How I Make A Natural Health Assessment (Part One)

  I am often asked to help people with immediate health needs and, though I do my best to help those immediate concerns, it's not the way I prefer to do things. Most people go to the Herbalist or Natural Health Care practitioner expecting he or she to give them something natural to help with their symptoms. Though, on occasion, this can be done it does NOT address the cause. I don't diagnose because, legally, only licenced medical doctors can use that word. I do assessments. I don't treat diseases because, legally, only licenced medical doctors can treat diseases. But, I can suggest things to help a person get his/her body balanced so that the dis-ease goes away. I can't cure anyone of anything because legally only licenced medical doctors can cure disease (although in reality they don't cure anything, they maintain disease). By the way, do you know that, according to their own journals, medical doctors are correct in diagnosis only about 20% of the time. That means that 80% of the time there is misdiagnosis! I say all of this to make the point that if you don't think natural health assessments are the way you want to go, you can stick with your allopathic care and take your chances.

  I have learned Natural Health Assessment through several courses and associations and I trust it completely. If I have to go to doctor for advanced medical testing I will do it but always with the stipulation that regardless of the outcome, I will go for natural treatment first! The plain truth is that over 75% of the world still uses natural means of health care and there are time tested methods from our own Native Americans, the Chinese, and from India. Germany and Russia, and several other European nations also have long traditions. Even places like Afghanistan have used traditional, natural health assessments for centuries.

   Most natural health practitioners, at least the ones that I'm familiar with, begin with the biological terrain theory. We believe that every individual is different physically and emotionally and remedies are NOT a one size fits all. Now this biological terrain has to do with your individual constitution. Some people have a strong constitution and some people don't. But there are environmental issues as well. Let's picture a tree:

   Now you will notice that this tree has roots, a trunk, limbs, and leaves, and grows out of the soil. We look at the soil as the constitution, and that constitution can be affected by at least four things:

1. Mental and Emotional Stress
2. Nutritional Deficiencies
3. Physical Trauma
4. Toxins, both internal and external.

     The trunk of the tree is the biologial terrain. I don't have time or space here to go into this too much but let's just say that those four causes brought into the trunk affect the overall health of the tree. In other words, the health of the biological terrain is dependent upon the influences of those things introduced to the trunk through the roots. So, though on occasion I will suggest an herb for sinus problems or chest congestion, these are short term. There is a REASON for returning sinus problems; there is a REASON why you keep getting a cold over and over again! So, we can certainly offer advice on herbs, for instance, that may help, but that is basically what the allopathic doctors do, they address symptoms. What we want to do is address the ROOT PROBLEM so that those chronic sinus problems go away and stay away, or so that you don't have that cold returning all winter long!

     The Limbs of the tree represent body systems. There are several body systems common to all of us such as:

• The Respiratory System
• The Glandular System
• The Circulatory System
• The Digestive System
• The Intestinal System
• The Urinary System
• The Nervous System
• The Structural System

and so on......... It's important to know that though these body systems are separate, they are also dependent upon one another and can be affected by the status of the trunk (biological terrain) to the point that DISEASE shows up in the leaves which represent symptoms.

   Now, when you go to your doctor with one or more of these symptoms he will attempt to diagnose a dis-ease and either prescribe a pharmaceutical to address the symptom (make it go away), or he, with specialists, may determine surgery or some other method of relieving the symptoms. Hardly ever is there any discussion about the CAUSE of the problem, so for instance, if you develop cancer you will probably be treated with chemo or radiation or even surgery but NOTHING is done about the CAUSE! So, providing your treatment is successful for a period of time, the cancer will probably return in another form because the root problem has not been addressed.

   Let me be clear though, in the case of physical trauma, I mean you get bodily injured in an accident that calls for quick emergency care, I would not go to an herbalist, I would go to an emergency center and get sewn up, etc.

   So, if you have a problem and you come to me. I will do a health assessment using such things as an assessment form that you fill out. This will show me what the weakest body system is. Then I  will do a pulse assessment, a face and tongue assessment, an iris assessment (this will tell my what your base constitution is) and perhaps a response muscle test. I will determine from these what your weakest body system is and we will begin there. Our belief is that if any individual body system is out of balance it will affect the whole. I may ask some questions regarding your emotional state. I can tell a lot about that emotional state just by examining your eyes. The pupils can tell a whole story as well as the fibers and their markings. I can tell if someone is truly ADDHD or if they're just hyper. It's called iridology and it is fascinating!

    Every Natural Health Care Practitioner is different and may use varying techniques but if you know of a good one in your area I highly suggest going to him/her. After all, if medical doctors are wrong 80% of the time, I'd say your odds are pretty good going to a natural healer!

NOTE: Next time I'll speak more about those assessment tools.