Alternative Treatments For Headaches And Advice

March 29th, 2009

There are now many alternative and natural treatments to help people who suffer from headaches and migraines. In this article, I write about these type of remedies and also recommend the types of food people should avoid if they are always suffering from headaches and migraines.

There are many causes of headaches including:

Excessive amounts of alcohol

Over eating

An incorrect posture

Too much stress

Problems with teeth

Problems with a person eyes

It is important that we learn to deal with stress and to become more care-free. A lot of people react to stressful situations by turning to alcohol. This can only add to their problems and can lead to even more headaches.

If the person drinks to excess they may wake up with a hangover. If this happens to you I would advise you to drink plenty of water as you are likely to be dehydrated. Vitamin C is also useful to remove the alcohol quicker from your body.

If you are unable to live a stress-free life, it may be worth looking at alternative treatments. These are the types of natural therapy I would advise:

Osteopathy

Acupuncture

Homeopathy

Yoga

Tai Chi

The Alexander Technique

There are also certain foods and drinks which are a must to avoid for people who have regular headaches. These include:

Citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruit

Chocolate

Cheese

Alcohol

Migraines

Headaches are annoying enough, however migraines can be severely painful. I have suffered with migraines for a number of years and have now studied the subject seeking a cure. I am determined to not have to live my life, having these migraines regularly throughout the year, as the pain is unbearable. Maybe I am a bit of a wimp, but they really do cause me a lot of grief.

There are a number of reasons or causes for migraines. These include bright lights, certain foods or loud noises. I have to say that I think my own migraines are caused by stress and anxiety. I have always been a worrier and have suffered with a low self-esteem for most of my life. There are many reasons for this lack of confidence, which I will not bore you with at this stage.

I decided that I needed to deal with my stress as well as learning about how to eradicate the migraines.

I am now able to relax and have accepted that no one person is perfect. I realise that I will make mistakes and as long as I learn from them, then that is OK. Worrying does not help me in any case therefore I have to stop doing it.

I have also used alternative health therapies to help me to reduce my stress including:

Herbal remedies

Meditation

Yoga

Tai Chi

I still have headaches as I have to admit that I do like to have a few beers around once a week. I have not however had a migraine for around nine months now. I am a lot happier in life and have learnt how to manage my levels of stress. I regularly meditate and use other natural remedies as mentioned above. This is what has helped me and I hope it helps you to.


Alternative Medicines That Work

March 29th, 2009

Alternative Medicines That Work

There is a lot of hype about alternative medicines, and some of them are certainly without much value. Of course there is a lot of hype about regular medicines, many of which do as much harm as good. The fact that natural remedies and treatments rarely hurt people as much as prescription drugs is one reason to at least try them. Here are a few that I can vouch for from experience.

Tea Tree Oil

I had a lump on the side of my nose, growing slowly, bleeding at times. I had it for years, and the one time I asked a doctor about it, he wasn’t sure if it was actually cancerous. I read somewhere that tee tree oil might work. I bought a bottle at a health-food store for $6. I applied a drop to the lump each day, and in less than six weeks, the lump was gone completely.

Coincidence? After having the growth for years? I don’t think so. In fact I had another growth years later on my neck, and for several years, I couldn’t remember what I had used the first time. When I found a clue in some old notes, I used tea tree oil on that growth, which was even larger than the first one. It was gone in about six weeks.

St. John’s Wort

When hiking in Canada, I cut my foot. The gash was deep. I found St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perfolatum), which has been proven to have anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. I mashed up a few leaves and bandaged them to the cut, replacing them occasionally. I have honestly never seen a cut heal faster.

St. John’s Wort is one of the better known alternative medicines now. It is used as an anti-depressant, with numerous studies showing it’s effectiveness. It is also used by some as a temporary mood-elevator. This effect isn’t proven yet, but whenever I’ve had tea made from the plant, it tasted awful and left me happy for two hours. Anecdotal and subjective evidence (I’m not even entirely convinced), but interesting.

