Alternative Medicine (8)
More and more people are concerned about what they put into their bodies and don’t like the idea of taking conventional medicine if they can help it. Which means there has been a surge in popularity in the area of alternative medicine. This includes herbal medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, reflexology and much more.
Health Juices as Natural Cure for Ailments
Written by WakiHealth juices are a great source of natural cures for many ailments and have astonishing healing powers. However, most people are not aware of this medical alternative maybe because of lack of understanding of its health benefits and are used to using synthetic cures for their illnesses.
We may consider ourselves fortunate to have medicines that will combat tuberculosis and malaria, but when we are confronted with diabetes, heart disease or any dreaded diseases, I think one needs to take notice and heed the positive effects of discovering new medicines and alternatives. And this is where having health juices as a new form of alternative medicine comes in.
There are certain juices, as medical studies have proven, to have protective natural remedy. Not only it provides rejuvenation and detoxification effects, but also help in reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, cardiovascular disease and even the most feared Big C or cancer. However, one must understand that drinking lots of health juices does not mean it will make one healthier. Rather, it may be disastrous in effect. Just take everything in moderation.
I have enumerated below some healthy juice recipes that can be easily prepared in the kitchen. You can also try these health juices yourself.
* For Internal Cleansing = Carrot + Ginger + Apple
* Reduce Cholesterol, Prevent Cancer, Cure Headache = Apple + Cucumber + Celery
* Smoother Skin Complexion, Prevent Bad Breathe = Tomato + Carrot + Apple
* Healthier Kidney & Bladder, Dispel Excess Body Salts = Pineapple + Apple + Watermelon
* Regulate Body Sugar Content = Pear + Banana
* Detoxifier = Carrot + Apple + Pear + Mango
* Improve Immune System = Honeydew + Milk + Watermelon + Grape
* For Constipation = Banana + Pineapple + Milk
* For General Health = Banana + Orange + Strawberries + Mint Leaves+ Soya + Milk
* For Relaxation = Apple + Pineapple+ Mind + Lime
* For Reduce Stress = Tomato + Carrot + Coriander + Broccoli + Celery
* Improve Digestion = Apple + Beetroot + Ginger + Carrot
* Prevents Flu & Colds = Apple + Carrot + Lemon + Ginger + Garlic
* For Body Detoxification = Apple + Grape fruit + Watermelon + Ginger
* For Liver Cleansing = Pineapple + Carrot + Beetroot + Lime
* As a Skin Tonic = Carrot + Capsicum + Spinach
* For Arthritis = Celery + Parsley juice
* For Asthma = Celery + Papaya + Endive + Carrot
* For High Blood Pressure = Carrot + Parsley + Celery + Lime + Whey Powder + Grape + Carrot
* For Common Cold = Watercress + Apple juice with ¼ pure cream of tartar
* For Cholesterol Reduction = Carrot + Apple + Ginger + Orange + Strawberry + Spinach
* For Diarrhea = Carrot + Blackberry juice
* For Fever = Celery + Parsley
* For Gallstones = Beetroot + Radish + Green vegetable juices
* For Kidneys = Celery + Parsley + Asparagus + Carrot
* Obesity, Overweight = Beet greens + Parsley + Celery
* To Improve Memory = Celery + Carrot + Prune juice + Rice Polishing
* For Gout = Celery + Parsley
* For Impotence = Celery + Wheat germ + 1 tsp Nova Scotia Dulse
* For Indigestion = Coconut milk +Fig juice + parsley + carrot
* For Infections = Carrot + Blackberry
* For Sore Throat = Watercress + Apple with ¼ pure cream of tartar
* For Rejuvenation = Cucumber + Radish + Pepper Concord + Grape + Pineapple
It is best to use organic produce and ensure that the fruits and vegetables are thoroughly washed before juicing. Remove carrot stems and apple seeds as these are toxic. You can also use as garnish lemon juice, black pepper, salt or cinnamon for a better taste.
Why not eat fruits and vegetables instead?
