Many ailments linked to diet and lifestyle, says naturopath

As more and more Irish people turn to natural remedies to treat chronic and acute illnesses, international naturopath Hermann Keppler explains how many modern ailments are related to incorrect diet and lifestyle.

Founder of the College of Naturopathic and Complementary Medicine, Mr Keppler says most people are eating far too much of the wrong types of food and they must learn what constitutes an optimum diet and how to detoxify and rebalance the body.

"My own experience with ME, candida and parasites has been that the organism, in almost every case, has suffered years of poor diet. As a result, the body becomes more prone to picking up infections, which are frequently treated with antibiotics or steroids. This results in further deterioration."

Mr Keppler was in Galway recently where his college has just initiated a diploma course in naturopathy, homeopathy, herbal medicine and acupuncture. He also runs a similar course in Dublin.

While a GP looks at the symptoms of disease, the naturopath is more concerned with the underlying process that has led to the symptoms, such as lifestyle and diet.

Naturopathy works on the principle that acute disease is simply a manifestation of the combined efforts of nature's "healing forces" to rebalance and normalise the body. Symptoms should never be suppressed and the naturopath will use the forces of nature to help the body restore its own natural equilibrium.

Mr Keppler, who believes that some prescription drugs are more dangerous than LSD, swears by fasting, drinking plenty of water and "walking barefoot on the grass" to stimulate the reflex zones on the feet.

Most people are eating too much with the result that their colons become toxic, he says. They are also eating the wrong types of food and overloading their bodies with over-processed, non-organic, high-fat foods, as well as too much meat and dairy products.

If a colon has become toxic and bloated, Mr Keppler recommends that a person should detoxify first by fasting and drinking as much water as possible, before starting on a diet of raw organic foods with regular weekend juice fasts. The best fast food available in his opinion is an apple or an orange.

Mr Keppler says: "I was a very big eater when I was younger and I would be almost unconscious if I missed a meal. Now I can stay without food for a couple of days as long as I drink plenty. If the body is detoxified, the absorption of nutrients is much higher and you actually need very little food to survive."

For further information on the CNM course in Galway, contact Ms Anna King at (091) 504955 or 504927 (home).