Natural Medicine | Illinois Acupuncture

Exploring Alternative Medicines

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With the vast variety of prescription drugs currently available, many people are becoming overwhelmed by the options and have begun turning to alternative forms of medicine. These people who have turned to alternative medicine find that these health remedies carry much less side effects and are often more effective than most prescription drugs on the market. Here are a few top forms of alternative medicine and which ailments they commonly treat.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is originally an Eastern healing technique but has gained wide popularity in the Western world in recent years. This form of healing involves inserting tiny needles into various pressure points throughout the body. This treatment is used on a wide variety of ailments from migraine headaches to sever arthritis. Since this treatment involves finding pressure points throughout the body, you should only receive the service from an experienced professional.

Herbal Remedies

Another top alternative treatment currently gaining in popularity is herbal treatment. Herbs have been used throughout history around the world and are known to effectively treat a wide range of ailments. The reason herbal remedies are currently gaining popularity in the Western world is they are viewed as safer alternatives to prescription drugs. Although caution should be used when taking certain herbs, these remedies are often safer than prescription drugs because they are natural and don’t carry many side effects.

Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic Care is used to treat a variety of health issues from seasonal allergies, to infant colic. Several forms of chiropractic care currently exist and, while the chiropractors that perform the various care types claim their method is the best, the type you choose will depend on your preferences.

Acupuncture, chiropractic care, and herbal remedies are just a few of the top alternative medicines currently gaining popularity throughout the world. When used in combination with a less stressful life style and a commitment to healthful eating, you can see amazing benefits by using the various forms of alternative medicines.

Filed Under: Acupuncture, Herbal product, Natural Medicine Tagged With: Alternative medicine, Health, Herbalism

What Is Alternative Medicine?

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Alternative medicine — what is it, exactly? What does it mean? Should you be trying it to get rid of your headache instead of taking a pill?

Alternative medicine is a category that encompasses various healing therapies and practices that do not fit into what is generally termed conventional or traditional medicine as practiced by medical doctors in the Western world. Examples include acupuncture, hypnosis, yoga, herbalism, homeopathy, energy healing, biofeedback and ayurveda. Even meditation can be grouped under alternative medicine because the practice is said to have myriad health benefits, from decreasing stress to lowering blood pressure and relieving pain.

Practiced for thousands of years all over the world and in different spiritual traditions, meditation can be a good introduction to alternative medicine because it is relatively simple, inexpensive and easy to incorporate into your routine. The practice focuses on calming your mind so that it ceases bouncing thoughts about like ping pong balls — which can certainly cause a headache!

Usually, all you need to meditate is a quiet spot and 15 to 20 minutes of uninterrupted time. Sitting in a comfortable position, you usually breath deeply and slowly in a regular pattern. In some traditions, you focus on a mantra or sound, or even your breathing — the pattern of inhaling and exhaling. If your mind strays, you bring it back to your focus.

In other traditions, you are aware of all the sensations and thoughts that flow through your mind. Many religions have their own forms of meditation, from Hinduism and Buddhishm to Christianity.

Meditation is highly personal, so give some thought to what form would best fit your lifestyle and traditions. There are many books and websites out there to guide you in your research. You can also check out classes in your area if you prefer groups. Yoga studios are a good place to start asking about classes and resources. Always remember that if a particular style doesn’t feel right, then it probably isn’t. Move on and try another style.

So have fun and take a step on an alternative road to health!

Filed Under: Alternative Treatment, Herbal product, Natural Medicine Tagged With: Alternative, Alternative medicine, Herbalism, Medicine

Diet, Exercise Relate to Mental Health

The benefits of a healthy diet and regular exercise have been widely touted to many generations by both allied and alternative health care professionals. Today, research is uncovering evidence of even more positive effects these two lifestyle choices can have. This research is related to mental health, and includes evidence that good diet and daily exercise can decrease the chances for developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

There have been numerous recent scientific studies performed concerning the affects diet and exercise have on long-term cognitive function, mainly with regard to development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, according to research reports presented to the Alzheimer’s Association at a 2010 international conference.

