Cure | Illinois Acupuncture

Ginseng Beneftis Total Body

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Ginseng has been known to help maintain overall wellness of the body and mind for thousands of years. In ancient Chinese cultures, ginseng was thought to increase mental ability and knowledge, fight fatigue and decrease the complications of impotence. The herb was also thought to decrease joint pain caused by arthritis.

In today’s American culture, ginseng is still believed to have many benefits for health. The effects of ginseng on the body still include reducing fatigue. More benefits of the herb are known now that it is understood ginseng can boost energy levels. Ginseng is also known to help the body fight off several different types of infections and keep stress at more manageable levels.

Current alternative health care professionals also claim the use of ginseng is good as an anti-aging agent. This is thought to be because the herb aids in maintenance of the body’s intricate system of blood flow. Additionally, some emerging studies are reporting that it can help lower blood sugar, which is good news for those who suffer from diabetes.

Possibly one of the most important health benefits of ginseng is its ability to help reduce some cancer risks and to help cancer patients during their conventional medical treatments. According to some South Korean studies, regular doses of ginseng, especially taken in combination with antioxidants, can fight and even lower the risk of developing certain types of cancer. Many cancer patients have also benefitted from taking ginseng throughout their traditional treatments of pharmaceutical drugs and radiation. It is believed ginseng’s ability to lower stress levels helps the human body manage and endure these methods of cancer treatment.

Ginseng can be taken regularly without much fear of any sort of side effects. With so many health benefits and such little risk, adding ginseng as a daily herbal supplement may be a good choice for total body wellness.

Filed Under: Cure, Herbal product Tagged With: Alternative medicine, Ginseng, Health

Alternative Skin Care to Avoid Cosmetic Procedures

Young people in America, especially young women, are seeking medical cosmetic procedures at earlier ages than in previous years. An alarming 27 percent or so of these procedures and plastic surgeries are performed on people ranging between 19 and 29 years of age, according to a report on “The Early Show” from CBS July 20, 2010.

A large portion of these younger people seeking to alter their appearances are receiving cosmetic treatments for their skin. Fortunately, they don’t need to go that far. There are some natural alternative methods for skin care that will help a person maintain skin elasticity and youthfulness. These natural methods are non-toxic and do not cause irreversible changes to the body. In addition, these skin care methods are much more affordable than medical cosmetic procedures.

The first key to healthy, beautiful skin is water. Hydrating the body with at least eight glasses of water each day is good for overall health, but also has excellent benefits for the skin. As people age, their bodies produce less hydration, leaving the skin at a loss for moisture. By drinking more water, a person is better able to produce the hydration necessary to keep the skin looking and feeling young and healthy.

A second healthy skin aid is lemons. Because lemons contain vitamin C, lemon juice can be a good facial wash. The vitamins are soaked directly into the skin when the wash is applied. It also helps reduce acne-causing oils in younger skin and provides good antioxidants and protection for older skin.

A third option for alternative skin care is aloe vera. In addition to its healing properties for burns, it is a good natural exfoliating agent. Aloe vera gently helps slough away dead skin cells, revealing the healthier, younger-looking skin beneath.

There are many additional natural alternative skin care remedies and methods available. If a young person begins taking care of their skin early, he or she will not have the need for drastic cosmetic procedures later in order to have healthy, beautiful skin.

Filed Under: Cure, Health, Herbal product Tagged With: Aloe vera, Health, Skin Care

Benefits of Coconut Oil

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One of the world’s most beneficial fruits for the human body is the coconut. The oil of the coconut can be used by people for numerous reasons, including cooking. It also has plenty of alternative health care purposes.

Coconut oil has several properties making it beneficial to the human body. Besides being a good antifungal, it also has antimicrobial properties and antibacterial properties. Coconut oil also contains antioxidants.

These properties make coconut oil a good choice for cooking because when ingested, it helps the body fight off infections and diseases, as well as providing a natural boost for the heart, liver and kidneys. Coconut oil can help keep cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure at normal levels and possibly aids in the production of insulin.

