Archive for the ‘Alternative Medicine’ Category

 

Alternative Medicine – is it Right for You?

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
Mick Hince asked:


In the last few decades Alternative medicine has matured and is no longer known as something that has been offered by freaks and con men. But what is alternative medicine and how would you define it as there are so many aspects and each seems to want to grab the limelight in different categories?

To write a paragraph on each of the different types of alternative medicine I would be sat at my office desk for years only to find that when I thought I had finished new lines of interest would appear. But knowing which type of alternative cure you should go for is difficult, and the only sure way a patient will know is by trying different ones themselves.

As the world tends to get smaller through modern travel and with the age of the computer more and more local alternative medicines get known. Some may have been round for years like that of Lepidium Meyenii (Macca) from Peru that helps women in their menopause time of life.

Originally this would be used for strength and fertility and only in the last few decades has it been used as an alternative medicine.

Some natural things like honey are nature’s goodness and must never be overlooked. Start taking a tablespoon full of local honey twice a day and it will help with allergies like that of hay fever, asthma and eczema. Carrot juice is another natural product, and as carrots are relatively cheap it is something you can experiment yourself without breaking the bank especially when you look at some of the high prices being charged by some health companies.

Then you might like to look at Homeopathic cures which have been used for centuries or maybe you would rather go down the route of the Supergreens as there are quite a few on the market to go for. These Supergreens do mean that you have to change your diet quite drastically but they are said to work and there are many people that swear by them.

To sum up about alternative medicine I think that there are so many different types it is difficult to know what to go for but on reading about and hearing from different people it is always worth while taking the time to find out more. After all your health is important, and without it you can be doomed to a life of misery.



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Tips for a Healthy Diet

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
Gen Wright asked:


You should not try to revamp your diet altogether when it comes to eating well, maintaining your present weight or losing them. It is better to just make little changes over a period of time since you are more likely to stick with them. For a change, you may try these simple but healthy eating exercises.

At first, you may think that these steps are somewhat ridiculous. You may think that these changes may not make a big impact on your diet and may ignore it. Just think that being big started with being small. These little things can make wondrous changes if taken into consideration and may give you the realization that even a small step can do you good in the end.

Mind your breakfast. A nourishing breakfast will have you energized for the day and aids you to prevent from binging shortly after. An easy-to-prepare breakfast that is also recommended for joggers include toast of whole wheat spread with peanut butter, cereal with low-fat-milk and fruit, whole-grain waffles, or yogurt with fruit. Fruit alone actually is enough as long as you feel satisfied.

Try low calorie, low fat substitutes of your much loved foods. Do not suppose that you need to avoid comfort foods like mac-and-cheese when you are trying to eat better and lose weight. Use low calorie concoctions or prepare it in a different way. For instance, if you use whole milk, butter, and cream cheese, why don?t you try remaking you mac-and-cheese with skimmed milk, a little less on the butter and light cream cheese? To make it even healthier, you may also add tomatoes and spinach.

Look for and use recipes that are low calorie substitutions of your favorite dishes. Just bear in mind not to increase your portion sizes.

Observe your portion sizes. Standard sizes may in fact be lesser than you imagine. If you place more helpings of food in front of you, you will eat it since it’s there.

Eat an abundance of fruits, whole grains and vegetables. Try to eat brown rice as an alternative of white rice. Brown rice tends to be released by your body as it is. Make do with whole wheat pasta as a replacement for regular pasta. Aspire for more servings of vegetables and fruits everyday. You do not require huge quantities of fruits and vegetables.

Maintain healthy food and drinks on hand. Since joggers frequently get hungry all through the day, it is imperative to have healthy snacks accessible, particularly when you are working. Maintenance of healthy snacks like fruits, vegetables, low-fat popcorn, or energy drinks readily available will stop you from coursing to the vending machine for an unhealthful bite.

