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The term “traditional medicine” is a misnomer. The medicine that is traditional to a culture is that which is historically rooted in a given society. Traditional medicine in the USA is called “American folk medicine” and includes schools of thought like apitherapy, “Vermont folk medicine,” and Native American traditions. All cultures include beliefs about wellness and healing, most of which use earth-based elements, like gathering wild plants and making herbal remedies. Shamanism, midwifery, and witchcraft are three examples of traditional healing techniques. Thus, the predominant “allopathic” medical model is not truly traditional medicine, but “conventional medicine.”

Conventional medicine is based on the scientific model and is sometimes called “evidence-based medicine.” This method became the predominant healing modality in industrialized countries during the twentieth century. Proponents of conventional medicine are often critical of other forms of treatment, citing the need for well-structured peer reviewed testing and studies. Many practitioners of this method are concerned that techniques they often label as “alternative medicine” increase a patient’s risk. They’re concerned about unexpected side effects, the dangers of self-medication and regulation (by not seeking qualified medical assistance), and combining traditional medicine with unproven—and potentially dangerous—treatments.

Many health providers who practice outside the belief systems of traditional medicine prefer to call their work “natural medicine.” They see the human body as part of nature, which they feel can provide answers to every health need. Often critical of conventional medicine, they cite studies that highlight the risks of using the mainstream health care system. Negative examples are many, and include attempting rapid weight loss with drugs like Fen-phen and use of unhealthy liquid fasts, rather than fueling the body with nutritious whole foods. Many believe that greed lies at the core of USA organizations like the American Medical Association (AMA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as well as drug industry pharmaceutical giants, insurance companies, hospitals, medical doctors, nurses, and myriad health associations and lobbying groups.

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Many of us struggle with losing weight. Many of us have tried crash diets. Many of us have tried diet pills. Most of us have failed miserably with these techniques. Either not being able to stick with the diet or pills or losing weight only to gain it all back as soon as we stop the diet or stop using the pills.

Which is exactly why these methods are always doomed to failure. They are temporary. They are something you do to lose weight, not a change in your basic lifestyle.

To have real life changing weight loss and to keep it off you have to do it the natural way.

Natural weight loss is simple. You eat better and you exercise. Not for 2 weeks. Not for 2 months. Not even for 2 years! You make it a basic part of your life. You cannot be a healthy person if you think of healthy eating and exercise as something you do only to lose weight. This is how you live your life if you are a healthy vibrant person.

So many people looking to lose weight are looking for some sort of miracle drug or some amazing new diet. This isn’t the way and it never will be.

You want to lose weight? Join a gym. I highly recommend a gym membership because it’s often very hard (I find) to stick with an exercise regimen when it’s just you alone at home. When you go to the gym there’s all of the equipment you need and maybe more importantly it’s the atmosphere you need. It’s people working out hard. It’s easier to work hard when you are in this environment.

The gym is also great because it’s expensive and it’s almost impossible to cancel your membership. You may think these are bad things. But they are, in fact, good things. Why? Because if you are paying $70 a month for a gym membership you are not going to want to waste your money! You have to go to the gym or else you’d be throwing money down the drain.

How about healthy eating? While I don’t think calorie counting is necessary it may be a help when you are first starting out. You may be surprised just how many calories you eat from day to day.

Healthy eating really comes down to two basic things. Quality of the food you are eating and the quantity of the food you are eating. By and large overweight people eat food that’s low in quality and they eat a lot of it! You can deny this all you want, but it’s true. Do you drink soda? Do you eat ice cream? These things should be treats. Things you only eat on special occassions and even then in small quantities. And no do not tell me you drink diet soda. Diet soda is not good for you. End of story.

You want to lose weight? Change your habits. Change them now. Don’t go waiting for the next miracle drug or the next ridiculous diet. Your body and your life is too important for that.

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