Remember the slogan, “Milk does a body good”? Well, according to these studies, it is evident that milk does a mind good, as well. Research has shown a loss of cognitive function in elderly adults who are lacking vitamin D. Walnuts are another food item that show promise for improving cognitive function and lessening the rate of development of Alzheimer’s in mice. The mice in the study showed improved memory and spatial recognition in addition to better emotional control, according to the reports.

Drinking tea, according to one study, can help maintain levels of cognitive ability. Additional reported information states that it is not the caffeine in tea which provides the benefits to mental health because the study showed that coffee did not provide the same positive results, unless consumed at extremely high levels. Although coffee did show some positive effects on cognitive ability at these higher consumption levels, other studies have shown that the risks of this rate of consumption outweigh the possible benefits.

Daily physical activity extending into older stages of life has also been shown to decrease cognitive decline, especially in men. Lessening the chances of declining cognitive function further reduces the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Filed Under: Health, Natural Medicine Tagged With: Alzheimer's disease, Conditions and Diseases, Health

Tennessee Drug Treatment and Law Enforcement

In 2008, according to a White House report on Tennessee, 444,000 people in that state reported using an illicit drug in the last month (this equates to 9 percent of the population, ages 12 and older). In an environment where one in 10 people is abusing drugs, Tennessee drug treatment and law enforcement begins to carry a significant meaning.

As of Oct. 31, 2008, there were 25,067 full-time law enforcement employees in Tennessee—15,529 were full-time officers, 9,358 were civilians. These numbers include a statewide bureau instigated by the governor called the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Drug Investigation Division. The bureau is charged with dealing with drug violations, arresting violators, and assisting with prosecutions.

What are the responsibilities of the drug treatment facilities with regard to law enforcement? Should they turn over drug users to the authorities, along with incriminating evidence? If so, does this deter users from entering rehab facilities and beginning treatment? Should the rehab centers open their doors and welcome users, turning a blind eye to criminal records? Or should users face the legal ramifications of their crime?

These are not easy questions. If a large part of a community is involved with drugs, how do you deal with the addiction and the crime? Perhaps the only real answer is to teach the citizens that using and selling drugs are criminal acts, and that if they are caught, they will be punished to the full extent of the law.

When it comes to drug use, “tough love” is necessary to eradicate the problem. Encouraging drug abusers to practice Eastern ideas such as acupuncture, meditation, and the like could help solve the problem. Many use drugs to treat stress which acupuncture can help.Maybe the local population has been allowed to believe that doing drugs is all right, that just “a little bit” isn’t a crime. Perhaps a zero tolerance policy for drug use in the schools needs to be instigated, along with immediate enrollment in a drug treatment facility for the guilty. These steps might establish an appropriate paradigm between law enforcement and drug treatment.

Filed Under: Health, Natural Medicine Tagged With: Health, Law, Tennessee

Organic Diets Healthy for Kids

Organic foods do more than help preserve the environment. Eating organic food has some definite health benefits, too, especially for young children, according to a study conducted by a University of Washington research group.

While it was already widely known that a diet of organically-grown and -produced foods is helpful to a person’s health, the study proved that children eating this type of diet ingest far less harmful pesticides than children consuming a typical American diet.

The researchers studied children in similar age and income brackets from like geographical areas. Some of the kids continued eating the same types of diets they always had. The others were fed only organic foods. At the end of the study, researchers discovered a much larger amount of toxic chemicals in the urine of children eating a regular, non-organic diet.

Pesticides and other toxins are harmful to a body when they are ingested. Children are especially at high risk of harm to their bodies from toxic chemicals because of their size. Unfortunately, the types of foods children tend to choose to eat are not always the healthy option.

In addition to the fact that organic foods improve the soil quality and help prevent soil erosion, they also improve air quality. Water quality is benefited, as well, because of the lower number of harmful, toxic chemicals released into the air or seeping into ground water from pesticides.

