Complementary/Alternative.  These two words are used interchangeably for therapies outside the ‘conventional’ medical model.  But they are not the same.  Complementary means ‘to complement’ – to add to, to support.   Alternative means just that – ‘to replace’, ‘instead of.’  Which do you prefer? 

There is a narrow view that says we should only rely on chemical pharmaceuticals, hospitals and surgery, and that anything herbal, homeopathic, energetic or not conventional, is rubbish, doesn’t work and the people who believe in it are flaky and ignorant.

There is an equally extreme view that we don’t need conventional medicines at all, that no-one should ever take a paracetamol, have chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and so on.  That doctors are bullies, in the thrall of ‘big pharma’, etc. 

These views are polar opposites, and I have learned that real life is not that simple.  There is (usually) a middle road.  Perhaps my background in the conventional medical world, and my current work in energy healing helps me to see the advantages of both natural therapies and what conventional medicine has to offer.   My preference is COMPLEMENTARY.   I offer a simple example to illustrate:

I developed a painful knee in 2019.  Rest and ice (conventional) only helped temporarily.  I saw a physiotherapist (conventional).  He thought perhaps a slight tear in a meniscus or ligament.  I had some treatment from him (conventional) and remedies from my homeopath (complementary).  I also did my own energy healing (complementary).  Hmm, not much improvement.

MRI scan – at my request - came next (conventional), and that brought a clearer diagnosis.  Bone oedema in the knee cap (bruise in the bone, rather than soft tissue injury).  To be fair to my physio, it could not have been diagnosed without MRI, because people don’t have x-ray vision and accurate diagnosis makes a difference.   In my view diagnosis is one of the best tools conventional medicine has to offer, with its excellent equipment and tests.  Once you know what you are dealing with, you can make clear decisions.

The only thing conventional medicine can offer for bone oedema is rest, ice and elevation, and a long recovery period (4-12 months or longer).  It is a deep-seated condition and not quick to heal.   This is what I love to hear – nothing deadly serious, a clear diagnosis, and I can add complementary therapies to optimise healing.  This is what I did for my knee:

Rest, ice and elevation (conventional) as much as reasonably possible.

Ibuleve gel once a day (conventional)

Chamomile anti-inflammatory/healing cream daily (complementary).

Arnica gel once a day (complementary)

Patella strap from Argos (conventional/practical) for walking or working.

Homeopathic remedies (complementary)

Glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM liquid, once a day (complementary)

Hypercal and White Willow Bark herbal tinctures (complementary)

Energy healing from me, as often as appropriate (complementary)

Finally, a suggestion from my homeopath, fresh comfrey poultices (complementary).

I made these from the leaves of the comfrey plants growing in my garden. Comfrey, aka Symphytum, or Knit-bone, has been used for centuries for wound healing and fractures, hence its nickname.

I take a very pro-active attitude towards my health and I wanted my knee to heal as well as possible, so I could kneel again, walk distances and work in the garden.   I also wanted to avoid any long-term limitation.  Most of the treatments took only seconds to apply or swallow, or were done over lunch time, or sitting watching TV in the evening.  Fortunately, I was able to carry on working and when you are self-employed, that is very important!

I’ve used this kind of mixed stance with illness and injuries for myself and family members many times over the years and it works well.  The comfrey poultices were a new venture, and I loved them.  Easy to make, smelling amazingly fresh, and when I took each one off after about an hour, all the pain in my knee was gone, and stayed gone for several hours.  After just 2 weeks of all this the constant ache in my knee definitely reduced and my walking improved.

This is how I live – using natural therapies which complement conventional medicine.  It’s very easy to use the two together safely, for the optimum benefit of the patient/client.  All it requires is a willingness to research and experiment – comfrey poultices for instance - which now have a permanent place among my natural medicines. 

Anyone who fractures their leg, for instance, certainly wants an x-ray and hospital treatment to get it properly set.  Then complementary therapies can come in, for optimal healing, as well as clearing any emotional stress.  It doesn’t matter to me whether its ‘flu, a sprained ankle, a back injury with sciatica, vertigo, menopausal symptoms, etc, there are always complementary therapies that can help with healing.  They are effective, cost-effective and generally have no side effects, unlike conventional medicines.  

