Do Your Body A Favor Naturally - Natural Health Alternatives

You live a busy, hectic life. There’s never enough time left in the day to do everything you think you need to do. Your job, family and extra curricular activities keep you going at a pace that often can result in over-load, causing your body to very often rebel and simply not work as well as you are capable.

Your body does so much for you and should be treated with respect, so why not return the favor. Natural health is one of the ways you can learn to appreciate all that Mother Nature has to offer in the ways of ingredients that help your body.

Natural health is about being pro-active; taking charge of your own health, life and destiny. You need to understand that if you want to be happy and healthy for years to come, then you must be dedicated to making your life and especially your body healthy.

Living healthy is not about being a health freak, but about becoming health-conscious. It is about making the lifestyle work with and for you. To truly appreciate what natural health has to offer, consider investing in a natural health book and some good natural food cookbooks.

If you have been living the junk food and quick meal life, then you will need to incorporate vitamins into your natural health regime; to be successful in this, you will need to obtain knowledge on what vitamins your body lacks.

Through your research on natural health, you will quickly discover that there are many options open to you to help you in your aim of living the natural health way. Natural health also means incorporating more naturalistic solutions into your life. You will be able to enjoy the pleasures of life with a body that functions at its optimum at all times.

And if you are truly dedicated, you will succeed, and the best part is that once you start living better, you start feeling better; and that is crucial in dealing with everyday stresses and depressions.

Take time out of your busy, hectic life to learn more about living a healthy lifestyle by incorporating natural health alternatives to your daily routine. Your body works hard for you, and it’s time to return the favor.

Green Tea A Healthy Alternative To Soda

In the hot days of summer it is easy to reach for a soda to help you cool off. However sodas do not really quench your thirst and there are some other healthier more refreshing alternatives. One of the most refreshing ways to cool off on a hot summer day is drinking a tall glass of iced tea and what better than making it green tea?

People From the Orient have long known the benefits of drinking green tea. In fact so important is this drink in these countries that there is special tea drinking rituals associated with this beverage. Japan is especially famous for this.

Green tea: Is made from the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis tree. The best green tea is grown in Japan and is harvested in the spring months. Now Australia is trying to cultivate it so that green tea can be available in other months and supply the increasing need for this beverage. Recent research is revealing that this tea is particularly beneficial for your health. It is higher in antitoxins than the traditional black tea drunk in the West. Green tea has also been found to have vitamin C and fluoride.

Green tea has more of these properties than the traditional black teas because of the way it is processed It goes through little or no processing (fermenting or oxidizing) this brings out the antioxidants and vitamins but will reduce the stimulant quality (caffeine) of this tea.

The best way to make green tea hot or cold is to make it with loose leaves. These are easily available in many grocery stores and most health food stores. When making iced tea it is good to steep the tea for about 20-30 minutes. You can just pour the hot water on it and let it cool slowly. Fast cooling will not allow the full taste to come out; so slow cooling at room temperature is best.

You can also make some good tea pops. Just fill an ice cube tray with green tea (cooled) and put toothpicks in each square and enjoy when fully frozen. You can also make regular cubes of green tea to add to beverages.

If you want to spice up your tea you can add citrus peel as it steeps. Anise and chicory are also added for a change in taste. Citrus peels are especially refreshing with iced green tea. You can also add ginger as a real thirst quencher for those hot days.

However you chose to drink your green tea it is a nice refreshing change from soda and good for your health. It will not only quench your thirst but rejuvenate you too. As our world grows smaller we are becoming more aware of different types of foods and beverages. As more research is being done on this increasingly popular drink we will see even more benefits to our health. It is recommended to drink at least 3 cups or more per day to enjoy the health giving properties of green tea.

Electronic Smoking Cigarettes - A Healthier Alternative?

Tobacco companies won't admit that smoking is an addiction but everyone knows it is so. And it is an addiction that's powerful enough to keep millions smoking tobacco and jeopardizing their health. The tar in cigarette smoke is a carcinogen and tobacco contains many other harmful substances. That's why no matter how pleasant smoking may be, almost every smoker has thought about quitting. Unfortunately, that's easier said than done. But there is an alternative now - in electronic smoking cigarettes.

With just about everything else benefiting from the rapid advances in technology, electronic cigarettes should come as no surprise. Let me explain the idea behind it. If you're a smoker who has tried to quit, you know that it's not just the rush from the nicotine that makes it hard to kick the habit. It's also a psychological thing. Holding the cigarette or pipe, lighting up after dinner or during a break, tasting and twirling the smoke. So what if you could have all that, but without the tar and other carcinogens of tobacco smoke?

This is where electronic smoking comes in. It doesn't do away with nicotine, so there are no withdrawal symptoms. Unlike patches or gum, it also doesn't take away the physical aspect of a cigarette, a cigar, a pipe or a cigarillo; it does replace them with an e-cigarette, e-cigar, e-pipe and e-cigarillo. These smoking products use sophisticated, patented technology to vaporize special liquids, not surprisingly called an e-liquid, to produce smoke and deliver nicotine just as if you were smoking a real cigarette. For those who like the comforting glow of burning tobacco when they inhale, those e-smoking products even have a little light that simulates the glow when you inhale. Not necessary as far as I am concerned, but the makers apparently thought it added a nice touch.

So the idea here is to simulate smoking, down to getting that nice nicotine rush and the smoke, without actually burning tobacco with all its associated negative health aspects. But if there is still smoke, isn't that bad for you anyway? Well, it'd probably be better not to smoke at all, but if tar from smoking is the primary concern, there is none.

How does one use electronic smoking products? Do you just flip out an e-pack, smoke and then discard the cigarette butt? Nope; it's all different. Since the e-cigarette has a rechargeable battery and a liquid container for the smoking liquid, you use it over and over again. In that sense it is more like a pipe where you don't discard the pipe but simply put in more tobacco. Likewise, you don't discard electronic smoking products; you simply put in a new e-cartridge and occasionally recharge the battery (there's even a USB-eCig that doesn't need a battery; you just plug it into a USB port on your computer).

Do all e-cigarettes (there are also "e-MiniCig" tiny cigarettes) taste the same? They don't. There are a couple of dozen tastes to select from, including those of some leading cigarette brands, and there are also different nicotine levels, from none at all to extra-high. There is no doubt that electronic smoking cigarettes require getting used to, and the technology is probably still in its infancy, but smokers who are really concerned about tar may want to take a look at e-cigs.

Health & Fitness eBooks: The Less Embarrassing Alternatives to the Happy, Healthy Lifestyle You Seek

Did you know people shoplift boxes of condoms more frequently than any other item found a pharmacy’s shelves? Think about it for a second. The reason becomes fairly obvious: people are too embarrassed to be seen with condoms in their possession, let along buying them. And perhaps you’re one of them—the “embarrassed,” not the “shoplifter,” that is… Afraid a friend might enter the pharmacy at the point of purchase. A family member. A neighbor. Your boss! Even confronting the cashier who rings up your, um, purchase, or the person standing behind you in line is a potential source of discomfort. Suddenly anyone you encounter equates what you’re holding with your blushing face, immediately realizing what you’ll be (or at least hope you’ll be) doing that evening. Of course, you could be among the brave who march straight to the counter, box in hand held like it were a trophy, greeting everyone as you go. If you are, you’re luckier than many who become overwhelmed to the point of simply replacing the box and leaving, or, because they cannot do without, shoving the condoms into their pocket and, well, hoping they remembered to lace their sneakers tight that morning.

Of course harrowing experiences for the easily embarrassed do not limit themselves to the pharmacy. In fact, have you ever considered what books people shoplift most frequently from your local bookstore (to likewise avoid embarrassment)? If you guessed self-help books, you’re right. (Interestingly, as a genre, they still manage to outsell any other category on the shelves despite the hordes of shoppers with particularly sticky fingers and deep coat pockets). And not just self-help books related to sexual techniques, marital problems, infidelity or other relationship issues, but also those related to our physical well being, i.e. how to(s) on Health & Fitness.

For example, you may have an issue with acne, bad breath or your weight; browsing the self-help section for a cure of fitness regime only indicates to others that you’re self-conscious about what may be equally obvious to them. Or, you may have an issue with something previously unrecognized by the public including premature ejaculation, intense social anxiety, or warts that suddenly, even without witnessing your issue firsthand, become apparent to others as you flip through titles on the latest remedies. Thus self-help books, while partly the bookstores “bread and butter” are also their “condoms,” so to speak. Shoppers, likewise, are not only too embarrassed to be caught browsing the self-help shelves, but are doubly embarrassed to then parade throughout the store carrying whichever book applies to their specific issue or perceived inadequacy, only to hand it over to a cashier, immediately letting him or her in on the shopper’s previously kept secret. Harrowing indeed!

