More and more people in the Western world are once again becoming interested in alternative forms of healing, and particularly natural medicine. According to Wayne Imber, this is a wonderful development. Advances in medical science have brought fantastic things to the world, but it is important to remember that a lot of treatment can be found within nature as well.
Wayne Imber on the Benefits of Natural Medicine
Imber believes there shouldn’t be a case of having to choose between either natural or pharmaceutical medicine, but rather a combination of both. For instance, someone who struggles to conceive can benefit both from the modern medical wonder that is in vitro fertilization (IVF) and from natural products and methods that help increase fertility. Similarly, a cancer patient should use chemotherapy and radiotherapy if that saves their live, but they could consider various natural products to help them cope with the range of side effects associated with this treatment.
Additionally, natural medicine can be very important as a form of preventative medicine. Even those who are in optimal health can benefit from also using touch therapy, essential oils, and herbs. Doing so ensures that they have a strong body that is able to fight off illnesses and infections even before they happen. Western medicine is highly reactive in nature, finding cures once a disease has taken hold, whereas alternative medicine is more proactive, helping to prevent the disease from taking hold in the first place.
Imber is aware of the fact that his opinions are quite controversial. Many medical and health care professionals are dismissive of all things alternative, believing that any treatment that has shown to be successful is likely to be only psychosomatic in nature. Since they cannot pinpoint exactly how a certain herb or a certain behavior could have killed a virus or bacteria, they believe it is not true. But Imber feels that, if a patient is able to increase their well-being and their strength, this should be applauded and encouraged. After all, the role of the medical profession is to support and to cure, not to dismiss and to judge. Psychology is also an important part of medicine, and if someone can become better simply by feeling better, they should be encouraged to do so.
Last but not least, by focusing on natural healing methods, people feel more in control of their own body again. It is common for physicians to forget just how miraculously strong the human body actually is, and how little of it is understood. They forget that balance is what the body strives for in its natural state. Hence, Western medical solutions have a very important place in obtaining and maintaining health, but so do natural methods that ensure people find that balance between the scientific and the natural, the chemical and the natural, the reactive and the proactive. According to Wayne Imber, therefore, natural healing and natural medicine is integral to overall health.
