The fundamental question is, Why is natural (herbal) medicine a necessity for good health? A 2007 report gave some insight into this question. It disclosed that Americans have a shorter life expectancy than people in 41 other countries. This is eye opening, considering that we in the United States on average spend more on health care than people anywhere else. What’s behind this discouraging statistic? There are various possibilities, including the fact that almost 70 percent of U.S. adults are now overweight, with 32 percent of these considered obese.  Lack of medical insurance is another likely reason. A third reason, which you won’t read about in the press, is the suppression of nutritional and holistic therapies in mainstream U.S. health care. Approximately 80 percent of the world’s population rely on plants and other holistic medicines as a primary form of medicine. For people in many cultures, medicine begins in the backyard,where family gardens yield plentiful fruits, vegetables, and healing herbs; and natural, nontoxic therapies such as massage and nutritional therapy are widely used.We encourage you to incorporate holistic healing into your health care—and to urge your insurance carrier to cover these therapies.

Can you have confidence in the dietary and supplement approaches recommended in this book? You certainly can. We have cited key studies and scientific references validating their effectiveness. In addition, among this book’s three authors, we have well over a combined 75 years of clinical experience. It is one thing to read a study on the effectiveness of a particular natural (herbal) medicine, it is another to monitor a patient and see a health transformation take place.

There is a lot more science behind natural and nutritional therapies than most people, including medical doctors, are aware of. Thousands of scientific studies from around the world are published monthly validating the effectiveness and safety of natural (herbal) medicine.

Natural (herbal) medicine is a diverse system of medicine that offers a variety of healing therapies.While there are different philosophies and styles of natural therapies, they have common principles. The following six principles are embraced by modern-day naturopathic and holistic doctors.

1. First, do no harm. Whenever possible, use therapies that have the lowest risk of causing adverse effects. In general, nutritional and other natural approaches are quite safe.
2. Use the healing power of nature. Our bodies have an inherent healing mechanism.We can aid that healing mechanism through the use of nutritional and various natural (as well as conventional) therapies. From a divinely complex design, we see how the medicinal properties of foods, herbs, and other natural substances nourish and stimulate the healing ability of the body.
3. Find the cause. The best way to help individuals with their health needs  is to treat their root causes. Holistic doctors are generally very effective at identifying and treating the root cause of an illness.When possible,we should strive to remove the underlying cause of an illness rather than just eliminate or suppress its symptoms.
4. Treat the whole person.Wellness or illness comes from a complex interaction of physical, emotional, dietary, genetic, environmental, lifestyle, and other factors. One is best helped by taking all these factors into account. This includes the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of a person.
5. Practice preventive medicine. Illness is often caused by diet, habits, poor stress-coping mechanisms, environmental pollutants, and lifestyle. Good holistic doctors assess risk factors and susceptibility to disease and make appropriate recommendations to prevent illness, or to keep a minor illness from developing into a more serious or chronic disease. The emphasis is on building health rather than on treating symptoms.
6. Practice the principle of doctor as teacher. The original meaning of the word “doctor” is teacher. A good doctor will educate patients on what they should do to achieve health as opposed to just relying on medical intervention.

Reference:

• Ohlemacher, Stephen. 2007. U.S. life expectancy lags behind 41 nations. USA Today, August 11, Health and Behavior section.