But, instead of either not buying a book because you are too embarrassed (thus allowing whatever issue ails you to fester and grow), or worse yet shoplifting what is supposed to be self-help, not self-hurt, and potentially subjecting yourself to criminal charges or jail time, you can now find similar information, and often the exact same books, online in an eBook format. Any reader, formerly too embarrassed or otherwise noncommittal about owning up to and confronting their respective issues, perceived inadequacies or habitual vices, can now pursue the diets, cures and other life-enriching methods from the comfort and privacy of their own homes. No more scouring the bookstore shelves or entering the diet center beneath the scrutiny of the public eye. Thanks to Health & Fitness eBooks, anyone can conduct the requisite in-depth and educated research needed to tackle their problems and improve their life, head on, without further worries about answering the prying questions of peers or enduring the judgment of family members.

Download a Health or Fitness related eBook when you want, on your terms; leave a printed version lying about, or keep the digital file tucked safely away on your computer. The choice is yours. Let everyone know (friends, family, neighbors, even your boss!), or limit those who know to those you trust or even to no one at all. Either way, you can begin improving your life immediately at a level of comfort you deserve.

Begin by conducting your research thoroughly, and with the knowledge that eBooks related to Health & Fitness just like their counterparts on the bookstore’s shelves, tackle virtually every issue under the sun, under your roof, or simply within yourself, from how to conquer panic attacks to asthma, jet lag to unsightly moles; turn fat into the muscle mass, a belly into bulging biceps or voluptuous breasts; or even learn to maximize your mind’s potential.

Finally, eBooks, now that most experts write them in addition to their tangible world publications, offer methods to improve your life that simultaneously accommodate any and all lifestyle choices and belief systems. Examples included hypnosis practiced while sipping a cup of coffee before work, natural alternatives that appease both body and spirit, with or without supplements, some secular, others associated with religious practices, and so on. Whatever your lifestyle or beliefs, you’re likely to find a cure for what ails you or a program for your future, without necessarily breaking the bank, and perhaps most important, without the embarrassment of confronting your issues with the whole world watching… Now, if only the same could be done for that box of condoms…

The #1 Sugar Alternative: Healthy, Natural and Sweet - The Ultimate Substitute!

We all enjoy a little sweetness in our lives, yet there’s no getting away from the negative effects of sugar. A wealth of scientific evidence links this acidic poison to a legion of harmful consequences including immune system suppression, a rise in bad cholesterol, tooth decay, premature aging, a mal-absorption of nutrients, Candida growth, hormone imbalance and an increase in free-radicals. Sugar also contributes to obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease, vision problems and migraines and is found to feed cancer cells. With no saving graces, sugar is highly deleterious to the systems of the body.

We crave sugar if our blood sugar levels are out of kilter. This occurs by consuming sugary foods and refined carbohydrates such as white flour that are quickly converted into sugar by the body. It's a catch 22; the more sugar you eat, the more you crave. Aside physical detriments, the highs and lows of sugar addiction cause mood swings, irritability and a loss of concentration.

Artificial sweetness such as aspartame and saccharine are dangerous alternatives which break down into hazardous toxins in the body. Methyl alcohol derived from aspartame, for example, converts into the neurotoxin and carcinogen formaldehyde and formic acid which has the chemical composition of ant venom. Formic acid is used commercially in products such as paint stripper.

The synthetic amino acids that compose aspartame - phenylalanine and aspartic acid are seriously poisonous. According to Dr. John Olney, a neuroscientist at Washington University, St. Louis, Aspartic acid (40% of aspartame) causes holes in the brains of mice. Further, phenylalanine (50% of aspartame) causes seizures and degrades into DKP, a tumor causing agent.

Aspartame has a staggering 92 official side effects and countless studies have linked it with damage to the nervous system and neurological problems. Saccharin even tells you on the package that their product can cause cancer.

Complaints about aspartame represent 80-85 per cent of all food complaints registered to the FDA. There is Strong statistical evidence which links aspartame to breast cancer. American Cancer Society figures show that breast cancer cases have doubled since 1981, the year aspartame was approved for use as a food additive.

What if there was a healthy alternative that not only tasted sweet but actually had positive effects on the body? Sound too good to be true?

Stevia is a natural sugar substitute, a healthy sweet food that, quite the opposite of sugar, can regulate blood sugar levels and improve stamina. Used for centuries in native Paraguay, stevia is now widely popular in Japan, where thorough testing has revealed its benevolent use as a sweetener. The glycosides in stevia that give it it’s sweet taste are not metabolized by the body so no calories are absorbed. Further more it hosts an array of healthy nutrients such as phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium and zinc, vitamins C and A, protein and fiber and, unlike sugar, does not cause the growth of unhealthy bacteria or fungi.

Stevia, in balancing blood sugar can actually alleviate cravings for sweet foods and has been observed to reduce the appetite if taken 15-20 minutes before eating. It has also been revealed as a diuretic that can help rid the body of excess fluid.

If looking for an alternative to sugar, this remarkable non-caloric herb is the ultimate sugar substitute; healthy, tasty and sweet! Stevia can be found in liquid or powder form in many health food stores or online and there are numerous cook books available with stevia recipes.

Sweet vegetables such as carrots, butternut squash and sweet potatoes, and super food fruits such as berries, papaya, figs and prunes rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals, are also great substitutes when kicking the sugar habit. Vegetables high in fiber and healthy whole grains also serve to stabilize blood sugar levels and ensure a slow release of energy into the blood stream, diminishing the rushes and subsequent cravings associated with sugary foods and refined carbohydrates.

Popular Health Drink Alternatives

Health drinks have become a popular trend in achieving a healthy body. However, commercial health drinks that are available in the market today can be expensive than the usual drinks. Since they are specially formulated to contain vitamins and minerals, the manufacturers charge higher for their health drinks.

If you are one of those who are into healthy drinks but do not want to shift into the natural ones, you can try the following alternatives to the commercial drinks out there:

1. Purple grape juices. This type of juice is ideal as a health drink because it is rich in antioxidants, which are good for the heart. Experts say that this is an ideal health drink for all ages because it is not only a good source of anti-oxidants but of vitamin C as well.

2. Cranberry juice. Doctors usually recommend this health drink for those who experience gall bladder problems. But, ordinary people can drink it to protect themselves from having bladder infections that are recurrent. It is also a good source of your daily dose of Vitamin C.

3. Vegetable juices. If you don’t have time to prepare natural veggie juices on your blender, it is best to grab a carton of vegetable juice in the market. Vegetable juices can be considered as a great health drink especially to those who are into salty foods such as chips because it contains natural properties that can wash away too much salt in the body that leads to weight gain.

4. Soy milks. For milkshake lovers, soy milks are the perfect health drink for you. Today, there are so many ready-to-drink soy milks in almost all health stores and grocery stores nearby. Aside from the plain milk flavor, soy milks also come with other variations such as chocolate and other fruit flavors. Chocolate-flavored soy milks are perfect for young and old chocolate lovers because it comes with a natural chocolate taste less the fat and other unhealthy ingredients. Fruit-flavored soy milks are also perfect health drinks because these are rich in protein and calcium and can satisfy the craving of people who are not used to plain drinks.

5. Pomegranate juices. Pomegranate as a fruit is known to bring lots of healthy benefits to people once eaten. If made into a juice, this can be as healthy as eating the fruit itself. When buying pomegranate juices, make sure that these are 100 percent natural and with lesser additives as possible to ensure that you are getting the DHA, and Omega 3 that can help better brain function as well a antioxidants which is great for the cardiovascualr system.

6. Plum or prune juices. The common notion about prune juices is that it is for older people. To shake off that impression, many manufacturers have renamed their products as "plum juice" which is also derived from the same family of the fruit. Plum or prune juices are great health drinks because it can help you veer away from various digestive problems such as constipation because it is loaded with fiber. Other variations include certain herbs such as chamomile or ginger to make it better tasting and healthier.

These are just some of the existing drinks that you can use as an alternative to your commercial health drink. These may not contain all the vitamins and nutrients that you are getting from your current product but rest assured that these will help you achieve your goal of having a healthier body eventually.

No health insurance? Here are some affordable alternative health insurance options

Anyone who's spent just a day in the hospital for emergency care knows that just one day can result in a bill that mounts into the thousands, depending on the care and procedures you need. Lab tests, various imaging tests, anesthesia and surgical procedures can easily produce a bill that's enough to make you sick after you're all fixed up and going home. If you're without health insurance, you might be paying off this bill for a long while into the future.