It may take 2 to 3 hrs for solid foods to pass through the digestive tract of the body with a healthy digestive system. In contrast to drinking juices, the nutrients are quickly absorbed into the blood stream and immediately nourishes the body cells. In fact, the highest concentration of beneficial properties are in freshly squeezed juices since it includes the skins of the fruits and vegetables. What is more, if you are in a rush and on your way out of the door, it is a lot easier to drink a glass of juice than say, peel an orange.
Indeed, we only need to understand and know more the health benefits that health juices can offer to us. This will enable us to better appreciate its healing wonder as natural cures to our ailments. Happy drinking.
Green tea is one of the oldest and most popular drinks all over the world. Like coffee, green tea has so far been evolving into more commercialized form which even the younger generations enjoy. This is because of incorporation of green tea extracts into popular drinks marketed by world popular coffee and likewise tea brands.
Although many people enjoy green tea in its raw form, there are still some who do not like the bitter taste of green tea. Others especially those who were not introduced to green tea habit early on simply prefer other drinks such as coffee. Green tea has been found to possess compounds that can fight cancer and certain diseases and in order to give these people the chance to still benefit from the good effects of green tea, the presence of green tea capsules as well as green tea extracts conveniently mixed with delicious drinks have been made.
Here are some of the tips which a person can do in order to benefit from the good effects of green tea for the body:
1. Introduce the green tea habit to your family.
In Asia, even young kids are taught to drink green tea. By sharing the green tea goodness to the family, you are giving them the chance to stay healthy plus boosting their immune system. Moreover, green tea is a better substitute for high calorie containing coffee blends.
2. Organize an Asian inspired party for friends.
Preparing Asian inspired dished with green tea drinks will be great for entertaining people. Moreover, it is a refreshing change to typical alcohol drinking parties. With this, you are not only entertaining guests but giving them the opportunity to shift to a healthier lifestyle.
3. Look for brands which have green tea extracts
Brands which have green tea extracts don’t assure that what you are getting is the same amount of compounds which can be obtained from the freshly prepared counterpart. But still, drinks with green tea extracts are healthy and if you cannot prepare fresh green tea, it is a good substitute.
4. Explore and taste different preparations of green tea from different tea shops and restaurants.
This is a great bonding moment especially for couples. As an alternative to wine tasting, why not go for green tea tasting? Like wine, green tea contains polyphenols which fight aging and are linked to slimmer bodies.
There are many other forms of how you can enjoy green tea. Just be creative and choose what best suits you.
Don’t you just envy those sexy models strutting down the runway and confidently showing their fit bodies? You could have wished that you have those same slim figures that will perfectly suit any outfit as well as give you the confidence to wear those skimpy bikinis on the beach. There are many types of diets which allegedly can make anyone reduce weight, BMI or any forms of measurement targeted to classify one’s state of body. But nothing can beat losing weight the natural way. This is where green tea can be of help. It is said that green tea and weight loss plus exercise can benefit the body by inducing weight loss.
Green tea which is regarded as one if not the most popular beverage in the world has been patronized by the Chinese people because of its so called health benefits. That is why green tea and weight loss go hand in hand towards the promotion of one’s well being because researches found that green tea lowers cholesterol level by improving ratio of high density lipoprotein to low density lipoprotein cholesterol. Improved ratio of these two important body cholesterols can benefit the heart as well as help the body to easily burn fat. Moreover, an evidence of the relationship between green tea and weight loss can be associated with the French paradox. The French are known to maintain their slim figure despite consuming a diet rich in fat. Researchers who have been puzzled with this have attributed the phenomenon to how the French consume red wine which is rich in the polyphenol resveratrol. The effect of the polyphenols called catechins in green tea is similar if not superior to the effects of resveratrol and thus, consuming green tea can be helpful in losing weight.
If this is the case, how much of green tea should one consume in a day? Experts have varied advice on the right amount of green tea recommended for daily consumption but it has been suggested that one to three cups are enough to reap the benefits that the tea can give. Generally speaking, a 100 g of tea leaves have 21.7 g of protein content, 11.2g of dietary fiber, 258g phosphorus, 18.4 mg of iron, 6.8 mg of niacin and 7.4g of water. You can absolutely do well for your body when you try green tea for weight loss. Aside from burning fat, you can also sip a healthy traditional drink and bring relaxation to the body.
