Better Health through Natural Healing, Third Edition: How to Get Well without Drugs or Surgery

1125 Pages·2013·5.06 MB·English

by  Ross Trattler N.D. D.O.

Electronic Edition: ISBN 978-1-58394668-8
Copyright © 1986, 2001 by Ross Trattler. Copyright © 2013 by Ross Trattler and Shea Trattler.
All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief reviews, may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the written permission of the publisher. For
information, contact Lotus Publishing or North Atlantic Books.
First published in 1986 by McGraw-Hill and Thorsons. Second edition published in 2001 by
Hinkler.
This revised third edition published in 2013 by
Lotus Publishing
Apple Tree Cottage, Inlands Road, Nutbourne, Chichester, PO18 8RJ, and
North Atlantic Books
PO Box 12327
Berkeley, California 94712
Drawings Emily Evans
Text Design Wendy Craig
Cover Design Paula Morrison
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: The following information is intended for general information purposes
only. Individuals should always see their health care provider before administering any
suggestions made in this book. Any application of the material set forth in the following pages is
at the reader’s discretion and is his or her sole responsibility.
Better Health through Natural Healing: How to Get Well without Drugs or Surgery is sponsored by the
Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences, a nonprofit educational corporation whose
goals are to develop an educational and cross-cultural perspective linking various scientific,
social, and artistic fields; to nurture a holistic view of arts, sciences, humanities, and healing; and
to publish and distribute literature on the relationship of mind, body, and nature.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-905367-43-6 (Lotus Publishing)
ISBN 978-1-58394-667-1 (North Atlantic Books)
The Library of Congress has Cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Trattler, Ross.
Better health through natural healing : how to get well without drugs or surgery.—Third
edition / Ross Trattler, ND, DO, and Shea Trattler.
pages cm.
Summary: “An essential reference book for alternative health practitioners as well as for
anyone seeking to heal common ailments and diseases effectively with natural treatments”—
Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-1-905367-43-6 (Lotus Publishing)—ISBN 978-1-58394-667-1 (North Atlantic Books)
1. Naturopathy—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Therapeutics, Physiological—Handbooks,
manuals, etc. I. Trattler, Shea. II. Title.
RZ440.T73 2013
615.5’35—dc23
2012050157
v3.1
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
1. Introduction
2. How to Use This Book
Part 1: What Is Natural Medicine?
3. Naturopathic Medicine
4. The Philosophy of Naturopathic Medicine
5. The Tools of Naturopathy
6. Botanical Medicine
7. Diet, Fasting, and Nutritional Therapy
8. Homeopathy
9. Hydrotherapy
10. Physiotherapy and Massage
11. Spinal Manipulation
12. Craniosacral Therapy
13. Health Topics of Special Interest
14. Weaning
15. Old Age: Its Cause and Prevention
16. Raw, Fresh Foods
17. The Mind-Body Connection
Part 2: How to Use Natural Medicine
18. Acne (Seborrheic Dermatitis)
19. Alcoholism
20. Allergies and Food Intolerances
21. Anemia
22. Ankle Sprains
23. Arthritis (Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis)
24. Asthma, Bronchial
25. Athlete’s Foot (Tinea Pedis)
26. Baldness (Alopecia)
27. Bedsores (Pressure Sores)
28. Behavioral Disorders, Depression, Stress
29. Body Odor (Bromhidrosis)
30. Boils, Furuncles, and Carbuncles
31. Bronchitis
32. Burns
33. Bursitis
34. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
35. Cataracts
36. Catarrh (Excess Mucus)
37. Celiac Disease (Nontropical Sprue, Gluten Enteropathy)
38. Cervical Dysplasia
39. Childhood Diseases (Chicken Pox, Measles, Mumps, Whooping Cough)
40. Cold Sores (Herpes Simplex of the Face and Mouth)
41. Colds, Coughs, and Sore Throats
42. Colitis (Ulcerative Colitis, Spastic Colitis, Irritable Colon, Mucous Colitis)
43. Constipation
44. Cradle Cap (Seborrheic Dermatitis)
45. Cystitis and Urethritis (Urinary Tract Infection)
46. Dandruff
47. Dehydration
48. Dementia (Age-Related Memory Impairment, Cognitive Dysfunctioning, Senility,
Alzheimer’s)
49. Diabetes (Type 2 Diabetes, Diabetes Mellitus, Sugar Diabetes)
50. Diaper Rash (Ammoniac Dermatitis, Napkin Rash, Irritant Contact Dermatitis)
51. Diarrhea
52. Digestive Disorders (Gastritis, Heartburn, Indigestion)
53. Diverticulitis and Diverticulosis
54. Earache (Otitis Externa and Otitis Media)
55. Edema
56. Emphysema
57. Enuresis (Bed-Wetting)
58. Epilepsy (Petit Mal and Grand Mal)
59. Fatigue (Including Chronic Fatigue)
60. Fever
61. Fibrocystic Breast Disease (Cystic Mastitis)
62. Flat Feet (Pes Planus, Fallen Arches)
63. Flatulence (Adult and Infant Colic)
64. Gallbladder Disease (Gallstones and Cholecystitis)
65. Glaucoma
66. Gout
67. Halitosis (Bad Breath)
68. Headache and Migraine
69. Heart Disease (Arteriosclerosis, Atherosclerosis, Angina, Coronary Heart Disease)
