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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



alternative medicine

Hbconnection asked:


It is alarming that North Americans consume an excess of 300% to 400% of the required daily fat intake. Therefore one in every four North Americans is considered to be clinically obese. Therefore there is a great need for healthy recipes. Healthy recipes are also highly needed for children and teenagers who are 20% or more than their ideal body weight.

How does one recognize healthy foods or healthy recipes? Firstly you must know how to ascertain the quantity of fat in the foods you buy. Foods from the meat market may not come with labels that tell you how much fat there is. Also, the labels of foods available at the supermarket may be very confusing to read.

One thing can help: calculate the percentage of fat in your food. According to FDA’s guidelines, you must read how many grams of fat there are in a product. Then multiply it by 9. Now divide the answer by the total number of calories mentioned in the label. Your answer may be a decimal number. This is the percentage of fat contained in that product.

The condiments, additives, sugar and salt content should be taken into account; but if you take care of the fat part, it will make a big difference. Avoid fast foods, as the spreads used are high in fats. If you get on the internet, you will find innumerable healthy recipes that can benefit you and your whole family. Healthy recipes limit the use of butter, coconut, salad oils, cream or cheese as all these foods have very high fat content that range from 90% to 100%.

In case you are on the lookout for a diet plan or want to find a dietician or a health and nutrition service, you can visit www.hbconnection.com- the only health and beauty search engine!

Just enter your zip code and state, and you will find all the health and nutrition services in your local area.



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Madhavi Porori asked:


A little bit of replacement of the ingredients can be very good and useful. Low fat food is an important one. Knowledge on low-fat basic cooking tips is a great way to help make the foods that your family loves without sacrificing the quality of the recipe. I have always loved to made banana bread for my family. Though it is an excellent recipe but the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of oil. I detested the adding of all that fat to the recipe and worried about the health of my family. Therefore I quit making the bread. Though my family complained but I’m more worried about their health than I did their complaints. Recently I found out that it is possible to replace with 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce for the oil in my banana bread recipe. Miraculously, the banana bread is moist, flavorful and no one in my family could taste the dissimilarity. Currently, I make the banana bread they enjoy with the personal satisfaction that they are not eating an unhealthy snack.

Soon after, I was amazed to find out that applesauce can also be used in place of butter for most recipes. Matching the measurement closely, take for example ¼ cup butter to ¼ cup of applesauce does not affect a recipe with the exception of providing less fat in the final product. A further discovery in basic cooking tips that I did not apprehend is that 1/2 cup evaporated fat free milk can be used as a substitution for 1/2 cup of heavy cream. This is one more calorie saver in addition to healthy substitution that saves my family from eating too many unhealthy calories and still allows me to prepare the foods that they love.

Spending some time to research low-fat substitution in daily cooking recipes can create a huge difference in the daily, monthly and yearly fat intake consumed by you and your family. Study supports that most Americans increase an average of ten pounds per year and that the obesity rate in the United States keeps climbing every year. Therefore if you want to eliminate yourself and your family from the high-risk weight gain issues that are plaguing the United States today, retraining and rethinking the way you prepare your food could make all the difference. Low fat food can save from many health problems including heart attack.



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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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Shaun Parker asked:


Alternative medicine can be defined as any form of therapy, practice or treatment which is outside the mainstream or beyond the realm of the conventional.

More generally it can be defined as any approach or medicine which differs from conventional Western forms. Alternative medicine is often talked about in conjunction with Complementary Therapy and the umbrella term Complementary & Alternative Medicine or CAM is used.

As a general guide some of the more mainstream CAMs are acupuncture, acupuncture, aromatherapy, herbal medicine, homoeopathy, hypnotherapy, massage therapy, naturopathy, reiki, reflexology & Yoga.

Alternative medicine in the UK is growing year on year and in 2006 it generated expenditure of 1.6 billion pounds. Large numbers of people choose to seek out alternative forms of medicine subsequent to a diagnosis from their GP or other traditional route. However in the main, research shows that people tend to use CAMs in parallel with conventional medicine. There is often resistance from GPs to recommend or refer a patient to an alternative therapy where they consider empirical evidence to be limited or non-conclusive and the research methods are not always standardised as with traditional medicine. There are also often funding issues relating to onward referrals within the NHS.

However, the CAM sector is responding to this criticism by adopting the standard research methods & evidence provision in line with the medical establishments traditional methods. This is largely assisting with the rapid growth of this multi-layered industry, alongside the continually growing wealth of positive empirical evidence.

Generally speaking CAM’s can be organised into five key areas, although it should be noted that there are number of areas where these overlap. These areas are -

Whole Medical Systems (WMS)

WHMS have been developed in the West – often with it roots in other medicine systems. Examples of this type of system are Naturopathy – helping or stimulating the body’s own in-built healing system by improving diet & lifestyle in conjunction with other CAMs such as acupuncture and massage. A good non Western parallel to this system is Chinese Medicine as is Ayurveda which hails from India and takes the holistic approach of treating the mind body & spirit via massage, yoga, herbs & meditation.

Another WMS which developed in recent years in the West is Homeopathy the practice of stimulating the healing system of the body by delivering minute amounts of certain elements or substances which in much higher doses would be detrimental or dangerous to a patient’s health.

Mind-Body Medicine (MBM)

MBM can call upon a number of techniques which are aimed at improving the symptoms & functions of the body e.g. meditation, Yoga etc. A number of therapies which historically where thought to be CAMs are now firmly placed in the mainstream such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming).

Biologically Based Practices (BBP)

BBP are derived from elements and materials which are found naturally such as vitamins for supplements, healthy foods for well being & detoxification and herbs helping with everything from pain relief to stress & weight loss. Biologically based practices in CAM use substances found in nature, such as herbs, foods, and vitamins. Some examples include dietary supplements, herbal products, and the use of other so-called natural but as yet scientifically unproven therapies (for example, using shark cartilage to treat cancer).

Manipulative and Body-Based Practices (MBBP)

MBBP work by manipulation, pressure and rubbing of soft tissues and muscles aimed at promoting repair, better health & flexibility. These type of therapy work by removing scar tissue, promoting oxygen flow and helping the removal of toxins and acids.

A number are further examples of therapies which are becoming less and less alternative and more mainstream. These include Chiropractic, Osteopathy, Massage & other body work such as Shiatsu and Sports Massage.

Energy Medicine Therapies (EMT)

EMT are believed to help the patient by tapping into the energy fields which cloak the human body and restoring balance, improving energy flow and clearing blockages. Examples of these type of therapies are Reiki, Chinese Medicine and Energy Healing.

So, why the growth in CAMs? Well, in recent years patients have gradually taken more accountability & responsibility for their health and are not as happy as maybe they once were to be told what to do or how to live. As a result they are becoming more autonomous and seeking out their own alternatives and solutions.

It is important to note they don’t side step mainstream traditional medicine but seek help from CAMs to complement their treatment. Part of the reason for this empowerment is the growth of the internet and the ease of access to swathes of information, research, forums and feedback available at a click on the World Wide Web. Recent research has shown that over 60% of internet users use the web to provide answers on health related issues.

In addition to the ground swell of the general public embracing CAMs, areas of traditional medicine are adopting and recommending alternative therapies. The NHS now has as 5 hospitals offering CAMs for patients and more and more health professionals such as doctors, nurses and mid wives are training in alternative therapies to offer within their mainstream practice.



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