By Barbara Rotthaler
Barbara Rotthaler, originally from Bavaria, Germany, has lived in Mexico since 1997. Barbara has a practice in San Antonio Tlayacapan, a village on the shores of Lake Chapala. She sees clients, offers health lectures and works in a clinic for Natural Medicine in Guadalajara. She is a Naturopath, Homeopath Massage therapist for deep tissue and trigger point massage, reflexology and lymphatic drainage.
A different approach to health and disease as seen from a holistic point of view.
1. Let go of what harms the body
2. Do what strengthens the body
3. Understand what the body needs
Maintaining good health for your whole lifetime might seem impossible. But let me introduce you to a new point of view. Contrary to the mainstream approach, complementary alternative medicine (CAM) looks at pain, ailments and body dysfunction in a very different way: Illness is the physical, psychological and mental result of acting against our basic nature and the universal laws of life. It is not a malfunction of a machine (the human body) caused by unknown or external factors. Rather than visiting a doctor with a specific set of symptoms that we want removed, we can use the presence of disease to learn about the fundamental principles governing health and disease, and why we have found it necessary, at this particular point in our life, to become ill. When we understand why and how we have made ourselves sick, we will have taken the first big step towards the resolution of our problems.
Most people are unaware that there is this different path to good health. Or they hesitate because it might be necessary to change something in their lives, perhaps giving up comfortable habits, or maybe even losing some friends. But what can they gain by making these changes? A healthy body, more energy, joy and an increased life expectancy: an old age in which the person has full mental and physical capacity. Becoming self-responsible, learning about ourselves and how our environment affects us, can present a great opportunity to reorganize our lives for the better. Discovering how self - healing works in a natural way , we can begin to practice true preventative, holistic medicine.
First it is necessary to recognize that this is our own decision, and success will depend on how much we are willing to do.
Second, is the surprising revelation that we don't have to do a lot, mainly just stop doing what harms the body.
Third is realizing that our body will use its wonderful self-healing capacity as soon as we stop causing illness.
Consider a life expectancy of 100 years. Self-criticism, anger (whether expressed or suppressed), worry, stress, unnecessary drugs, polluted environment, unhealthy diet or physical inactivity, deducts time from this "account". When we realize we are acting against our natural balance, and begin to make corrections, then our inner regulatory system can do its job.
Pain and discomfort give a message from the body that something is out of harmony. If we don't listen to that message, the next message will be stronger. Symptoms are the language our body uses - like a friend helping us to get back to balance. If we analyze the situation and look at the problem from a different point of view, then we see that our pain or ailments might have an underlying cause, such as a sedentary lifestyle, which can lead for example to circulatory problems. Eating the wrong food or not chewing it sufficiently, can lead to acid reflux, heartburn, digestive or parasitic diseases. Suppressed anger and stress could be causing high blood pressure and coronary disorders. Resentments or unhappy relationships might be the cause of sleep disorders or depression. The list is long.
But what do we usually do instead? We rush to get a pill, some fast and easy fix, which only enables us to continue doing what made us sick in the first place (and often causes unwanted side effects). And so begins a vicious cycle. The prescription is usually a drug against the problem, anti- biotic, anti-diarrheic, anti-inflammatory, anti-depressant, anti-histamine, anti-hypertension. At first, these might seem to be the logical treatment. But these symptoms are the way the body tries to bring us back health - they have a useful purpose. For example, fever helps to increase the immune mechanism. Diarrhea helps rid the body of toxins. Arthritic pain shows that there is an excess of body waste around the joints, due to inadequate circulation.
Holistic medicine supports the body in the self-healing process. Practitioners of alternative medicine are teachers who help educate patients about how they can live a healthy life. They work with the patient to find the true cause of their illness. Together they look for obstacles to healing and agree on a plan of treatment. The active participation of the patient encourages taking responsibility and not relying completely on some outside person for a cure.
Many of the methods used in holistic medicine are based on cleansing the body of toxic waste. Another goal is to increase circulation, because many problems are just caused by mild oxygen deprivation. Another focus of treatment is to rebalance blocked energy fields. This can be done, for example, through meditation, Qi Gong, Hypnosis, Acupuncture or different kinds of massages, which can also detoxify the body and increase circulation. Herbal remedies can support organ function and ease discomfort.
It isn't necessary to abandon your regular doctor's prescriptions or to quit seeing your doctor. You may need to continue on some of the prescribed drugs - safety first. But as the condition improves, traditional "repair medicine" can be reduced or eliminated. So why not take the best of both approaches to good health. And what better place to do this than here in Mexico, where so many options are available?
Barbara Rotthaler, Calle La Bandera 209, San Antonio Tlyp.Jalisco Mexi Mexico. Tel. 0052 - 376 - 766 1987. email: b_rotthaler@hotmail.com or rotthaler.health@yahoo.com. Website in progress: www. geocities.com/rotthaler.health
Barbara Rotthaler has been one of FOM's Expert Speakers and is originally from Bavaria, Germany. Barbara has lived in Mexico since 1997 and her practice is in San Antonio Tlayacapan, a village on the shores of Lake Chapala. She sees clients, offers health lectures and works in a clinic for Natural Medicine in Guadalajara. She is a Naturopath, Homeopath Massage therapist for deep tissue and trigger point massage, reflexology and lymphatic drainage.
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