The experience of surviving malaria and typhoid fever might provoke a crisis of faith for many natural healing practitioners, since surviving requires copious amounts of heavy-duty medication.

Not Bermudian natural healer Larry Trott, 56. He is one of the directors of the Centre for Integrated Healing Arts in Hamilton.

Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite transmitted by mosquitoes. Symptoms usually include chills and fever.

Typhoid is a serious infection marked by intestinal inflammation and ulceration. It's caused by Salmonella typhosa ingested with food or water.

"I didn't see it as a crisis of faith," said Dr. Trott. "I saw it as something that boosted my faith."

Dr. Trott has written about the experience of surviving triple malaria combined with typhoid fever in a book called 'Bouncing Back, Thriving in Challenging Times'.

Dr. Trott's story is part of the best-selling 'Wake Up…Live the Life You Love' series of books.

"In 1999 I was travelling with an African dance company in Ghana, Africa," he said. "I probably didn't take the precautions I needed to take to keep away mosquitoes.

"I was probably careless, but I see everything as meant to happen."

Before visiting Ghana, Dr. Trott hadn't taken any of the preventative medication normally recommended before such a trip.

"You are supposed to take pills for malaria," said Dr. Trott. "I have travelled to Africa so many times and I have seen people take the pills and they still contract illnesses.

"I am not a pill person, so I didn't take them."

In Ghana, he first started to notice something was wrong when he woke up one night with a stomach bug.

"Most of the people in the group had been having stomach issues because of the change in climate and so forth. I brushed it off," he said.

Since the nearest clinic was closed for the night, he was driven to the local doctor's house.

"I had to stand on the porch waiting to see the doctor and I collapsed," said Dr. Trott.

But the doctor told him he would be alright, gave him some pills and sent him home.

But Dr. Trott wasn't alright. He began to feel worse and worse. Finally, a friend took him to the nearest hospital.

There, the diagnosis of triple malaria and typhoid fever was made. The 'triple' means he was bitten by several different mosquitoes carrying three different strains of the illness.

In the hospital he was written off as terminal.

"I couldn't feed myself and what was even worse was that I was in a hospital that didn't serve food," said Mr. Trott. "I had to depend on strangers to feed me.

"When I look back at it it was a wonderful experience because you can be in a desperate situation and think you are alone and you are not. People reach out to help you."

In the hospital he was put on intravenous medication and given several other medications.

"I don't know what they gave me, because I was out of it," he said.

After a month, Dr. Trott recovered and was released from the hospital.

A healer in the community gave him some herbs to help him get back to normal.

By the time he came home he had lost 35 pounds and was in really bad shape.

"During that month period I had been in the hospital I had virtually no appetite and was getting no exercise," he said.

One of the first things he did after returning was look up malaria in a medical textbook.

"The medical book only had double malaria and that is typically fatal," he said. "If you survive it you end up with brain damage or reoccurring bouts."

For his survival he credits his long-time practice of Qigong. Qigong is an internal Chinese meditative practice that often uses slow graceful movements and controlled breathing techniques to promote the circulation of qi (energy) within the human body, and enhance a practitioner's overall health.

There are also many forms of qigong that are done with little or no movement at all, in standing, sitting, or laying down.

"I was very appreciative that I had been practicing Qigong for almost 40 years," he said. "It strengthens your life force. It strengthens your internal organs and your cells.

"Through that cultivation you strengthen yourself and become more resistant to disease."

He also practices an Indian version of it called Pranayama.

"It is a blessing to survive malaria especially along with typhoid fever and the different strains I had," he said. "One of the things I learned is that it is good to be prepared when it comes to your health. You can have the defences within yourself to be able to resist or heal properly.

"A lot of us today wait until something goes wrong and then go to get it treated. In China, you go to a doctor who tries to keep you well."

He had started his healing practice two years before becoming ill.

When he returned to work he started to treat terminally ill patients, something he hadn't done before.

"I was able to walk in their shoes and know what it was like to be terminal," he said. "When I came back one of the first treatments I did was someone in the final stages of breast cancer.

"We approach it from the person's belief system. Some people really believe they can be cured. If they have that belief we work with them. We don't suggest to them that they stop their medical treatments. We help them with herbs and breathing exercises to control their pain."

He has since been back to Ghana a number of times and still doesn't take medication before he goes.

"I found alternative methods to deal with it," he said. "It is about being able to prepare yourself for conditions, and being able to deal with it afterward."

He said some preventative alternatives would include putting particular oils on your skin and using long sleeves to prevent yourself from being bitten by mosquitoes.

For a long time he looked for a way to share this life-affirming experience with others.

He took an online writing and publishing course with Arielle Ford, author of 'The Soulmate Secret' and the founder of the marketing and public relations firm, 'The Ford Group'.

"She has worked with people like Jack Canfield of the Chicken Soup series of books," said Dr. Trott.

Ms Ford introduced Dr. Trott to the 'Wake up and Live' series of books.

"For their latest book they were looking for people who had survived different crises," said Dr. Trott. "So I submitted my story."

'Bouncing Back, Thriving in Changing Times', is published by Little Seed Publishing.

It is available at www.barnesandnoble.com and Amazon.com and also through Dr. Trott himself.

Dr. Trott can be reached at www.integratedhealingbda.com or 292-2513 .

Other books in the series include 'Wake Up Live The Life You Love, Giving Gratitude' and 'Wake Up Live the Life You Love: Seizing Your Success'.