No one is invulnerable. Young people tend to think health insurance isn't all that important, as they are unlikely to suffer a major condition, such as a heart attack. However, what if you go on a ski vacation and end up breaking your leg? Things happen! These days, it's imperative that everyone have some form of health insurance.

If you're working, but your employer doesn't provide health insurance coverage, or if you've lost your job and your health insurance as well, you'll want to look into the affordable alternative health insurance options that are available.

Your first stop should be your local Department of Human Resources. Every state provides some form of no-cost or affordable alternative health insurance for low income or even no income people. Coverage varies and may be limited. For example, some services, such as dental, may be limited to emergency services, such as a impacted or abscessed tooth. Your premium is based on a sliding fee scale, depending on your income.

Look online for professional association memberships in your field. The memberships are generally paid yearly and many include an affordable alternative health insurance program in the membership benefits. Membership fees vary, as do the benefits, so be sure to check the fine print before you lay down the cash.

Another, newer type of affordable alternative health insurance products are not technically insurance, but a membership for which you pay a monthly fee and receive substantial discounts from health providers. You need to be careful in choosing one of this type of affordable alternative health insurance membership products. Before you sign up, go through their listings to see if there are participating providers in your local area and if the price you'll need to pay for particular services is affordable for you. For example, if you need extensive dental services, such as root canals and crowns, be sure that you can afford the discounted prices. While this type of health insurance product typically discounts pricey procedures by 20-60%, it can still be more than you can pay. Be aware that the provider may not offer a payment plan, so look into the details before you sign up.

All of these options offer affordable alternative health insurance coverage. The state funded Department of Human Resources is probably your best bet, if you can qualify to receive coverage. Naturally, as with any government program, be prepared for a significant amount of paperwork. With recent funding cutbacks, some states will no longer accept applications until new funding is received, so give a call before going in to apply.

Run through all of the affordable alternative health insurance options and find the one that best suits your health needs and budget. Good luck!

Alternative Aromatherapy Just May Be Going Mainstream

When alternative medicine practices first came on the scene in the United States, the majority of the medical community scoffed. While some forms of aromatherapy have been in use for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, there has been little scientific evidence that they actually work. Now, however, with a growing following and more practical scientific evidence, the trend may be to start including aromatherapy in treatments for different ailments.

Aromatherapy is used in a variety of different fashions. Concentrated plant oils can be massaged into the skin, inhaled, or added to bath water. In theory, the smells trigger the limbic system in the brain. This is supposed to produce a range of therapeutic effects, from relaxation to pain management.

Traditionally, aromatherapy has been used to treat a wide range of conditions. These include stress, anxiety, headaches, asthma, and cancer. History on aromatherapy shows that is has been used since medieval times for everything from promoting courage to helping insomnia to determining one’s true love.

As of yet scientific evidence is inconclusive as to how effective aromatherapy is, and how much is just a placebo effect. Some research has shown positive results. Aromatherapy has been shown to help reduce agitation in people suffering from Alzheimer’s, and another study showed evidence that some oils could help prevent epileptic fits. Many people swear by the tension-relieving effects of aromatherapy, though no scientific link has been made to any direct effect on the brain.

Some groups have started to look specifically at how alternative therapies like aromatherapy can be integrated into mainstream care. One such group is the National Center of Complimentary and Alternative Method. Their goal is to integrate alternative medicine into practical mainstream use. For example, the use of aromatherapy as a pain management tool from patients recovering from surgery. Complementary medicine is therapies that are used together with conventional medicine. Alternative medicine is used to replace conventional medicine, such as using regulated diet and herbs in place of pharmaceutical drugs. Groups like NCCAM strive to combine the traditional medical therapies with those complimentary and alternative therapies that have scientific evidence to back up their safety and effectiveness.

In early 2001, the group held a conference in London to discuss goals and the practicality of integrating nontraditional therapies into the mainstream. Among the attendees were lead investigators and spokespeople of integrative medicine and research from both the United States and the United Kingdom. The goal was to share knowledge and discuss the development of complementary and alternative medicines in such ways that would best benefit the medical community.

While the two countries did have differences of opinions throughout the conference, they were able to find common ground and discuss progress and findings with each other. The general movement was away from competing for patients between the two types of healing towards a unity and cooperation that would enhance quality of life for patients. More and more doctors are becoming open to the idea of using alternative therapies in conjunction with medical treatments, and are starting to successfully incorporate both traditional and nontraditional methods into their practices.

Aromatherapy usage is not limited to the human medical field either. Veterinarians are also taking a look at nontraditional therapies to aide our faithful furry companions with their ailments as well.

As doctors become more away of alternative therapies and scientific evidence continues to back up their use, it is highly likely that we will start to see a more holistic approach to medicine in general. This will likely generate an increase in the use of aromatherapy, essential oils, herbs, acupuncture, and the like in every day treatments for a variety of discomforts.

Health - Alternative Medicine - Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy

Hypnosis is widely used as alternative medicine. When the antibiotics were invented, everybody was thrilled to use it and they are called miracle pills. They are really magical. But over the years the side effects of man made medicines are now well known. They are as bad as the original diseases. The medical doctors suggest nowadays Alternative Medicines. Herbal remedies, supplements, nutritional treatments, aromatherapy, hypnosis, therapeutic massage are some types of alternative medicines. You need to know how it can benefit your medical condition. We will see here the Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy. Hypnosis is very beneficial as alternative medicine for a gentle but effective method for improving health. Since hypnosis and hypnotherapy is a safe form of medical treatment. You have do your homework on your condition and the forms of alternative medicine that can help you. Nobody can research better than you because nobody feels the pains like you. You can better describe or tell it to others.

Modern doctors are very busy to understand the cause of diseases. They can only treat the symptoms of the illness causing poor health. Hence it is important to use hypnosis as an alternative medicine to find out the root cause of the disease. To have complimentary health, it is essential to use hypnosis. It is useful in treating the whole person-physically, psychologically and spiritually. Illness is never has a purely physical cause. Multiple factors are important for good health. People who are concerned about the legitimacy of natural health may take advantage of hypnosis. Whole life can be in balance if you follow hypnosis as alternative medicine because it helps to balance what you eat to how you handle stress.

You can not ignore the number of patients who have benefited from hypnosis.

If you have decided to go for hypnosis, you have to find out the reputed, qualified hypnotherapist who will take care of your illness.

You can ask suggestion from your medical doctor. He should have recognition from well known association. Hypnosis can be used as the alternative medicine in many illnesses like chronic pain, childbirth, burns asthma, allergies which saves the patient from the side effects of pain killers.

Alternative Therapies: Acupuncture Versus Aromatherapy

When dealing with age-old therapies one of the best things to do is to always keep your guard up. Even though you may think that you've heard quite a lot about the benefits of acupuncture and aromatherapy, chances are that you have never experienced the benefits personally. However, another good thing to do would be to actually experience the effects personally, however positive or negative, if you are constantly wondering whether these therapy methods will actually work. Acupuncture is a totally different therapy from aromatherapy, however, both of these forms of treatments evolved a very long time ago. Acupuncture evolved from the Chinese culture, but aromatherapy evolved from thousands of years ago in ancient civilizations.

How Each Therapy Differs

When discussing acupuncture and aromatherapy it is first best to differentiate between the two therapies. Even though the sounds of the name seem to give off what the therapies are all about, you just may be surprised at the many people who mistake one of those therapies for the other. Perhaps the reason that both of them originated so long ago is the reason that many people get them confused.

But nevertheless, acupuncture deals with long and thin needles that are inserted into the skin at certain pressure points in the body. You may have seen pictures or movies where there have been people laying on hospital beds or another kind of surface with long needles sticking out of their backs or stomachs. The Chinese believed that doing this would ward off any and all sicknesses that eventually came your way. Additionally, thousands of testimonials can be read and listened to about the benefits of performing this therapy.

On the other hand, aromatherapy is very much different from acupuncture. Whereas acupuncture deals with sticking needles into your skin, aromatherapy deals with inhaling oils or applying some kind of oils to your skin. There are several methods to getting the oils into your body, but the oils are said to help your health in virtually every way possible.

Which Has More Benefits

The ancient civilizations from long ago all believed that each of these alternative therapies had their benefits. However, the Chinese believed that Acupuncture was the best therapy technique, and those in other parts of the world believed that aromatherapy was the cure to all that ails you. It is indisputable, however, that each of these therapies, acupuncture and aromatherapy, both of cured many thousands of peoples since their evolution. No scientist or researcher knows the exact reason why, and that is a little troubling considering that these techniques have been around since the beginning of time.

