Alternative Medicine

Choosing alternative medicine and natural health is a conscious choice you will have to make. You may have come to the point in your life where you are experiencing minor health problems and are seeking alternative methods to conventional health practices that often don’t work. Or perhaps you feel healthy, and want to maintain this health, by looking at ways that you can supplement your current diet and lifestyle with natural choices. No matter why you are thinking about incorporating alternative medicine into your life that important point is that you have arrived here and are ready to make significant changes to what you eat, the way you think, the way you feel, and the way that you live your life.

Types of Alternative Medicine

There are many different types of alternative medicine that each offers their own philosophy and discipline. You will have to decide for yourself where your interests lie as well as what form of alternative medicine is best able to help you heal any particular health problems that you have. The following types of alternative medicine are presented in no particular order:

* Herbal medicine. This type of alternative medicine uses certain properties of herbs and other plants as a means to promote health and to heal specific health problems. The parts of the plant that are used can include the leaves, flowers, stems, or a combination of all. Specific herbs are known to deal with certain health problems or to enhance certain qualities, such as valerian, which is used to calm the central nervous system.
* Chinese herbal medicine. This ancient form of traditional Chinese medicine has been around for thousands of years. One of the focuses of Chinese herbal medicine is to prevent disease before it has a chance to manifest itself, as well as treating existing health problems. Chinese herbal medicine uses herbs and a combination of herbs to heal the body.
* Acupuncture. Acupuncture originates from China and is based on the stimulation of nerve impulses on the body, which are called acupuncture points. It is believed that your life energy, or “qi,” travels along your body on what are known as “meridians”. When this flow of energy is broken and damaged your body is weak and this is when health concerns can occur. Acupuncture stimulates these points along your body by using needles.
* Acupressure. Acupressure uses the same points on your body as acupuncture but this time the stimulation is achieved by the pressure of the hands.
* Massage. There are many different types of massage therapy but the basic premise behind this type of alternative medicine is the manipulation of certain parts of the body in order to relax, stimulate, and enliven your body.
* Shiatsu. Shiatsu originates in Japan and is another form of acupressure. Certain parts of your body are manipulated by the use of hands, fingers, and palms in the effort to increase the flow of energy through your body.
* Reflexology. This type of alternative medicine involves the stimulation and manipulation of certain points of your feet with the belief that each part of your foot directly corresponds with a certain part of your body. It is this manipulation of your foot that stimulates the blood flow to that particular part of your body and at the same time relieves the tension in your body and mind.
* Homeopathy. Homeopathy is the principle of “treating like with like”. Homeopathic remedies are substances derived from plants and minerals that are diluted in a precise way as to cause toxic behavior and cure the symptoms.
* Yoga. Yoga is one of the oldest forms of natural health methods and is practiced by thousands of people from all around the world. Yoga uses specific body “postures” to reduce your stress, slow your breathing and heart rate, lower your blood pressure, and promote relaxation that is necessary for a healthy body and mind.
* Aromatherapy. Aromatherapy uses the extracts of plants to relax and balance your body, creating a feeling of harmony with your senses. The extracts of certain plants are used for specific parts of your body as well to relieve certain symptoms. This type of alternative medicine deals with all spectrums of your being: body, mind, and soul.
* Ayurveda. Ayurveda originated in India and is based on the philosophy that disease occurs you are not living harmoniously within your environment. To reestablish this harmony, Ayurveda uses a combination of herbs and body/mind interaction.
* Meditation. There are many different types of meditation, such as visualization, that are practiced all around the world. All meditations use a specific technique to induce relaxation and allow your mind to still itself long enough to promote a deep inner feeling of peace. It is this relaxing calmness that can help to reduce and alleviate any symptoms of ill health that you may be feeling, including headaches, back pain, and high blood pressure.

There are many other forms and variations of alternative medicines for you to choose from when it comes to promoting natural health and healing in your life. Take the time to research what will work best for you, your health issues, and your lifestyle.

Learn About Echinacea

Echinacea has become one of the top selling herbal products in North America due to its healing properties. But Echinacea, also known as Purple Coneflower, isn’t just a pretty wild flower. Using Echinacea on a regular basis is a great way to boost your immune system and fight off a cold, the flu, or other infections such as bronchitis.

Traditionally Echinacea was used by the Native Indians of North America. Tribes such as the Comanche and the Cheyenne used this wild flower for many medical reasons such as coughs, sore throats, tooth problems, and blood diseases. The Plains Indians used Echinacea to treat snake bites as well as poisonous insect bites. When the settlers arrived they were quick to follow the practice of the Native Indians by using Echinacea as a therapeutic aid and since then it has been used as a medical herb throughout North America.

