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. When our body fails to "keep up" with this essentially-automatic internal cleaning-and-rebuilding process, WE have usually unintentionally ---but still by (possibly uninformed) choice--- hindered it's normal functioning in some way --- and then are often diagnosed with a "disease" --- which is not a "thing" or an entity, but a condition. The opposite of being "at ease" --- dis---ease. No matter how many names are applied to it, they're all basically the same condition simply manifested in different ways. We'll explore this more deeply later. But, first, more about what truly natural healing is and is not.

Imitated, corrupted, misunderstood, maligned, it is neither "psychic healing" nor "spiritual guidance", but true physical, biological healing --- sometimes called "holistic" (which means healing the whole living organism not just a "disease" or it's symptoms), and is therefore much more than a "therapy" --- based on carefully observing life in the NATURAL world, NOT JUST in the LABORATORY and CERTAINLY NOT the PARANORMAL. Is it "COMPLEMENTARY? alternative MEDICINE?" That depends on your definitions and objectives. (More about that later, too.) It IS undeniably an emotional and controversial topic! Almost like religion. Maybe it IS some people's "religion". A number of discerning researchers and writers have indeed described this whole "modern-world obsession" with illness, disease, health and physicians as much more "religious" than scientific.

But let's limit this discussion to PHYSICAL life in the NATURAL world --- and FACTS. No hype! Neither "blind credulity" nor the "eternal skeptic". No "witch doctors" or "medicine men". Nor much of anything else you've ever 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. It's the 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 healing profession or "school of thought" that has strong ties to any religious or spiritistic origins will be considered here ---- even though some of them also have non-religious, non-spiritual, entirely physical aspects. This way we can concentrate solely on physical and biological healing of the human anatomy and physiology and not be "comparing apples with oranges".

The real focus of these short, connected essays, 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 are so much hype, the main objective here is to draw attention to some BASIC CONCEPTS 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 correct 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 are merely "spiritistic" or "psychic" forget that some medical doctors employ hypnosis.