Martine Rolls: Going natural is healthy way to go

Shaun Holt has seen a gap in the market for natural supplements.

On Facebook, I have reconnected with a lovely woman I haven't seen in 20 years.

We were close once and I'm so happy I have found her. As you can imagine, we have a lot of catching up to do. So much has happened since we've last been in touch.

We both have children, two girls for her and two boys for me, and life sure had some surprises in store for each of us.

She loves that I've moved to New Zealand, wants to come visit, and asked lots of questions about what it's like to live here.

I was honest, highlighting the positives like that we're lucky to have a lot of space, a great climate, the beach, the bush, and that society is fairly open and friendly.

I also told her that it's an expensive country to live in, that wages are low, that stable jobs are hard to find, and that housing costs are ridiculously high. And, let's be honest, it isn't as clean and green as New Zealand Tourism likes to portray things either. It's a good country, but it's not perfect.

Talking further, she told me she was diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago.

"Don't worry. I'm okay now," she wrote. "I've had radiation and have been operated but I refused chemotherapy and hormone treatments as I believe that chemical junk would have killed me."

She explained how she was introduced to natural treatments and remedies and said it helped her more than anything pharmaceutical could have done.

She still takes a load of good supplements each day, exercises plenty and only eats organic, spray-free foods.

I'm so glad she is recovering. With a bit of luck, we'll get to see each other again in real life, which, of course, is always better than Facebook.

I'm planning another trip home for next year and will most definitely look her up.

She pointed me to a Facebook page named GreenMedInfo.com which is all about bringing information on the science behind natural-healing methods to the public, as well as to make research on the dangers associated with the use of chemicals in our food, drugs, water and environment readily available.

Although in good health myself, I've read a lot about natural remedies in the past few months because another dear friend has been struggling with her health and losing faith in the antibiotics the doctor keeps prescribing her.

Her bathroom cabinet is filled with pills and cremes that bring temporary relief, but nothing seems to fix her issues.

On Saturday, I read a story by reporter Sonya Bateman in the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend with the headline: It's all about trust for natural remedies. It can be found on bayofplentytimes.co.nz, too.

It's about Shaun Holt, a local medical professional known for questioning natural remedies who is launching his own range of natural supplements so doctors can feel comfortable recommending them to patients.

What stood out for me is that Professor Holt, who is launching the range not-for-profit, was quoted: "It's causing total confusion in my opinion about what to take.

"You go into a pharmacy and there's a big wall of products. Some are good and some are a waste of time.

"It's not just customers that are confused, it's doctors too. Doctors haven't been trained in supplements but patients ask them about them all the time."

The first product was launched last week, a probiotic for patients to take daily while on a course of antibiotics.

To further explain the benefits of probiotics, when a person takes antibiotics, harmful and beneficial bacteria that occur in the stomach are killed.

This can cause side effects, most commonly diarrhoea. Probiotics aim to counter this by reintroducing beneficial bacteria to the body.

Professor Holt's range of probiotics would cost $15 for a two-week course which isn't too bad as a small tub of probiotic yoghurt from the supermarket that claims to balance the gut's bacteria isn't exactly cheap either.

Papamoa registered naturopath Jaine Kirtley who was also quoted in the story said doctors weren't trained in natural therapies.

"People should go to doctors for things like tests, emergencies and operations but use natural supplements and herbal medicine in their healing, it's not always one or the other."

I'm not totally averse to the pills and potions created by the pharmaceutical industry but I do believe that nature itself is the best physician.

When I feel unwell, which fortunately is not often, I make sure to get a good dose of vitamin C, some sunshine, plenty of green-leaf vegetables and other superfoods on my plate. Plus lots and lots of sleep. It usually does the trick.

Martine Rolls is a Tauranga writer and digital strategist