Talk about health

Nothing is simple in this world. Especially when it comes to health matters. If you're at all interested in your health and begin to look around for useful pointers to helping maintain good health in the face of a complex and fast-moving world, you will quickly become confused.

Starting with the media. They report whatever they want and give the stories the slant that suits the editorial team at that time. Nobody says that they should give a balanced view of anything. Or that they might join the relating stories together over a period of time.

The result? One day the TV tell us that a particular complementary therapy has been found wanting. Someone has taken the conclusions from a series of badly constructed trials over the past ten years and said this proves the case. No mention that the trials were poorly thought out, relied on the memory of the subjects ( what did you have for breakfast five weeks ago? for instance), and were paid for by a pharmaceutical company selling a rival drug.

That is bad enough, but then, next day the same TV company reports that a homeopathic remedy has been found to successfully treat a chronic condition. All change! Now the complementary therapy, using properly devised trials has had good results which have been published.

Perhaps this is good reporting. At least it fills the alloted slots and keeps the reporters gainfully employed. The down side is that the average person doesn't know what to believe. Is homepathy good or bad? Do complementary threapies have a place in modern medicine? How can you discover the truth?

After all, you might be the very person considering what treatment could help you! Given some joined-up thinking from some independent source, the answer might become clear. the mists of doubt will part. Your eyes will open wide and a cure might be just round the corner.

You may think this is some kind of fairy tale. But it's not. The media have their good points and can play a significant part in spreading the word. But I can't get away from the old adage that reporters don't let the facts get in the way of a good story!

My advice? There are people around who can give you sensible, independant advice on health, conventional and complementary therapies. I happen to be just one, but there are many health sites you could choose from. I subscribe to a few myself just to keep me up to date and give me points of view to consider.

The basic fact is that when it comes to health, no treatment or therapy is successful for everyone. Human beings are uniquely different, with different genes, metabolisms, weaknesses and susceptibilities. Each of us reacts differently to stresses, foods, work, environments and so on. So there can never be a single simple answer to any health situation.

Fortunately, there are averages and so many things help many people. But there are always some people who are not helped. You need to think outside conventional medicine now and again.

In fact, I recommend you try to get as wide a picture as possible of both conventional and complementary therapies. Then you will see how some combination of these may be better for your specific situation that one or other alone. Combining aspects of conventional and alternative therapies might be more successful in finding a cure.

Don't ignore the media treatment of health, just see them as giving pointers for further research or discussion. That is what I try to do and I might clarify things for you, if you take the chance.

Why not subscribe to my newsletter at http://www.healthexplored.co.uk (you'll get a free bonus tips booklet) and read some of the articles and newsletters posted there. You can ask any questions on health you like and I'll try to give you my considered opinion. Or post your thoughts here.

When it comes to your health, don't rely on just one possiblity for treatment. Look around.

Wishing you the best of health.