Natural therapies are also known as 'alternative therapies' or 'complementary therapies'.
Their central philosophy is that physical illness reflects conflict or imbalance at some level within the person. For this reason, they are aimed at healing the whole being rather than treating only the symptoms of the condition.
Practitioners of these therapies view disease differently from those who have followed orthodox practice.
Natural therapists see disease as an attempt by the body to achieve balance and good health, and their aim is to help the sufferer work through the condition.
Choosing A Health Practitioner
The orthodox and alternative approaches can complement each other well. You can combine the approaches successfully, for your child's best overall health, especially when expert advice is available to you.
It is helpful for you to have a General Practitioner who has an open mind about approaches to natural health. Many orthodox practitioners are embracing a wider view of health and many are keeping their prescribing of medication to a minimum, preferring more natural methods of treatment.
Choose a General Practitioner who has a more holistic view of health, who has an interest in children's health, and who is sympathetic to your interest in maintaining your child's vitality by natural means.
By the same token, choose practitioners of natural therapies who accept the orthodox approach as valid and appropriate for certain conditions.
The Various Treatments Available
There are many alternative therapies available in Australia today - many of which have been practised in different parts of the world for centuries.
Herbal Medicine is a good example, which is a highly appropriate treatment for many childhood illnesses because:
- Used correctly, it is a gentle, safe and effective form of medicine
- The herbs that are used are organic rather than synthetically derived
- There are many simple herbal remedies for children, some of which you will already be familiar with
Homeopathy is another well know natural therapy. The principle of Homeopathy is treat like with like and regards symptoms of disease as a natural reaction, to be worked with rather than against. Orthodox medicine usually tries to understand the cause of the illness and treat where possible and where not possible, to relieve suffering.
Naturopathy is a system of medicine that originated in Europe and the United States in the early 1900s. In its purest sense it means 'nature cure' and is based on the five cornerstones of good health: sunshine, exercise, fresh air, a sensible wholefood diet, a positive mental attitude.
Home remedies are also known as folk remedies. They refer to those bits and pieces of advice that one generation passes on to the next because they've found them useful.