Health

Complementary Medicine

Various practitioners of therapies complementary to treatments offered by the mainstream of conventional medicine contributed diaries to this Project.

One of them is an osteopath

• I return home to . . . to prepare for an Inland Revenue workshop. While at home I send an email to the General Osteopathic Council in London regarding a conference I'm involved in arranging and take a call from Simon Fielding (Chairman of the Forum for Integrated Medicine) regarding a recommendation of an osteopath . . . 3pm - 7pm - working from home seeing eight patients.

Another therapist says

• Some friends/colleagues and I are giving and attending some small workshops about kinesiology a therapy that we practice and teach. I'm also putting the finishing touches to a talk two of us will be giving to a group of psychotherapists in London on Saturday called "Introducing subtle energy work into your practice".

A third therapist, a reflexologist and naturopath saw three patients on September 24th.

• 9.00 My first patient, a farmer's wife, arrives. She is suffering from RSI (repetitive strain injury) in her right arm, and this is her third treatment. She reports a dramatic reaction after her last treatment, with runny eyes and nose. This is a sign that toxins are being cleared from the body - an essential part of the healing process. Today's reflexology treatment brings an immediate improvement in her arm movement. We arrange another appointment for next Tuesday.
  
  2.00 My next patient is another farmer's wife. Her main problem is hormonal imbalance, and treatment in this case is a "joint effort" with her GP. As a naturopath, I can supplement her conventional medical treatment by making sure that she has a good nutritional balance. I am also treating her for stress, with reflexology; she is very worried about her sister, who is having an operation for breast cancer this week, and she is also missing her daughter who has "flown the nest" to go to university. In spite of all of this she is feeling (and also looking) much better than she did last week.
  
  5.00 A new patient (male) with back trouble. He is a builder, and I have been recommended to him by one of his workmates. He walks in with a pronounced limp, and it is obvious that he is in quite a lot of pain. It seems as if it might be a difficult case, but he responds quickly to the reflexology treatment, and when he leaves there is no sign of the limp.

  11.30 To bed. This has been an interesting, satisfying day. I have no set routine - on some days I see as many as seven patients; other days I choose not to work at all - one of the advantages of being self employed.