Conventional medical approaches often focus on prescribing medications instead of centering on how a person’s lifestyle has impacted their health. There are definitely times when medications are needed for a health issue and we are grateful to have medications then. However, there are other times when a natural approach could be tried before or instead of medications. A natural approach focuses on the root cause of a health issue which could be due to lack of physical activity, stress, unhealthy nutrition or smoking – to name a few examples. Also, a natural approach doesn’t have to be in place of conventional medicine, it can be an option in conjunction with conventional medicine.

Here are some benefits of natural approaches:

· We live longer - A natural approach highlights ways that a healthy lifestyle can prevent, treat or delay the onset of medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cancer. We live longer with a healthy lifestyle of healthy eating, exercising, sleeping better and minimizing stress.

· We have more tools - A natural approach gives us more tools to choose from when addressing a health concern or when maintaining good health. In different situations, we benefit from different options like herbal supplements, energy work, massage therapy or talk therapy. By having more tools, we’ll be able to find the right wellness approach for a particular health condition.

· We have less side effects - A natural approach tends to have less side effects and it encourages de-prescribing of medications. De-prescribing means we evaluate if any medications can be safely reduced or discontinued. The goal is to decrease the risk of drug to drug interaction and the risk of medication adverse effects. These medication side effects can impact the skin with a rash, redness or itching.

When we embrace a natural approach not only do we feel better overall but it’s better for skin health as well.