Healthy Homes Asia

Most of us rely on our local doctor when we get sick. We have been taught to trust them. Certainly they have undergone extensive training and are experts in their field. So why are we all getting sicker, with rates of cancer and heart disease climbing higher each year?

Did you know that 50 years ago, cancer and heart disease were barely mentioned in the medical texts?

With the failure of orthodox medicine to prevent or cure our diseases, more and more people are turning to alternative, natural, complementary therapists.

So what's the difference?

The tale of two medicines: orthodox and complementary

In summary, complementary and orthodox medicine have two opposing philosophies (hence, your local MD will probably scowl at you if you ask about natural remedies).

Phillip Day articulates the difference well in The ABC's of Diseases: "In orthodox medicine, nature is weak. The body and mind are treated separately. The body cannot heal itself without the intervention by the doctor and his medicines. Symptoms are treated, not the underlying cause. The physician is the unquestioned authority. There are a myriad of different medical specialties, depending on the affected organ of the body.

"In complementary medicine, nature is strong and the body has a tremendous ability for self-healing. Body and mind are intricately connected and the approach to healing integrates the two. Here the physician is the bystander, assisting and advising the patient on how to help themselves get better..."

Typically a medical doctor will prescribe pharmaceutical drugs and surgery, while a complementary medical advisor will seek to understand what missing nutritional or other elements might be causing the illness and rectify the deficiency or imbalance.

Orthodox medicines strengths

We are all smart enough to know that there are some things the medical fraternity does get right. If you cut off your finger with a blender, they'll stitch it back on very nicely. Injuries from car crashes, they're good at fixing those too. A & E trauma medicine, brilliant. Pain management, peerless. Infant survivability at birth, excellent.

But disease? Not so much.

So what to do?

Educate yourself. What could be more fundamental to your life and that of your family than your health?

If you are busy, at the very least, follow our five basic 'Busy Start here' steps designed to prevent you from falling ill in the first place. Have you ever considered the possibility of not ever being sick...?

Keep a copy of the The ABC's of Diseases on hand so that if you do fall ill and consult a qualified orthodox medical practitioner, you can also be aware of alternatives and make conscious decisions about your preferred treatment.

We are fortunate in that, these days, more and more medical doctors are becoming 'integrated' practitioners, considering what approach - either, or both orthodox and/or complementary - is required.

This is particularly so in Asia where natural, herbal medicine is a strong tradition. Check our directory to find one near you. Do tell us if you know of one we have not listed!

How to use our information

Our information is not designed to replace proper, qualified medical advice. Patients suffering ill-health are, of course, advised to consult a doctor. We do encourage you to be discriminatory in what you do with the health advice you receive and encourage you to take control of your health care decisions.

Please note that our information should not be construed as diagnostic or treatment advice for any individual's particular condition. Information contained on this site is provided for educational purposes only.

Natural medicine is orthomlecular.
To locate an orthomolecular physician near you visit www.orthomolecular.org.

If you have a serious, chronic or just annoying health condition, we recommend grabbing one of these books to get you started on the road to exuberant health.

Don't miss this a feature length documentary film informing you on the best choices you can make for you and your family's health.

by Phillip Day - A compendium of all major diseases and conditions and natural approaches to preventing them.

by Phillip Day - Why are we getting sicker? This details some of the most interesting aspects of the modern health industry.