All in all, though, each of these techniques seem to have their own benefits in their own right. Acupuncture is a very excellent technique that was used by the Chinese, and many other people decided to start using it. However, the same goes for the aromatherapy cures and techniques. It really just comes down to personal preference, though, and finding the right therapy that works for you!

Why Acupuncture is a Great Alternative Therapy

Whether you want to believe it or not, there are literally millions of people located all around the world that engage in the practice of the alternative therapy of acupuncture each and every day. There are many reasons to practicing this alternative therapy that the Chinese instituted, too, but the best reason of all is that it actually has been found to work. On the same side of the coin, though, there are many reasons why acupuncture is a great alternative therapy to deal with. Here are some of the arguments for why acupuncture is so great throughout the whole world:

The Mystery

One of the reasons that many people consider acupuncture therapy to be such a great and revolutionary therapy is because of the mystery behind the whole concept. Let's face it: the idea that ancient civilizations in the Far East used this type of therapy to be able to cure the sick, help with many different illnesses across the board, and use it as a trade item is just downright weird and mysterious. Furthermore, why would the civilization who started it all want to take this alternative therapy to other lands, including the United States? There could have been great profits by allowing only the Chinese to experience the benefits of acupuncture, but now everyone throughout the world is able to experience them. Indeed, the mystery behind some of the questions and origins of acupuncture therapy truly contribute to how amazing and great the therapy of acupuncture really is.

The Benefits

This was touched on a little bit, but acupuncture has a great deal of benefits that are able to be clearly seen and researched by those who are intrigued. Some of the common ailments that are able to be treated with acupuncture therapy successfully include the bacterial common cold, influenza, cholera, constipation, diarrhea, Depression, arthritis, ear aches, headaches, hernias, hemorrhages, as well as a whole host of other illnesses, disorders, and other diseases that haven't yet been named. In addition, though many cancers may also be able to be healed through the use of the great acupuncture therapy! But there are also so many diseases and disorders that have yet to be studied whether or not they are truly helped by acupuncture!

Break From Traditional Values

One other reason that many people consider acupuncture to be one of the best alternative medicines is because it is a chance to break free from the traditional values of our culture at least for a little while. While the American culture tends to shun anything new that is also unknown and cannot be studied scientifically, acupuncture therapy definitely cannot and has not been studied scientifically yet. The many benefits of acupuncture have not even been tapped yet since no one knows exactly what goes on in the body!

All in all, though, acupuncture is an awesome therapy that must be practiced in order to be kept throughout the ages. Even though there are plenty of skeptics around, the number of believers in acupuncture continues to grow everyday!

Selling the Alternative Medicine Health Detoxification Therapy

The word detoxification is getting a hang on everybody's health agenda, and I wonder why. Americans are facing better lives ever since the inception of the vaccine and the method of purifying water with chlorine. Yes, the world is getting filthier, but that is due to human volume in proportion to a geographic space. Besides, while some areas are getting polluted, others are kept very clean. Smoke emission controls are now in place and governments are placing better restrictions with smoking in general public. Victual businesses are now under better government control. The world is facing a better health; Americans are facing better health than most places in the whole world. Yet people still see the need for alternative medicine health detoxification therapy.

The selling factor is "toxins", however badly miscued the term is. The fact is, toxins as appropriated by alternative medicine promoters is largely nonexistent, simply because the body gets rid of these "toxins", these creatinine and urea very efficiently. And if the body doesn't, it will be the first to let you know. Your body gets sick immediately.

Even then, most people still felt the need for detoxification. They just have to do something, to aid the body in ridding toxins beyond the 100% assurance. So here are the do's and don'ts as well as the fact and fiction of alternative medicine health detoxification therapy. I hope it will guide you.

First, let's tackle about the said toxins. Creatinine and urea are the waste products normally found excreted in the body, so it's safe to assume these are the alternative promoter's toxins. One good way of effectively eliminating these is drinking ample volume of clear water, around 1.5 - 2 liters a day for an average individual. This gets your bladder running and yes, your urea expelled. Having a good portion of fiber in your diet also helps in hastening your bowel movement, which is another "toxin" for yet another kind of detoxification. Good water intake plus a daily consumption of fiber (of course along with other food products like carbohydrates and protein) gets your digestive system running so smoothly that you'd look healthier than the promoters of alternative medicine health detoxification therapy.

It's been noted the Aqua Chi Detox and its spin offs could not be so effective. You can do well by avoiding it as alternative medicine health detoxification therapy. There is no detoxification in the foot -simply because the foot isn't equipped physically for that function. If you want to know, the skin in the foot is several micro millimeters thicker than on other areas, so if there should be a detoxification, it should occur near the head or neck or better yet, the buttocks.

Invasive procedures like the colon irrigation can do more harm than good, its best to steer clear of such alternative medicine health detoxification therapy. There have been several accounts of fatality due to heart failure because of water intruding the vital organs.

How Successful Is Alternative Health Therapy?

More and more alternative health treatments are available these days, however how successful are they in solving our health problems. In this article I write about this subject, I hope you find it interesting and enjoyable to read.

A few years ago my girlfriend was having some trouble with her health, she complained of constant aches in various areas of her body. She felt lethargic and generally low. She went to the doctor and tried conventional treatments and tablets. This unfortunately did not remedy the situation and she became more and more frustrated.

A friend recommended reflexology and despite many reservations and doubts my girlfriend agreed to give it a go. She returned from her appointment full of excitement and stated that she had never felt more relaxed. Now this is not to say that reflexology will work for everyone but her experience was very positive.

With this positive outcome my girlfriend became more open to alternative therapy and then decided to attend an aromatherapy appointment. She really enjoyed it and is now looking into other treatments such as reiki and things like an indian head massage, she is becoming hooked.

As for my own experiences, I am somebody who had a speech impediment known as a stutter from the age of four. My parents regularly took me to traditional speech therapy over the next eleven years. The advice from what I remember was two fold, firstly they advised me to take a deep breath before talking and secondly to speak slower. I had no confidence with these therapists as a lot of my friends spoke quicker than I did and not one of them took a deep breath before they spoke. They also had never had a stutter themselves and therefore I felt it was impossible for them to understand what I was going through.

After working very hard for nearly year I managed to overcome my stutter. I did this by reading many books to do with positive thinking and mind over a matter as well as studying people who I thought were very good at talking. This was my own form of alternative therapy and it worked for me.

Aromatherapy treatment - alternative medicine

Arthritis had Mrs. Thompson grounded for years. She had seen several doctors with no permanent solution to the problem. As an alternative medicinal stream, Mrs. Thomson agreed to use aromatherapy. Regular massage with the essential oils of lemon balm, rose, black spruce, tarragon and jasmine was recommended. She testifies to the positive effect aromatherapy had on her condition.

Many people like Mrs. Thompson have found relief in aromatherapy treatment. The system of aromatherapy treatment utilises aromas and scents to heal the human being as a whole. Aromas and scents are derived from several plants and herbs. Research that has been undertaken on plants and herbs from the ancient times until now has helped determine their therapeutic benefits. However, more than a science, aromatherapy is an art and involves a creative approach in making specific blends.

Essential oils have an important role to play in aromatherapy treatment. An essential oil is the essence of plants derived through a process whereby plants are distilled through steam or water. What we get through the process is a concentrated essential oil, of which a few drops are capable of giving the desired effect.

One of the first known discoveries of the therapeutic benefits of essential oils was made by French chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé. Gattefossé is also credited with coining the term aromatherapy. When he got a burn on his hand, he accidentally put his hand in a jar full of lavender oil. He was surprised to see that he got immediate relief and the burn left no scars on his hand. Through further research, he established the healing powers of lavender oil.

Some of the common ailments where aromatherapy treatment has been accepted as a potent solution are anxiety, stress or insomnia, muscular aches and pains, headaches, eczema, digestive problems, menstrual or menopausal problems, etc. Therefore, aromatherapy treatments heal physically as well as psychologically.

A common respiratory disorder is asthma. This is caused through contact with allergen, after a tiring exercise session or through infection. An asthmatic person experiences shortness of breath, cough and mucous production as a result of inflammation or contraction of the bronchi. The condition can be treated through aromatherapy treatment. The oils of clove bud and lemongrass have been recognised to have anti-inflammatory and anti-infectious properties. These oils along with the oils of lemon, clary sage, and angelica can be very useful for treating asthma.

Aromatherapy products are available in several stores, referred to as aromatherapy stores. These stock preparations made from herbs and plants sourced from different parts of the world; mostly, the Indian subcontinent, Middle East and the Africas.

However, the use of aromatherapy treatments must be strictly prescriptive. Toiletries, which use aromas and scents, use a very small amount of essential oils. Therefore, they are not harmful. As said earlier, essential oils are highly concentrated. If a larger dosage of it is taken, then can result in irritation or be poisonous, when used with food or drink.

