Healing Medicine
By Marilyn Zink
Healing Medicine, a Complete Guide to Safer Healing, is a book that takes a close look at the medical system, how and why we get sick, then considers how to make medical care safer with hospitals and better science. The last section of the book looks at natural therapies such as choosing vitamins and minerals, healing solutions and food supplements and superfoods.
Written by Steve Blake, a master herbalist, Healing Medicine explains how people can stay healthy by choosing natural health to prevent disease. However, this premise is the basis of holistic health. But making people aware of this is the first step in the path towards becoming whole and healthy.
In Healing Medicine, Blake has a list of why people should choose medicinal plants over drugs. He states that ‘plants are great for long term therapy with chronic disease. ‘
This is so true and many of the health conditions people struggle with these days are long-term; conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, digestive issues, etc.
Also on his list, Blake states that ‘Medicinal plants are usually much less expensive than drugs.’ Again, a true statement. When people compare the price of long-term health issues and drugs to using herbal supplements to prevent disease, it is a much cheaper alternative. Plus, the individual is going to be healthier as a result.
Blake later goes on to say that ‘Herbal medicine should be premedical and medical school, if not earlier. It can become a specialty for certain doctors.’
Yes, make it so. But it’s hard to convince the medical system and doctors in particular of the healing power of plants, even though doctors in Europe incorporate them into their medical practice.
Blake recognizes this, as he states in Healing Medicine, “Our scientific medical system tends to think that only double-blind studies have any validity in verifying the action of a drug or botanical medicine. However, if a plant has been used for a long time, is prescribed by many doctors worldwide, and is demanded by patients, then the plant’s action should be accepted.’
I found Healing Medicine to be a well-researched book that gives the reader a good basic understanding of the current medical system and what an individual can do to help themselves. As Blake says, ‘We have a long way to go to heal modern medicine. This healing can only be done by combining the best from natural medicine and the best from modern medicine.’
I for one will be glad when that day comes.
Marilyn Zink is the publisher.editor of The Herbal Collective magazine. Get the Free newsletter today.
