Karen’s Free Health and Fitness Tips

The Web is teeming with information about every imaginable topic, yet it’s often hard to distinguish between legitimate information and that which is bogus. Furthermore, it’s not always obvious when a website is genuinely providing information as a public service, and when there is a profit motive behind the information presented. In other words, sometimes you can trust what you read and sometimes the information is slanted in order to get you to buy something.

In most cases, this conundrum is fairly inconsequential; when it comes to your health, though, you want to make sure that the information you’re getting is both correct and unbiased. This is particularly true in the realm of alternative medicine, when separating out the snake oil salespeople from the straight shooters can make a significant difference in your health and well-being.

What are some of the hallmarks of a reputable alternative medicine site? First of all, it should be a true informational site. This means that the site shouldn’t sell specific products or services. In other words, you shouldn’t be able to spend a dime on the website.

As people across the globe start to research factors which contribute to their health, or lack of, the attributes of alternative medicine is causing its return in a big way. People are returning to alternative medicine in their droves. Finally, people are taking an interest in their own health. No longer is it acceptable to give your power to someone else. No-one else but you has the same interest in your health. A health practitioner may have twenty four PhDs, but you’re the only person with a PhD in you. You’re the only person who knows your sensitivities. You’re the only person who knows how you react.

Thanks largely to the internet, people are now researching possible side effects of the medication they’ve been given. Then they return to their GP with this information, who often, had no idea of it. That’s a worry in itself. Now consider the time most alternative medicine practitioners give you. Instead of the six (ten if you’re lucky) minutes you have with your GP, you are given time to express yourself freely, you are listened to. You direct the consultation. In almost all cases, you come out of the consultation feeling you have been heard, that someone has taken a deep interest in your troubles. That alone can go a long way to your improved health.

Endo what? Endometriosis is a medical condition marked by the outgrowth of urethral tissues called endometrium over the fallopian tubes, the ovaries or anywhere else in the pelvis that likely triggers extreme pelvic pain and discomforts during monthly periods. Under normal circumstances, the endometrium is shed off and completely exits the vagina in the routine process of menstruation.

Treatments for this disorder have so far been limited to surgery or the seemingly trial and error method in the prescription of estrogen inhibitor drugs and hormonal medications. Consequently, the risks of infertility as well as ovarian and endometrial cancer abound and these have prompted many women to seek an alternative medicine for endometriosis and its painful symptoms.

While medical practitioners point out to excessive estrogen levels in the female body as a precursor to endometriosis, traditional Chinese medicine postulates a systemic outlook to suggest poor liver conditions as the main culprit for the disorder. Incidentally, this hypothesis has been confirmed by related scientific research that implicates environmental pollutants called dioxins-found in abundant measures with the diet, as unavoidable hazards to sustainable liver health. In this context, herbal remedies and homeopathic substances that contain medicinal compounds effective in the treatment of liver conditions or useful in the sustenance of female reproductive health collectively serves as an alternative medicine for endometriosis.

Who says you can not beat the exam nerves? Truth is you can and you can do this the natural or holistic way with a little help from proven alternative practices!

You might have heard of the Gingko Biloba and the number of times the herb has been recommended as supplement to help sharpen memory functions and encourage presence of mind, particularly when taking exams. If that is so, is there an equivalent herbal remedy that would help ease out related exam tension?

The practice of alternative medicine has brought to the fore a number of different herbs enriched with medicinal properties vital to nervous system health, along with homeopathic substances that are purported to induce calm and relaxed behaviors. Skim below for some of the more popular remedies administered to ease common tension which can likewise be used as an alternative medicine for test anxiety.

The herb Passion Flower promotes a naturally soothing and calming effect on the nerves that when combined with St. Johns Wort produces an herbal remedy for clinical depression. The medicinal extracts of the Centella Asiatica and Rosemary both provide therapeutic benefits helpful in the course of academic study and examination. While the Centella generally enhances brain and nervous system functions, the Rosemary contains compounds that inhibit the breakdown of brain chemicals involved in the upkeep of good memory.

In the United States, around 21 million people have been diagnosed as diabetics where regular exercise, lifestyle changes and good nutrition have been likely prescribed by physicians to regulate blood sugar levels, along with the intake of Insulin sensitizer medicines such as Avandia or the popular diabetes drug Metformin. Nonetheless, the issue of cost and the risk of side effects in the regular intake of drugs that artificially increases the body’s insulin sensitivity or limit the production of glucose by the liver, serve as drawbacks to conventional treatments. Most likely, a pre-diabetic or diabetic would be interested to know if there is an alternative medicine for diabetes symptoms. Believe it or not, there is such a thing! And alternative medicine likely holds the answer to this query.

Biochemic cell salts are natural remedies traditionally administered in the practice of homeopathy. Cell salts compose of mineral constituents that are found naturally occurring in bodily cells where a purported imbalance could lead to impaired organ or system functions; in this case the lowered insulin sensitivity of bodily tissues which is triggered by the malfunction of cellular membrane receptors.

