Four Seasons’ resident naturopath shares how nature can heal the body
Sudha Nair is representing a new generation of naturopaths who seek to redefine their field. With a personal mantra “Suffering is transient, but health can be permanent,” Sudha has pursued a deeper understanding of curative therapies while grounded on a background in yoga and Ayurveda. With a bachelor’s degree in naturopathy and yogic sciences and a master’s in rehabilitation science, the Bengaluru native’s methods include yoga and mindfulness practices that allow one to surrender themself to nature. Now working in Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai as a dynamic healthcare visionist, Sudha is sharing with Tater Thailand the art of healing with nature that can prevent and treat ailments.
Suffering is transient, but health can be permanent.
First of all, what is naturopathy?
Naturopathy is a holistic system of medicine that avoids drugs and surgery. It’s a system of disease prevention and treatment viewing the person as a whole, seeking the underlying cause of a disease and using the laws of nature to stimulate healing.
Is naturopathy similar to homoeopathy?
Although they are under one umbrella of alternative medicine, they are not similar. Homoeopathy uses remedies made of tiny amounts of natural substances, like plants and minerals. Naturopathy is based on the use of natural agents such as air, water, light, heat and massage to help the body heal itself.
How did you get into Naturopathy?
There weren’t many naturopathic hospitals in India apart from some famous ones like the Jindal Nature cure institute when I started. Luckily I did my primary and secondary education in a Jindal public school, which was close to and run by the institute. As a student, we had a lot of exposure to the naturopathic and yogic way of living, which always fascinated me and ultimately motivated me to pursue my studies in this field.
What are the methodologies within naturopathy?
Naturopathic medicine is based on a set of six fundamental principles:
- The Healing Power of Nature—Naturopaths believe that nature has an innate ability to heal.
- Identify and Treat the Causes—Treating symptoms does not stop those symptoms from reappearing. Naturopaths seek to find the underlying cause, which may be physical or emotional.
- Do No Harm—A naturopath will always choose the most natural, least invasive and least toxic treatment to avoid creating other imbalances or side effects.
- Doctor as Teacher—Part of the naturopath’s role is in educating the patient to take responsibility for their own healing and maintenance of health.
- Treat the Whole Person—The body is seen as an integrated whole, and all aspects of a person are taken into account. The treatment plan encompasses the mind, body and spirit.
- Prevention—Avoidance of toxins and changes to diet and lifestyle are recommended to prevent sickness.
The term ‘energy healing’ often comes up with naturopathy. What ‘energy’ are we talking about here?
We as humans have this innate mechanism within us that functions 24/7. Our body is engineered in such a way that everything happens like autopilot. For instance, have you ever thought about how our digestion happens or how blood runs in the arteries in one direction? How do we know how to think? All these things happen because of that energy which pushes our body to function in a particular way. This vital energy is called in different names like prana in Sanskrit, chi in Chinese or life force or vital force in other languages. It is crucial for our survival, and that’s where energy healing comes in to enhance it. Healthy living practices and wholesome nutrition make us more resilient to fight stressors. Negative emotions and bad lifestyles deplete the energy within us.
Can you elaborate on negative emotions and bad lifestyles as sources of bodily problems?
The modern era has brought a unique host of problems. It’s a combination of environment and lifestyle. Our living style has moved away from natural habitat to artificial setups, unlike animals in the wild. People have become more sedentary and less physically active than before. Our diet patterns have changed as fast and processed food is made conveniently available. People spend more time on gadgets and electronic devices, disconnecting themselves from the environment and even from themselves. People practice unethical ways of agriculture and farming, using large amounts of pesticides and antibiotics. We are living in a toxic environment, and it has changed our way of thinking and functioning. All these reasons and many more have led to metabolic problems such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes and immune disorders.
So how would surrendering to nature heal you?
Surrendering to nature will bring magical results in your life. When you surrender to the flow of nature and let go of your expectations— how things “should be”—it makes you feel better emotionally. This contributes to your physical well-being by reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension and production of stress hormones.
Integrating evidence-based medicine with traditional therapies is my passion.
What is ‘sickness’ to you as opposed to the views of western medicine?
Sickness is a natural process of eliminating bacteria or toxins from the body when the body contracts it from bad lifestyle or environment. It’s a way the body alerts you that something is wrong with either your living style or the food you eat. We need to understand this and support it by following natural practices like fasting, nutrition, drinking water and relaxing the organs so that the detoxification/elimination process can happen smoothly. If a person gets a fever or a cold, it’s the body’s attempt to purify itself. The treatment for naturopathy requires the body’s own vital forces to get rid of toxins, unlike that of Western medicine which suppresses acute symptoms with drugs.
How else is naturopathy different from mainstream Western medicine?
Naturopathy considers the body as a whole, not as individual parts. Western medicine always considers each system as an individual and treats it in isolation. Naturopathy also believes that diseases are self-healing efforts of the body. Hence, they are our friends, not the enemy. Chronic diseases are the outcome of wrong treatment and suppression of acute diseases, and while Western medicine usually focuses on treating and eliminating the symptoms of a disease, naturopathy is all about finding the underlying cause of the condition to treat that root cause, rather than just the treating symptoms.
What benefits does naturopathy have over conventional medicine?
Naturopathy is the safest form of practice as it has no side effects because we go along with the laws of nature and not against it. We consider the body as a temple and treat it with immense devotion and care, promoting its healing power.
Can you give us some naturopathy tips everyone can embrace and benefit from?
- Connect yourself to nature. Try walking barefoot on the grass or simply walking and appreciating nature. Our body is not just a machine; we have a mind, which is needs taking care of. When we heal our mind, we heal our body. Trees and plants release phytoncides, an aromatic vapour that uplifts moods. When we feel good our immune system can function at its maximum.
- Deep breathing is one of the most effective practices we can adopt on a daily basis. Stress is one of the main culprits that make us weak, and this practice helps us to relax our sympathetic nervous system and bring about calmness and tranquillity.
- Eat more natural, wholesome foods because food is medicine. The body needs nourishing food to function optimally. Foods available in nature are the best fuel and medicine.
- Eat mindfully. People like to multitask, especially during mealtimes, and that can include talking or being on your phone while you eat. But actually when we eat mindfully, digestive juices are produced for proper assimilation and absorption of the nutrients so that we don’t end up with indigestion or bloating.
- Get plenty of sunlight—vitamin D has several important functions, the most vital of which are regulating the absorption of calcium and phosphorus and facilitating normal immune function.
- Make sure to sleep for at least seven to eight hours, as sleep is the time when your body and brain works on repair and rejuvenation.
- Good hydration is very important for improving circulation and for detoxification of the body.
See also: 10 Yoga Poses For Reduced Stress And Improved Concentration
