In a recent interview for a forthcoming book on health and longevity, I was asked about my experiences with natural alternatives for health. Here are some of the questions I recall, and my answers:
Q: Do you take supplements regularly and feel that they improve your health?
A: I've been taking nutritional supplements and other natural products for about 25 to 30 years. I take vitamins, chinese herbs and I use aromatherapy treatments as well. Over the years, I've used natural treatments for allergies, digestive problems and menopause, among other issues.
Q: What treatments did you use for allergies?
A: Actually, hayfever and it's complications were what brought me to my first chiropractor/nutritionist/kinesiologist. She helped me understand the connections between diet, treatment, lifestyle and health. I learned that in the case of taking drugs for allergies, it's easy to set up a downward spiral where the more drugs you use, the more you need. That's because the drugs are processed through the liver, which is also in charge of the histamine reaction involved in allergies. So basically, you can end up putting more pressure on the liver in the attempt to mask the symptoms.
Q: What else have you treated?
A: The best solution I've found for problems related to menopause is chinese medicine. Chinese herbs are combined with accupressure massage and accupuncture. The herbs counter the hot flashes and mood swings without unbalancing your system. In fact, the whole approach of chinese medicine is to balance the system. The herbs are nourishing to the body, rather than depleting it like some drugs would do.
Q: So, if you had to go to a doctor for some reason, would you (chuckle) feel like a failure?
A; No, not at all. There are times that allopathic medicine is the treatment of choice, absolutely. For example, emergency medicine. When I had a retinal detachment in one eye, I went to the best surgeon I could find. But I also followed up with herbs and supplements that specifically support the eyes (and liver).
A friend asked me recently if I thought she should take the shot she'd heard about for low back pain. I told her I don't disagree with it, but I would look into the impact of the treatment on her liver (where cortisones tend to land), and I would check on other side effects. I don't rule out any treatment, but I always do my own research.
And I think that's part of what has worked well for me. No matter who prescribes a treatment for me, I do my research independently - in order to be responsible for what I'm putting into my body - not to question or second guess the practitioner. And I've rarely met a practitioner who would disagree with that philosophy.
I also seem to be helped by understanding the problem from several different angles, and creating a synergy of several different solutions. For example, I might take herbs for a problem, and then add an aromatherapy treatment, a nutritional supplement and a massage or something. I believe the synergy is stronger than any single approach.
Q: So you use aromatherapy? What is that?
A: Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils taken from plants to effect healing. It works on the chemical level, as well as through resonance. Essential oils are a very concentrated extract of the plant. They are much more complex in their makeup than the synthesized chemicals that are used in drugs. And that seems to make them more balanced, with fewer side effects.
A few years ago, pursuing an interest in AT, I took classes with a woman in Florida (Sylla Shepard-Hangar) and also traveled to the South of France for a class at Orto de Prouvenco, with Malte Hozzell (known for his line of essential oils, Oshadi). I use treatments such as lavender oil in a bath, for calming, on a cut for disinfecting, eucalyptus oil to improve breathing by opening up the bronchial passages. There are many applications of aromatherapy for everything from first-aid to treating cancer and emotional & psychological states.
Q: What about other herbs and supplements?
A: Lately, I've been using passionflower vine quite a bit. It grows wild on our property in East Georgia and I harvest and dry it for my own use. I grow a few other herbs in my organic garden, and make a tea from passionflower, lemon verbena, peppermint and stevia. Passionflower is known for its sedative, anti-spasmodic and painkilling properties, and is considered safe for long-term use.
Another nutritional supplement I take from time to time is called Purple Power. It's made from the skins of muscadine grapes, and was developed by Paulk Vineyards with the help of a pharmacologist at the University of Georgia. Purple Power is sort of like red wine on steriods... it is a powerful anti-inflammatory, with applications for arthritis, heart disease and cancer.
I learned about Purple Power at a workshop on growing medicinal herbs that was held at Sleepy Hollow Farm, where Randy Beavers champions the growing of goldenseal among other medicinal herbs.
Q: And you consider yourself generally healthy?
A: I'd say so. I rarely get sick and I haven't felt the need to go to a medical doctor in a few years, although I do see a chinese doctor regularly, mostly for preventive care.
