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Well, Well, Well

Let me tell you now that I have never felt worse, and that is why my blog has been erratic. My health seems at a low ebb and, ironically I am becoming more and more involved in the rather strange world of Integrative Medicine (IM). Ok, holistic, dammit. I would rather avoid that term because it conjures associations that are somewhat misleading.

As the publisher of Wellspring, a project I rather fell into, I have had a great deal of contact with practitioners involved in anything from Aura Soma to Zero Balancing and have, by and large, been impressed with their professionalism and commitment to making a difference in the lives of their clients.

The problem is this: the entire category of wellness and complementary medicine is fraught with misconception, mistrust and a lack of common ground between conventional or alopathic medicine and everybody else.

I have found that, just as you cannot separate out the body / mind connection from the complete picture of an individual's health and wellbeing, neither can you take away the socio economic connection. The truth is that people with less money are less able to pay for fresh, nutricious food, they have less access to education and consequentially find themselves trapped in bodies that become subject to easily avoidable, but unbelieveably prevalent conditions like diabetes (of course I am refering to Pacific Islanders and Maori).

Working with a commited group of General Practitioners and wellness practitioners in many associated areas I hope to help shape a manifesto for a future in New Zealand that not only people at the centre of health and wellness, but the whole person.

Not the first time I have embarked on a quixotic quest, but it is something I have come to feel quite passionately about and something I also believe can become a hallmark of life in New Zealand - a dynamic of our national One and Onliness.

There is a sensational book about this whole whole health business that I can recommend to you with confidence. I have just read it - it is brilliant and very readable - unlike a lot of other titles I have seen (I can't abide the msytical mumbo jumbo approach - I personally can't do dream catchers and crystals): Manifesto for a New Medicine: Your Guide to Healing Partnerships and the Wise Use of Alternative Therapies by James S. Gordon

Read an excerpt from the book

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