Many categories of healing methods fall under natural medicine. Among these are traditional medicine, complementary medicine, and alternative medicine. Usually, natural medicine refers to medical practices that were in place before the advent of modern medicine. This would include herbal medicine, or phytotherapy, which is prevalent in Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic(or Indian), and Greek medicine.
With the advent of modern medicine, many professionals discarded the use of herbs in favor of man-made medicine. The fact that these treatments are based on the healing properties of some herbs was forgotten. For example, opium, digitalis, quinine, and aspirin all have their roots in traditional medicine.
Natural medicine is considered a lost art. This doesn't necessarily mean that it has lost efficacy over time. In some cases, natural therapy is actually better than modern medicine. This leads some doctors to seriously consider, and study, the possible uses of natural medicine.
Before I continue, it is important to stress that not all the natural remedies are legitimate. You would be well advised to only try those remedies which have been thoroughly studied and are relatively risk free.
There are many well-documented and studied herbal remedies available. However, only those that deal with minor ailments such as cough, colds, skin rashes, and its ilk are likely to be recommended by health professionals. These remedies are sometimes superior to synthetic medicine because herbal medicines are less likely to cause negative side effects.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
What is Natural Medicine Exactly?
When you get sick, you go to the doctor. The doctor will, of course, prescribe medicine, you will go and buy the medicines and then you take them, and hopefully, you get well. This is how the health profession operates nowadays a cycle of diagnosis and prescription.
Probably, if anyone were to suggest herbs to be used as medication, you would think that person was a quack and didn't know what they were talking about. But currently, studies are being conducted to see if there is actually any merit to what is called natural medicine.
Natural medicine is the use of natural methods, herbal medicines, and traditional practices to heal ailments. Every culture has a form of natural medicine. In ancient cultures, village medicine men served as the doctors of the community, passing on medical knowledge to the apprentices that followed them.
Probably, if anyone were to suggest herbs to be used as medication, you would think that person was a quack and didn't know what they were talking about. But currently, studies are being conducted to see if there is actually any merit to what is called natural medicine.
Natural medicine is the use of natural methods, herbal medicines, and traditional practices to heal ailments. Every culture has a form of natural medicine. In ancient cultures, village medicine men served as the doctors of the community, passing on medical knowledge to the apprentices that followed them.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Natural Medicine to Boost Your Overall Health
If you feel uncomfortable while using drugs to cure simple health problems, there is another option for you. There are a number of natural alternatives to treat ailments. Carlsbad Alternative natural medicine treatment is gaining popularity, and if used correctly, can be quite beneficial for your health.
There are a lot of herbal medicines available to cure common health problems. Such a herb is Passion flower that is quite effective in soothing the nervous system. It works as a strong relaxant and is used to treat anxiety, insomnia and tension. This herbal medicine has proven a boon to people who were previously dependent on sleeping pills and wanted to get rid of them. In some cases patients of hyperactivity, convulsions and hysteria are also given passion flower treatment. This herb is also effective in lowering high blood pressure.
There is another powerful antioxidant Co-Q10, which is quite beneficial for the cardiovascular system. When Co-Q10 is taken in combination with Hawthorne berry, it can provide anti-aging affects. It is also useful for Insomnia patients and helps improve the digestive system.
Wild lettuce is also a helpful supplement. Its relaxant properties soothe nerves and anxiety that helps in inducing a good night's sleep. It also cleanses the respiratory system by relieving cough. It can also be used to cure chronic pain, headaches or joint pains. Kava herb is used to treat pain of nerves, skin diseases, and also works as urinary antiseptic and anti-inflammatory.
Yoga is also emerging as a powerful alternative treatment for common ailments. It calms the nervous system and helps in maintaining balance between the body, mind, and spirit. It has been used to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, improve flexibility and concentration, sleep, indigestion etc.
There are a lot of herbal medicines available to cure common health problems. Such a herb is Passion flower that is quite effective in soothing the nervous system. It works as a strong relaxant and is used to treat anxiety, insomnia and tension. This herbal medicine has proven a boon to people who were previously dependent on sleeping pills and wanted to get rid of them. In some cases patients of hyperactivity, convulsions and hysteria are also given passion flower treatment. This herb is also effective in lowering high blood pressure.
There is another powerful antioxidant Co-Q10, which is quite beneficial for the cardiovascular system. When Co-Q10 is taken in combination with Hawthorne berry, it can provide anti-aging affects. It is also useful for Insomnia patients and helps improve the digestive system.
Wild lettuce is also a helpful supplement. Its relaxant properties soothe nerves and anxiety that helps in inducing a good night's sleep. It also cleanses the respiratory system by relieving cough. It can also be used to cure chronic pain, headaches or joint pains. Kava herb is used to treat pain of nerves, skin diseases, and also works as urinary antiseptic and anti-inflammatory.