Did you think essential oils being derived from plants are free from side effects? No, they are not. The common side effects of essential oils are nausea, headaches etc.

Get help from an expert practitioner on the appropriate treatment for ones condition. The person who practices aromatherapy treatment is known as aromatherapist. He either will massage the oil on the skin or would suggest the appropriate method of use. Just as one would check the credentials of a doctor practicing in contemporary medicine, it is important to know whether the aromatherapist has been trained in aromatherapy treatment. An aromatherapist proceeds in the same manner as a common doctor. He will first get a detailed medical history of the individual through a series of questions on diet, lifestyle, and health problems. This goes well with the system of aromatherapy healing where the whole rather than one particular ailment is considered for treatment.

Aromatherapy store - shop for your alternative medical needs

Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils and essences extracted from flowers, herbs, and trees for health and well-being of the users. In the ancient times, the kings would despatch people deep into the jungles, often faraway from the kingdom in search of herbs with medicinal qualities. As kings and kingdoms were lost in oblivion, so was the practice of collecting herbs. With the renewed interest in herbs and aromatherapy, scientists are now researching on herbs located in different parts of the world. The research of these scientists is brought to the benefit of common people in the form of aromatherapy store.

An aromatherapy store resembles a local chemist’s shop, which stores medicines and other formulations. A multitude of herbs sourced from all corners of the world, in raw form as well as mixed with several preparations are available at an aromatherapy store.

The benefit of having an aromatherapy store is that all kinds of herbs are available at one place. A large number of herbs are sourced from the Indian subcontinent, Middle East, Africa etc. Thanks to aromatherapy store, customers residing in Europe, the Americas etc. too can benefit from the herbs. Essential oils, herbs, absolutes, ayurvedic preparations, herbal tea, and quite a lot of aromatherapy products can be purchased at an aromatherapy store.

The quality of products available at these stores is given much attention. Certain products like henna are best and tan the skin strongly when prepared from a newly harvested crop. Through an extensive mechanism of obtaining herbs and plants from all over the world, these aromatherapy stores secure the newly harvested crops of the henna plant. State-of-art equipments and processing is used to extract quality products, here henna powder and paste. Similarly, strict procedure is followed to uphold the quality of other aromatherapy products.

Most aromatherapy stores stock products, which have been certified as to their quality. Essential oils with certification from ECOCERT International are well acclaimed through out the world. ECOCERT International certifies as to the plant or raw material having been organically farmed. In the UK, essential oils need a certification by Soil Association.

Many aromatherapy stores have opened their chain of shops in numerous cities, often spanning several countries. The proprietor of these aromatherapy stores are capable of catering to the requirements of customers residing in other countries of the world. Additionally, it becomes easier for the proprietor to research on newer formulations and adds them to the list of aromatherapy products.

However, not all aromatherapy stores are able to expand their business thus. Expanding business beyond the contours of one country often becomes difficult and may not be economically viable. So, how do these customers meet the requirements of their customers? An online shopping cart solves the problem being faced by the proprietor of aromatherapy store. In the process, the aromatherapy store can expand its operations.

An online shopping cart works through a website. An aromatherapy store will have a website designed for itself. A website is available online; therefore, customers spread far and wide too have access to the website and its contents. When customers visit the website, they view the several products advertised there. Customers can book online orders through the website. Proprietor will then ship the requisite aromatherapy products as soon as possible.

Most aromatherapy stores hold the products in multiple shapes and sizes, suitable for different demands. Expensive oils are available in sizes of 2ml and 1 dram. Regular essential oils are available in relatively larger container sizes such as 5ml, 10ml and 15ml. The appropriate size and type of containers too can be purchased at an aromatherapy store. These stores also hold aromatherapy accessorises such as incense burners, aromalamps, essential oil diffusers, inhalers, etc. Therefore, all the demands of people regarding aromatherapy products can be met here at an aromatherapy store.

CANCER, New Alternative Therapy

Created in the amazonian forest, by a Brazilian monk, a new natural treatment to cure and to prevent cancer, seems to be an interesting alternative in the fight against cancer. The priest affirms, he has obtained real results in several types to cancer : cancer of breast, cancer of uterus, cancer of stomach, cancer of skin, cancer of prostate, etc. The formula is simple, cheap and easy to prepare it in house and even though extensive clinical studies do not exist on this procedure, it seems to be a sensible alternative to try

ALOE Vera -
One of the components of the formula is Aloe Vera (sábila) whose medicinal properties have been investigated for a long time :

"It has been proved that Aloe Vera is effective in cancer in animals. In fact, in 1992, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the use of Aloe Vera for the treatment of soft tissue cancer in animals as well as feline leukemia. There is strong scientific proof that, in vitro, Aloe Vera suppresses the growing of cancer tumor, stimulates immune system response, raises tumor necrosis levels, and promotes healthy tissue".

"Aloe Vera helps to lower the damage done to the body by treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy, which destroy healthy immune system cells that are very important for the body's recovery. With the use of Aloe Vera, the immune system is boosted, tumors shrink, metastases are reduced so the cancer does not spread, and new"

"In 1997, University of San Antonio researcher Jeremiah Herlihy, Ph.D., conducted a study to observe any negative effects of drinking aloe daily. Rather than exhibiting negative effects, however, test animals receiving daily aloe showed a remarkable reduction in leukemia, heart disease, and kidney disease. Dr. Herlihy concluded, "We found no indication of harm done to the rats even at high levels." In fact, the aloe-drinking animals actually lived 25 percent longer than those in the control group"

Other components are bee honey and "cañazo" (rum, or any distilled liqueur).

HONEY
Medicine may be increasingly high-tech, but the latest wonder treatment which is being offered to patients is - honey.
Last week, it was announced that bandages soaked in manuka honey are to be given to mouth cancer patients at the Christie Hospital in Manchester to reduce their chances of contracting the MRSA superbug and to lessen wound inflammation following surgery. This is just the latest study investigating this particular type of honey's healing powers.
It is used routinely at the Manchester Royal Infirmary for dressing wounds, and other research has found it can fight gum disease, ease digestive problems and soothe sore throats.

All honey contains hydrogen peroxide, a substance once used as a wound disinfectant in hospitals - it comes from an enzyme that bees add to nectar. It also contains the enzyme glucose oxidase, which boosts its anti-bacterial properties.
This was recognised by the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, who used honey to help heal burns and sores.

Aloe, bee honey and rum are mixed and a syrup is obtained that must be consumed daily. It is important to use "fresh pulp of the plant Aloe Vera, including the rind. (to retire the thorns). Nonextracts or commercial products of Aloe Vera. In order to avoid the poisonous effect of the plant Aloe Vera, the treatment must be alternated : 10 days of treatment, 10 days free or of rest. Never long treatments. The treatment can be used single or complementing chemotherapy processes. An ample and detailed description of the treatment can be found at : The Miracle of Sharing

Other Diseases
This treatment also can be useful for autoimmune and digestive diseases. (irritable bowl syndrome, ulcerative colitis, esophagitis, peptic ulcer, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, mouth lesions, sore throat,lupus, etc.)

Remark

All information is general in nature and is not intended to be used as a substitute for appropriate professional advice and the reader assumes all risks from the use, non use or minuse of this information.

The Yoga of Menopause - Alternatives to Hormone Therapy

Susun Weed maintains: "Menopause is not a 'pathology', but a passage to power. Like puberty, menopause is a natural - and healthy - change. Wise women the world over herald menopause as a health-promoting event. They see hot flashes as 'power surges' and menopause as an intense spiritual journey. Most treatments - including ERT, HRT, isoflavone, and progesterone creams - disrupt this process and can do severe damage to a woman's health."

MENOPAUSE IS ENLIGHTENMENT

The energy aspects of menopause are of special interest to me.

As a long-time student of yoga, I was struck by the many similarities between menopausal symptoms and the well-known esoteric goal of "awakening of the kundalini." Though the ideas presented in this section may seem strange or difficult to comprehend, they contain powerful messages about menopause, which lie at the heart of the Wise Woman approach.

Kundalini [is] the root [of] all spiritual experiences ... Kundalini is a special kind of energy known in many cultures, including Tibetan, Indian, Sumerian, Chinese, Irish, Aztec, and Greek. Kundalini is said to be hot, fast, powerful, and large. It exists within the earth, within all life, and within each person. Psychoanalyst Carl G. Jung called kundalini anima. Kundalini is usually represented as a serpent coiled at the base of the spine, but women's mystery stories locate it in the uterus - or the area where the uterus was, if a hysterectomy has occurred. During both puberty and menopause, a woman's kundalini is difficult to control and may cause a great number of symptoms.

