Natural Health & Healing

When i say natural health and healing i mean all things that were created in nature, not synthetic man made medicine. The idea of treating ourselves and our bodies with nature comes from the thought that our bodies are designed perfectly and in harmony with nature. The body can be and remain healthy given the right nourishment & support when needed. I guess you can say this approach to healing is based on the confidence in the perfection & precise design of the human body.

One of our earliest discussions in our marriage regarding natural health and healing came when i was pregnant with our first born. We were both people who have always gravitated towards natural medicine, but havent really addressed anything until the choice of birth came. Ultimately i had a unmedicated home birth. We also chose to have a home birth with our second born and it was two of the most powerful experiences in my life. Will go into more detail on unmedicated natural birth in a later post.

Neither of our children have needed any medication. Everything we have come across to date we have been able to treat naturally. With extensive research and daily healthy habits we have been able to treat ourselves from common illnesses that have crossed our paths. The healthy habits i mention are all elements that address our wellbeing from a holistic perspective. Wer by no means perfect but we try our best to ensure that we keep an eye on all things that we let into our bodies as well as our environment. This approach to life is what has encouraged our decision to move to belize, to decentralise our life.

The key to life is moderation, awareness & actively taking responsibility for ones health and environment. We live in a time where the extended community support is non existent. It does truly take a village to raise a child. But we live in a time where the human connections are more and more disconnected. Our children spend more time in front of a screen & every cough, cold and flu the pharmacy has a pill for. More and more families are living lives where the parents are over stretched to financially sustain the family, which takes them away from deeply connecting. Due to all these stresses by default hand the health of their families to doctors. Although we live in the information age and what is considered “health-conscious” societies, health problems and conditions are rampant. Children are being diagnosed with various different health problems that didn’t plague previous generations. Something isnt adding up.

So our simplest piece of advice is to educate yourself on what is in the medications that are prescribed you and your family. Evaluate current lifestyle and figure out what healthier changes you can make. Everything doesnt work for everyone but our hope is that you feel empowered enough to do your homework. We are by no means anti conventional medicine. It has its time and place, there are certain procedures that require medical professionals & hospital. What we dont need however is the constant bombardment of a cocktail of medications in our systems with their side effects, which cause more harm than good. The bottom line is you can treat common ailments and boost your immune system with herbal remedies that provide your body with the support it needs to defend itself against external pathogens. Some of the items we always have on hand are:

• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Essential oils and carrier oils – Coconut oil, sesame oil, Peppermint, eucalyptus, tea tree, oregano, frankincense & myrrh amongst others.
• Assortments of herbal teas
• Clays- qasil, bentonite, turmeric, activated charcoal amongst others.
• All the plants we grow have various medicinal properties. Will have to go into them in more details in another post.
• Ensure we put garlic, ginger and honey in atleast two meals a day.
• burdock root
• echinacea
• goldenseal
• Calendula
• Arnica
• Elderberry syrup and manuka honey.

This is not an exhaustive list but to give you a rough idea of some basics.

There are many steps to take to treat various ailments but the key always is prevention and ensuring we incorporate healthy practices everyday. I will revisit this topic and go through different steps of healing.

Below is a list of books that we have used as a resource to support & educate us on natural healing:

• Perscription for Herbal Healing, 2nd edition: An Easy to use A-Z Reference by Phyllis Balch
• The how to herb book: Lets remedy the situation by Velma J. Keith
• How to be your own herbal pharmacist by linda page

This is a very small list but a decent start to help you get your head around natural health and healing.

As always we are happy to help you get started with a more personalised plan you and your family. From a more in depth resource list and/or a starter pack to build on in your herbal cabinet.

In good health,

from me and mine to you and yours.