July 2025 Issue 232

EDITOR'S LETTER

Why Natural Still Wins – Even When Ozempic Tempts

It’s hard to miss the buzz around Ozempic and its pharmaceutical cousins promising effortless weight loss. Just one injection and – voilà – the kilos melt away! But beneath the glamour lies a growing list of concerns. A recent study published in JAMA Ophthalmology links these drugs to a significant rise in age-related macular degeneration – a leading cause of blindness.¹ Though rare, the risk appears to increase with prolonged use.

This is the catch with quick fixes: they often come with a price tag beyond the pharmacy. They promise convenience, but at what cost to long-term health? I don’t say this to spark fear, but to call us back to our instincts. Our bodies are innately wise. They communicate. They adapt. They heal – when given the right environment.

Modern medicine tends to favour the masculine: fast action, control, suppression. There’s a time and place for that. But let us not forget the feminine: prevention, nourishment, listening, gentle intervention. It's not about gender – it's about balance. And right now, the scales have tipped too far toward intervention and away from integration.

In this issue, we offer a gentler way. One rooted in respect for the body. You may even find matcha making a reappearance in your kitchen cupboard. This ancient green powder is no mere fad, it’s backed by science. A 2022 pilot study found that overweight participants who added a daily cup of matcha to their low‑calorie diet lost body fat and improved markers of metabolism in just 12 weeks. Plus, research shows matcha consumed before a brisk walk can boost fat burning during exercise. It’s a gentle, natural ally, no needles, no band‑aids, just nutrition that honours your body’s innate wisdom.

Discover what happens when Reiki is integrated into medical care — and why hospitals around the world are taking it seriously. We invite you to reclaim the joy of movement, to consider whether your dairy doubts are well-founded, to explore how emotional wounds play out in children’s behaviour – and how to support them without reaching for a prescription first. We examine matters of the heart, both physically and spiritually. It’s a reminder that health is not something to chase with needles and pills, but to nurture day by day, step by step.

Let’s slow down. Let’s listen in. Let’s honour the body not as a machine to be hacked, but as a partner to be understood.

THANK YOU TO OUR EXPERTS

Our authors receive no payment or any other form of remuneration from us or from the industry. They take time out from their busy schedules to write articles – and then we insist that they meet our deadlines, submit extra references, answer endless queries from reviewers and copy editors, and respond to the letters we receive from you, our readers. Here’s to all of them! May their tireless and tremendous efforts bring them well-deserved rewards.