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Do you use home remedies that have been passed on from generations? Are you aware that these healing tips may be a smart alternative to conventional methods and normally are less costly? According to a nationwide government survey released in December 2008, approximately 38 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 years and over and approximately 12 percent of children use some form of CAM. ( Complimentary Alternative Medicine) Dr. Josephine Briggs, director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, stated that many Americans are turning—in pursuit of better health—to practices like the use of herbs, acupuncture, yoga, meditation, massage and chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation. A research team, led by Eisenberg, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, discovered that four out of 10 Americans paid an estimated $21 billion for alternative services. Today there is nearly 650 million people that take trips to a alternative provider.
I think of alternative therapies as preventive medicine. Not only do they reduce stress, research has proven that they can also act as antioxidant and enhance the immune system.
Dr. Weil, author and teacher, recognized the benefits of alternatives and began an integrative approach to conventional medicine. Dr. Oz and other physicians are now publicly teaching about juices, foods and supplement to enhance the immune system and promote better health. Although they make no claims that alternatives are a cure all for disease, they admit that these modalities may play a major role in slowing down disease and may help to promote a better way of life.
In alternative healing I think of getting to the cause of the problem before focusing on the effect. For example if you are a candidate for diabetes (‘Silent Killer’) there are many easy steps that you can take. Prediabetes is a serious medical condition that can be treated. The good news is that the recently completed Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) study conclusively showed that people with prediabetes can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes by making changes in their diet and increasing their level of physical activity.
Photo from "The complete Guide to Natural Healing"
My mother, at 83 years young, always believed in natural home remedies. Since I was a child I remember her helpful solutions for many things. Today she does yoga, takes omega 3’s, Holy Basil, Vitamin E and uses the Lifewave Patches. Remembering those days is what stirred my interest in preventative medicine. My grandparents who lived to be in their nineties never drove a car. They walked everywhere, worked in the garden, canned and ate fresh organic foods.
Not only do I use the remedies that were gifted to me, I have acquired an abundance of knowledge through many years of education. I am anxious to share what I have learned with others. I have had dramatic health benefits in my own life, along with positive claims from my clients who receive the reflexology treatments, yoga classes and consultations. I am not saying that we do not need conventional medicine. Everything has its place and time. I do not prescribe or diagnose. I am here to educate. I agree with many of the pioneers like Hippocrates, known as the ‘Father of Medicine,’ who said over 2,400 years ago “Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.”
Today I am thankful for the pioneers who pursued their quest and began a learning experience for many of us. I am grateful for other practitioners whom I have had the opportunity to study and to work with on many occasions. They were eager to share what they have learned through research and their own experiences.
So if you have heartburn, headaches, need to loose weight or reduce stress, here are a few ideas. Education is the first step. Do some research on your own. Knowledge leads to wisdom. You might also want to talk to your doctor. Let him know that you are interested in natural remedies. Speak to others who use preventive therapies. But remember that everyone is made different, what works for someone else might not always work for you. Talk to those of us who have studied the alternative field, that can guide you in the right direction and help you make the choices that are right for you.
Why not begin with a natural approach? The chances are, it just might work.
Let Wellness Enhance help you become healthier the natural way.
Wellness Enhance , Rosemary Wilkinson ,Traditional Naturopath
Board Certified Reflexologist- Certified Yoga Instructor
Other Resources: Dr. Weil ‘Health and Healing’
American Diabetes Association
Dr Oz on alternative therapies
‘Americans Turning to Alternative Therapies‘-pub. Aug 2008
Dr. Josephine P. Briggs-National Health Interview Survey
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
Life Extension magazine- Article “The Silent Killer”