Valerian Root

When my wife has cramps and pain, nothing works better than a cup of tea made from valerian root. You can get the tea in many stores now. I wouldn’t try driving after having valerian root. This is a powerful relaxant.

In fact, valerian root is too strong for some people. A gentler herb that will relax you is chamomile. You can find this as tea too. It makes a great drink with honey, just before you are ready to go to bed.

There are so many alternatives out there. I have stopped a headache just by chewing on willow twigs. I have stopped diarrhea with oak bark (careful – this can hard on the liver in large doses). I have watched a friend’s poison ivy rash disappear overnight with the application of jewelweed juice.

I am sure that I have tried just as many alternatives that didn’t work, too, but you know what? Put all the ineffective ones together and the cost probably doesn’t add up to the cost of one visit to a doctor. As for the effective ones, well, no doctor yet has introduced me to one of them. You have to do your own research on alternative medicines.


Alternative Medicine is Preventive

March 29th, 2009

Alternative Medicine is Preventive; Western Medicine is Curative

Have you heard the term “wellness?” It has two contexts, one in alternative medicine and one in Western medicine.

In the alternative medicine world, wellness means taking care of yourself so you don’t get sick. Let’s find ways to avoid cancer, heart disease, mental illness. We can do this through changing our diet, exercising more, and changing our energy fields.

In Western medicine, we wait until we get one of these diseases, then we rush heroically to “beat the disease.” In Western medicine, the term wellness means “early detection” of disease. If you walk into a “Wellness Center” in a hospital, you’ll see mammogram screening rooms, MRI machines and other tools to scan for the existence of disease.

Is that wellness? To me, it’s not. Wellness is about staying well, it is about avoiding disease in the first place. When a person is told “You have cancer,” it is a major blow to their psyches, and their lives. Why go through that if you don’t have to? Why not do whatever you can to avoid that terrible day?

Western medicine treats the “pre-detection” part of life as a kind of random soup of nothingness. You can’t really do anything about any of these diseases, you just get them or you don’t. No rhyme or reason to it, it just hits you, and then you deal with it.

Genetics is a big factor in the Western medical model. If you get cancer, ah, well, it was in your genes that you’d get it. You see, your great grandfather had cancer, so it was inevitable that you’d get it too.

Huh? Unfortunately, Western medicine can’t explain why siblings get or don’t get diseases supposedly passed on from their parents. One sister dies of cancer at a young age (because of genetics) and the other sister lives to be 100 (genetics).

For my part, I’m going to take the best care of myself possible, and not play a silly waiting game for disease.


Alternative Medicine is Holistic

March 29th, 2009

Alternative Medicine is Holistic,
Western Medicine is Reductionist

The major difference between alternative medicine, or what I’ll call holistic health, and Western medicine, is in approach.
A Western doctor, or MD, sees his/her duty as searching out disease, diagnosing it, and treating it. If he/she does that correctly and effectively, he/she has done their job. Most often, this means the doctor prescribing a pharmaceutical drug or a surgical procedure to remedy the situation.  The patients is passive in all of this.

A holistic health practitioner sees his/her duty as an educator and a facilitator. He/ She feels that the body can heal itself, and it doesn’t necessarily need outside influences (drugs, surgery) to heal from an illness or to prevent an illness. In holistic health, the patient is an active participant.

This is the best and the worst thing about holistic health! The patient is actively involved in the healing process.  Everything you know about your body says that this is the right approach. It makes so much sense.  That’s the good part.  The bad thing about this is that it is HARD WORK for the patient.

In most cases, the patient must make changes to their lifestyle.  Change your diet, do more exercise, stop using sugar, do these stretches, stop negative thoughts, meditate twice a day, etc.
Making lifestyle changes is immensely difficult.  The only time it’s easy is when you are faced with a life-threatening disease.  When you find out you have lung cancer, it’s pretty easy to quit smoking.  However, it’s far too late by that time.  Lifestyle changes need to come before the illness becomes manifest.
Let’s examine one of the big differences between holistic health and Western medicine: holism versus reductionism. Holistic versus Reductionist.
This is a major shift in perspective.  Taking a holistic perspective means that you cannot understand a single problem with a single part of the human body without looking at the whole person.  We use the short-hand “mind, body, spirit” to refer to the whole person.
This is not how a Western doctor is taught to see a patient.  He/She  sees the patient as the disease.  “This is an epileptic,” it is not a whole person who has epilepsy. He/She  feels that he/she can administer a drug or perform a surgery that will cure a person’s liver without making any difference to the rest of the person.

