- DEFINITIONS -

which I gave recently to a hotel chain business group.

ORTHODOX MEDICINE which sees mind and body as separate entities, is based on Pasteur’s ‘germ theory’ which has resulted in the £multi-billion pharmaceutical industry which funds, educates and controls modern medicine.

(In short, we are the random victims of external microbes and are dependent upon healing via external intervention (drugs, invasive techniques, surgery, etc.)

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE describes treatments which are not orthodox (mainstream medicine) - treatments which are an alternative to orthodox. In general, therapies are based on Bechamp’s ‘polymorphism and terrain theory’ which acknowledges and works with the body’s own in-built healing mechanisms.

(In short, we are responsible [please note - not the same as to blame] for our state of health which determines whether we are vulnerable to states which are defensive in nature but labelled inflammatory, infective or degenerative - a cause and effect relationship.)

COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE is complementary to something else - usually to orthodox treatment. Being complementary to orthodox, it comes from the alternatives and is the nearest to what some believe is a ‘foot in both camps’ but this is not an accurate measure.

HOLISTIC (WHOLISTIC) MEDICINE addresses the whole person and not fragmented parts such as liver, bones, mind, heart etc. which orthodox medicine does and alternative medicine certainly can. Well people are seen as integrated, interactive whole entities on all planes (spirit, soul and body). By its nature all holistic medicine is alternative (to orthodox) but not all alternative medicine is holistic.

(In short, holistic medicine sees a person with difficulties which are manifest in ill-health and perhaps other areas). All treatments are from alternative therapies which are based upon Bechamp’s work.

The divisions between the above are not always clear-cut and many practitioners use parts from each. For instance, it is possible to give an orthodox drug in a homeopathic potency or attempt to suppress a symptom usisng herbs.

Complementary medicine is usually isolated alternative therapy(s) in addition to orthodox treatment and is no threat to pharmaceutical profits or orthodox status quo and is generally tolerated. (If the patient wants it, it can’t do any harm.)

Alternative medicine tends to be drastically opposite to orthodox medicine and in some areas cannot be compatible with it. For example, this type of health care, using its own diagnosis and treatment, could be involved with tissue detoxification (e.g. of dental materials, drugs, vaccines, pesticides, chemicals), and with nutritional and metabolic restoration.

Whether practised by doctors or independently trained practitioners, this type of health care has met the wrath of the drug, dental and food processing industries. Orthodox medicine, dentistry and the food processing industries are BIG business (hundreds of billions of £’s annually) and anything which would dent profits (and subsequent government revenue) is not tolerated lightly. There are strong anti-alternative medicine lobbies which defy all logic and scientific investigative reasonings, being financially supported by orthodoxy. There is also a proud antagonistic attitude held by institutional orthodoxy against what they see as encroachment on ‘their patch’ by non-members (i.e. those who have not gone through orthodox training). There is a massive difference between the ‘sickness industry’, which contains both orthodox (majority) and alternative (minority) sectors, and health.

This does not impute motives of individuals, however, and many who are orthodox-trained do not hold with this institutional attitude, many of whom are sincere and caring. However, many of these same individuals have had to go into the private sector in order to practise the type of medicine and dentistry that THEY see fit to practise. The history of how modern medicine got into this state makes very interesting reading. Many have written books to make known their concerns:

BETRAYAL OF TRUST - Dr. Vernon Coleman

CONFESSIONS OF A MEDICAL ‘HERETIC’ - Dr. Mendelsohn

EXPOSE ON VACCINATIONS - N. Z. Miller

DIRTY MEDICINE - M. J. Walker

THE MEDICAL MAFIA - Dr. G. Lanctot

RACKETEERING IN MEDICINE (Suppression of Alternatives) - Dr. James P. Carter

BAD MEDICINE - John Archer and many, many more.

This is not a knock at orthodoxy. The purpose of this talk is an explanation of alternative medicine which cannot make sense without a background. Information is all individuals need to make their own judgements. Information and not judgement is the purpose of this talk but information must be factual to be beneficial.

