Natural Healing Remedies
There are a number of reasons people are turning to natural healing remedies and cures over traditional medicine. Health care costs are becoming increasingly expensive and out of reach for a great many people.
Even those that can afford health insurance can find that their doctors insist the patient take more responsibility for their own care.
Distrust of pharmaceutical companies and their products is on the rise as more drugs are found to cause serious conditions, even death, to the patient. And traditional medicine is finding that homeopathic and natural cures can play a part in overall wellness.
A case in point is that of hormone relief therapy. Many women used the drugs to relieve the symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes. When it was found that the medication might also increase the chance of breast cancer, women were advised to try over-the-counter herbal remedies. When women changed to the natural remedy and found it to be effective, some were encouraged to learn more about what other natural alternatives that might be available and effective in the treatment of other conditions.
As patients learn and become more knowledgeable about their own condition, they are striving toward health and wellness, a more general term encompassing both conventional medicine and alternative methods and cures, seeing that both have something to offer.
Complementary or integrative medicine is a combination of traditional and alternative methods. Patients still rely on conventional medicine, but they also look to natural cure remedies for general well-being and preventative measures.
Purely alternative approaches are those that are outside the conventional medical field, where patients rely entirely on naturopathic and homeopathic methods. There are basic philosophies that are common to both approaches: Your body heals itself. Your body does all the healing work, and you only need treatment to encourage your natural healing processes.
Prevention is the key. Measures are taken before you get sick to make sure you’re doing all you can to keep yourself healthy. Learning and healing go hand in hand. The health care provider serves as a teacher who offers guidance. To the practitioner, you’re the one who does the healing.
These are some examples of complementary and alternative healing:
Healing Systems These are complete sets of theories and practices used in getting healthy and maintaining that health. They include many different practices that all revolve around a philosophy or lifestyle, such as the power of nature or the presence of energy in your body. Many healing systems developed before the conventional Western medicine commonly used in the United States.
Mind Body Connections These include techniques that strengthen the communication between your mind and your body. Complementary and alternative medicine practitioners believe these two systems must be in harmony for you to stay healthy. Examples of mind-body connection techniques include meditation, yoga, biofeedback, prayer, hypnosis, relaxation and art therapies, such as poetry, music and dance.
Dietary Supplements And Herbs These treatments use substances found in nature, including herbs (ginseng, ginkgo, echinacea) and supplements (selenium, glucosamine sulfate). They can be taken as teas, tablets or capsules, oils, syrups, etc. Because herbal medicine has been used for thousands of years, many people trust it over pharmaceuticals; others prefer because it’s natural.
Manipulation and Touch These methods use human touch to move or manipulate a specific part of your body. A chiropractor manipulates your spine using his or her hands, while a massage therapist uses his or her hands to massage your sore muscles. Other types of manipulation and touch therapies include osteopathy, craniosacral therapy and acupressure.
Energy Therapies This is based on a belief that an energy force flows through your body. You can’t see this energy, but if its flow is blocked or unbalanced you can become sick. Unblocking or re-balancing your energy force is the goal of these therapies, and they include treatments such as acupuncture, therapeutic touch, magnet therapy, polarity therapy and light therapy.
It must be noted that whatever therapy you decide upon – including conventional medicine – must be based on educating yourself to all the possibilities and their consequences. If you regularly see a doctor, be sure to discuss your research and the possible consequences on combining a natural herb remedy with your prescribed medications. If you embark on a system of alternative natural health remedies, find a practitioner who is knowledgeable and will guide you in learning about natural healing remedies.
Natural Health News: Herbal remedies compete with traditional medicine There is no way to health except the natural way."("M" to Bond 007, in Thunderball.) I’ve been studying and using natural healing methods for more than 50 years.
3 Major Natural Eczema Treatments These natural eczema treatments cares milder forms of this skin condition. You should, of course, consult with your doctor before using the treatment in his or her own hands.
Topical Herbal Remedies Aloe vera is another common liquid agent used to make herbal salves and topical remedies, because it has both healing and soothing properties of it’s own, plus it is an excellent herb for penetrating the skin.