Alternative Medicine

Lift Your Mood Using Easy Aromatherapy

Posted by Alternative Medicine on July 30, 2010 in Aromatherapy with No Comments


Lifting your mood sounds pretty simple. Just clear your mind and let it all melt away, right? Sure, for those of us with no worries. What I’m talking about here is really rethinking the way you think about your mood.

Think of your mood as if it were physically part of you. When your neck and shoulders are tense, ideally you would get a massage, or use a supportive neck pillow to ease your discomfort. Your feet are aching, so you take off your shoes and soak them in some hot water. Or, you may just take a pain reliever. If you are feeling less than your best, you look for a way to help yourself feel better.

It works the same way with your mood. Most of us can not simply wish ourselves into a better condition. New studies have found that aromas can actually change how you feel right down to your subconscious. Here are some examples:

You want to feel energized. Your day is just beginning and already you know your energy will run out by noon. Go for peppermint, rosemary, or basil. These scents can be found naturally, or you can find essential oils to dab onto a cotton ball and place on your desk or in the car on your way to work. There are also a variety of bath products and lotions which feature these aromas and are specifically made to give you a boost. And interestingly enough, most people who drink a daily cup of coffee are so programmed to link the flavors of coffee to an energetic feeling, simply smelling it can bring a lift. Try placing coffee beans in a bowl to pick you up whenever you feel a little sluggish.

If stress is your problem, as it is for a good majority of us, a whiff of cedar wood, lavender, or fennel can calm your spirit. Lavender can be key to a feeling of calm because it triggers a release of the chemical serotonin in your brain, inducing a sense of well-being. Again, these are available in oils, candles, bath products, and found naturally. Cedar is readily found in sachets for hanging in closets, cars, and room fresheners.
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The power of scent can bring back fond memories or enlighten your mood. You can even give your house a homier feel by creating a warmer, cooler, or even cleaner scent. Use it wisely and don’t overdo it! Too much of a good thing may leave you with a headache instead of renewing your mood.

Of course, there are plenty of other fragrances out there that will give each one of us a different feeling, depending on things like culture, time of year, and time of day. If you melt when you smell cookies baking, or the sweet smell of cinnamon, by all means, light your favorite scented candle. You don’t need essential oils to play the part. Spritz on some perfume to get in the mood. Why not liven up a room with some citrus scented oils? The possibilities are nearly endless. Just remember, your mood is an important part of you. Help yourself by improving your mood.

Losing Weight Using Ancient Methods

Posted by Alternative Medicine on July 29, 2010 in Acupuncture with No Comments


By inserting needles into nerve endings and into various pressure zones, such as muscles, tension and the pressure can be relieved. The technique helps to relieve pain, enhance feeling in specific parts and treat neurological conditions. Also acupuncture helps when dealing with muscle pains and muscle fever.

Also, acupuncture was used to treat one of the most common diseases in our time: obesity. Due to the busy and agitated life style most of us are forced to live, it’s very easy to lose the delicate balance between work and rest. Obesity is caused by a chaotic lifestyle, in which people do not get enough sleep, and when they do, it is not at regular hours, they eat unhealthy food “on the go”, live a stressful life, and do not practice sports.

Along with the actual medicinal practices, the Chinese doctors left behind a series of philosophical texts that describe the sort of life style that should be considered by everyone, regardless if they are getting acupuncture treatments or not. Following a few simple intuitive rules, any person’s life style and health can improve, and the improvement can last over years.

Acupuncture helps to lose weight by stimulating the digestive system (stomach, intestines, kidneys, liver, etc), thus accelerating and digestion, targeting nerve endings that control the sensation of hunger, and relieving stress and pain from muscles, joints and key pressure points, thus revitalizing the body and mind, and indirectly opening the doorway for physical activities.

All in all, in order to lose weight, it’s very important to understand that all of the aspects that caused weight gain in the first place need to be understood and combated simultaneously. Acupuncture helps relieve stress, which indirectly combats fatigue. If sleep hours are regulated and the food diet is revised so that unhealthy food is thrown away and only healthy food is kept, then the body will start cleaning itself (acupuncture helps here too, by relaxing the muscles and joints, it helps you sleep better, and really rest, and by working on the digestive system, it stimulates both the actual digestion, and the transmission of nutrients throughout the body), and you would feel energized and full of life. Also, acupuncture help to regulate hunger sensations, by directly interfering in the transmission of electric signals through nerve endings in key spots.

