Alternative medicine has been defined as: “medical therapies not regarded as orthodox by the [mainstream] medical profession. These include herbalism, homeopathy, acupressure, and acupuncture. While some of the aforementioned practices have been discarded from the deck of modern Western medicine, they are increasingly popular among people seeking to live healthy lives.
Herbs have probably been applied medically since before humans had the ability to write about them. Acupuncture is at least 2,000 years old, homeopathy began around the time the ink from the U.S. Constitution was dry, and penicillin was invented less than 100 years ago. So, which medical practice is really the alternative?
My journey into “health practices not regarded as orthodox” began in the mid-1960s when I tried yoga, raw foods and chiropractic. About a decade later I began successfully applying acupressure to myself. Even so, I continued regular visit my primary care doctor whenever a change occurred in my health or a body part needed repair.
I never doubted the ability of my doctor to fix me until after my friend Chris O’Rourke died at age 22 in 1981. His doctors, among the top in the world at the time, told him to eat anything he wanted, so long as he gained weight. Four years later my confidence in medical doctors eroded further when my father died after enduring what should have been a minor surgery.
Since then, my blood pressure spikes whenever anyone in a white coat applies a blood pressure cuff to my bicep. I have taken my health primarily into my own hands through eating well, sleeping well and staying on the move. While I surf less than I ever have, I have concluded that surfing is among the world’s best exercises since it requires bursts of effort followed by short periods of rest. My success in taking control of my own health is noticeable since, at age 76, nothing hurts and none of the original parts have been replaced.
Other than the ocean, the one stop I try to make regularly to stay in top physical shape is at Arcana Empothecary in Del Mar. I first heard of this place at an annual checkup when my MD recommended it after I declined a standard pharmaceutical.
Arcana’s founder, James Mattioda, is recognized by both the alternative and Western medical practitioners. His credentials include a doctorate in integral health. He is a registered pharmacist, a diplomate of homeopathy, a clinical herbalist, and an educator in alternative and holistic medicine. Mattioda combines the extensive knowledge he learned as a practicing pharmacist with holistic science, innovative research in biochemistry, plant medicine and clinical homeopathy.
For years I bought multiple vitamins and supplements from the local grocery store. Now, for the same price as quality herbs and vitamins purchased somewhat randomly, I visit a trained chemist and homeopathy practitioner who directs me to the best naturally sourced herbs and vitamins.
Instead of shotgunning your vitamin and mineral intake, you can have it targeted by a licensed “alternative” health care professional who also works as a consultant to Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine.
To learn more about Arcana Empothecary visit arcanaempothecary.com