70. Heavy Metal Poisoning
71. Hemorrhoids (Piles)
72. Hepatitis
73. Herpes Genitalis and Cold Sores
74. Hiatal Hernia
75. Hiccup
76. Hives (Urticaria)
77. Hyperactivity (ADD/ADHD, Hyperkinesis, Hyperkinetic Impulse Disorder, Minimal Brain
Damage)
78. Hypertension (Essential)
79. Hypoglycemia and Hyperinsulinism
80. Immune Deficiency
81. Impotence (Male)
82. Incontinence (Female—Urinary Stress Incontinence)
83. Infertility
84. Insect Bites and Stings
85. Insomnia
86. Kidney Disease (Nephritis, Pyelitis, Pyelonephritis, Glomerulonephritis)
87. Kidney Stones (Renal Calculi, Nephrocalcinosis)
88. Leaky Gut Syndrome
89. Leg Cramps
90. Low Back Pain (Sciatica, Lumbar Disc Herniation, or Prolapse)
91. Mastitis (Acute)
92. Ménière’s Disease
93. Menopausal Problems (Change of Life, Climacteric)
94. Menstrual Disorders (Amenorrhea, Dysmenorrhea, Metrorrhagia, Oligomenorrhea)
95. Multiple Sclerosis (Disseminated Sclerosis)
96. Nail Abnormalities
97. Neuritis and Neuralgia
98. Obesity
99. Osteoporosis
100. Parkinson’s Disease
101. Peptic Ulcer (Gastric Ulcer, Duodenal Ulcer)
102. Phlebitis and Thrombophlebitis
103. Poison Ivy
104. Posture and Ergonomics
105. Premenstrual Tension Syndrome
106. Prostate Disorders (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, Prostatitis, and Prostate Cancer)
107. Psoriasis
108. Salpingitis and Salpingo-Oophoritis
109. Schizophrenia
110. Scoliosis
111. Senile Memory Loss (Age-Related Memory Impairment)
112. Sinusitis
113. Smoking
114. Sprains
115. Staphylococcal Infection (Impetigo, “School Sores”)
116. Stress
117. Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (Jaw Pain)
118. Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and Brachial Neuralgia
119. Thyroid Disorders (Simple Goiter, Hypothyroidism, Hyperthyroidism)
120. Tonsillitis and Adenitis
121. Tooth and Gum Disease (Caries, Periodontal Disease)
122. Underweight
123. Vaginitis (Thrush or Candidiasis, Trichomoniasis)
124. Varicose Veins and Varicose Ulcers
125. Warts (Verrucae)
126. Worms
127. Wounds, Minor Cuts, Bruises
128. Yeast Infection
Part 3: Appendixes
Appendix 1: Remedies
Appendix 2: Botanical Names
Glossary
Chapter 1
Introduction
This book was written out of true need. As the years passed in my
practice, I found that my memory was far from perfect. Treatments I
once knew well and had used successfully would sometimes evade me at
the moment they were needed most. In a busy practice, with patient
following patient, a doctor is called upon to discern the essence of a
problem and its cure with little time for pondering. Late in the afternoon
and worn out by a hectic day, I often found myself unable to remember
quickly a useful prescription or other aspect of therapy, or which book it
was in. At that time I used hundreds of reference books regularly. There
was no naturopathic equivalent to The Merck Manual, where one could
quickly look up essential details of a particular illness.
It has been over thirty years since I put pen to paper for the first edition.
Now, as I sit at my computer, I wonder how such a reference book could
have been written without the resources we have today. Information on
and about naturopathy and naturopathic treatment is much more
available, especially with the use of the internet. You can research a
particular therapy, supplement, herb, or any health topic you could
think of online. You can also use the internet to locate a qualified
naturopath practicing near you. Even with these new and accessible
resources, however, it is often most useful to have a major text to refer
to when the need arises. It is for this reason that I have decided to
release a completely revised third edition of Better Health through Natural
Healing. I have revised and updated each chapter to include changes
both in our approach to the treatment of a particular disorder and to
incorporate changes made possible through the immense amount of
nutritional research that has been done over the last twenty years
pertaining to natural therapies. You will find many new chapters that
were not in the first or second edition. Some I have written, but my son,
Shea Trattler, added many. Shea is my personal osteopath, and I am
proud to say that he is one of the best osteopaths I have ever known. He
has added all of the new chapters specifically relating to osteopathy, and
their inclusion adds greatly to the usefulness of this book.
This book has been written with both the lay public and practitioners in
mind. This is not always an easy marriage, and some sections may get a
bit technical for nonprofessionals. It isn’t a simple task to write a
comprehensive text on naturopathic medicine, or even on one approach
to this field. In reality, naturopathic medicine—the science and art of
natural therapeutics—can never be written down completely. Each
naturopath lives and breathes his or her own philosophy, and therapies
differ widely. Mine is no more correct than others, but it works well for
me in my practice. It is my hope to make these methods easier to
understand and more accessible.