Once the body is starts cleaning itself the accumulation of energy naturally triggers the urge to do physical activities. Acupuncture help here too, by relaxing muscles, fighting against muscle fatigue and muscle fever and by helping the heart and lungs to function better. Just as not only one factor causes you to gain weight, but a whole bunch of factors working together, so is the situation when wanting to lose weight. All of the factors need to be taken into consideration and combated, and once this happens, the lifestyle will steadily improve and the fat will begin to melt away, and be replaced by solid muscle fiber.

Acupuncture help both directly and indirectly in this process, either by enhancing specific body functions, or by relaxing key points and body parts, this ancient medicinal method still works perfectly, because even though the times have changed, the human body remains the same, as fragile as the Chinese doctors knew it to be.

Lotus Essential Oil

Posted by Alternative Medicine on July 28, 2010 in Aromatherapy with No Comments


Lotus ( nelumbo nucifera ) is one of those rare flowers that blooms in the morning and close its petals in the evening. It is rather amazing to see the condition this perennial aquatic flower needs to survive – muddy, dirty waters. The roots grow from the mud underwater and in the mornings the flower reach up to meet the sun. In the evenings they close and retreat under the surface of the water. They have either pink, blue or white petals and are not to be confused with water lily which is a different species of plant altogether. The lotus is a sacred flower in both Buddhism and Hinduism. The Buddhists use it for meditation and legend has it that wherever Buddha walked, a lotus bloomed where his feet touched the ground. The Hindus believed that the God of the universe sprang from the lotus flower. It is a symbol of purity, beauty, wealth, knowledge and enlightenment The Egyptians see it as a symbol of resurrection.

There are many uses for the lotus plant. The Chinese use it to treat everything from diarrhea to bleeding ulcers. As the plant is regarded as a diuretic they believe the leaves can help with weight loss. The plant is employed as a treatment for mushroom poisoning. Nuciferine, an ingredient found in the lotus plant was thought to help reduce muscle spasms. This same ingredient may cause hallucinations when mixed with wine. The leaves are popular as a treatment for jaundice. The flowers and leaves are also made into tea or garnish for soups. I remember my grandmother used to make a wonderfully sweet Chinese consomme soup with lotus roots. She was a wise woman indeed.

The Romans and Greek used it to cure asthma and rheumatism. In meditation, it is known to help to direct energy and keep the mind focused. It allows thoughts to be kept in the present moment and the physical body can’t help but take deeper breaths when exposed to it.

The aroma of lotus essential oil is flora and heady. I think it imparts a clean and pure scent as well. My favorite scent is sandalwood but after taking in my first whiff of lotus, I had found it to be extremely intoxicating. Now it shares center stage with sandalwood in my essential oils cabinet. The lotus essential oil is extracted using the solvent extraction method much like jasmine and rose. Although the use of lotus essential oil has no known side effects, pregnant women are advised against using it.

When I visited the world famous Ang Ko Wat temple in Siem Reap in 2009, I saw quite a few lotus blooms in the muddy pond just in front of the temple. The flowers and leaves extended proudly above the water and somehow that phrase “hope springs eternal” came to mind. Everything in the surrounding area including the temple was gray and drab and the pink lotus just leaped out. Ancient ruins and everlasting life. What a beautiful moment to grasp!

Acupuncture Walkthrough

Posted by Alternative Medicine on July 27, 2010 in Acupuncture with No Comments


Acupuncture is the practice of piercing one’s skin with needles to alleviate pain, or bring about some physiological effect. It is a medical treatment alleged to have started in China, but has spread to countries outside its birthland. Patients undergoing such treatment, as seen on television and online video clips, do not seem to show discomfort at the needle-piercing.

For many people undergoing chronic pain, or those who must endure post-operative recovery, acupuncture is a popular alternative. Or at least as an accompanying treatment to another pain-management solution, such as a controlled dosage and intake of prescribed drugs.