Of course, this is never possible, so when the inevitable “complications” arise, the Western doctor deals with those one at a time, often causing additional problems for the person, whether in body, mind or spirit.
Even those three parts of the person are treated by separate people in Western society.

The body is the domain of the medical doctor.  The mind is the domain of the psychiatrist. Spirit is left to the priest, rabbi or pastor.  There is no overlap in roles, except for referrals from one to the other.  In our bodies, of course, there is tremendous overlap.  A loss of connection to God or the universe will cause no end of mental and physical problems.  Mental stress causes many physical diseases, as we well know.  Who can coordinate between these in the Western system?  No one.

Problems falling “through the cracks” between mind, body and spirit is a common failure of Western medicine. A holistic practitioner understands the interconnections between mind, body and spirit.  They work on the connections, and, although the practitioner may not be an expert in all three, they focus on the overlaps rather than ignoring them.
In my opinion, a holistic approach is better in almost every case for almost every person. Understanding the linkages between mind, body and spirit is essential to understanding how to stay well and how to heal.  Western medicine can play a part within the scope of holistic health by offering emergency solutions to problems that arise quickly and need to be fixed immediately.


Alternative Medicine Gaining Popularity

March 29th, 2009

Alternative Medicine – Gaining Popularity And Acceptance

Alternative medicine has been gaining in both popularity and acceptance in recent years. Many cities now have a plethora of shops where a person interested in buying alternative medicines can go to find whatever they are seeking, in addition to being able to take advantage of many alternative medicine services at local practitioners’ offices.

Alternative medicine is simply a way of referencing a type of treatment that is not officially recognized by the medical establishment as a relief or cure. There are literally thousands of practices that fall under this category, and most people would be surprised to find some of the items that either are or were once considered to be against the grain, or categorized as “alternative” medicine.

Not too far back in medical history, doctors did not wash their hands while helping a woman through child labor. The result was thousands of contracted infections and death due to bacterial transfer. Doctors who advocated the practice of hand-washing or warned of unseen microbes were shunned and mocked by their professional peers, and only in the last century has sterilization been a common and then regulated medical practice. It is hard to believe that something we take so much for granted was once considered alternative medicine, but it was so.

In the 21st century, alternative medicine is not as frowned upon by the medical profession as it once was. Treatments such as acupuncture are common, and many other forms of alternative medicine are gaining acceptance. Even watching weekly magazine shows like Dateline on NBC, observers can see radical alternative medicine practitioners curing patients with terminal illnesses to the wonderment of experts. Some are scams to be sure, but some are simply inexplicable, and professionals who witness the events tend not to endorse them, but neither do they dismiss them.

Part of the reason for the increase in acceptance of alternative medicine is the recognition of the powers of the mind over the body. There is increasing evidence that a patient’s attitude can sometimes shape the physical response, and this in part helps to illustrate why alternative medicine is more well received than it used to be. A patient who believes he or she is doing better, often will.

Before going out to walk on coals or ingest an ear tuft of a koala though, it is important to do some research into the practice or practitioner one is considering for advice. Alternative medicine, by its definition, is not regulated and that leaves a lot of room for quacks to take advantage of people’s ills to make a quick buck. Don’t rush into anything, and if it appears shady, do not partake of it.


Alternative herbal liver cancer Treatment

March 29th, 2009

Alternative herbal liver cancer treatment.