Begin with lean pieces of meat and poultry. The leanest choice for poultry is the white meat from chicken?s skinless *******. When grocery shopping for beef, look for sirloin, chuck, round or tenderloin. Choices for lean pork include loin chops and tenderloin.

So, you do not have to sacrifice the foods you find irresistible to guarantee your excellent health. You may still take pleasure in all foods as a part of your healthy diet. It is more an issue of how a great deal and how frequently you eat them.



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5 Types of Alternative Medicine to Consider

Monday, December 7th, 2009
Danny Wright asked:


There has been a growing debate over whether or not alternative medicine is effective. While it has not been scientifically proven to heal illnesses, it has been known to work for many people. And because of this, the various treatments continue to grow in popularity. Here are 5 types of alternative medicine you may find yourself needing in the future.

1. Acupuncture

Acupuncture can be done for a number of different conditions. The treatment consists of placing fine needles into the body at various points along the body’s energy channels. It has been found to be a promising treatment for dental pain and nausea for chemo. Additionally, it is used to treat arthritis and back pain, but has not been proven to help either of these conditions.

2. Biofeedback

This is one of the more controversial alternative medicine treatments because of the effects it has on the mind. It is a procedure in which electronic monitors help train a patient to use the mind to relax and control pain. Throughout the procedure, the heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tensions are measured. It has been found to help patients with back pains, headaches, fibromyalgia, and muscle pains.

3. Chiropractic

Chiropractic has become perhaps the most practiced alternative medicine out. There are thousands of chiropractic offices where a patient can go in and get adjusted and be on their way. Chiropractic is a system of spinal adjustments or manipulations that help correct misalignment of the vertebrae. It can be helpful for back pains, neck pains, headaches, sports injuries and anything else related to the spinal cord.

4. Hypnosis

This is a practice that induces an intense state of focused attention with the hope that the subconscious mind becomes more powerful. There is some solid evidence that this alternative medicine treatment can reduce pain and anxiety. It can also assist in relieving chronic pain, severe burns, and disorders that are worsened by stress.

5. Magnet therapy

Magnet therapy is done by placing magnets on the body to stimulate circulation and increase the release of the body’s own-relieving chemicals. There is little evidence that can prove that this method really does work. However, there are a number of athletes that are adamant that this treatment works.

For now, many alternative medicine treatments do not have concrete evidence that they do work effectively. Despite this, many of the methods continue to grow in popularity and more and more people every year are turning to alternative medicine to treat their illnesses.



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Is Alternative Medicine Safe and Effective?

Thursday, November 19th, 2009
Freddic asked:


As a kid I remember that when I would get a tummy ache, my mom would ask me to lie down and slowly sip through a drink of homemade lemonade with a dash of black salt, before dad could take me to a physician.

Today when I look back and remember, I reckon that to treat my tummy ache I was put on a course of an integrative medicine Alternative Medicine (the lemonade) + Conventional Medicine (physician prescribed drugs).

Alternative Medicine & Its Usage

Complementary and Alternative Medicine or CAM, comprises a broad range of healthcare practices, products, and systems, which don’t form a part of the conventional medicine. For instance, herbal materials, preparations and products used by Asian systems of medicine such as Ayurveda or Traditional Chinese medicine. It also includes practices viz. Acupressure, acupuncture, aromatherapy, or mind body approaches such as prayer, mental healing, meditation, etc.

Moreover, a lot of people around the world use Alternative medicines, for example in China it makes up for about 40% of healthcare delivered, in Africa 80% of the population uses it, about 48% Australians have used it at least once. In North America, 42% of USA and 70% of Canada have used it at least once. Usage is similar in Europe too, for instance 75% of France has used it at least once.

Is It Effective?

“It is,” “it isn’t,” and “I can’t say,” all of these at the same time. Given the scientific research conducted on Alternative medicine till now, it appears that a sweeping statement would be a bit too far fetched.