Because of the attempts to eradicate alternative medicine, much misinformation and ridicule has been aimed at the alternative health sector. It has had its enemies within, too, with defragmentation and the ‘weird and wacky’. The average person in the street has had little contact with the results of real alternative medicine and is sadly lacking in exposure to accurate information as far as health and sickness goes. This is slowly changing with a more open climate in the press and television. (However, the press and broadcasting companies can be, and have been, legally bound by the Department of Health, i.e. orthodoxy, on health matters!!) This scenario is international and the same in Britain, the United States, Australia, Europe, etc. You will not get exposure to health through the media, only exposure to the sickness industry, be it orthodox or occasionally alternative. You will see this demonstrated with constant vaccination campaigns which are never countered by anti-vaccination information, for example, so that the public could make their own choices based on unbiased information. The vaccination campaigns are sales campains which use fear and ignorance to ensure public compliance. Ridicule, at the least, is the lot of any who attempt to interfere with the opinions and plans of the ‘powers that be’.

Alternative and complementary medicine can both be used in the same way that orthodox medicine is used - that is to ‘home-in’ on the symptom and get rid of it as soon as possible using harmless methods instead of drugs (all of which have side effects). This is beneficial in that no harm is done, but just as useless in the long-term if the message which the symptom carries has not been heeded.

OUR INATE BLUEPRINT

We are designed to be whole and healthy. Our bodies have in-built repair and maintenance programmes. If you want to see one in action, look what happens next time you cut yourself. Why don’t you bleed to death? With this in mind, it is not difficult to understand that there is a cause for every effect that is contrary to health. Whereas orthodox medicine labels sickness with complicated terms and Latin names and tries to suppress symptoms with drugs, holistic medicine likens the symptoms to warning lights (similar to a car dashboard) and looks for the cause of the warning.

Then, working with mind and body with natural means (homeopathy, herbs, nutrition, water, emotional stress release, lymphatic stimulation, detoxification, lifestyle and attitude changes etc.) addresses the cause of the warning along with resulting alleviation of symptomatic problems.

Life is a journey on an individual basis. None of us has the same start. Our symptoms are as unique as our finger prints. Some we can broadly pigeon-hole, others are exceptions to the ‘rules’. For example:

a) all headaches do not have the same cause

b) mercury poisoning does not give the same symptoms in all people

When dealing with people, one has to assess what is required. It may be that a person is wanting the warning light (symptom) switched off but is not yet ready to face the cause of that warning (symptom) in his/her own life. A practitioner who understands this also has to assess what kind of help he/she is willing and/or able to give to others. Unless we, as practitioners, are attempting to take responsibility for the health of others, (most unwise), we have to find out what service we can provide for those who seek our help. Knowing that we will not prove suitable practitioners for all, is not only realistic but essential if we are not to feel burdened by ‘failures’. This applies to the dental field as well as to the medical field.

Because we are all unique and are born and move at different rates, a narrow-minded view point on health matters is not very realistic or helpful to those who seek our help. Sometimes all we can offer someone is information and the offer of support/therapy at a later date, should they decide they require it. Because some do not wish to address causative factors in their ill-health now, does not mean they will always choose that way - we have to ‘leave the door open’. However, this has to be balanced with the wisdom of setting boundaries, not allowing ourselves to be used as emotional dumping-grounds and we need to consider the outcome of treating ad-infinitum when there is little compliance or subconscious sabotage programmes preventing changes. The choice to address these ‘road-blocks’ to health is one which most people face in crisis, and one which cannot be ignored if health is desired.

This is a most important area to understand - it helps to makes sense of things which would otherwise appear confusing.

THE HEALTH PRACTITIONER

Any health practitioner has to learn the basics of anatomy and physiology along with other disciplines they will use. Alternative practitioners may learn homeopathy, herbalism, kinesiology, electrodiagnosis, chiropractics, osteopathy, aromatherapy, reflexology, body works, iridology, cymatics, gem therapy, electro-magnet therapy, colour therapy, nutritional therapy, naturopathy, acupuncture, stress release, counselling etc. etc. There is more than one way to skin a cat (horrible expression) so you may find individual alternative practitioners to be very different in their approaches.

As with typists to lawyers to mechanics and every other occupation, there are the good, the bad and a range between. This applies to practitioners too. Ask plenty of questions if you are looking for a practitioner. Know what help you want whether it be from orthodox or alternative sources. Realise that the responsibility for your own health is yours, whether you take that responsibility or not. You have choice in health matters but you must first know what you want, then find appropriate information, people and/or therapies to help you reach your goals - orthodox, complementary, alternative or holistic - the choice is yours.