21st
Century Relations with the Natural World
One of the most important truths
is that we are a part of a natural world that has an order and a system in
place that maintains overall balance and growth. What this means is that when
one lives in awareness and sensitivity to the world we inhabit, one becomes
aware of how this environment is set up to provide for us.
Understanding this and learning to
reconnect with natures wisdom and bounty will result in a healthier life. To
that end, we have collected a number of examples that help show nature the
healer at work. These are not meant to be tips and suggestions for natural
remedies, but a re-introduction to the harmonious way of things, a way of
living that is proactively healthful, and when imbalances do occur, the answers
are available in methods that heal without harming. Looking at how nature heals
leads us to better choices in our own lives.
Armed with such knowledge, one
becomes the captain of one's ship, so to speak. Visiting a physician and using
drugs can now be a last resort, and one is tempered with the
wisdom of another source of healing. One of the main principles of naturopathic
medicine is the vis medicatrix naturae -- usually interpreted as the ability of
botanicals to heal. It means literally being in nature and surrounding yourself
with the therapeutic smells, sounds, and visual beauty that is your source as
well as your curative.
These are not folk remedies, but
researched and documented facts. They are not fully detailed here because they
are being used as illustrations of traditional and natural mechanismsm, and to
remind us where everything we synthesize stems from. The following information
is well documented and easily confirmed and is only a tiny collection of mother
nature at work. Today there are at least 120 distinct chemical substances
derived from plants that are considered important drugs currently in use in one
or more countries in the world. The key is to re-sensitize ourselves to the
ways of the natural world we ARE a part of and sustained by. Believe it or not,
scientists and drugs are not the source of good health.
It is worth knowing that:
There is a sea cucumber that
secretes a liquid that has amazing antibiotic and healing properties.
Scientists are currently researching its application in medicine.
In an environment where there is
any poisonous species, there is also aways an available cure or antidote. This
tells us a great deal.
Eating garlic works as a very,
very effective antibiotic, antibacterial, and antifungal -- even more than most
commercial products.
Seven plant-derived anticancer
drugs have received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for commercial
production.
Aspirin comes from the willow
tree.
Clinical trials have begun in the U.K. into one plant, figwort, after scientists confirmed
traditional uses as a solution to to diabetes.
Amongst other things, Apple Cider
Vinegar improves mood and for many even elevates dreams.
Water is an amazing curative. In
addition to many other benefits, it is known to improve skin tone, especiialy
when taken with unrefined sea crystals. Use it daily for constipation,
dandruff, clearing sinuses, acne, gastric problems, weight loss, and the list
goes on and on. We cannot stress enough -- drink lots of water!
Coconut milk is full of nutrients
and balances electrolytes, lowers blood pressure, helps prevent herpes
outbreaks, cures constipation, and much more.
Raw vegetables, apples, and even
fish, turkey, and steak act as natural abrasives that scrub the surface of the
teeth while you chew. They also massage the gum tissue, which makes the gums
healthier. In 1939, Canadian dentist Weston Price published Nutrition and
Physical Degeneration, an account of his travels around the world observing the
diets and dental health of indigenous cultures. Those who ate traditional local
foods packed with the fat-soluble vitamins A and D, such as meats, shellfish,
and animal fats, had perfect dental arches, no tooth decay, and virtually no
chronic disease. Those who ate modern, processed food had extensive decay and a
host of modern maladies like arthritis and cancer.
There is a white periwinkle flower
that not only treats infections but also is used in a leukemia chemotherapy
treatment.
Borax is used to treat baldness
successfully.
High in Vitamins A, C, B complex,
calcium and potassium, cayenne is a wonderful healing aid for the digestive
system. It acts as a catalyst and increases the effectiveness of other foods
and herbs when used with them. But most notably, cayenne has been used successfully
to relieve heart attacks.
Egg whites can bring a temperature
down quickly.
Urine is an effective treatment
for many things, and is being used in Europe to treat AIDS.
Looking for a powerful antibiotic?
Use sea salt, there's almost nothing better.
If you have acne, or acne rosacea,
use tea tree oil to work wonders.
You can cure warts with banana
peel.
Ginger root will cure sinus
congestion. Try it before anything else.
Many health problems are mitigated
or even eliminated over time by providing proper circulation of the blood using
a cold shower massage with almond or sesame seed oil (applied before entering
the shower.)
A so-called 'macrobiotic diet' -
brown rice, whole grains, vegetables, beans, miso soup, etc., will have
astounding benefits on health, often reversing serious ailments.
There is a natural bacteria that
quickly cures yeast infections.
Andrographis boosts production of
antibodies and macrophages (cells that ingest viruses), making it effective
against the common cold and at reducing fever. Chinese and Swedes have long
known this.
Exemplative quote from a
traditional healer in Russia: "For cuts and grazes rub on the sap from a fir
tree. If your tummy is playing up eat the bark from a pine tree. And if you've
got toothache boil up the bark from a birch tree and gargle."
