Nature Heals

Field of Wildflowers ( CA Sea lavender )

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul.”  by John Muir

One of the many things I am very thankful for being out in nature is the healing power it brings. Taking a walk in the midst of nature does not only bring me inspiration, but also helps in rejuvenating my energies. I also take some examples from some of nature's inspiring changes, such as how plants heal naturally. For example, the field of purple above may turn brown in the fall and winter, but comes spring, they come alive and burst with fresh blossoms bringing out wonderful colors of inspiration and of healing.

During winter, the trees may look barren. Leaves falling off the tree is actually the tree's natural way of surviving the bitter cold of winter. During fall, at the onset of less sunlight and cold temperatures, the plants inherently start the process of self preservation by falling off their leaves. The leaves contain a lot of water in their cells that would freeze when temperature drops below the freezing point. The falling of the leaves serves another purpose, they become part of the compost that will nourish the tree again and their surrounding plants when the warmer months of spring arrives, bringing out the beauty of life naturally.

Taking these lessons from nature, I believe in the natural process of our body to heal. I love the fact that my primary care physician helps in this regard where the first approach is observing our body how it may heal naturally. The first time my cholesterol level went high, instead of prescribing me medication right away, my doctor asked me to take control of my weight first and follow a certain diet. After 3 months, my blood cholesterol was again at its healthy level. Also, I follow certain stretching exercises for my neck and back that would help promote the healthy flow of blood. I always had been a migraine sufferer when I was younger and probably had lived on pain medications most of my life to be able to function normally. Thankfully, since I started my stretching exercises and through the help of my primary care physician and chiropractor, I no longer have to rely on medication much these days to free myself from pain.

Getting daily dose of exercise, stretching, eating healthily and enjoying the healing powers of nature outdoors are some of the things I do to stay healthy, almost similar to naturopathy, a system of medicine based on the healing power of nature. I actually first heard of naturopathy from a colleague whose daughter is a naturopathic doctor. He explained to me what N.D. (naturopathic doctor) does. N.D. treats patients with lowest interventions possible while having a change in lifestyle. The 2 areas of focus in naturopathy are:
1. Supporting the body's own healing abilities, and
2. Empowering the person to make lifestyle changes necessary for the best possible health.
He said that naturopathic doctors also receive similar training in biomedical sciences as MD's, though ND's focus is more into prevention. N.D.'s ask patients to be participants of their health care, making necessary changes to their lifestyle, such as sleeping, eating and exercising. My colleague added that though naturopathy may have started in Europe back in 1895, but is primarily practiced in Canada and US only today. It is easier to find naturopathic doctors toronto and in other cities in Canada and US, but ND's may be harder to find in other countries. Though I may have not seen a naturopathic doctor yet, but I am glad to learn about this field of medicine that is based on the healing power of nature.

I hope and pray that I will continue to stay healthy, and be inspired always to stay healthy. :) Each time I take a walk outside, I am filled with awe and wonder to the beauty of our natural world that I wish to be staying healthy so I could continue to enjoy our beautiful world. I know it asks a commitment from me, to live a healthy lifestyle. A commitment which I hope to keep. 

♥♥