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Sometimes a strong herbal remedy is required and in
these cases it is necessary to consult a practitioner
who has an extensive herbal training. These stronger
remedies can provide a very effective treatment, but
they can be costly and time-consuming.
Milder herbal products can be found at health food shops
or mail-order suppliers of which Specialist Herbal
Supplies is one. These products can be used safely
without the need for supervision. Being milder in their
effects, however, they are likely to be more effective
when combined with naturopathy.
Naturopathy
Although the term 'naturopathy' is only beginning to
become more widely recognized, many of its methods are
familiar and include the following:
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Exercise
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Diet
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Relaxation, including some psycho-therapeutic
approaches such as meditation or counseling
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Moderate exposure to sunshine
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Hydrotherapeutic (water-based) treatments, such as hot
baths, alternating immersion of parts of the body in hot
and cold water, and hip baths for the pelvic areas
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Bowel cleansing through enemas or colonics, and liver
cleansing
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Bony and soft tissue manipulation
Naturopathy uses various combinations of these methods
to promote health. Here is more detail on some of these.
Diet
Health can be improved in a variety of ways with the
help of dietary changes. One of the simplest
improvements to make is to increase the quantities of
fruit and vegetables in the diet. A mixed salad with
each main meal is a simple and extremely beneficial way
of increasing the quantity of minerals, vitamins and
enzymes consumed each day. The health-giving properties
of a salad can be enhanced by using a dressing that
includes, among other ingredients, extra virgin olive
oil, organic cider vinegar, fresh lemon juice, cayenne
pepper and mustard.
Fasting
Although not usually considered to be part of a diet,
fasting allows the energy usually expended on digesting
food to be diverted to the body's natural self-healing
processes.
There are a number of options when fasting. The most
severe method is to abstain from eating food completely
for a number of days. This fast should be supervised by
a naturopath. A milder version of fasting is to eat only
fruit, or drink nothing but fruit juice for two or three
consecutive days. Several pounds of fruit or several
litres of juice, plus additional water to drink, would
be needed each day. If you are basically well, you
can safely use these milder forms of fasting on your
own, and repeat each two weeks for two or three days.
Otherwise a naturopath's help is again recommended.
Three considerations when carrying out any type of fast
are:
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Plan to have extra rest.
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Expect some headaches at first - especially if you
suddenly cut out drinking tea and coffee. Headaches can
occur as extra toxins pass from the tissues into the
blood stream. This is much more likely if you suddenly
withdraw from caffeine consumption. It is better to
slowly reduce then eliminate tea and coffee over a week
or so. The likelihood of headaches reduces each time you
fast.
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After the fast, take a day to gently re-introduce
starchy foods and protein to allow your body to get used
to them again.
Exercise
It is surprising how many people take virtually no
exercise other than walking around in the normal course
of their lives. This contributes to widespread heart
problems and obesity. For many people, introducing
moderate exercise - such as taking up a sport, having a
long walk twice a week or learning to dance - would
greatly benefit health. Exercise increases the
circulation of body fluids that carry nutrients to, and
waste products from, every organ, muscle and tissue in
the body.
With exercise, there is the same range of options of
'mild' to 'extreme' that are found in the in the other
naturopathic activities listed above. Exercise needs to
be carried out, but not to the point where it's
distressing.
Exercise need not cost anything. Although it's possible
to join a gym, you could do at least as well by taking a
long walk every day which would cost you nothing.
Herbal
Naturopathy
Combining mild herbal products with naturopathy results
in a valuable and effective system. The more specific
nature of the herbs, which are aimed at particular
organs or areas of the body, complements the generally
helpful effects of naturopathy on the body's overall
health.
But where do you start?
One way is to decide which area of your life you would
benefit most from improving: your eating habits,
exercise, stress management or working habits. Or
perhaps you would like to make some changes in more than
one of these areas. Set a day when you are going to
start implementing these changes.
Then, choose which areas most need herbal support. If
you are generally in good health, then you would
probably benefit most from colon cleansing and liver
cleansing. These are two of the main organs which
eliminate toxins from the body, and so you will benefit
from cleansing these organs.
Liver cleansing information
It can be a good idea to plan your health approach over
a year. The benefits of herbal naturopathy build on
themselves week after week and month after month.
Keep Yourself
Healthy
If you are ill, do visit a practitioner for a
consultation and treatment plan. But if you are healthy
and want to keep well, herbal naturopathy is a practical
and empowering approach which will help you to care for
your own health.
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