East Indian yogis spend lifetimes learning to activate, or wake up, their kundalini. This is also called "achieving enlightenment". When they succeed, a surge of super-heated energy goes up the spine, throughout the nerves, dilating blood vessels, and fueling itself with hormones. As kundalini continues to travel up the spine, it changes the functioning of the endocrine, cardiovascular, and nervous systems. Not just in yogis, but in any woman who allows herself to become aware of it. Menopause is a kind of enlightenment. Hot flashes are kundalini training sessions.


TAKING HORMONES? THESE HERBS ARE FOR YOU

More and more American women are using herbal remedies to help them with menopausal problems. Those who do take ERT (estrogen replacement) or HRT (hormone replacement) may be surprised to discover that herbal medicine has a lot to offer them as well.

Herbs for women on ERT/HRT include those that alleviate side-effects as well as those that counter problems caused by the hormones.

Herbal Helpers Counter Side-Effects

Water retention is the symptom most often cited for dissatisfaction with hormone replacement. Herbal tinctures and tea, such as dandelion or cleavers, and ordinary foods can not only relieve the distress, they will go to the root of the problem and help prevent recurrences.

Dandelion root tincture (Taraxacum officinale) strengthens the liver and helps it process out the excess hormones you are taking. When the liver works well, the kidneys work better, and tissues no longer bloat. A dose is 10-20 drops in several ounces of water or juice 2-3 three times a day. If you have any digestion problems, take your dandelion before meals; otherwise, anytime is fine. You can safely take dandelion daily for months or years if you need or want to.

Cleavers herb tincture (Galium molluga) tells the lymphatic tissues to get moving. Relief from edema is usually rapid when 20-30 drops are taken in several ounces of water or juice. Repeat up to six times at hourly intervals if needed. Cleavers is especially helpful for easing swollen, sore breasts.

Foods that relieve water retention include (in order of effectiveness): asparagus, nettles, corn (and corn silk tea), grapes, cucumbers, watermelon (and watermelon seed tea), parsley, celery, black tea, and green tea.

Headaches are the second most common side-effect of hormone use. Unfortunately, they are common among menopausal women not taking hormones, too. Herbs that help relieve headache without a drug-like action - such as dandelion, yellow dock, milk thistle, burdock, garden sage, skullcap, and St. John's/Joan's wort - are generally considered safe to take with hormones.

Chinese herbalists say headaches are caused by liver stress. My favorite liver-strengthening herbs are dandelion, yellow dock, milk thistle seed, and burdock. I use one at a time, a 15-25 drops of the tincture several times a day, for two weeks. If symptoms continue, I switch to a different herb.

A strong tea of garden sage leaves (Salvia officinalis) offers immediate relief from headaches and helps prevent future ones. It also reduces night sweats. Tinctures of skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) and St. Joan's/John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) ease pain and relieve muscle spasms. Use 5-20 drops of skullcap and a dropperful of St.J's at the very first sign - no, the very first thought - of a headache. Repeat the doses every five minutes until pain free. Skullcap can be quite sedative, especially in large doses.

Herbal Allies to Prevent Problems Caused by Taking Hormones

Breast cancer risk is increased 20% in women who use ERT for five or more years. Use of HRT for five or more years increases breast cancer risk by 40%. Each five years of continued use increases the risk. In addition, women who take ERT are far more likely to get uterine or endometrial cancers. All women on hormones increase their risks of lung and ovarian cancer, too. Nourishing herbs such as red clover, and foods such as beans and yogurt, offer easy ways to stay cancer-free.

Red clover blossoms (Trifolium pratense), when dried and brewed into a strong infusion (one ounce herb steeped an a quart of boiling water for at least four hours) prevent cancer by providing phytoestrogens that counter the cancer-promoting effects of oral hormones. Usual dose is 2-4 cups a day. The infusion tastes like black tea and can be flavored with mint if you like.

Since uncooked beans and unfermented soy contain anti-nutritional factors that may promote bone loss and dementia, soy "milk" and tofu are not recommended. Miso and tamari definitely help to prevent breast cancer but soy isoflavones may promote it.

Yogurt helps build powerful immunity. Women who eat a quart of yogurt a week have 700% less cancer than women who eat no yogurt.

Dry eyes afflict more than 9% of women using ERT and over 7% of those on HRT. Risk increases by 70% for every year of continued use. And the longer a woman uses hormones, the greater her risk. Herbs such as oatstraw, chamomile, and chickweed can help relieve and prevent this problem.

Oatstraw infusion (Avena sativa) cools and moistens your eyes from the inside out, builds strong bones too. Use one ounce of dried herb in a quart jar; fill to the top with boiling water and cap tightly. Let steep four or more hours. Dose is 2-4 cups a day. Refrigerate after straining.

Cucumber slices ease dry eyes; so do chamomile tea bags.

The ultimate ally for women with dry eyes is fresh chickweed (Stellaria media), applied as a poultice to the closed eyes. Leave on for five minutes, or until the plant material feels warm (it will heat up). Repeat as needed.

Stroke and heart attack are actually increased by use of ERT/HRT, though modern medicine has long proclaimed the opposite. Every major double-blind study done to date has created a larger and larger gap between ERT/HRT's supposed ability to help cardiovascular health and its actual results. Protect your heart with nourishing and tonifying herbs and foods such as motherwort, hawthorn, and cherries.

Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) tincture helps the heart. The Japanese claim it is their secret of longevity. A dose is 5-15 drops, twice a day. Motherwort also relieves hot flashes, calms tachycardiia, and eases anxiety. It's an all-in-one remedy for menopausal women.

Hawthorn (Crataegus oxycantha) flowers, leaves, and fruits are all used to maintain heart health and control fluid build-up in heart tissues. A dose is 20- 30 drops of tincture 2-4 times a day, or a cup of tea with meals. This widespread shrub is considered one of the finest heart tonics in the world.

Cherries are even better than apples at keeping the doctor away. Dried cherries and cherry juice, even tincture of cherries.

More than three-quarters of the women in America over the age of fifty have refused ERT/HRT. If you want to join them, taper off your dosage slowly, while continuing to use nourishing and tonifying herbs such as dandelion, motherwort, red clover, oatstraw, and seaweed.


THERE ARE MANY TYPES OF ESTROGENS

• Women make estrogens.
• Plants make estrogens and estrogen-like compounds.
• Chemicals, especially organochlorines, act like estrogens (xenoestrogens).

Pharmaceutical companies make estrogens from substances such as horse urine, wild yam roots, and petrochemicals. Tamoxifen, used to treat and prevent breast cancer, is a type of pharmaceutical estrogen.

Women make at least thirty types of estrogen, including estradiol, estrone, and estrace. Estradiol is the strongest; it is turned on at puberty and turned off at menopause. Estradiol is positively linked with breast cancer; other human estrogens are not. Anything that reduces the amount of estradiol a woman produces (such as pregnancy, lactation, early menopause, and late puberty) also decreases her risk of a breast cancer diagnosis.

Phytoestrogens counter the detrimental effects of estradiol by competing for the same receptor sites.

Estradiol is a strong estrogen and is metabolized by the long path. The other estrogens our bodies make are weak estrogens and are metabolized by the short path. Alcohol turns off the short path. Phytoestrogens are weak hormones and hormonal precursors. Phytoestrogens in foods are metabolized by the short path. Phytoestrogens appear to protect tissues from the cancer-causing effects of estradiol, xenoestrogens and pharmaceutical hormones. Phytoestrogens in foods prevent cancer and promote health; phytoestrogen supplements and processed soy fake-foods may do the opposite. Breast cancer occurs four times more often in women whose urinary output of phytoestrogen by-products is low compared to women whose urinary output is high.

Phytoestrogens are common in food. They are concentrated in seeds (grains, beans, nuts, berries) and roots. The exceptions to the rule that plants don't contain human hormones: French beans, rice, apple seeds, licorice, and pomegranate seeds contain the "weak" estrogen estrone.

To get the greatest benefit from phytoestrogenic foods and herbs remember:

1. Isolated phytoestrogens are not as safe as those "in matrix."
2. To make use of plant hormones, you need active, healthy gut flora.
3. Herbs and foods rich in phytoestrogens need to be used in different ways.
4. Phytoestrogens may have different effects on women who do not have their ovaries.


1. Plants contain many types of phytoestrogens; additionally, they contain minerals and other constituents which help our bodies modify the phytoestrogens and so we can use them safely. Red clover is mineral-rich and contains all four of the major types of phytoestrogens: lignans, coumestans, isoflavones, and resorcylic acid lactones. It is the world's best-known anti-cancer herb. In general, foods and herbs rich in phytoestrogens, with the possible exception of licorice, show anti-cancer abilities. Isoflavone, however, when isolated (usually from soy) has the opposite effect: in the lab it encourages the growth of breast cancer cells.