For those who would like to maintain a slim and slender body that is also very healthy, try taking diet green tea regularly and see the positive changes that this habit can do to your body. Green teas has been a popular wellness beverage in China for thousands of years and today the rest of the world can enjoy the many health benefits that it offers. In modern times, diet green tea is among the top choices in losing weight the easy way. This is because of the proven effectiveness of the drink when it comes to shedding some pounds, plus its natural healing properties that will surely benefit your body. It has antioxidants that aid in proper digestion and helps remove toxins from the body.
It is really simple to follow this weight loss regimen. Simply take 3 to 4 cups of diet green tea with your daily meals as your beverage and you will start feeling its good effects after just a few days of regular intake. At first it may not taste good, but once you get used to it—and you will, eventually—you will be able to take it easily and without hesitations. While it is most commonly consumed for the purpose of losing excess body fats and maintaining the right weight, diet green tea is also known for several other health benefits, such as delaying the onset of Alzheimer's disease and other illnesses affecting the memory, inner body cleansing and boosting the immune system to fight common illnesses, such as the flu.
If you really want to keep off the excess weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle, then you should pair the diet green tea with some regular exercise and proper diet. Working out two to three times a week for at least an hour may be helpful in attaining your desired figure and state of health. But to properly guide you on your quest for fitter and healthier body, you better ask your physician before engaging in any form of workout. Starting on a simple diet might be challenging, but when you know that you are taking in only the good stuff, it suddenly becomes less of a chore. All you need is to focus and visualize a healthier you in order to be motivated and determined to lose some weight. Cheer yourself up as you begin your new health regimen and if possible, ask someone else to do it with you. This way you will have another individual to pep you to pursue your goals and make sure that you strictly follow your diet. Choose to be healthy and fit now. Take diet green tea!
Weight loss is not only about shedding some unwanted pounds but is also all about maintaining a person’s weight. Weight control can only be successful with constant exercise, proper diet and stress reduction techniques to fight off the tendency of binge eating. In Chinese culture, acupuncture for weight loss is an effective way to ward off stress and anxieties in an individual’s system. However, it is important to remember that acupuncture is only an adjunct therapy, meaning that it should not be considered as a cure that promises effects overnight.
The concept behind acupuncture is that special needles are inserted in certain parts of the body so that the system releases endorphins that give calming and relaxing effects. According to studies, weight gain is mostly caused by stress and depression as people have more tendencies to overeat when they feel negative about themselves. Furthermore, another advantage of using acupuncture for weight loss is that the endorphins also help re-balance the organ systems that are running too fast by aiding problems in the hormonal and digestive systems.
In using acupuncture for weight loss, the acupuncturist asks for the eating pattern of the patient and checks for certain bodily discrepancies such as tongue cracks, peeling in the stomach area or yellow coatings on the tongue that indicate coldness in the stomach. The acupuncturist will devise a program from these consultations together with the traditional auricular or ear acupuncture. The ear part of the body is important in this method because it contains important points that are connected into the main body parts and organs.
Body points that are commonly tapped for this weight loss treatment are the mouth, the stomach and the spleen. The mouth is a usual point for patients who are impulsive eaters and have vices such as smoking. The stomach, on the other hand, is the body point for those who have a habit of nibbling and eating even after their stomachs are full while the spleen is the point targeted in patients who have hormonal disturbances and sugar imbalances.
How To Improve Your Immune System Naturally
Written by AprilMost of us want to be healthy and happy people and as a result there are loads of products on the market to help improve our immune systems. They may well be very good however you don’t strictly have to buy a bottle of pills to build your immune system. Here are a few unusual yet effective techniques you might want to try out.
1. Cold Showers
As strange as this might sound, taking a cold shower every day can increase your immune system. Now this isn’t the ramblings of some health nutcase. Proper bona fide scientists have done some experiments to prove that cold showers are good for you.
After you have had your morning shower, turn the temperature down to as cold as possible and stay there for a couple of minutes. For those who have done this, the t-cells in the blood have increased in quantity and activity, therefore increasing the immune system.