For instance, evidence in support of acupuncture, many herbal medicines and manual treatments does exist. On the other hand St. John’s wort didn’t seem to have an affect on the symptoms of ADHD in children and adolescents (Weber W, Vander Stoep A, McCarty RL, et al, 2008). And that, “I can’t say,” because research on many such treatments is unavailable.

Is It Safe?

Today, a perception exists that if something is natural or organic, it can’t be harmful. This belief might not be true in all cases, e.g. Snake venom is all natural and organic, but is it safe for human consumption?

Sometimes herbs can be harmful by their very nature, e.g. kava and comfrey are herbs but still have been associated with liver damage.

At other times inappropriate regulation or administration of herbs and therapeutic procedures could render highly effective alternative treatments hazardous. Consider acupuncture, though it’s been found to be effective, but if unsterilized needles are used it could lead to infection. Similarly, an overdose of Ephedra, a herbal remedy of respiratory congestion may lead to heart attacks, strokes and even death.

Forget herbs, an overdose of water too can lead to water intoxication and even death. Herbs aren’t an exception and some of them may even react undesirably with other conventional medication, or some might not be suitable for consumption during pregnancy.

However, undesirable consequences of alternative treatments due to inappropriate administration, by no means imply that alternative treatments are unsafe by themselves. Rather, proven alternative medicines when properly administered, are not only safe, potent and cost effective, but also offer patients a choice.

All in all, an absolute yes or no answer vis-a-vis safety and effectiveness of Alternative medicine doesn’t exist. Assuming quality formulation of Alternative medicines, they can either be a boon or a bane depending upon which treatments are administered, as also when and how they’re used.

BTW, I still relish the lemonade my mom makes, whether I have a tummy ache or not!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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Hilot: An Alternative Medicine Treatment

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
Ryan Kaufman asked:


Alternative medicine has risen so quickly in popularity that many forms of alternative medicine treatments have been brought into the spotlight. The alternative medicine massage treatment is among these.

Massage is a great way to relax the body and take away the stress and problems of the day. The more common reasons that people get an alternative medicine massage is to rid their body of kinks and to feel refreshed afterwards.

The History of Hilot

Hilot as an alternative medicine massage originated from the Philippines. There are several varieties of this kind of alternative medicine massage. It has been a useful way of treating so many things from the flu to sprains and even dislocations. It is embedded in the culture of the country and there are, up to this very day, a few people who practice this type of alternative medicine massage.

The mang-hihilot or masseuse tends to guard their secrets methods of kneading and herbs that this is now uncommon to get a person who is skilled at it. Due to the close guarding of the trade secrets of the masseuse, they only teach their close relatives this art of alternative medicine massage in order to keep the family line going. It is uncommon today to actually have a Hilot that is performed by someone with ancient heritage.

Hilot goes as far back as the 5th century in the tribes of the Filipino people. It is unfortunate to note that there are no written facts or documents regarding the exact ways of this alternative medicine massage. What has been handed down from generation to generation of mang-hihilot contains variations added or subtracted by the current masseuse.

Uses Of This Alternative Medicine Massage

The hilot type of massage is often used to alleviate aches and pains due to overwork or stress. It is also common for a hilot masseuse to attend to a pregnant woman during birth or to change the position of the baby.

Other hilot massages also help to ease the pain of a sprain or a dislocation. These massages can be painful therefore the person giving the hilot usually asks the individual to chew on some leaves or to take a brew which can alleviate pain. Although the pain can be very intense to begin with, many claim that the medicinal value in the future fare outweighs the temporary discomfort of the treatment.

This form of alternative medicine massage is very effective especially for the stress related aches and pains. Many of todays clients of hilot massages are doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers, and real estate brokers. These high stress jobs require a release of stress and many have found that massage is the perfect way.

It is typically done with the accompaniment of virgin coconut oil to rub or knead at the muscles. After a hilot session, you are usually warned not to bathe for approximately twenty four hours. This is because the special oils used in the hilot session are rumored to only work if given enough time to soak in though the skin.



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