Another positive outcome of using coconut oil in cooking is that it helps the body’s systems work to absorb vitamins and minerals. Because it increases the body’s ability to absorb calcium and magnesium, it makes it easier for these nutrients to benefit the body. Coconut oil’s positive digestive qualities help improve teeth and bone structure.

Because it acts as an antimicrobial and antiviral, coconut oil may be applied topically to infected areas of skin. It helps the body speed up the healing process, especially in areas of bruising, as it aids with tissue repair.

Coconut oil is excellent for skin care. It is naturally moisturizing for the skin and speeds the healing of drying and flaking skin. It also helps reduce the occurrence of itching, dry and flaky skin. Because of this property, coconut oil is beneficial in the treatment of many skin disorders, including psoriasis, eczema and dermatitis.

Because of its moisturizing properties, coconut oil makes an excellent conditioner for hair, as well. Applied topically to the scalp, it nourishes the hair, giving it a lustrous shine and helping re-grow hair damaged from harsh chemicals and split ends. Coconut oil also reduces flakes for those suffering from dandruff and psoriasis of the scalp.

Coconut oil is a versatile product which can be beneficial to many areas and systems of the human body.

Filed Under: Cure, Health, Herbal product Tagged With: Coconut oil, Health, Skin Care

Alternative Ways to Heal Bruises Faster

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Bruises are unsightly and, sometimes, extremely painful. Fortunately, there are many alternative ways to help speed the healing process of bruises and rid them of the ugliness so a person does not have to suffer for long.

The first important step to helping the body heal itself is almost always water. Drinking more water helps the body keep itself clean and purified, aiding in the purging of harmful chemicals and toxins. Water also helps the body’s system of blood flow maintain a healthy pace.

In addition to plenty of water, more vitamins C and K in the diet can help bruises heal faster. Eating your share of broccoli and spinach is a good idea when you have a bruise. If you do not like the green choices, then eat some tomatoes and sweet potatoes. They contain the vitamins needed to help the bruises heal.

Applying witch hazel to a bruise will help prevent swelling. If the area has already swelled, apply a cold compress to it to reduce the swelling. A cold compress can be made using ice wrapped in a cloth or placed in a freezer bag, then wrapping the bag in a cloth to prevent any mess from melting. Compresses may also be made by mixing apple cider vinegar and water, or by mixing and chilling water and alcohol. The compresses reduce inflammation and, sometimes, lessen pain at the site.

You may not be bananas about bruises, so you could affix a banana peel to the affected area overnight, making sure to apply the inside of the peel to the skin. This helps speed the healing process.

If you are worried about how the bruise looks, try freezing a metal utensil and then applying its surface to the bruise. This will help draw blood away from the skin’s surface so the area is not so unsightly.

Filed Under: Cure, Health Tagged With: Bruise, Inflammation

Different Types of Acupuncture Provide Health Care Alternatives

There are several different types of acupuncture typically recognized by both the conventional and alternative health care communities. These types include traditional Chinese, Korean, Japanese, five-element, trigger point and auricular acupuncture methods.

Traditional Chinese acupuncture methods are the most widely practiced in American health care today. Practitioners of this form of acupuncture believe inserting tiny needles into the body at certain particular points helps stimulate blood and energy flow. This stimulation and increased flow to tissues in turn helps the body experience more rapid healing processes.

Japanese acupuncture takes a different approach from the start of treatments. In this method, practitioners use touch to find points on the body corresponding with bodily malfunctions or ailments. After uncovering these points, they begin needle insertion, sometimes using warming techniques.

Five-element practitioners use the correlation between emotions and bodily functions with the elements of fire, water, earth, metal and wood. They examine many different aspects of the body before beginning any treatment designed to restore the imbalance the person receiving treatment is experiencing.

Korean acupuncturists combine the concepts of several different methodologies of the practice, including Japanese, five-element and traditional Chinese acupuncture. They focus on specific body types to help those receiving treatments improve their health.