Yoga is also emerging as a powerful alternative treatment for common ailments. It calms the nervous system and helps in maintaining balance between the body, mind, and spirit. It has been used to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, improve flexibility and concentration, sleep, indigestion etc.
Have You Heard of Sunlight Therapy?
Some healthcare providers believe that sunlight therapy can be effective in helping relieve a number of health conditions. A matter of fact, a recent study compared 100 patients in Canada, who suffered from depression. The conclusion of the natural health research demonstrated that patients who received light treatment responded faster without adverse side effects opposed to those receiving antidepressant medication.
As a natural health medicine, sunlight therapy may well be on its way to proving what most of us already know -- sunshine generally makes us happier. Think back to a time when you were younger...wasn't it great to get out and play in the afternoon sun? And even as adults, we tend to soak up the rays with utter delight. The reason sunlight therapy may be as beneficial as it is for seasonal affected disorder (SAD; also seasonal depression) is primarily due to its ability to increase endorphins. These endorphins are what we call "happy hormones," which generally promote a feeling of well being. Chocolate works much in the same way - it, too, raises endorphin levels.
What other natural healing abilities does sunlight therapy offer? If you're like me, you enjoy the warm glow of the high-noon sun; but just 10 or 15 minutes per day can expose you to a rich source of Vitamin D. This particular nutrient is especially essential as it provides a critical role in maintaining our organ systems. Deficiency in Vitamin D can create a slew of health problems including Rickets, high blood pressure, cancer, and several other chronic diseases and disorders.
As a Carlsbad natural health preventative, sunlight's Vitamin D has been shown to prevent or even reverse coronary disease. Recent studies suggest that individuals exposed to sunlight had a lower concentration of blood cholesterol during the summer months than in winter months. As most of us are aware, lowering blood cholesterol is vital to maintaining and preserving heart health.
As a natural health medicine, sunlight therapy may well be on its way to proving what most of us already know -- sunshine generally makes us happier. Think back to a time when you were younger...wasn't it great to get out and play in the afternoon sun? And even as adults, we tend to soak up the rays with utter delight. The reason sunlight therapy may be as beneficial as it is for seasonal affected disorder (SAD; also seasonal depression) is primarily due to its ability to increase endorphins. These endorphins are what we call "happy hormones," which generally promote a feeling of well being. Chocolate works much in the same way - it, too, raises endorphin levels.
What other natural healing abilities does sunlight therapy offer? If you're like me, you enjoy the warm glow of the high-noon sun; but just 10 or 15 minutes per day can expose you to a rich source of Vitamin D. This particular nutrient is especially essential as it provides a critical role in maintaining our organ systems. Deficiency in Vitamin D can create a slew of health problems including Rickets, high blood pressure, cancer, and several other chronic diseases and disorders.
As a Carlsbad natural health preventative, sunlight's Vitamin D has been shown to prevent or even reverse coronary disease. Recent studies suggest that individuals exposed to sunlight had a lower concentration of blood cholesterol during the summer months than in winter months. As most of us are aware, lowering blood cholesterol is vital to maintaining and preserving heart health.
Why Do People Resist Natural Medicine?
Laziness
In this quick-fix, instant-gratification society some people are too lazy and too spoiled to do the actual work required to be healthy. It's so much easier and so tempting to simply pop some pills hoping that that will somehow deliver health.
Drug Addiction
Between Coffee, Chocolate, Green Tea, Black Tea, Cola Drinks, Yerba Mate, Cigarettes and Alcohol, some people don't go a day without some sort of stimulant drug or alcohol. For the people already addicted to these legal drugs embracing prescription or over-the-counter drugs is the natural choice.
Racism
Carlsbad Herbal Medicine and most of the holistic health modalities whether it is yoga, acupuncture, tai-chi, qi-gong, meditation, etc. were developed by the non-White, Non-European peoples of this world. Some people hostile to natural medicine are simply hiding a racist attitude that if something isn't validated by a white man in a white labcoat then somehow it's isn't valid. I would much rather trust in the integrity of a Akan, Ibo, Mayan, Aborigine, Cree or Tibetian Bush Doctor/Traditional Healer than I would any scientist or drug company. Ironically the same scientists and drug companies that discredit the knowledge of the indigenous peoples of the world are the same ones dispatching ethnobotanists to every remote corner of the world to learn the secrets of Bush Doctors so they can patent them.
Sheep-ism
Some people are sheep and usually will only follow and seldom lead. They are not independent thinkers, and haven't spent the time and energy needed to challenge the information being spoon-fed to them by the corporate media and the scientific community. This society is very affluent and if you don't ask too many questions or make any trouble there are vast rewards available to you.
