A Non-Traditional Approach to Healing

March 05, 2012

Modern medicine can be a marvelous thing, but there are some cases when perhaps it's wiser to ignore the doctor's orders and pursue an alternative remedy. The library happens to be one place you can look for non-traditional cures.

In 1979, I remember watching a made-for-TV movie called Son Rise: a Miracle of Love. It was the story of Raun Kaufman, who was diagnosed with severe autism. Medical practitioners advised his parents to institutionalize him. Instead, they embarked on their own journey, which eventually allowed them to break into their non-communicative son’s world. Their dedication and commitment led to a breakthrough that transformed Raun from a mute, withdrawn child with an IQ of 30, into a highly verbal, socially interactive boy with a near genius IQ.

Raun went on to graduate from an Ivy League University and became the CEO of the Options Institute and the Autism Treatment Center of America. His father, Barry Kaufman, has authored two books about their experience:  A Miracle to Believe In and Son Rise: The Miracle Continues. Additionally, he has written 10 other books related to his work with The Option Process® and The Son-Rise Program®.

At the age of 6, Lorenzo Odone was diagnosed with Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). The medical community knew very little about this disease and had no cure available for it. Doctors told his parents, Augusto and Michaela, that Lorenzo would eventually lose all his functions and die within two to three years. Unwilling to accept this news, the Odones set out to learn everything they could about ALD and eventually discovered an oil mixture (patented as “Lorenzo’s Oil”) that stopped the progression of his disease, though it was unable to reverse the damage already done. In 1992, a movie--Lorenzo’s Oil--documenting their struggle to defeat ALD hit theaters starring Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte. The Odones have since founded The Myelin Project, a research initiative dedicated to discovering a way to rebuild the myelin sheath, which diseases like ALD and multiple sclerosis destroys. Lorenzo Odone passed away after his 30th birthday, surviving much longer than doctors originally predicted.

I bring up these two cases because sometimes the medical community doesn’t have all of the answers and personal research is necessary. At times, the best course of action may be to go against medical advice and visit the local library instead. My own search for unconventional cures led me to the library where I found Breathing Free: The Revolutionary 5-Day Program to Heal Asthma, Emphysema, Bronchitis, and Other Respiratory Ailments by Teresa Hale. Now, I can’t give medical advice, but I can recommend that you read this book if you suffer from one of the listed ailments. (Note: Kansas City Public Library has it, but MCPL can borrow it for you…just ask).

MCPL has a number of informative informational books and case studies of unconventional healing practices. Prolific author James Patterson wrote Against Medical Advice, the true story of Cory Friedman, whose life changed at age 5 with a Tourette's-like series of irrepressible tics and verbal utterances. With each specialist visit and each new medication, the symptoms of his undiagnosed illness became worse, causing him to spiral into alcoholism, depression, and resulting in institutionalization at a mental hospital. If you haven’t read this inspirational story, I recommend it! My third recommendation is a more general guide to alternative medicine, Kevin Trudeau’s Natural Cures “They” Don’t Want You to Know About. There is a wealth of information in this book worth considering.

These are just a few examples of what you can find at the library related to alternative medicine, a holistic approach to healing, and non-traditional medical treatments. We also have a variety of cookbooks specific to different medical conditions (i.e. low cholesterol, gluten free, low fat, glycemic index, allergen free, etc.).

If you have a book recommendation for this topic, please be sure to post it in the comments!

Debbie A.
Blue Ridge Branch