Alternative medicines come in many forms and Ayurvedic is one of them. Many people have not heard of this healing medium as it only came to the fore in 1980 although the practice of Ayurvedic healing is said to be over 5000 years old.

Ayurvedic means life and knowledge. This ancient alternative healing system has been practiced in India for many years although there is now a tendency towards western style medicine in the main cities. But most of the population live in rural areas where it is estimated that 70% still use this form of healing.

The basics of Ayurvedic are broke down into three main categories and those are diet, herbs, and yoga. Certain authorities have warned that some of the herbs used could be poisonous, and there are a host of people saying that this form of alternative medicine is a rip off, and that if anyone should want to go down this route of alternative medicine is that they should double check what they are taking. Not being a scientist or a botanist I feel as though I do not have that sort of expertise to comment any further about the herbs used.

I have at least two friends who have been on anti-depressants for years and the fact that they are still on them, makes me think that there must be an alternative medication for depression. There is, but the drugs companies are keeping very quiet about it and they are laughing all the way to the bank.

One thing I did notice about my friends is that they put on an awful lot of weight and one of them has become so fat that she has had several falls and fractures and has led a miserable life as a result.

Before looking at alternative medicine for depression, let me just add that weight gain is not a given. It will vary from individual to individual and indeed in some cases, there is weight loss. In any case, these SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) interfere with your appetite. Add to that all the other side effects which range from rashes, tremors, dizziness, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, urinary tract infections, disturbed dreams and excessive sweating. These are listed for anti-depressants such as Fluoxetine and Tofranil. It is unlikely that one patient could suffer from all of these side effects but one or two of them would convince you that in fixing one ailment, you are messing up your body and mind. With alternative depression medications, the side effects are minimal or non-existent.

Tinnitus is an auditory condition often associated with the persistent use of portable audio devices such as the Ipod. While this piece of information seems to be hilarious and may likewise sound improbable to many, related medical literature suggests that tinnitus can in fact be triggered by the constant exposure to extremely loud noises and deafening sounds.

Sadly, no drugs have yet been developed to cure tinnitus and what remains as a doable solution is the immediate treatment of disorders that may be causing the manifest of this condition; rather than undergoing related surgery or electrical therapy-just to get rid of the irritating and ringing, background noise. Incidentally, the prescribed mode of treatment matches with the holistic methods adhered to in the practice of herbalism and homeopathy. Herbal remedies concocted for the treatment of auditory damage and other hearing disorders have been formulated using the extracts of potent herbs and/or homeopathic ingredients.

The therapeutic extracts available in the leaves of the Gingko Biloba support the treatment of degenerative conditions, including tinnitus. Likewise a known cognitive enhancer and circulatory system stimulant, the active compounds contained in its extracts stimulate the increased flow of oxygenated blood towards the different organs of the body. This consequently improves circulation and resolves auditory conditions such as tinnitus which may have been triggered by poor blood circulation. Today, the Gingko Biloba is increasingly prescribed by physicians and herbalists as an alternative medicine for tinnitus and other circulatory ailments.

Find Alternative Medicine Colleges in the United States and Canada. If you are drawn to complementary and alternative medicine, you are not alone. Alternative medicine colleges are growing in demand as “36 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 years and over use some form of complementary and alternative medicine.” [1] Alternative and complementary medicine therapies that are most commonly sought after include acupuncture, chiropractic, herbal medicine, and nutritional [2] therapies. These professions are frequently taught to students in a number of alternative medicine colleges.

Before registering in the wide expand of alternative medicine colleges, you should first determine which alternative medicine practice you would like to enter. For example, if you interested in chiropractic, be sure that the selection of alternative medicine colleges in which you choose to enroll offer this course of study. Some alternative medicine colleges provide training in a diverse range of health therapies including education in pathology-specific treatments, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Studies offered through alternative medicine colleges in this area may include diverse curriculums in botanical or herbal medicine, supplements and vitamins, hydrotherapy, mind-body therapies, Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, homeopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture and other massage therapies.

You can almost rest assured that if medical science has treatments for any human problem, there will also be alternative medicine choices. People have suffered with all of the same maladies over the centuries that we suffer from today. They didn’t have a handy corner pharmacy, so they went to nature and their own inventiveness looking for cures. They developed techniques that would relieve human pain and found natural herbs that would relieve make them feel better.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, has been a human problem for centuries, and medical science learned to measure human blood pressure about a century and a half ago.

Acupuncture and acupressure have both been used very successfully to lower blood pressure readings. When needles are inserted into the wrist, forearm, or leg, or when pressure is applied, opioid chemicals in the brain that reduce responses in the cardiovascular system are released. This causes a decrease in heart activity and the need for oxygen, which can lower blood pressure.

Garlic, onions, carrots, and celery are known to reduce blood pressure. Garlic is the best known of the group, and garlic pills and capsules can be purchased at health food stores that are just as effective at reducing blood pressure as eating fresh garlic.