Scientists have also tried it out with mice by exposing them to cold water stress over a period of 8 days and found they survived a lot longer when exposed to the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii.
A study in Prague also showed that when men took cold baths the levels of monocytes and lymphocytes increased. When this occurs, you will find that the body is better equipped to fight off viruses, toxins and pathogens.
2. Skin Brushing
If you always thought that skin brushing was simply a way of getting rid of dry skin you’d be wrong. There are health benefits that go much more than just skin deep. If you learn to do skin brushing properly you can actually help cleanse the lymphatic system.
Most people have either never heard of the lymphatic system or aren’t really sure what it is. Well, basically it’s a fluid that runs around your body and there is even more of it than blood. Sometimes it can become sluggish and it can end up blocked. When this happens you will often notice a lump in your underarm or groin.
If you allow your lymphatic system to become blocked you become more susceptible to a variety of ailments such as headaches, fatigue, depression as well as viral infections.
3. A Dirty House
Do you ever watch the TV show “How Clean Is Your House?” Kim and Aggie never cease to be amazed and disgusted by the squalid homes that some people live in. They frequently take samples of the dirt and grime for lab analysis only to discover that there’s a level of bacteria in the home that could kill an elephant.
However, if this is the case, why is it that the occupiers of the house always look perfectly healthy? Well, it’s because they have built up an immunity to all these germs. Think about it, did our ancestors know half of what we know about germs today? Of course not.
Humans have evolved to come into contact with germs and the more exposure to them we get, the more chance our bodies have of developing an immunity to them.
Every now and then you hear of westerners going to visit people in some remote village in the Amazon. Unfortunately one of the westerners will have a common cold and pass it on to the local people. Because the local people have never come into contact with the western germs some of them end up dying. Yet to us westerners, the common cold is little more than an inconvenience.
This is an extreme example however it goes to show that we need to give our bodies a chance to develop an immunity. I’m not saying that we should all be living like the people on “How Clean Is Your House?” but do you really need to be so obsessed with cleaning every surface of your home with bleach?
DISCLAIMER: Please note that I am not a doctor and the above article is simply my opinion. If you have any health problems you should always take the advice of your doctor and not some person you’ve never met before off the internet.
Ear Candles: Do They Really Work?
Written by KarenEar candling, also known as thermo auricular therapy, is an alternative medicine procedure which is supposed to remove earwax, as well as to improve the overall wellbeing of the patient. The procedure comprises lighting a hollow candle and place it with the other end, which is sharper, in the ear canal. As the ear candle burns, it supposedly produces a negative pressure, thus sucking earwax and residues from the ear canal into the cone of the candle. In order to protect the subject from getting burnt by hot wax or other candle debris, a protection disk made of thick paper or aluminum is placed around the bottom part of the candle. The candle itself is made of a cotton cloth soaked in wax or in paraffin, then hardened in the shape of a cone.
Is Ear Candling Just A New Age Fad?
The health benefits claims of ear candles are hilarious and too good to be true. Such benefits include purifying the mind, stabilizing emotions, releasing blocked energy, curing Meniere’s syndrome, reducing stress, opening and aligning the chackras and many others. It’s hard to resist such a treatment, which can clear your mind and your sinuses in the same time, therefore many people tried it, some of them claiming they’ve got satisfactory results. However, tests done by various researchers or simple users showed that candling has no effect whatsoever, neither upon the general wellbeing and on the mind abilities, nor on the wax buildup inside the ear canal. The residues inside a used ear candle were actually debris from the candle itself and not earwax. Other tests revealed that the negative pressure created by heating the air inside the cone was not enough to attract the wax from the ear canal, and that if it were, then the eardrum would have been ruptured in the process. Moreover, there are otolaryngologists that testified to have been seeing many patients with melted wax adherences to the eardrum, which needed surgery to get removed. There were also cases of patients who got wax from the candle dripping inside their ear, therefore putting them in danger to lose hearing in that ear. A survey published in 1996 in Laryngoscope showed no cerumen removal from the external ear canal. Another survey in which 122 otolaryngologists were interviewed, revealed 21 ear injuries caused by ear candles use, out of which one was a perforated eardrum. (Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8849790?dopt=Abstract)
The initial idea that using ear candles can have so man health benefits came from the wrong belief that the ear canal is connected to structures inside the head and to the brain itself. This is not correct, as any anatomy textbook can prove it, so these assumptions of holistic healing may a well be false. Despite all these facts that prove ear candling as ineffective, it’s still an industry of multi million dollars per year.
