Spring Break
Naturopathy Is A Viable Alternative
Josh Blodgett
Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: Commentary
Not only does naturopathic medicine offer safe treatment, but it also offers cost effective treatment for many of today's illnesses. Naturopathic treatments originated as the use of herbs and foods for medicine, exposure to fresh air, sunlight and hydrotherapy. These techniques and methods have long been respected throughout the world. While modern allopathic medicine is less than 200 years old, natural medicine has been the primary medicine used by most of the human community even into the 21st century.
There is no definitive record of when human beings first discovered the healing properties of certain plant species, though it is suspected from depictions in radiocarbon dated cave paintings found in Lascaux, France that the use of plant extracts for medicinal purposes originated between an estimated 13,000 and 25,000 years ago. Following humanity's divergence from hunter-gatherer life to early agrarian societies, much of the modern world slowly abandoned herbal remedies and diverse healthy diets that had proved to be successful for thousands of years.
Most illnesses are the direct result of poor dietary and environmental conditions. In a 2004 study published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, researchers found an estimated one-third of the American diet consisted of foods that were high in sugar and sodium such as soft drinks, sweets, alcoholic beverages and salty snacks. It is no wonder that obesity, heart disease and cancer are the top three causes of death in America today. It is disheartening when conditions such as these can be easily averted by simply changing what we choose to eat, exercising daily and being mindful of the environmental elements we allow ourselves to be exposed to yet so many people continue to eat poorly, avoid exercis and pollute their bodies with alcohol and tobacco.
Western culture has long been opposed to Eastern traditions, especially in the field of medicine. This is beginning to change. Despite opposition from proponents of conventional medicine, herbal and traditional medical arts remain the primary medical choice of over 65 percent of humanity. As the baby boomer generation continues to grow older, many of these people are seeking out new avenues to increase their vitality and protect their bodies that do not incorporate the use of heavy medication that has potentially harmful side effects. By and large, it is the younger generations who must reflect upon their lifestyles and make healthier decisions.
Staff Columnist Josh Blodgett is a 5th-semester English and business double major. He can be reached at Joshua.Blodgett@UConn.edu.
There is no definitive record of when human beings first discovered the healing properties of certain plant species, though it is suspected from depictions in radiocarbon dated cave paintings found in Lascaux, France that the use of plant extracts for medicinal purposes originated between an estimated 13,000 and 25,000 years ago. Following humanity's divergence from hunter-gatherer life to early agrarian societies, much of the modern world slowly abandoned herbal remedies and diverse healthy diets that had proved to be successful for thousands of years.
Most illnesses are the direct result of poor dietary and environmental conditions. In a 2004 study published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, researchers found an estimated one-third of the American diet consisted of foods that were high in sugar and sodium such as soft drinks, sweets, alcoholic beverages and salty snacks. It is no wonder that obesity, heart disease and cancer are the top three causes of death in America today. It is disheartening when conditions such as these can be easily averted by simply changing what we choose to eat, exercising daily and being mindful of the environmental elements we allow ourselves to be exposed to yet so many people continue to eat poorly, avoid exercis and pollute their bodies with alcohol and tobacco.
Western culture has long been opposed to Eastern traditions, especially in the field of medicine. This is beginning to change. Despite opposition from proponents of conventional medicine, herbal and traditional medical arts remain the primary medical choice of over 65 percent of humanity. As the baby boomer generation continues to grow older, many of these people are seeking out new avenues to increase their vitality and protect their bodies that do not incorporate the use of heavy medication that has potentially harmful side effects. By and large, it is the younger generations who must reflect upon their lifestyles and make healthier decisions.
Staff Columnist Josh Blodgett is a 5th-semester English and business double major. He can be reached at Joshua.Blodgett@UConn.edu.
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