The needles used are thinner than hypodermic needles, which are hollow, and used for injection. As such the needle prick is not as painful. A patient undergoes a diagnosis by a licensed acupuncturist, and the treatment that follows is particular to that patient alone. Factors that affect the treatment include the patient’s age, and how long she reports to have had her condition.

As with any treatment, reducing risks should be prioritized. These include, based on reports, minor bleeding, infection, dizziness, and some bruising. Some acupuncture practitioners advise finding licensed acupuncturists, or those one has looked up over the Web to have had no complaints or criminal charges filed against them.

The individual-to-individual approach, the warm atmosphere, the highly attentive “physician”, the absence of surgery or expensive drugs, and the mystical explanation of the illness, all reportedly combine into a placebo effect. There are studies alleging to document specific conditions successfully treated with acupuncture. There are also studies questioning those studies.

Traditional Chinese medical practice discourages dissection, so it maybe in this context that the theoretical frame supporting how acupuncture works, was born. The acupuncturist inspects the patient, primarily her tongue. Then he listens to the patient cough and breathe normally. Takes note of bodily odors. Then he asks the patient how about her sleep, appetite, fevers, perspiration, among other things. Finally, he feels for palpitations on the patient.

Based on the above diagnostic procedure, the acupuncturist decides which points on the body to treat. The paradigm relies on the image of the human body as a water system. The flowing water is Qi, or life-force, or blood. The points or meridians on the body are points the needle can go through, in order to remove, unblock or alleviate a blockage or Qi, thereby alleviating pain or causing some other effect. A restored Qi flow seems to be the goal.

As for scientific consensus on the efficacy of acupuncture, the medical community does not seem to have one. The invasive nature of the procedure is usually cited as one difficulty in conducting controlled experiments. This adds to claim that credible literature on the subject is thin.

The theory that underpins how acupuncture works is also cited as having no counterpart in Western medical theories. Essentially, rigorous testing relies on tight cause and effect and controlled conditions of experiments, with the aim of successfully replicating results. Testing continues, undoubtedly. For people after some relief from pain, whether or not their mindset and bias played a role in it, acupuncture, as with other forms or treatment, remains open.

Homeopathy & Naturopathy

Posted by Alternative Medicine on July 26, 2010 in Health with No Comments


Nature provides several beneficial solutions to ailments related to the mind, body and soul. The best of the remedies are extracted from different forms of nature. This fact has been studied by scientists around the world and it is derived that which is natural is best treated by natural means. Such techniques are being used extensively in medical purposes and a branch of science has emerged which uses unconventional methods to heal and rid the body of its diseases. This branch is called Alternative Medicine. Alternative Medicine was around for many years and only recently has proper attention been given to it.

Alternative Medicine is the use of very little or no drugs in order to provide long lasting relief from various sicknesses. It covers a large range of techniques. One of the prominent classifications of this branch is the whole Medical System. In this kind of alternative science, drugs, created from natural methods are used for treatment purposes.

Two very well known and widely practiced therapies in this class of alternate medicine are:
1. Homeopathy
2. Ayurveda

Most of us are confused about the difference in these two concepts of healing. But they are not the same. We shall discuss both methods in brief in the following paragraphs:

1. HOMEOPATHY

Homeopathy is a holistic medicine; which means it aims to treat the whole person. It is based on a law called the “law of likes”. This law states that if a drug causes a certain effect in an individual, another drug causing similar effect can be used as a remedy. Here ‘remedy’ is a term used to refer to a substance prepared by a particular procedure and is meant to treat patients. A special method is employed in the preparation of these ‘remedies’. A substance is diluted with alcohol or water and shaken vigorously by ten hard strokes against an elastic body. This process is called Dynamisation.

Homeopathy uses plant, animal and synthetic extracts in the creation of remedies. A typical session of homeopathy starts with a detailed description by the patient about his personality, feelings, sensations etc. The aim of the homeopath is to recognize through these characteristics a homeopathic or a most similar remedy to, the patient’s disease. Homeopathy is ideal to improve the body’s natural defenses against microbes. With proper dosages, people with infectious diseases like fever, malaria etc recovers swiftly and gently. Homeopathy is devoid of any chemical toxicity, and hence it is ideal for people of all ages. It has no side effects as the concentration of the substance in the remedy is very less. This healing process aims at healing the entire person and not just a single aspect of the patient.

