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Martin Shaw
“I have been researching and using alternative
and complementary healthcare for 35 years. The research
has been pragmatic rather than scientific, insofar as
I've used myself as the laboratory and guinea pig, and
relied on observation and experience. It's been a wonderful
journey, and has led to an increasingly deep understanding
of my body-mind, and how it works. I have seen and experienced
many examples of so called 'miracle cures', and have
learned to accept them as part of my life.
“Fundamental to all this has been the adoption of
a vegetarian, alcohol-free diet, which quickly made
me more sensitive to the messages my body was giving
me, and then to interpret them. A cold became 'an elimination',
and rather than suppressing the symptoms, I learned
to understand why I had the cold, and then allow the
elimination by eating appropiately. Accidents, whether
minor or serious, became an urgent message from the
subconscious to wake up and see what the universe was
telling me. In this way, misfortunes have become a blessing,
and an opportunity. I have known several cancer sufferers
who have said they would not have missed it for the
world, and several who have been completely cured by
the adoption of complementary or alternative measures.
“I worked with a naturopath and iridologist in Australia,
a formidable and awesome lady who had cured herself
of liver cancer through diet. Such was her commitment
and faith in her methods, that I asked if she had lost
many patients. "Oh yes," she said, "because
after a time of following the diet and cleansing, they
feel wonderful, the doctors declare they are in remission,
and they want to resume their old eating habits. I say,
no, it takes two years for the signs in the iris to
change significantly, and that the subtle cancer tendency
is still there. But they go back to the old ways, and
die quite soon...."
“When it comes to plumbing and carpentry, modern medicine is wonderful.
Common sense would dictate that a compound fracture
should be treated by an orthopaedic surgeon rather than,
say, a homoeopath. But if the homoeopath and the doctor
can work together, we then have a very powerful healing
combination. I studied polarity therapy, which has its
roots in the ancient ayurvedic traditions of India.
One of my fellow students was a professor of surgery
at Cambridge who had been called in to try to assist
the breathing of a road traffic accident victim who
was dying. Unable to to do anything, he had asked his
team if they knew of anything, anything at all, that
might help. One of them had heard of a polarity therapist
in Cambridge, and the surgeon had the humility and wisdom
to call her in. She succeeded where medicine failed;
the patient survived; and the surgeon came to study
polarity therapy. If only the whole profession could
be so open minded....
“Some years ago, I sustained a serious back injury, which required surgery.
As a diagnostic aid, I was required to have a myleogram,
a procedure which involves the insertion of a long needle
into the intervertebral space and the injection of a
dye to allow the X-ray to be more clearly seen. One
of the side effects is a very severe headache due to
the loss of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the puncture
site. I was advised by a friend, a cranio-sacral therapist,
to visualise a white light around the site, and to "ask"
the CSF to move up and away from the puncture. During
the procedure, I heard a muttered exclamation from the
radiographer, who called his colleague over, when I
clearly heard him whisper, "... absolutely no CSF!"
When I asked what was happening, the response, of course,
was "Nothing, nothing." Back on the ward,
I was repeatedly offered painkillers for the headache
they couldn't believe hadn't arrived. I possess no special
powers of concentration, and this was done during the
inevitable stress and pain of the procedure. I sincerely
believe we all have the ability to understand and listen
to our bodies and minds and effect cures and relief
for ourselves in a healthy andnatural way.
“This has been my way of life for 35 years, and the journey goes on, and
the understanding accumulates and deepens. Our bodies
are our temple, and know how to heal themselves. We
have only to learn how to listen.
Martin Shaw is a much-loved British actor, who has starred
in many TV dramas and West End theatre productions.” |
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