Talk about health

It's all very well to talk about complementarty and alternative medicine or CAM, but when it comes to the point do you really use it or do you run off to your conventional doctor?

I've thought about this problem quite a bit recently, partly because with my advancing years some of my friends have taken ill. For all their support in what I am doing to get the CAM word out there, not one has told me they went to their alternative practitioner.

Now, I understand that in an emergency, conventional medicine just can't be beaten. They rush you to the hospital and stop the bleeding, get your heart going again, set broken bones and generally get you back together using the latest techniques. And I applaud them for that. They are the very best at that side of medicine. And, if you are unfortunate enough to have a heart attack or stroke, the emergency treatment will be second to none.

Because I have been brought up on the perceived benefits of conventional medicine and indeed because I worked almost exclusively in that field for more than 35 years, I have to admit my first reaction to illness is just the same as my friends.

I don't know if is the shock of being ill that propels me towards the GP or the idea that there is a pill to cure whatever ails me. Whatever it is I'm sure most people of my generation feel much the same. There's something very comforting about the conventional system, the reassuring chat and the prescription at the end of it all.

However, more and more I am hearing about the shortcomings of conventional medicine and the lack of basic help and advice that comes from it. It has become an unsympathetic money guzzling machine. Doctors are too busy pushing paper and ticking boxes to really care about the patient. Money and the desire to get as much as possible out of the system while allowing politics to muddy the waters is making more people worry about whether the system will kill them rather than cure.

One of my favourite ideas is that by all means use your doctor to get diagnosis and a start to treatment. Then , once you are over the initial shock and settled down again and feeling better, that is the time to think about whether keeping going with the conventional approach is best. The chances are it could be all you need.

But, there is a growing chance is that something else may be just as good but without the side effects, or even better. You really have to look around at the options - and there usually are a few to choose from.

Its remarkable the effect your diet might have on your condition. It's very basic, but the more I research disease, the more I realise how important diet is. Just by changing from processed and fast foods to organic, home grown, whole foods cooked in the old fashioned way, you could turn your health around. From stress to cancer to ADHD, diet plays an important part.

Equally important is exercise. Just 30 minutes a day can make significant inroads into weight loss and improving the condition of your heart and muscles, not to mention your brain.

You probably know that, but do you do it?

Then, there are many CAM therapies that might offer ways forward. The thing is that you don't have to stick to only one. I've been surprised just how much they have to offer in all kinds of ways to all sorts of disease states.

The important thing is their holistic approach. It's important to remember that your mind as well as your body is involved. CAM takes account of that and therapies treat your mind as a way of healing. And that is usually missing from conventional treatment. (Although I know that modern treatment of stroke now includes treatment for depression - not before time!)

The point is that by all means use conventioal medicine when you need it, but don't forget that it's not the only option. CAM has much to offer, along with proper dietary advice and exercise.

SO, don't close your mind to the variety of effective options out there. My aim in what's left of my life is to let you know as much as you need to, so that you can make an informed choice. You choose what you want and need in order to improve and maintain your health.

Have a look at my site at http://www.healthexplored.co.uk , join my newsletter (for free) and check out my booklets, reports and articles, or just drop me an e-mail to let me know what you think about all of this.

Wishing you the best of health.