Trigger point acupuncturists touch a person to discover where they are experiencing muscle tightness or tension in the body. They then insert needles at these points which increase blood and energy flow to these points, as well as reducing the tightness of those specific muscles.

Auricular acupuncture focuses on acupoints of the ear. Each of these points correlates to a particular part of the body which receives an impulse routed from the ear to the brain during this treatment method. Through this method, practitioners are able to treat the entire body from outer points on the person’s ears.

Filed Under: Acupuncture, Cure, Herbal product Tagged With: Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine

Chiropractic Care Offers Many Benefits

When most people think about chiropractic care, they think of adults under a lot of stress or injured in some sort of accident seeking relief. Typically, those who do not regularly visit a chiropractor or who have never received any sort of chiropractic treatment think chiropractors just twist and poke people to alleviate back pain.

Although chiropractors do help alleviate stress and pain in adults, these are not the only benefits chiropractic care offers. Chiropractic care is a positive regimen of either alternative or complementary treatment for many people seeking total body wellness and complete health care.

Doctors of chiropractic help fix or alleviate many maladies of the body by focusing on the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. These systems work in combination with one another to keep the body healthy, mobile, flexible and free of pain. When these systems or some part of these systems becomes out of place or inflamed, it results in a variety of symptoms, which may include soreness, pain, fatigue, illness and immobility.

Chiropractors are typically able to pinpoint the source of aggravation in the musculoskeletal or nervous systems and then manipulate specific points of the body in order to regulate these systems. This is usually achieved through a process called spinal manipulation, otherwise known as receiving a chiropractic adjustment. By relieving pressure at particular body points or jump-starting a chemical flow and alteration, underlying tissue is more able to improve or heal altogether.

As the positive results of chiropractic care become more evident, more practitioners of conventional medicine are recommending chiropractic adjustments to their patients. Whether as an alternative form of health care or in conjunction with other treatments prescribed by a doctor, chiropractic care can be a healthy option for whole body harmony.

Filed Under: Cure, Health Tagged With: Chiropractic, Health care

Choosing Between Complementary, Alternative Medicine

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Complementary vs. Alternative Approaches to Treatment
Conventional medicine is health care as practiced and prescribed by medical doctors, doctors of osteopathy and other allied health professionals. For many centuries, patients have sought other or additional forms of medicine for a wide variety of reasons. These health care options are not considered part of the conventional methods of treatment, but are becoming more popular in the global forum of health care.
When discussing health care treatments other than conventional medicine, the term alternative medicine typically comes to mind for most people not familiar with not-so-conventional treatment methods. There are actually differences, though, in the approaches taken for such health care treatments.
Alternative health care is a term that encompasses treatments outside the realm of traditional, conventional methods as usually prescribed by physicians. Complementary health care is a term describing methods of alternative health care used in combination with those conventional methods prescribed by a treating physician.
Both Offer Alternatives to Conventional Methods
While both complementary and alternative health care methods offer options other than just conventional medical treatment, it is an individual patient’s decision as to which methodology of alternative health care is used. Some people choose to use the complementary method in addition to whatever treatments a doctor may have prescribed. Others choose to rely solely upon the alternative health care methods for treatment of medical or mental conditions.
Integrating Alternative Health Care with Traditional Treatment Plans
Because of the rapid growth in popularity of alternative health care methods, many doctors are now using a combination of conventional treatments with alternative ones which have been scientifically proven to be safe and effective. This practice is called integrative medicine. These integrative treatment methods mean doctors practicing conventional medicine are now realizing some of the true benefits of alternative health care methods, and they are beginning to incorporate additional methods into patients’ treatment plans.
The overall landscape of alternative medicine is increasing in popularity as more people, including those practicing conventional medicine, are exploring the benefits of integrating alternative methods with their prescribed health care regimens.

Filed Under: Acupuncture, Cure, Health, Herbal product, Natural Medicine, Nature Tagged With: Alternative medicine, Physician, Practitioners