Talking with a Naprapath

Dr. Paul Mach, an expert in nutrition, visited our international women's group. At his site, The Center for Modern Approaches to Comprehensive Healthcare, there is a quiz you can take regardidng your own state of health. There are also numerous articles for free on the basics of diet and taking care of both your mind and your soul.

One of Dr. Mach's biggest concerns about the medical profession is that they tend to treat the symptom, rather than the cause. Also, because of the way the health insurance system works, they tend to overmedicate. (This is particularly true in Japan.)

I've had personal experience with this in that, when I woke up with a terrible earache one Sunday morning, I went to the only nose/throat/ear clinic that day and got drops for my ear. The earache cleared up to some extent, but I ended up with an even worse sore throat and went to another clinic near my apartment, receiving even more medication. I still had both ear and throat problems when I flew to Singapore, although I managed to survive without too much pain by constantly blowing my nose and yawning during both the ascent and descent.

When in Singapore, I got a terrible toothache and, by chance, was able to find an accomplished Indian doctor who, after looking at the x-ray, said I'd need either root canal or to have the tooth pulled. In the end, the cause for my sore throat and earache was a decayed tooth!

Dr. Mach's advice, from a handout he gave entitled "Basic Human Care, 101", is:

(1) Drink PLENTY of pure water (most people are dehydrated and do not drink enough.
Drink at least eight- 8-ounce glasses of water each day.

(2) Homo sapiens require EXERCISE. ("The human species is a dynamic, vibrant, powerful creature designed for athletic prowess, not being a couch potato.")

(3) BREATHE. Breathe in the air. The body needs to be oxygenated.

(4) Eat appropriate to the species. (If we don't give junk food to our pets, why do we give it to ourselves?!) That includes plenty of veggies (means at least half of the food you eat by volume), avoiding deep fried food, partially-hydrogenated oil and hydrogenated oil, avoiding refined sugar, avoiding refined carbohydrates, avoiding chemical additives, eating slowly, chewing your food thoroughly, and never skipping meals.

(5) ELIMINATION: take in nutrients--eliminate waste.

His website is definitely worth exploring! Whether he remains in Hokkaido, where he is living with his Japanese wife, remains to be seen, but it would be wonderful for us to have access to an expert in nutrition and health.