2. AYURVEDA

Ayurveda is a vast medicinal science. It was originated in India many centuries ago. Unlike regular medicinal systems, Ayurveda focuses more on healthy living rather than treatment of diseases. It combines physical, mental and spiritual well being of a person in its treatments. According to Ayurveda, having a balanced state of digestion, tissues, and a cheerful soul are the solution for a illness free life. In order to achieve this balance, medicines made of herbal extracts are administered to the person. These medicines cure the body internally by improving the functions of each system.

Ayurvedic treatment does not use any toxins or any surgical procedures; therefore it can be safely adopted as an alternative therapy or along with conventional methods. Ayurvedic solutions also help improve chronic conditions, and increase metabolism activity. It has been found that proper use of Ayurveda prevents allergies, asthma acne along with serious ailments like hypertension, diabetes and heart diseases. Since the medicines prepared for the treatment also affect the mind, Ayurvedic therapy also calms down stress and improves mental agility

Acupuncture For Fibromyalgia

Posted by Alternative Medicine on July 23, 2010 in Acupuncture with No Comments


This article revolves around the types of Acupuncture for fibromyalgia. Acupuncture is one of the five disciplines of traditional Chinese medicine performed in Asia for thousands of years. It became known worldwide from the mid-twentieth century and is now made accessible to a large number of patients. The practitioner works on the body’s energy by trying to restore the balance thereof by the insertion of needles into specific points, arranged on different acupuncture meridians listed on the human body. This practice is reserved for people who conducted the appropriate studies and known as “acupuncture”. However, it is possible for anyone to conduct small massage on acupuncture points to relieve some pain or discomfort of small daily? It can also improve the general condition in case of regular practice. In the early ’80s, Dr. Roger Dalet has helped put this simple and accessible to all, which is now known as acupressure, acupressure or digitopressure: stimulation of acupuncture points by the pressure of fingers.

These are still natural methods that use and treat the acupuncture points. However, acupuncture to treat fibromyalgia is more oriented towards the psychological health problems and deals with the fears, anxieties, phobias, addictions, pain (often caused by emotional distress as fibromyalgia), manias, allergies, traumatic memories, mourning, migraines and stress. The method has been developed by Roger Callahan (psychologist), especially played by Gary Craig (engineer, personal development coach) in the 90s.

Several doctors regularly insist on the fact that many diseases are the result of a psychological problem unsolved. These problems lead to negative emotions that cause disturbances to the body’s energy. In addition, the imbalance ultimately leads to disease. The acupuncture to treat fibromyalgia is a technique where one makes a few taps on acupuncture points (8 or 13 points), which correspond to the entry and exit of several meridians.

Apart from fears and phobias, there are many diseases found nowadays which result from anxiety and stress that EFT can provide relief and even healing. Even if one is aware that his illness resulted from a situation that fails to pay, he needs to accept this situation, integrate it with his life without suffering. Therefore, working on his emotions, eliminating anxiety, fear and trauma from the LFS, it becomes possible to directly counteract the disease that is the consequence. Therefore, the acupuncture for fibromyalgia is one of the best methods by to cure the person completely. Fibromyalgia is a dangerous syndrome that can be treated effectively this way.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Posted by Alternative Medicine on July 22, 2010 in Health with No Comments


PCOS better known to us as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is essentially a hormonal disorder mainly found in women in their reproductive age as well as during young teens. PCOS is one of the principle causes for infertility. About 5 to 7 million women in the US alone suffer from PCOS and this number seems to be increasing day by day. What makes the disease even more inexplicable is that the disease sometimes comes with dissimilar symptoms making it even harder to predict. The syndrome does vary between women making the diagnostic procedure difficult.

Though the disease varies from one point of time to another but it does have certain common signs.

Some of the common signs found are:

1. The periods come at an irregular stages, may be a few times in a month and at times not at all.

2. Arousal of Acne, Acne is type of skin disease where in multiple non seditious follicular papules are formed in the skin mainly red in color.

3. There would be a distinct weight gain or weight loss.

4. There would be development of hirsutism which is essentially is growth of hairs on parts were minimal hair growth is found.

