect your health now and in the future. Here are some questions to ask yourself.

Do you prefer to suppress symptoms with a quick fix, or are you willing to commit to lifestyle changes, emotional work, therapies and/or dietary changes to help yourself heal?

Do you prefer to let someone else make health decisions for you, or do you make informed decisions for yourself? Are you working with practitioners that help you explore all options or limit you by only sharing/supporting their own beliefs?

Do you believe you heal a part by healing the whole or do you think "parts is parts"?

Do you accept responsibility for your state of health or is this mostly out of your control?

One bit of advice-talk to your health care providers to see if they will support your beliefs and treatment choices. Be careful of assumptions. Many doctors are gifted natural healers who use drugs and surgery in the best interest of the patient. Likewise, some herbalists practice intervention. Ask lots of questions and look at the whole picture. Trust your intuition!

You are welcomed to contact the Northeast Holistic Center with questions about our educational programs, private sessions and events, or about any of the topics highlighted in our newsletters.