Our Liver Cancer Protocol incorporates lifestyle changes, including proper diet, and exercise along with herbal supplements. The herbal formulations used in our Liver Cancer medications have been clinically tested. Alternative liver cancer treatment this could save your life which contain herbal cures which are natural medications with no side effects.
The information contained in this article is not intended as medical advice, nor to replace the expertise and judgment of a physician or cancer care team. It is intended to help individuals and families make informed decisions, together with their doctor.
Liver cancer is the most common cancer in the world. A deadly cancer, liver cancer will kill almost all patients who have it within a year. The role of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in causing liver cancer is well established. Several lines of evidence point to this strong association In addition, the patients with hepatitis B virus who are at greatest risk for liver cancer are men with hepatitis B virus cirrhosis.

Hai!
If you’re reading this, you’re probably looking for answers, just like I was a while back. It was almost as if I had a sense that the answers must be out there somewhere and I was guided to find them.

I felt that if I looked hard enough, I’d find the missing links, the overlooked miracles, the plants and herbs provided by nature to help us heal. I cross checked sources of information and ploughed through everything on alternative cancer treatment that I could find. It is the most comprehensive collection you will find anywhere in the world today.

Whether you’re looking to find out more about alternative cancer treatment for yourself, or on behalf of a loved one, my comprehensive guide has been designed to satisfy your quest for answers.

I know how powerless it feels, not knowing what the future holds. I had so many questions. As I searched for information on both conventional and alternative cancer treatments, I was shocked to find how so many alternative cancer treatments had been lost to public knowledge, or discredited, or forced underground.

You must make up your own mind about alternative cancer treatment but I sincerely urge you to own your own health and not hand it over to someone else to own. There is no-one on the face of the earth with more interest in your well-being than you yourself.  You must take control of your own destiny and not leave it to others who have their own vested interests!

This disease occurs more frequently in males than females. Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) is a cancer arising from the liver. However, liver cells (hepatocytes) make up 80% of the liver tissue. Thus, the majority of primary liver cancers (over 90 to 95%) arises from liver cells and is called hepatocellular cancer or carcinoma. When patients or physicians speak of liver cancer, however, they are often referring to cancer that has spread to the liver, having originated in other organs (such as the colon, stomach, pancreas, breast, and lung). More specifically, this type of liver cancer is called metastatic liver disease (cancer) or secondary liver cancer. Thus, the term liver cancer actually can refer to either metastatic liver cancer or hepatocellular cancer. The subject of this article is hepatocellular carcinoma, which will be referred to as liver cancer.

After treated for liver cancer there should follow-up after treatment for liver cancer is must and should because of the high rate of recurrence in patients who have been treated and because of the high risk of developing a second liver cancer in patients with severe liver cirrhosis. Routine follow-up care should be performed every 3-6 months for several years following treatment.

Follow-up care should include treatment of underlying medical problems such as hepatitis or alcoholism, routine blood tests. Prompt evaluation and treatment of suspicious findings is critical. Ultimately, treatment of liver cancer should be a cooperative effort between a patient and their physicians. It is important that patients know about their disease so that they may make informed decisions about their treatment. This article was intended to help answer some of the common questions patients face when they have liver cancer. If you have any additional questions, please contact your doctor.

The goal of treatment will vary depending on the characteristics of each person’s cancer. The treatment depends on the stage of the cancer. The lack of consensus regarding the best treatment of liver cancer has contributed to the pessimistic attitude that many have regarding its treatment. Aggressive treatment strategies like natural medications with herbal supplements can cure or significantly prolong the life of many people with liver cancer.
An integrated approach using a combination of two or more of these methods often provides optimal results. This should be a thorough evaluation with the appropriate specialist to cure the disease with person’s suitability and come out of it with having second life.


Alternative Medicine

March 27th, 2009

Alternative medicine means different things to different people. Alternative medicine encompasses many different approaches from massage to Chinese medicine and yoga. Alternative medicine means practices or medicines that are used instead of the usual, or standard, ways of treating diseases or illness. Examples of complementary and alternative medicine are meditation, yoga, and dietary supplements like vitamins and herbs. Alternative medicine means that it is different to the dominant health care system and potentially can replace it.