Organic foods require less energy to produce, too. They are not sprayed or covered with massive amounts of chemicals and pesticides and, therefore, do not have to go through as much processing before they can be put onto tables for consumption.

With so many advantages for the environment, it is only natural that organic foods are also helpful to the body. They are in a more pure, non-chemically altered state when produced and when consumed. Reasonably, ingesting less toxic chemicals, such as pesticides, means a body is getting less harmful toxins. This also means people, especially young children, eating diets of organically-grown and -produced foods are making healthier choices for their bodies and the earth.

Filed Under: Health, Herbal product, Natural Medicine Tagged With: Food and Related Products, Health, Organic food

Foot Reflexology Promotes Whole Body Wellness

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Reflexology has History
Foot reflexology has been practiced for many thousands of years to help with healing and promote life balance and wellness. Some even believe the washing of feet in the Bible refers to reflexology practices or, at least, medicinal purposes behind the polite, self-giving gesture. Others have found mention of the practice of reflexology in ancient Chinese writings, as well as writings from ancient Egyptians. Today, reflexology is becoming recognized for its medicinal and holistic purposes.
Foot’s Reflex Points Correspond to Specific Body Parts
Because each part of a person’s foot corresponds to a specific point on his or her body, foot reflexology treatments can help maintain wellness and speed healing of various parts of the body. Many charts exist showing which parts of the feet correspond to which parts of the human body. While some of these charts disagree as to specific correspondence points, most are generally accurate. The differences are believed to be because individual bodies are not the same. Therefore, each person’s reflex points in his or her feet might be slightly different than the next person’s. A good, intuitive and trained foot reflexology practitioner will hone in on those individual differences and offer a foot reflexology treatment specific to an individual person’s whole body needs and ailments.
Reflexology for Total Body Wellness
To achieve complete wellness, a person should use reflexology therapy to aid in body detoxification and relaxation. Foot reflexology is also believed to help circulation. Improved circulation then, in turn, helps maintain healthy blood pressure levels and whole body wellness. There is a corresponding foot reflex point for every part of the body from the pituitary gland to the parts of the colon to the brain, so foot reflexology therapy can certainly help maintain total body wellness.
Foot Reflexology for Mind
Some foot reflexology therapists believe a treatment can help with nearly anything that might be wrong with a person, whether it be a physical or mental problem. For instance, one practitioner claims that applying pressure or massaging the throat’s corresponding reflex point in a person’s foot can help that person become able to orally relate something he or she has been previously unable to voice.

Filed Under: Acupuncture, Health, Natural Medicine Tagged With: Blood pressure, Human body, Reflexology

Cut down on Smoking Costs and Health Risks by Using an Electric Cigarette

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If you’re having trouble balancing a budget with your smoking habit, you might be able to cut down on costs by using an electric cigarette. Through the Great Depression, war years, and other financially troubling times, smokers resort to rolling their own cigarettes to cut down on smoking bills. This isn’t easy if you live in an urban area and don’t have leaves readily available to roll. Increasing taxes also make it difficult to afford a smoking habit.

Electric cigarettes, also known as personal vaporizers or e-cigarettes, help you keep costs down because they are reusable. The battery-powered devices use a vaporized solution, which a user inhales. It contains nicotine, but doesn’t have the actual smoke that can be so offensive to many. The electric cigarette comes in two styles, both tubular. Some look like actual cigarettes while others look more like a ballpoint pen. The tubes have refillable and replaceable parts. You will have to replace the flavoring in the electric cigarette, but the price of the flavoring cartridges runs cheaper than traditional cigarettes. Electric cigarette smokers have reported savings of over a thousand dollars a year.

There are health benefits that come along with smoking electric cigarettes, as opposed to traditional cigarettes, in addition to the financial savings. They are not advertised as a tool to help you quit smoking completely, yet some electric cigarette users report that smoking the electric cigarette satisfied them enough to cut down on how much they smoked during a day. Some smokers reported that they did actually quit smoking after weaning away from traditional cigarettes by using an electronic cigarette. You still get nicotine in your cigarette, but you don’t have to worry about the harmful effects tobacco has on a person’s body. Asthmatics and others with sensitive lungs also don’t have to worry about smoke with the electric cigarette..

