A CONCEPT OF HEALING as old as life itself, truly natural healing is simply an extension (and support) of the continual repair and maintenance that goes on inside all living things.

Imitated, corrupted, misunderstood, maligned, it is neither "psychic healing" nor "spiritual guidance", but true physical, biological healing -- "holistic" therapy (healing the whole living organism not just a "disease" or it's symptoms) -- learned from observing life in the NATURAL world, NOT the LABORATORY or the PARANORMAL.

Is it "COMPLEMENTARY? alternative MEDICINE?" Depends on your definitions and objectives. It IS undeniably an emotional and controversial topic! Almost like religion. Maybe it IS some people's "religion". But for this discussion, let's try to focus on PHYSICAL life in the NATURAL world -- and FACTS. No hype! Neither "blind credulity" nor the "eternal skeptic". No "witch doctors" or "medicine man", either. Nor much of anything else you've heard, thought, or believed, probably. Not even "traditional meditation".

Granted, SOME "psychological" therapies CAN be helpful, but when your home needs repairing, you need more than inner calm and a positive attitude. You need quality building materials and competent construction. Same with your body. And since "psychosomatic healing" (so-called "placebo effect") is the only concept many people have of "alternative medicine"/ "natural" healing / holistic therapy, no treatment that has strong spiritual ties to any religious or spiritistic origins will be considered (even though some of them also have non-religious, non-spiritual, entirely physical aspects); so we can concentrate solely on physical and biological therapies for the human anatomy and physiology and not be "comparing apples with oranges".

The real focus, in fact, is not on any specific illness or therapy. Rather, since half the advertising and MOST of the objections regarding these diverse but interrelated healing efforts is so much hype, the main objective here is to draw attention to a BASIC CONCEPT nearly all non medical and other alternative physicians -- such as Chiropractors, Homeopaths, Naturopaths, Acupuncturists, and Herbalists -- share in common; explain the FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE between most of the "natural" or "holistic" healing therapies and allopathic medicine or "regular medicine" (also called conventional medicine, Western medicine, clinical medicine, mainstream medicine, standard medicine, and orthodox medicine); clarify the issues, separate myth from reality and answer widespread claims & common objections.

To those who insist there's a lot of quackery or "snake oil" in all of this it's freely acknowledged that many fads, unsubstantiated claims and other sensationalism are out there. ANOTHER NEED FOR SEPARATING MYTH FROM REALITY! But remember that some medical professionals who sharply disagree with one another call each other "quacks" also; while many people who have a negative MISCONCEPTION that all NON MEDICAL therapies have "spiritistic" connections forget that some medical doctors employ hypnosis.

Surely, such a vitally personal matter SHOULD be approached in a calm, sober, enlightened manner. Yet, even with all the apparent progress in recent years in the (at least superficial) acceptance of alternative therapies, there seems to be a deep-down, unexplainable, almost religious feeling in most of us, especially in the "Western world" -- and that many of us would deny even having (but "actions speak louder than words") -- that it's somehow immoral, unethical, or otherwise wicked to undertake any form of health care without "consulting the gods" (the medical profession). On the "flip side of the coin" (anti-medical), if you've visited many of the alternative health information websites and you're like me, you could probably "feel the high voltage tension in the air" just reading some of them.

Understandably, it's nearly impossible for someone who has frequently witnessed prejudice first hand or been very disappointed with a certain medical treatment not to have SOME lingering negative feelings. But the intention HERE is to strive earnestly for less emotion and more truly educational information, presented (hopefully) in a manner to make learning enjoyable. ( If you're new to all of this, there's quite a bit to absorb -- a brave new world for some; almost like the North American easterners who moved out west century before last -- and, yes, some of THEIR friends and relatives thought THEY were "crazy", too.)

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