Friday, January 22, 2010

Natural Medicine and Mental Health

Natural Medicine is a term that introduces a large field of approaches to helping people live their lives according to the natural laws of interactions between everything on the earth and the energies that affect the conduct of life.

When you come to me and the other practitioners at the clinic, you will be receiving the benefits of a broader perspective about health than is currently the standard in western medicine.

The approaches that I use lead to insights that allow expanded options for helping people who have been given a variety of labels used in western medicine psychiatry and psychology.

Here are some of the labels that have been created to describe various conditions of the human mind and accompanying physiological conditions:

Depression: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Dysthymia, Major Depression, PostPartum, Grief.

Bipolar Disorders: Mood Disorder, Hypomania, Mania, Cyclothymia.

Schizophrenia: Described by McKenzie as a PTSD-engendered condition [Dr. Wilson added this to list]

Addictions: Alcohol, Drugs, Co-Dependency, Sex Addiction, Internet Addiction, Shopping & Spending Addiction, Gambling.

Stress and Anxiety: Phobias, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Social Anxiety, Panic Disorders, Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Eating Disorders: Bulimia, Anorexia.

Kids’ Mental Health: Depression, Anxiety, Attention Deficit Disorder, Conduct Disorders, Autism, Asperger’s, Tourette’s and Hyperkinetic Disorders, Eating Disorders.

Trauma: PTSD, Rape & Sexual Assault, Childhood Abuse: Mental, Physical, Sexual; Cult Trauma; Military and Veteran Issues; Spiritual Abuse; Domestic Violence.

Relationship Issues: Relationship Health and Conflict.

[This listing is from MentalHealthPros.com]

Each of the above labels was created to describe human conditions that develop from a variety of causes. When natural medicine practitioners carefully examine each of these labels -- including the knowledge that has been gained from the fields of Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Ayurvedic natural medicine, Biofeedback, and other approaches -- many factors that are not even considered by western medicine often become major starting points that can lead to treatments that bring the person to a place where the label is no longer appropriate.

I describe these factors in essays on my teaching website: [visit the site].

There are excellent essays in the NIHA Library: [visit the site].

If you or someone you love is seeking help for any condition that has been given a label such as the ones above, please consider the services that I and my associates can provide. Most of our therapies can be provided as part of an Integrative Medicine program. Many patients will continue using the treatments that their primary physician provides. We offer to work with you so that you can get "the best of both worlds."

I wish you good health and wisdom in making your choices --

Dr. Ralph Wilson Washington DC