The use of natural means to heal the body is becoming more and more mainstream. This is of course how God intended for us to be healthy. But, with all the different herbs, essential oils, and nutritional supplements available, how do you know exactly what your body needs?  As a natural health practitioner, I do not diagnose or treat symptoms as I believe all disease comes from a root source.   Symptoms are the body's way of trying to heal.  By providing the body what it needs, such as nutrition, along with using natural remedies such as herbs and essential oils to restore balance to the body, the body is able to heal.   

There are four root causes of disease which are:

1. Nutritional Deficiencies - God created our bodies to need nutrients in order to be healthy and function properly. When we don't get those nutrients the body does not have what it needs in order to stay healthy. Supplementation has become necessary as even organic fruits and vegetables that haven't been treated with pesticides still don't contain the nutrients we need due to farming practices that deplete the soil of nutrients.
2. Toxicity or Poisoning - Toxicity or poisoning can occur from various sources such as additives and preservatives as well as pesticides in food, drugs, heavy metals, household cleaning products, poison from a snake bite or bee sting and the list goes on. Toxic waste can even come from our bodies, which is produced by metabolism. In order to stay healthy, these toxins and poisons must be eliminated from the system or tissue damage will occur.
3. Mental and Emotional Stress - We all have a certain amount of stress that we deal with from day to day. Whether it be work-related, financial or marital problems among others. These stresses actually contribute to poor health and can lay a foundation for disease.
   
4. Trauma - Physical trauma to the body such as with burns, broken bones, lacerations, etc can also contribute to poor health. When a tissue becomes damaged from trauma, it becomes more susceptible to disease than healthy tissue.
   

 What is ABC+D Health?

Activate - Activation is the primary and most important principle of natural healing. It involves dealing with mental and emotional stress and replacing negative attitudes with positive ones. By working on unresolved issues we address one of the 4 root causes of disease. This is done through the use of essential oils, flower essences, homeopathics as well as positive thinking, and prayer.

Building - Building is the process of putting good nutrition into our bodies. It is important to avoid food that is highly processed such as white flour, refined sugar and carbohydrates as well as hydrogenated fats and oils like margarine, shortening and cooking oil. We should also avoid foods that are contaminated with pesticides and herbicides as well as meat from animals who have been fed antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals used to fatten them up or make them produce more.  Another important part of building is supplementing your diet with vitamins and minerals and herbs to replace the nutrients that are lost in foods due to commercialized farming practices. 

Cleansing -  The Colon, Liver, Kidneys, Sweat Glands and Lungs are continously removing wastes from our bodies. Due to the Standard American Diet (SAD), our first channel of elimination, the colon, becomes sluggish and overloaded with toxic material. Thus creating a situation where nutrients are not being properly digested as well as toxic material is not being properly eliminated. This toxicity of the colon overburdens the other channels of elimination. Therefore cleansing is the process to help open up the body's elimination channels in order for metabolic waste and toxins to be properly disposed of.

Direct Aids -  Any Herb, Essential Oil or Nutritional Supplement that nourishes and supports specific body systems in order to correct imbalances. 

Source:  The ABC + D Approach, A Systematic Approach to Natural Health Consulting by Steven H. Horne, AHG