Naturotherapy – age-old spa wisdom

There’s nothing new about the idea that we are what we eat… which is an extremely disconcerting thought for those of us who fear we might one day glance in a mirror, only to see a giant bar of chocolate staring back at us with a knowing look.

It’s safe to say that thanks to increased public awareness of the risks associated with certain foods, most of us are now more health-conscious when it comes to what we put in our weekly shopping trolley.

However, simply cutting back on a few grams of fat or several grains of salt isn’t going to lead to a whole new you. If you really want to make a difference to your health and general wellbeing, you need to adopt a healthier approach in every aspect of your life. And that’s where naturopathy comes in.

Naturopathy is far from being just another modern spa fad. Indeed it is one of the oldest approaches to healing, being based on the idea that the human body has an innate ability to keep itself well, provided we eat properly, exercise regularly, enjoy our work, family and social life, and inhabit an unpolluted environment.

Hardly rocket science, you might say, and there’s little doubt that following these simple tenets would do each and every one of us a power of good.  The problem is that our stressful, fast-paced, modern, polluted world makes it virtually impossible to follow these instructions to the letter.

What we can do is try to tackle the aspects over which we have at least a modicum of control – such as what we eat, the amount of exercise we take and various lifestyle choices.

If you make an appointment with a modern-day naturopath at one of the UK’s top spas, he or she will most likely ask a host of questions about your medical history, your diet and your lifestyle before making any recommendations for change.

And tempted though you may be to withhold the intimate details of your closet curry consumption, it pays to be absolutely hone