POSTSCRIPT – 2023

It may have taken a year or so, but finally I was able to kneel on my knee again, very gently.  And recovery continued.  After 2-3 years I was able to kneel to exercise, to weed and work in the garden again.  THIS is what we so often miss or dismiss in the modern world – that healing can take TIME.  We need a certain amount of patience as well as the willingness to work at it. The body can do amazing things, if we give it enough support and enough time.

 

DISCLAIMER (The Small Print)       

These are my current thoughts. 

Thoughts can change as we learn and grow.

You may disagree with me, but I am nevertheless entitled to my thoughts.

You don’t have to like my blog or take notice of anything I say.

It is important you always make up your own mind - about everything.

I am not you, and don’t know you or the details of your life. 

Therefore, you are responsible for any decisions or changes you make as a result of reading my thoughts. 

Finally, nothing in any of my blogs is intended nor should be taken as medical or health advice.  Always research for yourself and talk to doctors or therapists you trust (conventional or complementary).

Working on the Energy Fields of clients is my job.  Clients come for many reasons - they may know something about ‘energy’ and the Human Energy Field and are curious to find out more; they may be trained in another complementary therapy or working as a healer themselves and feel they need their energy balancing; they may have exhausted conventional means for their symptoms and hope energy work can help.  Some clients have physical issues, some feel stressed emotionally, but they all need a bit of help.

When I explain about Energy Field Healing in the first appointment, I tell clients the Human Energy Field can be largely self-sustaining and self-healing - if it is given enough time and rest and looked after.  Just like our physical bodies.  If you worked 12-hour days, didn’t eat properly nor get enough sleep, and partied till dawn at the weekends, you couldn’t be surprised if you became ill or collapsed after a while.  The Energy Field is no different.  It does a remarkable job when you consider the way many people live, the fast pace of modern life and how very long we can live, despite the fact that very few people even realise they have an Energy Field.

So, what exactly is the Human Energy Field? 

To start with, in simple terms, as far as I’m concerned, we are immortal souls, living many lives and we need our body to carry us through this lifetime, to achieve our Soul’s Purposes. 

I hope you will excuse a direct question.  There is a good reason for it. When someone dies, what is missing?  Not the body, because we can still see that part of the person.  What is missing is what animated them, what made them an individual, what made them ‘alive’.  THIS is the energy field.   Some might call it the ‘aura’ or even the ‘soul’ energy.  It is this energetic part of us which actually makes us what we are. 

The Human Energy Field is an egg-shaped ‘bubble’ of energy which emanates from deep within the physical body and expands out around us.  It is described as having various ‘layers’, each a different vibration, and the energy centres or ‘chakras’ are arranged along the vertical axis of the field, the Central Channel.  The Field is intimately connected to the physical body via the nervous and endocrine systems as well as the nadis, a fine network of energy channels, and the meridians, used by acupuncturists and shiatsu practitioners.

The Energy Field and physical body depend on each other, so caring for your energy field includes caring for the physical body.  If the physical part of us fails, the energetic part of us has nothing to hold onto!  This caring also includes emotional and mental issues, because those aspects are also part of our energetic make-up – and they can have a huge effect on the physical body.  80% of physical ailments are said to have an emotional or mental background.

We can help the Energy Field in very straightforward ways which can improve the way our energy flows, helping us to feel calmer and more centred and helping our physical health.  I cover these in more detail in a 1-day course – “Subtle Energy Awareness and Meditation”  but here are some general, easy ways you can start to help your energy every day. 

Take care of the PHYSICAL – get enough sleep, drink water, eat food which suits you (see my Blog on Food and Physical Health) and it is better to base your eating on ‘genetically recognisable food’.  An apple is genetically recognisable, an apple pie is not.  Avoid sweeteners and processed food as much as possible.  We need good quality protein all our life – eggs, meat, fish – as well as vegetables, salads, some fruits.  Enjoy a glass of wine or beer if you like – red wine is good for the heart.  Enjoy a dessert occasionally – life is about enjoyment too.

