Beautiful Virgin Islands

Sunday, Oct 19, 2025

bVI can be a pioneer for natural medicine- Premier Fahie

Challenged the Territory, including traditional medical practitioners, to have an open mind

“My life got saved to be the Premier of this country today through natural medicine. I am not saying that natural medicine doesn’t have its place. I will never say that, that’s ignorance, they both must co-exist,” said Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Andrew A. Fahie as he noted that he will be pushing for the Territory to capitalise on the healing and financial benefits of natural medicines.

Premier Fahie was at the time contributing to the debate of the Medical (Amendment) Act, 2019, later updated to Medical (Amendment) Act, 2020, during the Eleventh Sitting of the Second session of the Fourth House of Assembly at Save the Seed Energy Centre in Duff’s Bottom, Tortola, on July 7, 2020.

Premier Fahie had said the bill sought, among other things, to update the Medical Act 2000 and to update how the registration of medical practitioners will be done.


VI can be a pioneer in natural medicine

“And the minister knows that while we are registering these practitioners with the Medical Act update that I am a proponent for natural medicine. It is something that doesn’t hit home with the traditional medical field but it is just like the cannabis, it is just like many other areas.

“The reason I am going into natural medicine, Mr Speaker, is we have to start being pioneers,” Hon Fahie stated as he referred to statements made by him previously in the House of Assembly about how Mr Noel Lloyd and others were mocked when they talked about canning tomatoes and coconut but now persons buying coconut in a bottle and cans from abroad.

“And we missed a whole economy where we could have been exporting and importing, so in the middle of COVID-19 we would have been known as an exporting Territory, rather than just importing.”


He said in the pharmaceutical industry it is similar.

“People get to hate based on how they were trained but if people get the facts of a lot of things they would realise that a lot of their anger towards certain entities and persons has been misdirected because if we had understood fully about what our old people were telling us about these natural medicines a lot of us would be living longer and healthier.”

“And I would be one of those in position fighting for natural medicines, yes, I believe in it. I also believe in the regular western medicine.”


Bringing the balance

According to Premier Fahie, he said he has been into natural medicine for years and he has nothing to hide about it and that he believes in it because it has a place to bring a balance to the regular medicine.

He said in some countries, patients are given the choice of herbal or western medicine.

“When we register the practitioners we cannot allow the old mentality and not allowing us a balance between the natural medicine and the traditional medicine to come into our medical field,” Hon Fahie said, adding that there will be criticisms but he has proven the effectiveness of natural medicines.

In fact, he underscored that it was natural medicine that had cured his ‘weak kidney and bladder’ problem as a child.

Further, he said he has done some studies in natural medicine and has seen their effectiveness, including helping persons with mental illness.

“Traditional medicines will never tell you how come. That is why we have to find how to register some of these persons in a legitimate manner.”


Resistance expected

Adding that he expects resistance to come against natural medicines being legitimised and mainstreamed, Hon Fahie said he was not going to come in a position of authority and be bullied by any medical person not to bring the balance.

“And we going to explore those here and any medical person who don’t want to explore those to help the people tell them they are to do one of two things; either next elections go put Fahie to sit down or retire because we coming through with it. I don’t have to make a dime from it but I know what I know.”

The Premier said even the Bible supports the use of natural medicine.

“In the Adventist [faith], the one person that got it close as could be was Ellen G. White. I read her books and most of those things were Godly divine that were given to her, but they work. But when you study the natural medicine you realise she was before her time when it comes to natural medicine and the eating of certain things…”


Don’t be a stumbling block

He urged persons to not be a stumbling block to the creation of this industry.

“Open your minds. There are colleges and universities now teaching this…”

“But I am asking that while we are here in the 21st century to open our minds and look back at our history, that when the old people were trying to tell us a lot of these things we ignored them, but everywhere else in the world has made them so huge that they have industries with a lot of these medicinal values of some of these bush. That is why I am a believer in the medicinal cannabis.

“I know the qualities it can bring. And I ask you while we are here how we are to know that some of the medicinal values of cannabis might not turn out to help COVID-19. If that is case you just realise what we just stumbled on? I like to keep my mind open and make possibilities for people because I know I will not be in this seat all the time,” Premier Fahie said.


What is Natural Medicine?

According to Health Times, Natural medicine can also be referred to as naturopathy; it is a form of alternative medicine which involves homoeopathy, herbalism, acupuncture, diet and lifestyle counselling, and more. It is thought that naturopathy originates back to 400BC and its founding principles were discovered by the Greek philosopher Hippocrates.

Natural medicine systems aim to incorporate gentle therapeutic techniques involving the body, mind and emotions to aid the healing process. They also focus on each patient as an individual and treating the whole person, instead of concentrating on a particular area or the patient’s ailment. It is believed that muscles, bones and nerves are interconnected, therefore when structures of the body system are aligned; the body is able to function optimally and support self-healing (2).

Natural medicine practitioners will make a conscious effort to avoid using methods which suppress symptoms, as the aim is for the body to restore its inner balance and heal itself. Practitioners also have a role to teach; by educating and empowering their patients, patients can take more responsibility for their well-being and adopt a healthier lifestyle and attitude. Another important principle of naturopathic medicine is prevention of ill health; this can be done through both teaching and patient counselling.

Almost no side effects, natural medicine tends to discourage the use of pharmacological drugs and allopathic medicines. A majority of therapies will be centred on stress relief, relaxation, and using natural supplements in healthy doses, therefore patients are unlikely to suffer adverse or undesired reactions.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
×