5. Again development of acanthosis nigricans may be found, they are patches of dark skin on parts of the body mainly on the back of your neck.

The PCOS is mainly caused due to imbalance of hormones within the ovary as well as the brain. Studies have found that many young teens having relatively very high amounts of insulin present in there pancreas which in turn results in additional testosterone production within the ovary.

Now that we know about the causes and the signs it is imperative that we discuss on the ways to treat upon the disease:

1. In order to control the insulin level in the body one needs to intake the medicine Metformin. It is also helpful in the treatment of diabetes.

2. In case of hair loss one may look up-to bleaching, waxing, depilatories, electrolysis, and laser treatment.

3. There are various ways to treat Acne, medications like birth control pills, Acne treatment creams and oral antibiotic may be used.

4. In case of sudden weight loss or weight gain it is crucial for the person suffering from the disease to have food that has a balance of nutrients carbohydrates and proteins at regular intervals along with regular exercise.

These treatments for PCOS are effective and safe.

Aromatherapy Candle

Posted by Alternative Medicine on July 21, 2010 in Aromatherapy with No Comments


If you desire for comfort and relaxing rest time after your tiring day, providing aromatherapy candle in your home could be a great idea. This certain candle is surely different with any ordinary candles that are used for illuminating the dark. Aromatherapy candle is made to spread certain scent to your entire room every time you burn it. Since mostly it is made in beautiful design, a lot of people also love to buy it as collection other than just gaining its benefits.

Actually, this certain form of aromatherapy works in the same principle with essential oils. It is burned in order to secrete certain scent to give soothing and healing effect for the users. Besides, it is also used to improve the mood of the users and to improve their health conditions. Usually, people take its effect to get relaxed after their tiring day. Some people use it for their bath time, and some other use it in their bed time. Just choose which one you prefer the most. If you choose to use this candle in your bath time, you can burn it and enjoy the scent while you are soaking your body in warm bath water. If you want to use it during your sleeping time, you can simply burn it and enjoy the scent until you are fallen asleep.

Surely, you can gain a lot of benefit from aromatherapy candle. The continuous stream of floral or other herbal essential oils are released into the air of your room. When the oil molecules enter your respiratory system, they will do their magic works in preventing and treating some illness in your body. Besides, the molecules also work well to help increasing your mood, reducing your stress, and relaxing your mind. Usually, aromatherapy candles have different scents that could bring different effects to your physical and psychological state.

There are a lot of types of fragrance and scent available in the market, and each of them offered different effects for your body. You can have basil candle if you want to improve your concentration level well. Lavender could help people to relieve from fatigue and depression. This certain fragrance will be perfect to be chosen if you want to enjoy scent with calming and relaxing effects.

For people who want to get rid of cold, sinus infections or allergies, eucalyptus will be perfect choice. This certain fragrance is used as decongestant so you can breath easier. Besides, this scent is also energizing people who inhale the aroma. Then, you can also use citronella to keep away insects and other unwanted eight legged animals at bay. Therefore, candles with this certain fragrance are found being lit to entertain guests outdoor.

Surely, there are still many other fragrances that offer a lot of different effects. When you are buying aromatherapy candles, do not forget to ask the seller about the specific benefits or advantages of the scent. Therefore, you will not take the wrong choice so you can gain the specific effect you want to have.

Natural Remedies For Chest Congestion

Posted by Alternative Medicine on July 20, 2010 in Health with No Comments


Chest congestion is related with the feeling of tightness or congestion in the chest which may be usually due to accumulation of mucus and the fluid in the lower part of the respiratory tract. In some cases even the heart ailments may be the cause of the congestion in the chest.

At times the congestion in the chest may be due to certain infection in the respiratory tract or certain allergic reactions. Due to these symptoms there occurs inflammation which in turn results into accumulation of mucus and gives rise to the congestion of chest.

Due to chest congestion patient suffers from lots of frustrating complications and it also requires proper and prompt attention. This problem can be treated with the help of natural remedies.

Some of the major causes and symptoms of chest congestion are related with the disease like cold, pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, emphysema and also air borne allergies which causes post nasal drips. Due to this problem the mucus in the sinuses slides down into the lungs and results into the congestion in the chest.

