Good doctor heals naturally

Komani-based doctor Lydia Jaceni is heeding the call to save lives after matriculating, but is doing it in a novel way by specialising in a more natural form of healing.

An increase in the incidences of lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart diseases, and obesity prompted Jaceni to pursue naturopathic healing – a blend of therapeutic procedures and ancient and traditional methods that are used in treating patients.

Jaceni, 30, is owner and in-house naturopathy doctor at the Komani Healthshop.She opened the facility in March 2017, but only began consulting and seeing patients in June.

Naturopathy is a healing method based on principles of promoting health and treating disease using the body’s inherent biological healing mechanisms to self-heal.

She said her initial scepticism to introducing alternative healing methods had been erased by residents who welcomed her approach and are raving about the results.

“I’ve been compared to a sangoma before, but through explaining and having people see what I do and how I do it, they have come to understand my alternative form of medicine,” she said.

“I am a qualified doctor. The only difference is in how I treat people. Instead of prescribing pills, I use herbal therapy, hydrotherapy, massages, as well as other procedures which stimulate blood circulation in the body.”

Born in Lady Frere, Jaceni matriculated at the Mount Arthur Girls High School before moving to Cape Town to pursue her Complimentary Health studies at the University of Western Cape.

“I completed a BSc in Complimentary Health Sciences before going on to a Bachelor of Complimentary Medicine in Naturopathy.

“I am currently doing a MSc Nano-Biomedical Sciences which I’ll complete this year.”

Every system in medicine is governed by its principles, and Jaceni said naturopathy principles were based on discovering the nature of a disease for every patient – as diseases unfolded differently in each person.“This medicine believes in individualised therapy. Naturopathic treatment strengthens the body’s own ability to regain and maintain health. It treats the person holistically, not the disease,” she said.

She said her interest in naturopathy allowed her to bring healing to patients using two of her favourite things: food and massages.

“Food is one of the things that I dearly love. “I was drawn to naturopathy because its main focus is to correct how we eat. To be able to help people using nutrition sounded really attractive to me,” Jaceni said.

“I also love body therapies such as massages, and this also forms part of treatment you get in Naturopathy so I am able to use both my passions.”Jaceni said the use of healing powers of nature had more holistic benefits for ailing persons.

Her health shop sells herbal medicines, organic foods and essential oils which all have natural herbs as their ingredient.