Traditional Chinese Medicine is the oldest continuously practiced medical system in the world and is used by one third of the world’s population as a primary health care system. Health is defined as a state of physical well being, mental alertness, socially adjusted, and spiritually developed. Health care is not about drugs and the cost of drugs.

CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE

Conventional medicine is continuing to lose market share. More and more people want options beyond what many consider to be essentially a high-tech slash, burn and poison medicine. Conventional medicine is used to describe the services that treat the symptoms of a disease or illness with prescribed medications and surgeries. Conventional medicine treats the ailing part of the body but may not address the underlying causes of the illness or disease.

Traditional practitioners don’t express hopefulness when their medicine fails as they treat diseases first and then people secondly. On the other hand alternative practitioners, often encourage patients to be hopeful even when the situation is hopeless as they aim to treat the mind, body and soul of their patient.

Medicine is directly related to the biomedicine and health sciences. The term ‘Medicine’ today refers to the fields of surgery, clinical medicine and the medical research. Medical mistakes appear to be increasing, and if they are not, then at the very least, the publicizing of them is increasing. It makes people wary.

HERBAL

Herbal medicine is a booming industry in the United States. The American market for herbal remedies has doubled the last couple of years. Herbs may be harmful if taken for the wrong conditions, used in excessive amounts, combined with prescription drugs or alcohol, or used by persons who don’t know what they are doing. Just because an herbal remedy is natural, does not mean it is safe!

ACUPUNCTURE

Acupuncture needles are usually inserted to a depth of about a quarter of an inch into the skin. The therapist gently twists or twirls them for up to 10 minutes, leaving them in five to 20 minutes longer; or stimulates them with a weak electrical current; or heats them with a burning herb such as mugwort (see moxibustion). Acupuncture was used as an illustration of medical irrationality before James Reston’s fortuitous appendicitis brought it to the United States. From the impact of the LaLeche League on the advisability of breast-feeding to current studies of botanical medicines such as ginger, echinacea and ginkgo biloba, folk and alternative medicines have continuously influenced medical research and practice.


Why People Are Choosing Alternative Medicine

March 27th, 2009

Why People Are Choosing Alternative Medicine

Do you suffer with one of the many health problems out there? Are you getting fed up with the traditional forms of health treatment? Are you looking into the different forms of alternative health therapy that are available? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, this article may be of interest to you. In the article, I am going to write about some of these alternative therapy treatments which I, my family and friends have tried in the past. I hope you enjoy the read.

My wife has had many problems with her own health and also suffers from regular bouts of depression. She is quite a stressful person and at times finds life to be fairly tough. A couple of years ago she decided to find a different approach to ones she had previously tried. The first option she tried was reflexology. She was not entirely sure if she really wanted a stranger messing about with her feet but was more than pleased with the experience on her return. She could not believe how relaxed and chilled out it made her feel.

I have also found myself struggling to cope with the pressures of every day life. I now have turned my hand to meditation. This is not I am sure for everyone but it has certainly helped me to think in a more positive and clearer way. It took me quite a long to meditate in what would be known as the correct way as I originally could not seem to concentrate or relax enough.

My mother prefers to go to a womens wellness centre rather than to the doctors. She has not spoken too much about this to me but it obviously helps her as she has now been going there for years.

Tai chi is a very popular form of alternative therapy for many people. Tai chi is also very good at reducing peoples stress levels and is something I also considered before I took up meditation.

A friend of mine always raves on about yoga and the many health benefits that this has bought her. To me it all seems like a lot of hard work, however she insists that it isn’t. In a way these things are like horses for courses. Some people prefer to do one thing and others prefer to do something entirely different.

My brother who also finds it hard to relax, it must run in my family I suppose, has found hypnotherapy to be very useful. He has been a smoker for many years and two years ago decided it was time to quit. He was very determined, which helps of course but by attending hypnotherapy sessions, also gave him that extra edge. He, from what he tells me has not smoked even one cigarette for the past eighteen months.

These are just a small number of the many alternative health treatments out there. It is worth pointing out that even though they have been successful in helping the above people, they may not work for everyone. In my opinion it is worth giving different things a try as it may just change your life.