Filed Under: Natural Medicine Tagged With: Cigarette, Electronic cigarette, Health

Acupuncture Popularity Grows in American Culture

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”’Acupuncture Popularity Grows in American Culture”’
Acupuncture began as a form of medicinal treatment thousands of years ago in China. The Chinese practitioners believed the insertion of thin needles into the body at specific points helped a person’s energy flow balance itself. After many centuries have passed since the Chinese started using needles to relieve pain and balance a person’s life force, acupuncture is rapidly becoming a more widely used form of alternative health care in the United States today.
Typically, most current practitioners in the United States do not think the needles inserted into a body during acupuncture treatment are balancing energy. Instead, they think the treatments work because the needles act a stimulant to nerves, tissue and muscles. In theory, this stimulation in turn causes blood to flow more naturally and fully throughout the body. It also enhances the body’s natural pain relief mechanisms.
”’Complications, Indications of Acupuncture”’
There are a few possible complications associated with acupuncture, including soreness at the needle insertion sites, bleeding and some bruising. Organ damage is also a slight risk if the treatments are not performed by an experienced acupuncturist. Not everyone who receives the alternative health treatment will experience side effects, though, and a majority of acupuncture patients do not have any complications from their treatments.
Because the advantages of acupuncture far outweigh the possible side effects, the treatments are used for a wide variety of symptoms. Some of these include fibromyalgia, pain from labor, nausea associated with chemotherapy treatments, headaches, migraines and many other types of pain.
”’Mysterious, But Effective”’
Although the truth about how acupuncture actually works is a medical mystery, its practice is far reaching and spans hundreds of generations. Many people who have had the alternative health treatments feel pain relief for the first time since their symptoms began. For those who are in need of relief for some body ailment, discussing acupuncture with their doctors or a capable and competent, experienced acupuncturist could be a good health care decision.

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

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

Many Herbal Oil Remedies Found to Reduce Psoriasis Suffering

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Several Herbal Oil Remedies Help Psoriasis Symptoms
Because there is still not a lot known about psoriasis and its causes, there has been no set-in-stone cure discovered that will work every time for every person. There are, however, a few herbal oil remedies for the disease which have been proven effective by psoriasis sufferers. For those who are tired of relying on the typically-prescribed steroids for relief of psoriasis symptoms, these alternative health care treatments might be a good option.
There have been many myths about psoriasis treatments over the years. Fortunately, there have also been many herbal oil remedies found to truly reduce the symptoms suffered by those who have the disease. Some of these treatments work better than others, and finding which one works best for you may require trials of several.
Of the various herbal oils tried for the treatment of psoriasis, a few have been found effective treatments by users. Some of them treat the itching or scaling, while others treat redness or irritation. A few of these oils even help with all the symptoms of psoriasis.
Oregano Oil Treatments
Oregano oil has a very high positive response rate by those who suffer from psoriasis. In addition to the anti-oxidant characteristics of oregano oil, it also has anti-microbial benefits for the body. This type of oil may be used a topical and ingested combination.
Fish Oil Treatments
Fish oil has been found to reduce the frequency of psoriasis flares because of its benefits for the immune system. Taken twice daily, fish oil can benefit overall health in addition to relieving psoriasis symptoms. This herbal remedy is a natural anti-inflammatory agent that also helps keep cholesterol and blood pressure under control.
Tea Tree Oil Treatments
Tea tree oil has an historic medicinal past. It has been applied to cuts and scrapes for years in Aboriginal regions to help speed the healing process because of the benefits of its antiseptic characteristics. Because it also has anti-microbial qualities, psoriasis symptoms are reduced with topical treatments of tea tree oil.

Filed Under: Health, Herbal product, Natural Medicine, Nature