2. Plant hormones, including most phytoestrogens, can't be used by humans. But we can convert them into ones we can use - with the help of our gut bacteria. When women take antibiotics, their excretion of phytoestrogens plummets. Get your gut flora going by eating more yogurt, miso, unpasteurized sauerkraut, homemade beers and wines, picked-by-your-own-hands-and-unwashed fruits and salads, sourdough bread, and whey-fermented vegetables. (See Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon for whey-fermented vegetable recipes.)

3. Plants which are exceptionally rich in phytoestrogens are regarded as powerful herbal medicines. Plants which are good sources of phytoestrogens are regarded as foods. While food can certainly be our medicine - a practice I advocate - it is also true that medicines are more dangerous than foods. Foods rich in phytoestrogens are different than medicinal herbs rich in phytoestrogens. They have different places in my life.

• I eat phytoestrogenic foods daily in quantity.
• I use phytoestrogenic food-like herbs regularly (not daily), in moderate quantity.
• I take phytoestrogenic herbs rarely, in small amounts, for a limited time.

Phytoestrogenic foods are the basis for a healthy diet and a long life. The first food listed is the highest in phytoestrogens. The best diet contains not just one but many choices from each list:

• Whole grains (rye, oats, barley, millet, rice, wheat, corn)
• Edible seeds (buckwheat, sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, amaranth, quinoa)
• Beans (yellow split peas, black turtle beans, baby limas, Anasazi beans, red kidney beans, red lentils, soy beans)
• Leafy greens and seaweed (parsley, nettle, kelp, cabbage, broccoli, kale, collards, lamb's quarter)
• Fruits (olives, cherries, grapes, apples, pears, peaches, plums, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, salmon berries, apricots, crab apples, quinces, rosehips, blueberries)
• Olive oil and seed oils. Garlic, onions and their relatives leeks, chives, scallions, ramps, shallot

Phytoestrogenic food-like herbs are generally considered longevity tonics. For optimum effect, use only one from the list below and to stick with it for at least three months.

• Citrus peel, dandelion leaves and/or roots, fenugreek seeds, flax seeds, green tea, hops, red clover, red wine.

Phytoestrogenic herbs are usually too powerful for long- term use. From the list below (which is in alphabetical order), it is safest to use only one herb at a time, and use it only when needed, although that may mean daily use for several months. More information about these herbs, including specific dosages and cautions, is in New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way.

• Agave root, black cohosh root, black currant, black haw, chasteberries, cramp bark, dong quai root, devil's club root, false unicorn root, ginseng root, groundsel herb, licorice, liferoot herb, motherwort herb, peony root, raspberry leaves, rose family plants (most parts), sage leaves, sarsaparilla root, saw palmetto berried, wild yam root, yarrow blossoms.

4. Most of the warnings about phytoestrogenic herbs center on their proven ability to thicken the uterine wall in animals who have had their ovaries removed. This could encourage cancer, just as taking ERT encourages cancer of the uterus by stimulating cell growth. Women without ovaries are probably safe eating phytoestrogenic foods, but may want to use phytoestrogenic herbs - especially ginseng, dong quai, licorice, red clover, and wild yam - in small amounts and only for short periods. NEWS NOTES ON PHYTOESTROGENIC PLANTS

• Recent studies indicate black cohosh does not suppress luteinizing hormone, has no estrogenic effect, and contains no compounds related to estrogen. Red clover flower heads contain many hormone-like flavonoids, including isoflavone, daidzein, genistein, formononetin, biochanin, sitosterol, and coumestrol, a particularly strong phytoestrogen (six times more active than the one in soy). Red clover contains all four major estrogenic isoflavones; soy has only two of them. A cup of red clover infusion (not tea) contains ten times more phytoestrogens than a cup of soy beverage, is richer in calcium, has less calories, and contains no added sugars.
• Researchers in Australia report a million lambs a year are aborted after sheep eat clover on pasture. Yet red clover is renowned as a fertility enhancer. What's up? Stephen Buhner, author of The Secret Language of Plants, says clover plants make blood-thinning compounds (which cause abortion) when overgrazed, but don't otherwise. Plants, it turns out, can fight back.
• When unfermented soy takes the place of animal protein (meat and milk), its anti-nutritional factors can create brittle bones, thyroid problems, memory loss, vision impairment, irregular heartbeat, depression, and vulnerability to infections. Unfermented soy is high in hemoglutin, which causes clumping of red blood cells and may increase risk of stroke. It is also impressively rich in aluminum (up to 100 times more than is found in the same amount of real milk). Eating tofu more than once a week doubled the risk of Alzheimer's in a small group of Japanese men studied for thirty years.
• Human gut bacteria can cleave a sugar molecule from wild yam's steroidal saponin, producing diosgenin. Labs make progesterone from diosgenin, but our bodies can't. Diosgenin itself has a weak estrogenic effect. According to Australian herbalist Ruth Trickey: "A more probable explanation [for the observed effects of wild yam] ... is that [diosgenin] interacts with hypothalamic and pituitary hormones and ... initiates ovulation."

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Pueraria Mirifica Pills KWAOTIP THAI FDA. G. 187/42

Kwaotip is a premuim grade Thai traditional herbal formula derived mainly from White Kwaotip Krua (Pueraria Mirifica). After many years of research from Dr. Wichai Cherdshewasart, the studies indicated that this herb shows estrogenic and rejuvenate effects to the female body especially at the breast, hip, facial skin, body skin, hair and vaginal epithelium. Thus elevate the appearance of the female secondary sexual characteristics and also the skin beauty.

ALL Natural Dietary Supplement

Hight Phytoestrogen (especially isoflavonet):

*Increases sensitivity and vitality

*Promotes silky shiny hair ,keeps hair pattem bone calcium accumulation

*Enhances breast and skin appearance

*Serves as a anti-wrinkle agent

*Enhances physical and mental ability

*Serves as a fountain of youth

Ingredients: Pueraria Mirifica and other herbs (60 capsules per box)

Recommended Dosage: Take 2 capsules after breakfast and dinner.

Precautions: - Not for women under 20 years old.
- Women with developing cyst at the ovary, breast, and uterus.
- Pregnant women and breast feeking mother should avoid taking this product.
- Women who are taking birth control pill should not take this product.

Alternatives For Hormone Replacement Therapy

Do alternatives for hormone replacement therapy exist? Yes! Available alternatives for hormone replacement therapy are of two primary forms - synthetic therapy and natural hormone replacement therapy.

The synthetic hormone replacement therapy drugs are not the same as natural hormones that occur in the body. Since substances occurring naturally cannot be patented, drug companies alter the molecular structure and create new substances that are patentable and therefore protected for business purposes. Examples are Premarin, Prempro and Provera - these synthetic drugs are different in their molecular structure from the estrogens and progesterone found in the human body.

But alternatives for hormone replacement therapy using synthetic drugs may not treat your symptoms of menopause safely! And the problem with synthetic drugs is - since they are different from what occurs naturally in the human body, the body treats them differently, and the result is often harmful side effects. Synthetic hormone replacement therapy risks may exceed the benefits based on numerous clinical trials such as the Women's Health Initiative studies!

On the other hand, natural alternatives for hormone replacement therapy use natural estrogen and/or natural progesterone hormones. Natural hormones are also referred to as bioidentical hormones. Using safer natural alternatives for hormone replacement therapy is recommended by numerous physicians since the body is able to receive, use and eliminate the natural hormones as needed. Most women may not need synthetic drugs with related side effects to regain health and eliminate symptoms of hormone imbalance.

The two primary hormones for a woman are estrogen and progesterone. Both are needed to function normally and for good health. In a healthy woman and normal menstrual cycle, estrogen is the main hormone produced for the first 10-12 days following the previous menstrual flow. With ovulation, the body begins producing progesterone that continues for the next 12 days or so. If pregnancy does not occur, estrogen and progesterone levels will drop at around day 28 and menstruation begins. However, if there is no ovulation, progesterone will not be produced by the body that cycle. This event is called an annovulatory cycle, and it is happens frequently today for women in their thirties and forties - no ovulation and no progesterone.

What this means is the woman will be deficient in progesterone with an excess of estrogen, which will likely result in symptoms of hormone imbalance. Progesterone balances or opposes many actions of estrogen. Without suitable progesterone in the body, symptoms of hormone imbalance will likely be experienced. The symptoms of hormone imbalance can be signs that your body isn’t getting the support it needs.