Some other conditions which give rise to the problem of chest congestion are lung cancer, croup, gastroesophageal, pulmonary edema, cystic fibrosis, heart problems etc.

The symptom of chest congestion is usually characterized by the feeling of tightness in the chest and also difficulties in breathing. This condition is associated by the problem of wheezing and pain. The person who is affected by this problem has a tendency to expel a lot of mucus from the lungs.

Some of the important natural remedies for treating this problem –

1. One of an effective natural remedy is to chew 2-3 black pepper seeds for treating this problem.

2. Prepare a saline solution to gargle. It is the simplest natural remedies for chest congestion. This remedy is effective in children as well as in adults.

3. Some of the therapies like yoga and aromatherapy have found to be valuable and effective in treating this problem.

4. You can also massage the chest with essential oil as it will help you in reducing the problem of congestion.

5. Increase the intake of warm fluids in your diet. It is one of the simplest and effective natural remedy to reduce this problem.

6. Increase the intake of fruits and vegetables which are rich in minerals, essential vitamins and antioxidants.

These home remedies are useful and effective in treating this problem.

Acupuncture & Acupressure

Posted by Alternative Medicine on July 20, 2010 in Acupuncture with No Comments


As people over the world fall prey to dangerous illnesses almost everyday, the remedies to these ailments have to be made more effective and with lesser side effects. With new discoveries being made daily in the field of medicine, smart researchers have found a better solution. They have taken age old much ignored therapies and turned them into more meaningful practices. The older known remedies have an advantage of causing less side effects compared to the regular medicinal procedures.

The branch of medicine which does not follow the conventional healing techniques is called Alternative Medicine. This sphere of medicine deals with eliminating the use of common place drugs and at the same time giving a more effective and healthy way to improve your health. Alternative Medicine procedures were discovered as early as the 16th century and only recently has it been given the kind of importance it deserves.

Alternative medicine can be classified into:

1. Whole medical systems.
2. Mind-Body interventions
3. Biologically based therapies
4. Manipulative Therapy
5. Energy therapies

The best known and the most sought after techniques used all over the world for therapeutic purposes are Acupuncture and Acupressure. Surely, almost everybody is familiar with the names of these procedures, but what they are used for exactly and how it can have a healing effect on a patient is discussed below:

1. ACUPUNCTURE
Acupuncture was developed by the ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine. They believed that the human body was a channel which attracted energy from outer sources and through which energy flew in and out of, thereby maintaining a stable and healthy body.

Now in case this flow of energy is blocked due to an ailment, acupuncture is used on the patient to re-invigorate the blocked channels and prevent harmful chi (energy) from staying back in the body.

The basic procedure involved in an acupuncture session is the insertion of minute needles into the skin based on the location of certain points responsible for the flow of energy. The practitioner performing the acupuncture first diagnoses the ailment by inspecting the patient and feeling for the symptoms. Indian sildenafil citrate in 4 strengths.

He then inserts the needles into predetermined areas where blood flow and energy flow is maximum. The needle penetrates up to 3 to 5mm of the skin which causes a slight tingling sensation in the patient, after which the patient either experiences relief or expresses discomfort to the needles. Acupuncture is widely used for treatment of headaches, body pains, backaches etc.

2. ACUPRESSURE
A closely related technique to acupuncture is Acupressure. It is a healing art which was also developed by the Traditional Chinese Medicine. Acupressure uses fingers and other instruments to press specific points on the body in order to release tension which tends to block energy flow.

Acupressure is the no-needle version of Acupuncture where chi is regulated by manipulating different parts of the body. In this method, gentle but firm force is maintained on points for a small amount of time to relax muscles and promote blood circulation. Fingers are used or this purpose but at points for which fingers are too thick a blunt long object is used which applies pressure on the part to be treated.

Acupressure can be very effective in relieving headaches, sore body muscles, stressed backs, neck pains, arthritis etc. It is safe to practice by a beginner as it requires no insertion of needles or any other object. Points to be pressed can be learnt easily by trial and error methods.

Both Acupressure and Acupuncture are very beneficial in reviving body energy and healing various aches and pains. There are no side effects as there are no drugs involved in these procedures. This reason makes them the most practiced Alternative Medicine Techniques.