Unfortunately Carlsbad holistic health isn't one of them. For holistic health you need to listen to you body instead of authority figures. You need to connect to nature and to some sort of spiritual core. You need to be the leader of your own life.
In this quick-fix, instant-gratification society some people are too lazy and too spoiled to do the actual work required to be healthy. It's so much easier and so tempting to simply pop some pills hoping that that will somehow deliver health.
Drug Addiction
Between Coffee, Chocolate, Green Tea, Black Tea, Cola Drinks, Yerba Mate, Cigarettes and Alcohol, some people don't go a day without some sort of stimulant drug or alcohol. For the people already addicted to these legal drugs embracing prescription or over-the-counter drugs is the natural choice.
Racism
Carlsbad Herbal Medicine and most of the holistic health modalities whether it is yoga, acupuncture, tai-chi, qi-gong, meditation, etc. were developed by the non-White, Non-European peoples of this world. Some people hostile to natural medicine are simply hiding a racist attitude that if something isn't validated by a white man in a white labcoat then somehow it's isn't valid. I would much rather trust in the integrity of a Akan, Ibo, Mayan, Aborigine, Cree or Tibetian Bush Doctor/Traditional Healer than I would any scientist or drug company. Ironically the same scientists and drug companies that discredit the knowledge of the indigenous peoples of the world are the same ones dispatching ethnobotanists to every remote corner of the world to learn the secrets of Bush Doctors so they can patent them.
Sheep-ism
Some people are sheep and usually will only follow and seldom lead. They are not independent thinkers, and haven't spent the time and energy needed to challenge the information being spoon-fed to them by the corporate media and the scientific community. This society is very affluent and if you don't ask too many questions or make any trouble there are vast rewards available to you.
Unfortunately Carlsbad holistic health isn't one of them. For holistic health you need to listen to you body instead of authority figures. You need to connect to nature and to some sort of spiritual core. You need to be the leader of your own life.
Using Natural Medicine As a Cure
Natural medicine dates back to ancient civilizations when people always turned to nature for natural therapies that helped their physical and emotional body obtain balance and order, relieve pain, improve health and treat illnesses. Since time immemorial, man has recognized that nature has countless elements just waiting to be discovered as helpful remedies in mans health maladies.
In fact, Hippocrates, considered to be the father of medicine, used countless botanical extracts and solutions available in nature to cure diseases as well as improve health and overall well being. Aside from herbal sources, natural medicine also uses therapies such as homeopathy, traditional Chinese and Oriental methods and other natural essences from the earth. They have been proven to be safe and have no side effects to say the least. Even modern medicine is slowly gaining interest in incorporating natural medicine with conventional medical practice.
One famous practice in natural medicine is aromatherapy where essences from plants such as flowers, leaves, seeds, twigs and bark are extracted to create essential oils whose scents are believed to help change moods, relax the mind and body, and treat certain ailments especially when coupled with other natural medications. Proofs that natural medicine is safe and that their efficacy is there is the fact that for centuries up to now, traditional Chinese and other Oriental methods of medicine are still widely practiced and some modern medical practitioners even in conventional medicine have adopted these methods. Of course the most common among natural remedies is the use of herbal plants.
Herbal medicine is common in almost all cultures around the world and its use dates back to thousands of years ago. Although plants and plant parts such as flowers, leaves, twigs and barks, are solely used, some cultures mix with these herbal extracts some animal or mineral products. The medicine may be in the form of tea, tablets, capsules, or any other forms of extracts.
In fact, Hippocrates, considered to be the father of medicine, used countless botanical extracts and solutions available in nature to cure diseases as well as improve health and overall well being. Aside from herbal sources, natural medicine also uses therapies such as homeopathy, traditional Chinese and Oriental methods and other natural essences from the earth. They have been proven to be safe and have no side effects to say the least. Even modern medicine is slowly gaining interest in incorporating natural medicine with conventional medical practice.
One famous practice in natural medicine is aromatherapy where essences from plants such as flowers, leaves, seeds, twigs and bark are extracted to create essential oils whose scents are believed to help change moods, relax the mind and body, and treat certain ailments especially when coupled with other natural medications. Proofs that natural medicine is safe and that their efficacy is there is the fact that for centuries up to now, traditional Chinese and other Oriental methods of medicine are still widely practiced and some modern medical practitioners even in conventional medicine have adopted these methods. Of course the most common among natural remedies is the use of herbal plants.
Herbal medicine is common in almost all cultures around the world and its use dates back to thousands of years ago. Although plants and plant parts such as flowers, leaves, twigs and barks, are solely used, some cultures mix with these herbal extracts some animal or mineral products. The medicine may be in the form of tea, tablets, capsules, or any other forms of extracts.
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