Consider how you FEEL – about your job, your home, people around you.  These are such a large part of our life, it will be an uphill struggle to look after your energy if your daily surroundings don’t support you.  If you are desperately unhappy in your work, if your home is cluttered or dirty, or you are stressed by controlling people, this will affect your energy.  Clear the clutter, keeping only that which is useful or genuinely emotionally meaningful.  If you need to, look for another job!  Put as much distance as practically possible between you and difficult people in your life.  If you have a friend or relative who drains you – try to stretch out the time between visits! 

Consider how you  THINK.  Its often recommended that we practice gratitude, finding some small (or larger) thing to say thank you for each day.  And it is helpful to focus on the positive at least some of the time, no matter how small.  There was a time in my life when I would look for a flower each day, just one flower, even a dandelion or a daisy – and I would tell myself that made it a good day.   

Do your thoughts run away with you?  Do they go round and round about certain happenings or situations?  Do what you can about what you can.  Try to leave the rest.  Meditation, walking in nature can be helpful for calming the thoughts.  Scribbling madly on a pad of paper can help to get thoughts out of the head.  It works, I’ve used it many times.  I make lists and find that also helps.

Consider how you ACT – towards yourself, your family, your friends and work colleagues.  Smiles tend to be infectious.  Say ‘good morning’, notice if someone doesn’t seem themselves and perhaps gently ask, ‘is everything alright?’  Small kindnesses like this are good for us, as well as the people we are being kind towards.  Good manners may be old-fashioned, but they go a long way to help the Energy Field – and oil the wheels of society.

MOVE your body, in ways that are appropriate for your health and your age.  The physical body has joints and muscles for a reason!  We were hunter-gatherers, built to walk and move.  I used to jog, hill walk for miles, do aerobics.  These things are no longer sensible as I grow older.  After suffering injuries I learned that I need to treat my body more gently with the passing of the years.  Now I walk most days, but shorter distances, though still enough to get out of breath.  I do chi kung, stretching and fascial exercises, I lift weights – carefully!  Sometimes a bit of yoga and I use an exercises bike – gently!

One of the first energy exercises I teach students is ‘Sit Still and Quiet.’  This Energy Field Healing exercise has parallels with Standing Like A Tree in Chi Kung.  It is just what it says.  Sit quietly, in silence.  Close the eyes.  And sit.  For 5-10 minutes.  Two minutes if that is all you have, but your mind may take 2-3 minutes to settle down.  Set a timer if you have to.  No music, no meditating, just sitting still and quiet.  Sounds daft?  It is deceptively wonderful, powerful and calming.  It helps the Energy Field begin to slow down, helps the mind begin to calm down and it helps with grounding. 

Try MEDITATION.  There are many ‘learn to meditate’ books.  Watch out for the flavour of the decade – ‘Mindfulness’.  Mindfulness is great, if it suits you.  But it is often too much if you are new to meditation.  At the start guided meditations can be more helpful – IF you can find a voice you like. 

For a simple ‘meditation’ to get you started, you might try the Traffic Light Meditation.  I came across this great little suggestion in an old book, "Teach Yourself to Meditate" by Eric Harrison and I still use it.

We all know how frustrating red traffic lights can be.  Eric suggests a ‘wakeful’ meditation which calms the mind without taking our mind off the road – or the traffic lights.  If you are caught at a red light, rather than fussing and fuming, look calmly at the red light and begin to consider all the things it could represent or what it might remind you of. 

Some of the things I think about include – the setting sun, a cherry, a red apple, a blob of red paint, a child’s red ball, the button on a red coat, a red blood corpuscle (apologies, biology background), and so on.  You will find your own.  By the time you’ve mused over 3 or 4 possibilities, the lights change and you are on your way, hopefully feeling calmer than you might have.

DISCLAIMER (The Small Print)       

These are just my current thoughts. 

Thoughts can change as we learn and grow.

I can always be wrong, but am nevertheless entitled to my thoughts.

You don’t have to like my blog or take any notice of anything I say.

It is important you always make up your own mind - about everything.

I am not you, and don’t know you or the details of your life. 

Therefore, you are responsible for any decisions or changes you make as a result of reading my thoughts. 

Finally, nothing in any of my blogs is intended nor should be taken as medical or health advice.  Always research for yourself and talk to doctors or therapists you trust (conventional or complementary).