Illness, Health, and the Body’s Natural Power to Heal

Natural medicine offers us powerful tools not only to heal, but also to prevent disease before it even begins. While Western medicine is essential in emergencies and can save lives, it doesn’t usually deal with the root causes of illness. Natural healing looks at the whole person, body, mind, and soul and helps restore the balance that Hashem created in us.

Ideally, the two approaches can work together. Imagine a hospital that sees not just a body to fix, but a soul inside a body, full of purpose and potential. That is where true healing happens.

What Is Illness?

According to our sages, the Hebrew word for illness, machala, is closely tied to the word for healing, refuah. In natural medicine, symptoms like diarrhea or inflammation aren’t the illness itself. They’re signs that the body is already in healing mode, trying to expel toxins and restore balance. If we don’t interfere with harmful medications or unhealthy food, the body can often recover on its own.

The true “illness” is the buildup of waste and toxins in the body before the symptoms appear. When the body can no longer handle the overload, it sends out signals such as pain, fatigue, discomfort, asking us to pay attention.

Unfortunately, most people try to suppress these warning signs. We take medicine to stop a runny nose or calm inflammation, which blocks the body’s effort to clean itself out. This stage may feel uncomfortable, but it’s actually the healing process. If we let it finish naturally, the body can often return to balance.

What Is Health?

Health means your body is getting rid of more waste than it takes in. In other words, your inner “cleanup crew” is working better than the incoming mess.

What Is Healing?

Healing is the process of cleansing that waste. Every organ and tissue in the body is designed with its own tools to do this.

What Makes a Healthy Lifestyle?

A healthy lifestyle is about more than just food. It’s about getting enough restful sleep (and sleeping at the right times), physical movement, clean air and water, positive and focused thinking, and trust in Hashem's plan. Belief in the Creator’s wisdom, and in the Torah laws He gave us, is a core part of living in health. And perhaps the most powerful element is faith (emunah) is knowing that everything we go through is for our ultimate good and personal growth.

Six Fundamental Beliefs in Natural Healing

1. The body is always trying to return to balance.
   Just like a small cut on your finger heals itself with no help, all diseases big or small are part of the body’s effort to heal. Illness is not an accident, but a result of going against the natural laws Hashem set in place.

2. Bacteria don’t “attack” us randomly.
   In fact, they help clean waste from the body. As the Rambam (Maimonides) taught, a clean body doesn’t get sick easily. Bacteria are part of Hashem’s design and they’re helpers, not enemies. Each organ has its own “cleaning crew” of bacteria meant to keep it healthy.

3. The body is one whole system.
   When something is off in one area say, the liver or the lungs then it means the entire body is out of balance. We don’t just treat the organ. We care for the whole person.

4. There is a powerful healing energy inside each of us.
   Hashem gave us inner strength and natural intelligence that guides our body to heal. We just have to trust it.

5. The body runs according to divine wisdom.
   There are no “mistakes” in the body. When we live in alignment with the laws of nature, our body performs exactly as it should.

6. From a natural perspective, there are no “disease types.”
   Western medicine names and classifies hundreds of diseases, each with its own treatment. But natural medicine sees it differently. Whether it’s a simple cold or something more serious like cancer, the difference lies only in how many toxins have built up over time. The real solution is deep detoxification, cleaning the body and even doing emotional healing. Because illness doesn’t just live in the body. It can live in the heart, mind, and soul too.

How Does the Body Clean Itself?

Hashem gave us five main pathways to release waste:

• Intestines

• Liver

• Kidneys

• Skin

• Lungs

Our job is to protect these organs, keep them strong, and avoid blocking their work. That’s where healing truly begins.