Although FDA prohibited imports of ear candles from several Canadian manufacturers, such products can still be found on the US market. There are countries in which ear candles are available in pharmacies, as over the counter medication, sometimes being even recommended by pharmacists themselves to patients that ask for a earwax accumulations removal remedy. Ear candling can have catastrophic side effects. There are cases in which people set their homes on fire because of dropping the candle on the carpet. The flame becomes quite large by the end of the procedure, so there’s an increased risk of getting severe burns on the face and on the scalp.
Initially, ear candles manufacturers claimed this treatment was a traditional Hopi healing practice. However, the Hopi tribe never had any connection to this procedure, therefore their spokespersons asked that this name not to be used anymore in marketing ear candles.
What Is Chiropractic
Chiropractic is a branch of the alternative medicine that deals with disorders of the nervous system and musculoskeletal system. Its name originates from the Greek "chiros", which means "hand" and "praktikos", which stands for "action". Specialists who practice it are called chiropractors or chiropractic physicians. Most chiropractors use a method of manipulating the spinal bones which is known as "chiropractic adjustment". This is a general term, as there are multiple schools of chiropractic techniques. However, the basic principle is the same: chiropractic adepts believe that disorders in the spinal cord affect various other regions and organs in the body, via the nervous system. By applying pressure on the spinal cord bones, subluxations are corrected, the proper joint alignment is restored, thus enabling the healing process. This is similar to the holistic medicine approach.
Like other alternative medicine therapies, chiropractic treatment is often accompanied by advice regarding healthy lifestyle and nutrition. Although the American Medical Association considered it an "unscientific cult", chiropractic managed to gain more and more acceptance from the masses, therefore it is now an established medical discipline in many countries such as US and Canada. Detailed studies are yet to be conducted, as none of the ones done so far are relevant.

http://www.ballymenachiropracticclinic.co.uk/whatischiropractic.htm (vertebral subluxation image credit)
Conditions Treated by Doctors of Chiropractic
Here are a few of the conditions that may benefit from chiropractic therapy:
- Chronic neck pain
- Tennis elbow pain
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Low back pain conditions
- Leg pain caused by herniated discs
- Ankle pains
- Chronic knee pain
- Chronic arthritis
- Shoulder pains
- Chronic headache
- Indigestion
- Mood swings
- Allergies
- Sleep troubles
Generally speaking the success rate of this procedure is somewhere between 50% and 80%, the success being measured only by the patient’s level of satisfaction. It seems that the lowest levels have been recorded in case of conditions that generate low back pains.
Chiropractic Schools
The length of the studies and the other conditions for practicing this discipline depend on the country. For example, in USA, chiropractic doctors have to follow five years of full time specialty education before being allowed to practice. Usually, board examinations are required for getting a license. Moreover, in some states, chiropractors are required to follow continuing education courses and gain credits each year. Their services might or might not be covered by health insurance, so patients who seek this type of treatment should first discuss with their insurance company, to see if it’s covered by their health insurance policy.
There are no general requirements for chiropractic schools admission, therefore those who want to apply will need to contact each school individually to determine if they comply or not with specific requirements.
Chiropractic Business
Maybe more than 70% of all chiropractic doctors in the US are in individual business practice. Big hospitals or health institutions don’t usually employ such specialists, but they probably will in the future, as the demand increases for alternative therapies. Nonetheless, freshly graduated doctors of chiropractic are probably seeking to open a private office, to hire staff, to buy a special medical billing software for tracking their earnings and their patients evolution, so they’d better be good at business management. However, things are not that complicated, especially if we take into consideration that there are software applications developed specifically for chriopractic offices, therefore making the doctor's task of tracking the medical activity much easier.