Articles from the Wellbeing book
Same World New Mind
BY
Teresa Spelman
Naturopathy
‘If only we’d stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time’
Edith Wharton
Having been on a diet for most of my life I know how agonising and frustrating it can be waiting for the body to morph into the shape you desperately desire and feel certain you must have if you are ever to live any sort of happy and successful life. It all began at 15 years of age when I took a look at myself in the mirror and felt deeply upset at what was staring back at me. Going from a straight up and down body to a curvy one was not something that I felt comfortable with at all. This added to an already inferior mind disposition along with comparing my body to others where my own seemed of a sub-standard quality. I was amazed daily at how some girls could still look good in the horrid grey and maroon ill-fitting school uniform and there I was looking like a small baby elephant. So began my experience of denial or indulgence with the added accompaniment of purging food for many years ahead. It was these long years of dieting, bulimia, the constant self-punishment and complete exhaustion that finally led me to naturopathy.
My first experience of Naturopathy treatments was over 12 years ago in Thailand in a place called Pie. I was introduced to steam bath and massage, which lead to studying and learning the healing techniques of acupressure. A month later on the same journey, I literally fell onto an island, hung over and badly sunburnt and happened upon a wellness centre in one of the south Islands where I had my first juice fast and enema treatment. I was extremely apprehensive with the thought of inserting a tube up my anus, and dreaded the moment of insertion. Needless to say, I got over it and the positive results overpowered any slight discomfort experienced.
My next experience of Naturopathy was to be in India 7 years later. I spent 21 days at a Naturopathy Hospital in Pune. I had made the decision that I wanted to finally ‘heal’ or ‘fix’ myself. My initial reasons back in my days at Pie for using Naturopathy were purely physical. I wanted to lose weight. However, now the need and intention was more serious. Having researched all other avenues with regard to treating depression, bulimia, chronic stress and Irritable bowel syndrome, I decided to give Naturopathy a serious try. I knew in my heart that pills would never help me to get to the root of my problems. Instead of the conventional route, I spent my days getting massaged, steamed, covered in mud, walking in grass, eating fruits, drinking juice, some days fasting completely, giving the body & mind a well-deserved rest. I simply had time to get in touch with myself, re-educate myself on food, how to eat, what to eat & why we eat. I practised yoga, meditated, cried, got angry, frustrated, laughed & in the middle of all that felt wonderful moments of inner peace. I left the Naturopathy hospital feeling like a new person. The only medicine I had taken for my many ailments was in the form of fresh fruits and juices, yoga postures, meditation, enema, massage and mud therapy. In essence I was given a prescription for how to live a healthy life. It was up to me whether I followed it or not.