If the woman has had a hysterectomy, surgical menopause means the body produces little or no progesterone, creating hormone imbalance. And in postmenopausal women, the production of progesterone ceases as ovulation no longer happens. However, estrogen production will still be 40 to 60 percent of what it once was even after menopause.

How does a woman know more about appropriate natural alternatives for hormone replacement therapy? One way is to work with a naturopathic doctor who is schooled and trained in both conventional medicine and natural alternative medicine. If you are currently on synthetic HRT and want to change to natural HRT, you should consult with doctors experienced in the use of natural hormone replacement therapy. Naturopathic physicians are medical doctors that work to restore and support the body's systems by using medicines and techniques that are in harmony with natural body processes. A naturopathic physician will prefer treatments which keep harmful side effects risks at a minimum.

Another way is to take the online hormone health test provided by a leading women's health clinic. The online test takes just a few minutes and is free. Find out more about your health, symptoms, what the symptoms may be telling you and what to do about it based on your answers to important questions. And read more about hormone imbalance and physician-recommended natural alternatives for hormone replacement therapy.

Overcoming Anxiety Disorders Through Alternative Therapy

There is absolutely nothing wrong in being anxious. When faced with a problem or a situation, people experience anxiety. Most people have the tendency to worry when trying to finish a deadline that seems impossible to beat like cramming during final exams, or when preparing for a job interview. Just like other emotions, such as fear, anger, sadness or happiness, anxiety is a normal reaction that helps a person cope and deal with the present situation. It is common and plays a significant role in relation to a person's ability to adapt and survive. It is when anxiety gets out of hand and leads to an unreasonable fear or worry of daily activities that it becomes an anxiety disorder.

There are several types of anxiety disorder: generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Recent advances in research has done a great deal in developing new ways to treat anxiety disorder. Improved therapy methods can now help people with anxiety disorders to lead full and productive lives.

Joining support groups help people by encouraging them to share their problems as well as their achievements. Opening up helps a person unload feelings that are bottled up inside. Meditation and relaxation, on the other hand, ease anxiety through its calming effect that enhances the benefits of the therapy.

Two previous studies comparing meditation to other relaxation techniques had been reviewed to reveal that both alternative therapies were equality effective in reducing anxiety. The first study compared meditation with biofeedback, while the second study compared mindfulness meditation to yoga.

Transcendental meditation involves focusing the mind on an object to achieve stillness. EMG (electromyography) biofeedback measures muscle relaxation and teaches people to control their own level of muscle relaxation. Mindfulness meditation teaches awareness of one's thoughts while maintaining detachment. Kundalini yoga includes a meditative form of breathing known as pranayama.

Both studies proved that meditation was comparable to other forms of relaxation therapy in reducing anxiety. However, while no side effects were associated with meditation, about 33%-44% of the participants involved in the studies dropped out, suggesting that people with anxiety disorder may have a hard time sticking to a meditation regimen. But the small number of people involved in the studies makes it difficult to draw any firm conclusions about the effectiveness of meditation and relaxation techniques in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Further studies are recommended to determine the roles of alternative therapies in treating anxiety disorders.

Other findings are as follows:

· All relaxation and meditation techniques resulted in improved scores on measures of anxiety, current mood, and symptoms of distress, but sleep disturbances did not improve.

· Work, social functioning, and family relations also improved among all treatment groups, but marital relations and sex life were not affected.

· Kundalini yoga wasn't as effective in treating obsessive-compulsive disorders as mindful meditation, although participants who practiced this form of yoga had more improvement on scores of perceived stress and purpose in life.

At the first sign of the disorder, consult your family doctor to determine whether the symptoms that alarm you are due to an anxiety disorder, or could be another medical condition, or both.

The exercise component of alternative cancer therapy can increase your survival chances by 50 percent

An alternative cancer therapy does not have to be the only cancer therapy employed to battle the disease. Both conventional and alternative therapies can work together to fight the disease and defeat it. Whether using alternative cancer therapy alone or conventional therapy, or a combination, one essential component for all of them is exercise. Some extravagant claims have been made for the efficacy of exercise in the fight against cancer. According to one person, a junior college professor of philosophy in Northern California, his bone cancer was completely cured because he began training for and participating in marathon runs. Sometimes there are just spontaneous remissions. Nevertheless, exercise is proving to be a significant factor in cancer treatment.

Until there is more conclusive evidence that exercise is a causal agent in the cure of cancer, it must still be included as a part of an alternative cancer therapy method. Studies are still being made on the subject, but the outlook is promising. In the seasonal periodical, Cure, two case studies are cited that support the theory that exercise can improve the chances of cancer survival. The astounding conclusions of these studies was that adding exercise to cancer therapy reduced the probability of death of the cancer patients engaged in the study by 50 percent! The amount of exercise needed to get such a result was not much. Walking one hour a day for six days at a normal pace increased the likelihood of survival of colorectal cancer patients by 47 percent!

The second study had less discrete variables to consider. Activity versus inactivity were the independent variables, but what constituted activity or the lack of it was not fully defined. Still, the findings were encouraging. A 50 percent reduction in mortality of colorectal cancer patients was found. If exercise is still in the province of alternative cancer therapy, it goes far to recommend alternative therapy.

Then there is the study found in the Journal of Clinical Oncology of breast cancer patients who were put under a regimen of weight lifting exercise, a therapy component you will find in alternative cancer therapy. These patients lifted weights three times a week, doing two sets of eight to twelve repetitions in a single workout. As well as gaining increased body mass and strength, those on the program were found to complete their chemotherapy treatment in greater numbers than those who were not on the program. In past decades, resistance exercise would have been considered part of an alternative cancer treatment, but not an essential component of conventional therapy; but with such findings, it is quickly being accepted today by cancer specialists as a necessary adjunct to conventional therapy.

If exercise is not being encouraged by your oncologist, engage in it yourself. The studies that have been performed have shown that the most significant obstacles to taking exercise out of the alternative cancer therapy category is that many patients do not sustain the schedule. This is to be expected, since conventional therapy is quite grueling in itself. That professor of philosophy claims that exercise as a cancer victim is an expression of your will to live. It's the battle of your life, for your life. You'll have to reach deep down inside to force yourself to be active, to strain those muscles and consume your energy, but then, in the end, when you're one of the 50 percent who survive, you'll have the reward that's worth all the pain and suffering. You'll have your life. Exercise, exercise as if your life depended on it. It very well might.

Physical Therapy as Alternative Pain Relief

Many people suffer from chronic pain due to health conditions such as arthritis and menstrual cramps. while others experience acute pain as a result of injury or surgery. If you're a pain sufferer, you have plenty of options to ease those pains. While most pain relief medications come in the form of a pill, there are a number of alternative pain relief treatments such as snake oil which is now sold various shapes and sizes.

However, before trying any of these pain relief approaches, always make it a point to consult with your doctor. Some alternative pain relief therapies may not be appropriate for you or may have serious side effects, even if they are of the non-pharmaceutical type. There are factors to be considered including medical condition as well as patient history before undergoing any treatment.

Bear in mind that not all available options are perfect alternative pain relief treatments. While a certain pain relief may work to some people, the same remedy may not work with others. There are some pain relievers that do not provide complete pain relief. You may have to try a number of different strategies and combine some of them before finding an acceptable level of pain relief. As with any treatment, there may also be risks and side effects.

Many people would do anything to find a relief for their pains. One of the advantages of trying out a number of alternative pain relief remedies is that you may find a pain relief treatment that works for you. Penney Cowan, executive director and founder of the American Chronic Pain Association advises pain sufferers to take an active part in their own rehabilitation. People should learn pain management and to know their role in how to regain control of their life in order to live with the pain which seems to have taken over.

While there is no specific cure to pain, physical therapy is very effective alternative pain relief and highly recommended. Hayes Wilson, MD, chief rheumatologist at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta and national medical adviser to the Arthritis Foundation, recommends physical therapy to almost all his patients because it teaches people how to take care of themselves. He believes in the cliché, “give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish, and feed him for life.”

Physical therapists are like fishing instructors who teach patients the self-management skills of pain management. Therapists encourage arthritis patients how to deal with pain in a day-to-day basis by showing them how to build up strength and improve range of motion, and how to make sensible decisions about activities to prevent arthritic flare-ups.

However, keep in mind that physical therapy is not intended to act as an elixir for pain, but rather, as an alternative pain relief treatment. In the case of patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis, which can take 10 to 15 years off a patient's life, physical therapy serves only as a supplement to immune-modulating drugs. While physical therapy can help decrease inflammation in osteoarthritis, the condition could worsen if swelling isn't fully addressed with the appropriate medicines.