Saturday, August 4, 2012

Living in Harmony with Nature

In Korea before 2009, unused chemical synthetic medicines were thrown away, either flushed down bathroom toilets or put in the trash, polluting the rivers and soil.  Now, unused medicines are collected in receptacles at the pharmacies by the government health centers, and disposed of safely.

A  Culture of Life Committee member, who is a doctor of Oriental medicine, writes about the difference in the manner of disposing of  Oriental and Western medicines. Many people go the Oriental medicine clinics to ask for what's left-over from the making of the  medicines in order to fertilize their gardens. These medicines are considered safe by everyone, since they are made from the same stuff we are made of, from natural materials.

From the first chapter of Genesis, we know that what God made was good, and that what he made was given to us to use and care for. It's obvious, he says, that we have not done a good job of caring for it.

With the increased use antibiotics the germs and viruses have become stronger and more difficult to overcome, requiring even stronger antibiotics to achieve the same level of protection: a vicious cycle. In the process we are producing super-viruses, making it more difficult for our immune systems to fight against disease. The rational of Oriental medicine is to work in harmony with the body and the immune system. Strengthening the immune system helps the body to regain its former vigor to resist the attacks of the microbes and disease causing elements, using only natural means.   It's an environmentally friendly way of treating the body.

The advances made by science are dazzling. However, with the breakdown in the order of creation and the indiscriminate use of scientific techniques, these scientific advances have made humanity uncomfortable, and it may come to a point of self-destruction.  When human life is in harmony with our environment then all tends to go well, because we  are part of creation, and natural medicine is also a part of God's providence. It would be well to keep in mind, the doctor says, the lessons learned from the Tower of Babel.