Echinacea contains a variety of components that make it so powerful in building up your immune system and fighting disease. Some of the more concentrated elements include essential oils, polyacetylenes, betain, and polysaccharides. Other elements found in Echinacea are iron, copper, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and tannins. It’s the polysaccharides in Echinacea that make this herb so effective in stimulating your immune system.

The way that Echinacea works is by working in tune with the defense mechanisms in your body. The polysaccharides, also known as Echinacins, adhere to the cells in your body and fight against pathogens. When these cells are protected from breaking down they are better able to fight against the inflammation and the spreading of these pathogens. Your immune system is improved as your healthy cells rush to the area of an infection and destroy the pathogens.

Although Echinacea works well to prevent colds and the flu, you shouldn’t be taking it on a full time basis. Echinacea should be taken on and off throughout the year so that you keep your immune system as strong as possible. Even if you don’t use Echinacea on a regular basis, taking it at the first signs of an illness can lessen the severity of your cold or the flu. You can greatly ease your cold symptoms by starting to take Echinacea, thereby preventing the cold from settling into your lungs.

Echinacea can be bought over the counter in most pharmacy and grocery stores. You have the option of taking the herb in pill form or as a tincture. For younger children, adding the tincture to a glass of juice may be your best bet. Your goal should be to keep your family on a level dose of Echinacea throughout the year. This means taking the herb for a period of six weeks, stopping it for three weeks, and then taking it again for six weeks. This cycle of Echinacea is sure to keep you and your family healthy year round and lessen the severity of colds and the flu.

Chinese Alternative Medicine

There are many aspects to Chinese medicine but the general underlying philosophy is the same: internal harmony and balance is represented by yin and yang, and this balance affects all areas of your life. The goal of Chinese medicine is to fully and successfully restore this balance through a variety of integrated methods.

This balance of yin and yang must exist in order for your body, mind, and spirit to be healthy. Ancient China used certain elements to represent yin and yang, such as water and fire, cold and hot, or light and dark. In relation to your body, yin and yang can be viewed in this way: every organ and part of your body has properties of yin and yang in varying amounts. When your body is healthy the opposite sides of yin and yang are functioning in equal harmony in a fine tuned state of alternating balance. Chinese medicine uses various forms of alternative health, such as diet, exercise, herbal remedies, acupuncture, and massage to achieve this balance of yin and yang.

Chinese medicine incorporates a healthy diet into its philosophy. A healthy diet consists of the following:

* organic and seasonal vegetables
* whole grains
* fish
* fruits (eliminate tropical fruits)
* dried fruit
* nuts
* seeds
* Soya products and tofu
* herbs and herbal products
* Chinese and herbal teas

Eat a well balanced diet that is combined with a regular exercise program and daily physical activity. There are certain foods that you should eliminate from your daily diet, or reduce the consumption of. These foods include:

* tropical fruits, due to the acidity
* any food additives
* red meats
* all dairy products, including cheese
* white sugar
* refined flours and breads
* coffee and other caffeine products
* alcohol
* fried foods
* cold drinks and foods
* strong spices

If you are making a diet change in your life you may want to slowly make the necessary changes so that you are gentle with your body. If you make sudden, severe changes to your daily diet you are more likely to slip back into old eating habits to relieve the emotional stress that you will be feeling. A gentle process of diet change is recommended.

Chinese Herbal Remedies

Herbal remedies are used to treat all aspects of your health including the physical and emotional. What types of herbal remedies you take, and for how long you take them, will be determined by what your health problem is under the advice of a Chinese herbal practitioner.

Chinese herbal remedies can treat many conditions and symptoms that include:

* digestive problems and pains
* allergies
* immune system disorders
* emotional problems
* respiratory problems
* pregnancy
* children’s conditions
* pain
* addictions
* heart conditions

When you use conventional Western drugs you are only treating the symptoms of your health problem and not changing the course of the disease. When you use Chinese herbal remedies you are treating all aspects of your disease or health issue. An important note to keep in mind is that Chinese herbal medicine rarely will cause any side effects, unlike Western medicine that often creates a multitude of side effects, many of which create additional health problems.

Chinese herbal remedies are prepared in carefully combined formulas so that the properties of certain herbs combine with others to achieve the maximum effect. Certain herbs are used for particular symptoms and ailments. Each herbal remedy is prepared separately for each individual, according to what is being treated. You can purchase Chinese herbal remedies in a variety of forms that include:

* herbal teas
* herbal extracts
* herb in pill form
* herbal powders

When you purchase your Chinese herbal remedies you will be informed of: how to take them, with what to take them, and for how long to take them.