BODY

Complementary therapies can be used to heal and restore physical health, and in addition many of them can also be used to maintain a physically fit and active body. At 50+, maintenance of health may take a little more effort than in the past, but this is often a worthwhile investment of time and energy.

NATUROPATHY
Naturopathy is both a way of life and a therapy. Naturopaths believe that illness is less likely when the body is well lookded after, but that problems can occur when waste products and toxins accumulate in the body. The resulting symptoms are caused by the body's attempts to heal itself.

Negatively charged ions occur near waterfalls and are believed to be beneficial for many areas of health.

Modern Naturopathic Practice
During the twentieth century, the naturopathic movement grew, and today there are colleges of naturopathic medicine in many countries.

Naturopaths believe that the symptoms of disease are caused by the body's own healing effort and that the medicine should be gentle in action and chosen with regard to the whole person, not just illness that is present. They embrace mind-body medicine and often have training in acupuncture, manipulation techniques, herbal and nutritional therapies and/or homeopathy.

Naturopaths recognize four categories of natural medicine:

• Natural substances that are minimally processed: these include nourishing food, clean air and water and whole herbs.
• Agents extracted or made from naturally occurring products. These include tinctures and other plant extracts, homeopathic medicines, glandulars (extracts from glands such as the thyroid or liver) and other substances of animal origin.
• Highly processed medicinal substances that are derived from natural sources and include food extracts, minerals, vitamins and amino acids.
• Manufactured medicines that are presumed to be identical to naturally occurring substances. Thess include hormones and synthetic vitamins. They are less expensive than those in the previous category and can often be obtained in higher concentrations.

The Air As Therapy
Naturopaths believe that clean air is essential for health. Exercise and breathing from the diaphragm (see previous post) help to open the chest and ensure that plenty of oxygen enters the body. In addition, naturopaths use various devices to enhance the quality of air in the home:

• Filters to remove dust and fungal spores that are often airborne.
• Humidifiers and dehumidifiers to ensure that the amount of water vapour in the air is maintained at an optimum level.
• Ionizers to regulate the ions (electrically charged particles) in the air. Negatively charged ions occur naturally in mountain air or near waterfalls and are believed to be beneficial for many areas of health. They are preferable to the draining effect that results from the presence of too many positively charged ions.

Colonic Detoxification
Colonic irrigations or colonic hydrotherapy has been used by naturopathy to flush toxic waste and slow-moving faecal matter out of the bowel. The procedure differs from an enema in that the flow of water is continuous, and the water and waste are removed from the body through a second tube. The procedure has its risk, however, and you should consult a skilled therapist before using this method of treatment.

In recent years, many naturopathic practitioners have replaced colonic irrigation with the safer and less expensive colonic cleansing, which involves taking fibre supplements by mouth, such as psyllium husks.

Because both methods of treatment involve the loss of valuable and naturally occuring beneficial bacterai from the bowel, supplements that contain acidophilus and bifidus are usually prescribed at the same time.