April 2020 – These days we are watching footage showing that the seas have become clearer, the air in cities has become cleaner, the sky has become bluer, and animals are playing happily in the seas, on the greens... It seems as if nature has begun to cleanse itself and heal itself - just because the insensitive, exploitative and destructive wheels of the system have stopped for a short time. What about us? Can we also redirect ourselves to the path of solid health if we stop and look around for a moment or two?

We overlook how much we are caught up in a system of haste that does not allow for introspection and thus the full activation of our own regenerative powers, which can only work if we are in harmony with nature. Of course we can!

Just as nature can heal wounds and come alive in all its magic if we just give it our time, if we stop showering it with toxic chemicals and destroying and plundering it, we too can regain our health if we just take the time to do so. When we take the time to STOP, it is easier to calm our MIND, establish an ATTITUDE towards ourselves and everything around us, observe ourselves more easily, hear ourselves more easily, feel ourselves more easily, see what our real needs are... and thus also find the path to healing or at least maintaining our health more easily. When we stop, it is easier to feel what is good for us and for nature, and what is not (too much noise and artificial light, too little sleep, too many toxic chemicals in food and air, too many artificial medicines...), and then we take action in accordance with this realization. This way, we run fewer and fewer red lights at intersections and there are fewer and fewer tragic consequences.

The world-renowned Swiss naturopath Alfred Vogel also knew that the intelligence and power of nature should not be underestimated, and that it is important for humans to be inspired by it, even when it comes to their health. He already wrote in his book People's doctor, which is not just a collection of useful and still current recipes for natural self-help, has long written down numerous timeless pieces of wisdom. The key ones are collected in Vogel's Eight Principles of Life and Healing (source: www.avogel.si).

Naturalness and quality of life
Living as harmoniously as possible with the Creator and with nature, and in awareness of their power, is synonymous with true quality of life. Offering people the opportunity to make nature's striving for harmony their personal life goal is a lofty task.

Health care
The source of health and joy of life lies in prevention. A person must consciously and voluntarily decide to eat naturally and in a balanced way and to pay attention to the warnings of his body. Health and disease of individual organs usually do not occur randomly, but are very dependent on life views, circumstances and lifestyle.

Own responsibility
Knowing the connection between diet and health or illness gives people the much-needed insight that our well-being is not the responsibility of medical institutions, but primarily of ourselves. A doctor or therapist is like a guide when hiking in the mountains. The guide walks ahead of us and leads us along the path, but cannot carry the patient. The person must walk alone. It is necessary to learn how to take care of their own health: "Choose a predominantly vegetarian, natural, basic, wholesome diet with a large proportion of raw foods, and you will contribute greatly to long-term strong health and balance."

Balance as a life principle
Try to find a balance between tension and relaxation, between movement and rest, between mental and physical activity. Imbalance and disharmony in any area of life cause malaise and illness.

Attention and compassion
Living according to natural principles is much more than a technique. It requires an inner attitude based on a deep understanding and respect and compassion for nature. If we want to do anything about violence, whether against humans, the environment or animals, we must learn to respect life as something sacred. Allowing animals, as part of creation, to endure torture in experiments carried out on them is cruel and incompatible with love for nature.

The pursuit of health is a natural law
"It is never too late to start supporting nature in its pursuit of health, because the law of nature dictates that life must be preserved." Many people have regained their health after years of illness thanks to consistent lifestyle changes and natural remedies. The essence of natural holistic medicine is that it does not only treat the symptoms of the disease, but also tries to get to the bottom of their causes.

Holistic principle
"Each plant represents something complete, self-contained; for it is a recipe that comes from intelligence, clairvoyant foresight and wise planning. There is no telling what will happen to the value of an individual herb if its purposefully thought-out composition is destroyed." All active ingredients and accompanying substances of a medicinal plant have their own meaning; they complement each other and act as a whole. It is important that the plant grows from healthy seeds and in healthy soil, without the use of pesticides, and that it is processed into medicine gently, without the use of toxic or environmentally unfriendly excipients. If possible and reasonable, the medicine should be made from fresh herbs.

The power of love
In all your endeavors, let love, which is the most powerful force in the universe, guide you.

This wisdom was undoubtedly felt by all the sick who sought natural help at Alfred Vogel's clinic. No, they did not lie in hospital beds there, as in modern hospitals, but they actively participated in learning about the healing powers of nature and its medicinal plants, learning when to collect herbs, how to make quality preparations from them, when food is medicine and much more. When the disease stopped them, with Vogel's help (as a guide) they spent their recovery time actively and dedicated to themselves, and thus found the path to recovery.

Of course, we don't have to wait for illness to stop us. We can act preventively and consciously stop in time and dedicate this time to ourselves. A book can be a guide that helps us navigate in times of need. People's doctor. Although Vogel is no longer alive, his spirit lives on – in his writings. Since its publication in 1952, the book has been translated into numerous languages and has sold over 2 million copies. Many call it the book with the “source code”! And we really need that these days.

Text:  Adriana Dolinar, Ph.D.Vet.Med., the president Associations for the Awakening of the Whole Man and an external employee of the information center - Zadravje.net.
Source: https://www.zazdravje.net/scepci-zdravja/ustaviti-se-kot-preobrat-do-zdravja/