Alternative Medicines

Healing Your Body Naturally: Drug Difficulties

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:37:07 +0000

There is a lot that can be said for natural healing and alternative medical therapies. While some therapies don’t have very conclusive research results, the benefits of some of these therapies are often a much better option than resulting to traditional medicine and the prescription drug market.

It is a fact that there are an increasing number of problems resulting from prescription drug abuse, overuse, and misuse. While prescription drug abuse falls on the patient, overuse and misuse falls on the doctor and the drug companies. Many drugs are prescribed for illnesses that will not respond to drug therapy. Other drugs are given in doses that are higher than needed, risking the patient’s overall health. And some physicians prescribe contraindicated drugs to a patient causing serious medical problems. Of course this is not to say that prescription drugs are bad; they should be used for their intended, proven purposes, especially in emergencies.

Music Therapy and Your Physical Wellbeing

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:37:02 +0000

Music therapy has become more and more popular over the last few years in part because the medical community is giving it more attention that it had before. Many hospitals actually have professional music therapists on staff who help admitted hospital patients with their symptoms through the practice of music therapy. The fact that music therapy is available through hospitals shows that the medical community is taking the practice much more seriously.

Music therapy, like many alternative therapies, has limited scientific proof of efficacy; however, the research that is available is complete and reassuring. Patients rarely if ever do worse after music therapy. But its rate of success depends largely on the personality of the patient. For medical purposes, music therapy is mostly used to bring pain relief to many patients who suffer from chronic conditions like cancer.

Homeo-pets

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:37:02 +0000

Let’s face facts: people love their pets. Particularly in Western countries like the United States, millions of dollars are spent every year on veterinary bills for Fido and Spot. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with this! It is wonderful that people love their pets so much! But some people who love their pets cannot afford some of the more expensive pharmaceutical treatments for their pets’ symptoms. So what can a pet owner do?

Many veterinarians and veterinary clinics are starting to offer homeopathic remedies for pets. Many of these treatments are not only cheaper than some of the conventional pharmaceutical medicines, but they are also easier on your pet’s body and are just as effective. And while it is important to know that, like human homeopathic remedies, there is limited scientific research proving the efficacy of these products, homeopathic veterinarians still state that these remedies can work well for some pets.

Healing Your Body Naturally: Detoxification

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:37:02 +0000

Everyone has heard of detoxifying diets. They are all the rage now, and a person can find about one hundred different books on the subject at any bookstore. And while it might seem like a trendy or fad diet, there are actually quite a few reasons why a detox diet might be a good idea for almost anyone.

Detoxification diets cleanse the body of toxins and chemicals that processed foods can put in. Since our bodies are built to handle natural foods and not processed ones, natural foods are what most detox diets recommend. There are many things a person in detoxification should avoid: dairy, unfiltered tap water, sugar, artificial sweeteners, and white flour are just a few. Instead of these things, the detox diets recommend large amounts of organic fruits, vegetables ? especially green, leafy ones ? nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains.

Reiki as a Holistic Treatment

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:37:15 +0000

Reiki is a fairly straightforward concept. Essentially, there is energy that flows in the universe. A person can be trained to harness this energy in a way so that they can treat medical, emotional, or spiritual problems in a patient or in themselves. While reiki cannot completely heal a person with an illness, it can be used to supplement more conventional treatments.

Reiki is done by having the practitioner lay his or her hands on the patient and focus the flow of energy into the affected area. Some reiki practitioners believe that the energy will flow to where it is needed, while other practitioners require that the patient tell them where the treatment should be focused. After extensive training, reiki practitioners can treat themselves, as well as treat another person without actually touching them. Some people confuse reiki with massage therapy, but the two are nothing alike; reiki does not require the manipulation of the body.

Music to Your Ears (and Mind, and Body)

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:37:04 +0000

When you think of music therapy, what do you think of? Perhaps you think of a person sitting quietly on a park bench listening to their MP3 player. Or maybe you think of a sterile laboratory environment where a patient listens to different types of music and a technician or researcher uses electrodes to observe the patient’s physical changes. While both of these things are not out of the realm of possibility, they are neither of them exactly true.

Music therapy is much more serious a practice than just giving a patient an MP3 player and turning them loose in a park. But it isn?t as impersonal as many types of therapies performed in hospital-like conditions. Music therapy is actually a way of using music to help a patient’s mental abilities by producing calm, concentration, and comprehension. The therapy is applied by a professional music therapist and can be done in a variety of settings ? such as a hospital or a home ? for almost any illness, physical or emotional.

The Philosophy of Herbalism

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:37:03 +0000

Herbalists, or practitioners of herbal medicine, believe in the use of herbal medicines to treat common medical complaints. This is not to say that herbalists do not use, or believe in the use of, conventional pharmaceutical medications. Many herbalists simply think that the use of pharmaceuticals should be limited to emergency situations.

So the question remains, why do herbalists believe in the use of herbs to treat everyday problems and illnesses? Many herbal medicines are thought to actually help the person not only defeat the symptoms of a cold or other medical problem, but to actually help build a resistance to the illnesses. Herbs can do this because they provide natural and nutritional benefits to the person as opposed to introducing foreign chemicals to the person’s body. Herbs can also boost the human immune system, which in turn helps the person build resistance to disease.

Rolfing: A Different Kind of Massage

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:37:02 +0000

For many people, there is little to no different between traditional massage therapy and rolfing. But for those who are rolfing practitioners or “rolfers”, as they are sometimes called, as well as for those who are rolfing proponents, rolfing is a completely different type of therapy. While it still involves the manipulation of soft tissue in the body, rolfing differs from massage therapy in its basic principles.

Essentially, the purpose of rolfing is to loosen up the soft tissue in the body so it does not interfere with the function of the muscles. Through a period of ten one hour long sessions, the rolfer will help the patient to lengthen their tissues and muscles. This also puts the body in alignment with gravity, something that rolfers also attribute to physical comfort and general wellbeing. Rolfers also offer advanced and maintenance sessions for regular recipients of rolfing treatments.

Rolfing, Yoga, and Common Objectives

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:37:02 +0000

There a re many similarities between rolfing and yoga, both in theory and in practice. Not only do both of these natural therapies involve the use of movement to strengthen the body, they both also employ breathing methods to lower stress in the body and to improve the body’s internal functions. But some of the most interesting similarities come in the common objectives of yoga and rolfing.

Both rolfing and yoga practices share purposes like the improvement of flexibility, coordination, and body posture and alignment. Many practitioners of both rolfing and yoga find they have greatly lowered stress levels, and they also can find relief from physical problems like breathing difficulties and chronic pain. One of the biggest benefits from both of these practices is increased energy, and along with increased body awareness, both practices bring about all-around wellbeing.

Reiki as a Holistic Treatment

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:37:02 +0000