Natural health

When possible (and safe) look for natural alternatives to stay healthy. Modern medicine relies heavily on synthesised toxic drugs that often have unwanted side effects.

Take control of your health - research your options carefully and see if natural forms of medicine that work in-line with your body’s innate healing capabilities might be helpful. You might like to consider homeopathy, nutrition, yoga or others - there are plenty to choose from.

At The School of Health, we recommend an approach that brings balance across the body and mind in a holistic way. Natural medicine seeks to work in-line with the body to treat the root cause of an illness, not simply to mask the symptoms. Natural therapies are also a great preventative, so even those in good health can benefit from including them in their lives.

Examples of therapies include:

• Homeopathy for health and wellbeing – mental, emotional, spiritual and physical
• Nutrition is not just for weight loss! It can help improve energy levels, hormone balance, digestive problems and a whole host of chronic diseases
• Yoga is great exercise, bringing flexibility and mental clarity
• Meditation and mindfulness help with stress relief, clearer thinking and better sleep
• Aromatherapy can reduce stress and anxiety, food cravings, muscular tension, skin conditions and much more
• Acupuncture is extremely useful for pain relief, improved sleep and hormone balance
• Physical therapies such as Osteopathy, Chiropractic or Alexander Technique can improve joint and muscular pain, poor posture and headaches
• Hydrotherapy may be useful for pain and mobility issues, as the water provides support to muscles and joints

Many of these therapies are based on ancient wisdom that has been forgotten in Western societies due to the advances in modern medicine; however, these practices are still popular in the West and widely used in other areas of the world, providing relief for many millions of people for thousands of years and with minimal side effects. Homeopathy for example is used by only 15% of UK citizens, compared with 40% of French and over 60% of Indian citizens. In 2004, the World Health Organization stated that homeopathy was the second most used medical system in the world.

Scientists still do not fully understand how a lot of natural medicine works, hence many of these therapies are not available on the NHS. Although there are a couple of Integrated Medicine (Natural Medicine) NHS hospitals within the UK that you can ask to be referred to.

Natural therapies are also unlikely to be recommended by a GP – that is not where their training lies. GP's train in medical science and pharmacology so they know about the drugs available from pharmaceutical companies.

Remember though, if you are on medication always consult your GP or specialist before making any changes.