Archive for Wednesday 2nd October 2002 - Alternatives
The popularity of alternative healthcare is now beyond dispute. Nearly half of us now turn first to a complementary practitioner rather than our GP. But does wholistic medicine, which treats the whole person and not just symptoms, deliver the kind of results we expect? Alternative healthcare advocate Pat Thomas believes this level of interest in natural alternatives has left some people confused and disappointed after trying so-called ‘magic bullet’ cures. The result of Thomas’s investigations into alternative therapies, are published today in her new book, What Works What Doesn’t. Her advice is that we become our own ‘health experts’ and stop continually deferring to the professionals as if they always know best. But this, she admits “often requires a substantial leap of faith and a belief in the miracle of your own body. You don’t need a PhD or a degree of any kind to understand your body - you live in it.”

Thomas explores the effectiveness of 18 ‘alternatives’ including acupuncture, urine therapy and yoga. Throughout she emphasises the importance of becoming a conscious health consumer - asking all the relevant questions and not being seduced by exaggerated promises. “In alternative medicine, as in conventional medicine, one principle is always consistently true – if it sounds too good to be true, it is.” Her attempt to put alternative healthcare under the microscope is motivated by a strong desire to see it used properly. She fears that if it is not, more laws such as those recently passed in Europe to licence herbal remedies and health supplements will be passed and block the road to our becoming more informed about our health.

To order your copy of What Works What Doesn’t at the special price of £11.99, call 0870 0703 200 or send a cheque/PO for £11.99 (post and packing is Free), payable to Mirror Direct, PO Box 60 Helston Cornwall TR13 0TP - offer open to United Kingdom only.

Seven keys to better health
Aim for balanced nutrition
Take regular exercise
Know when to take a break
Use natural non-toxic products
Embrace spirituality
Acknowledge your feelings
Maintain strong social support

Mark Winter