Although Parkinson’s disease has been recognized since early in the 19th Century, its cure remains beyond the reach of mainstream medicine. Holistic care offers options outside the medical approach, but even naturopathic doctors struggle to make headway against the ravages of this progressive, degenerative disease.
One of the new approaches to Parkinson that has yielded remarkable results is a new treatment approach called “Return to Stillness,” created by Australian naturopathic doctor John Coleman, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1995. Midway through a naturopathic degree at the time, he became determined to pursue a new course of healing and to take responsibility for his own recovery.
By 1998, completely symptom-free, Coleman completed his naturopathic degree and set out to share his recovery process with the world. He has since developed Return to Stillness as a guide for other patients and practitioners whose lives have been touched by degenerative disease.
In the course of developing his Parkinson’s treatment, Coleman used a variety of approaches that included dietary changes, homeopathic remedies, Bowen therapy, craniosacral therapy, massage, Reiki, meditation, herbs and counselling. Today, he teaches the most important parts of his own recovery process to other Parkinson’s patients.
Return to Stillness has three major components:
Bowen Therapy
A form of body work that supports your body in recovering its own sense of balance and drawing on the natural, innate capacity to heal yourself.
Aqua Hydration Formulae
“Compounded aqueous homeopathic remedies” designed to improve the uptake of water into the cells. This is the most controversial part of the Return to Stillness, but Coleman is certain that these remedies were a major component of his recovery.
Counselling
Everything from psychotherapy to nutritional counselling falls under this part of the program. Regular assessment by a naturopathic doctor is vital in the process of recovering from any serious illness. It enables patients to track their recovery and to better manage the supplements, dietary changes, meditation, and other tools involved in their long-term healing process.
Coleman mentions on his website that although the practices in Return to Stillness are meant to target Parkinson’s, they may also be helpful to anyone with other neurodegenerative or autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, lupus, chronic fatigue, muscular dystrophy and more.
Although Return to Stillness remains controversial, we’ve begun to use elements of this technique with our clients, with encouraging results. Dr. Coleman’s research offers hope to patients with Parkinson’s disease for whom crude symptom management used to be the only option.
Interested in learning more about Return to Stillness and other innovative solutions for Parkinson’s disease? Get in touch!
Posted: 2013 January 28
