Aromatherapy - when the synthetic skin ran out in the hospitals post the 1st Bali bomb French Lavender was used of course, and a majestic essential oil it is. (Perhaps someone can identify the active compounds to bring us into the world of modern chemistry) Or feeling a bit anxious or stressed, have a whiff before bed and you will be pleasantly surprised. I could go on but point made I assume?

Therapeutic Massage - cannot say enough good things. By late avo, I can be wracked with aches and pains from not enough exercise with my productivity levels bottoming out, and if the Mrs does 5 minutes of walking up and down on me I am good to go again till late. Do you think I would want to swap that for a course of expensive pills with side effects? No, No, No.

Conversely, I do accept that some of the natural therapies on the list are faith based, but not all of them, thus one has to be careful not to throw out the baby with the bath water.

One must also consider how humanity got by before the days of synthetic pills. Well, one part of the answer to that question is not so well, the other part is evidenced based natural therapies.

And how is this one for those with certain types of Schizophrenia. CBD (Cannabidiol - one of the 60+ actives (non-intoxicating) in Marajuana) is just as effective as Amisulpride (without the nasty side effects) ref to Wikipedia if you wish to read the evidence.

For these types of natural therapies, the industry just needs some way to protect its investment if they tool up and the synthetics producers have had more than enough of a leg up in recent decades.

Tends to be the way with the best of the naturals, jut as effective without the side effects.

And for the cockies, a CBD (long since available for on line illicit purchase via 2 sealed seeds in a standard envelope) of Cannabis would protect some people when faced with mental breakdown and suicidal ideation.

Dear Dream On,

I have no objection to support for any therapy as long as there is reliable evidence for its efficacy. One of my sons is Director of Downstream Process Development for a pharmaceutical firm in the US. That means developing manufacturing processes for pharmaceuticals based on natural sources.

Hmmm .. yes I suspected that that was your position but let me throw you a curve ball, or a bit of a curly one.

And whilst it is not necessarily an argument to include faith based remedies, it may be an argument not to entirely dismiss them.

And that is the so-called placebo effect. Now, we cannot proove that this or that faith based technique works but, we do know that when given placebo (or in the absence of anything or say just a faith based remedy), that some people still surprisingly recover, or recover faster.

One conjectured possibility for why this is so is due to the potent effects of the so called "relaxation response," and in that state, the body is much better able to repair itself.

So, someone do correct me if I am mistaken on that one but I haven't heard other than the jury still being out on that one, but even so, there is a little bit of wriggle room for the alternatives i.m.o. <snicker, snicker>

The multiverse is a big amazing place and there is much that is that we simply do not have the techniques or the understanding to grasp as of yet. And whilst I am certainly not suggesting a departure from an evidence based approach, I do suggest that we do not close the door entirely on the alternatives.

'Please state who these secularists are who are looking for chaplains to do anything in the schools. I know of none, and I doubt that there are any.'

david f

check with the numerous secular principals who have asked for Chaplains before mouthing your ignorance.

Dear runner,

You made a statement which, as far as I know, has no basis in fact and then ask me to verify your nonsense. What nerve. You are asking me to look for something that I have no reason to think exists.

You are the one who made the statement. Now prove it. Name those secularists who want chaplains. I don't think there are any. If there are prove me wrong.

Dear runner,

Secularists want separation of religion and state. Having chaplains in the public schools is a violation of the separation of religion and state. No one who is a secularist wants chaplains in the schools. Your statement that secularists want chaplains in the public schools is simply nonsense.

Maybe find out what a secularist is before you spout off again.