Importance Of Laughter As An Alternative Medicine

By: Vishwa Prakash

Laughter is an alternative medicine that improves health, wellness and job performances. Professionals having high-stress occupations mainly benefit from this alternative medicine. Laughter therapy combines simple laughter exercises and gentle yoga breathing. These exercises turn into real laughter when practised in a group.

Yoga of laughter is something that we all can achieve regardless of limitations. When we consider some facts on laughter therapy, it seems clear that almost everyone can benefit from regular use of this new technique that is sweeping across the globe. It is regarded as a sacred practice that calms the nerves and balances the body, mind and spirit. Laughter therapy helps in lowering blood pressure, improves digestion, concentration, flexibility and reduces stress. Its benefit is seen as alternative medicine that helps to relieve anxiety in a variety of ways. This therapy reduces the stress hormone and increases the level of happiness hormone in the body.

Yoga for laughter is considered an alternative medicine for stress management. You can get rid of anxiety and stress by just practising laughter exercise for few minutes everyday. Regular practise of laughter yoga can boost your immune system. Laughter increases the natural killer cells that have the ability to destroy tumors and viruses. It increases disease destroying antibodies and also increases the concentration of salivary immunoglobulin that defends against the entry of infectious organisms through the respiratory tract. Therefore, laughter is considered as an alterative medicine that brings balance to all the components of the immune system and heals the pain.

Laughter therapy makes it easier to cope with life and its challenges. It makes us feel good because it defuses the most aching feelings by releasing them through a painless mechanism. It invokes feelings of joyfulness and happiness. Being an alternative medicine, laughter lifts the spirits and provides new insights. It is the most influential remedial tool that has the skill to considerably change the outlook of life by quickly relieving stress and depression and elevating mood states. It also helps to get in touch with truth and control emotions and feelings under unfavourable situations. Besides healing the mind and mitigating emotional pain, laughter even eases physical pain due to injury and disease and helps in speedy recovery.

How To Find An Alternative Medicine For Asthma?

By: Eddy Kong WW

Many people who are suffering from chronic asthma sickness are a bunch of courageous people that keep on fighting this dreadful problem.

They have to fight hard against maintaining their medical costs low, reduce their reliance on drug, have a clean environment to live, and so on.

Constantly, these asthma patients across the world are looking for something that will alleviate the symptoms of the illness that they suffer from.

There are prescribed medications that they can get from their doctor as well as inhalers that help, but is there an alternative medicine for asthma?

If you are searching for an alternative medicine for asthma, either in the form of a pill or in the form of lifestyle adjustments, then this article is for you.

Do you know there are new asthma medicine breakthroughs?

There are over the counter herbal remedies now available for allergy sufferers. Doctors have done studies and have found herbal blends that combine anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and antibacterial results. Astragalus root, Matricaria recutita, and Phosphorus are a few of the herbs being used for this purpose.

Why MUST you go natural?

The major benefit of taking a natural herbal remedy, as opposed to the prescription remedy, is the absence of side effects. Side effects are a part of almost any synthetic drug and asthma medications are no exception.

Using an alternative medicine for asthma, such as an herbal remedy, will largely eliminate the side effects because the medicine will come in a natural, easily digested form.

Another benefit is the cost to the patient. The overall cost of the natural herbal remedy will be much less than the typical prescribed medication. A months worth of a natural remedy can cost you as little as twenty-five dollars for a months supply while the prescription drugs can cost hundreds of dollars.

Drugs that only temporarily improve the asthma problem and our way of life may eventually create a another set of problems. Sometimes, they actually worsens the quality of life at the same time they seem to be resolving symptoms.

Why not?

As with all good things, there is a bad side as well. When you are trying to find an alternative medicine for asthma it can be very difficult to find solid proof, outside of paying the money and trying it for yourself that the product does what it says it will do. There are a lot of companies that make products that dont really work that well.

The prescription drugs have all been extensively tested and meet certain criteria. Another reason is the cost. While the alternative medicine for asthma may be cheaper, it will not be covered by insurance which means that if you have good health insurance, you will pay less out of your pocket for a prescription.

An alternative medicine for asthma may be what you are looking for but it may not be what you want. Make sure that anything you try has been approved by a doctor first.

Trying new remedies without consulting a professional could result in serious risk to your health. But, dont let that stop you from investigating; you may find the alternative medicine for asthma that is just right for you!

Just remember that alternative medicine is not another quick fix. If you are seeking alternative and natural healing as a way to get better, ask yourself how much you are willing to participate in this process.

Although alternative therapies have much to offer, finally we are the only ones who have to take this responsibility for our own healing.

Alternative Medicine Diabetes: Is It Helpful?

By: Zahari Ibrahim

Are you suffering from diabetes? Are you worried and cannot decide what will be the best treatment for you? Diabetes can be treated in two ways. One is with the help of the conventional medicine. The other is the alternative medicine diabetes. Diabetes can even be treated with the help of this unconventional method, which is called the alternative medicine. But there are some doctors who do not want to give the alternative form of medicine for diabetes. They mostly prescribe you the conventional medicines. This is because that there are some doctors who do not have any experience with the alternative medicines. But these days there has been many researches regarding the alternative medicine.

Now it has been verified that the alternative medicines can perform effectively lest of most of the diseases and diabetes is one of them. The types of alternative therapy treatment were usually discovered in ancient India and China and it is quite different from the conventional medicine. Comparable the conventional medicines these therapy not use chemicals. The methods of alternative medicine actually require you to maintain some kind of discipline. This instruct can include the diet, it can include different kinds of exercise as well, and overall it is a complete change in the lifestyle of a person. The alternative medicines treatment includes acupuncture, aromatherapy, yoga, guided imagery, massage, hypnosis, herbal remedies, and changes in diet, relaxation and many more.

There are a number of therapies that can be included in the alternative medicine diabetes. Other than this the alternative medicine diabetes includes different kinds of supplements, various types of plant foods, and different kind of herbs. The herbal treatment for diabetes has become very common and these herbs should be taken as supplements and not as the only remedy. With the help of a little thing like cinnamon you can regulate the glucose present in your blood. You can also regulate the cholesterol as well as the triglycerides with the help of this herb in the patient suffering from diabetes.

The Advantages Of Alternative Medicine For Hair Loss Are Numerous

By: R Kalpana

Have you heard about alternative medicine for hair loss? This is becoming more of an affordable solution.

For many years, people had no alternative, but to pay high prices for hair treatments that did not work. The number of people cashing in on other people's pain was astounding.

Hair transplants became the rage and the prices charged for this were quite expensive. With the number of hair grafts needed, the price could easily end up being $20,000 or more.

In addition to the cost, there were the effects of the grafts. They were very uncomfortable.

Seeking an alternative medicine for hair loss was understandable at this point. The studies that have been conducted have shown interesting results.

According to these studies, one of the major causes of hair loss was androgen. This is a hormone that is responsible for male and female pattern baldness.

This is technically called androgenic alopecia. The androgen that is in the blood is changed to DHT by an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase.

DHT stops the normal blood flow to the hair follicle. This causes the hair follicle to basically die.

They can no longer produce hair and the hair that is there falls out. This causes bald spots on the head.

An alternative medicine for hair loss has been linked to vitamins. The B vitamin, in particular has shown good results.

Biotin is in the B vitamin family and helps to build healthy hair. The choices are becoming clearer.

According to the studies involving the cause of loss of hair, especially in males, 92% is caused by DHT levels. The prevention of hair loss can be accomplished and new hair can grow.

The secret is to find the right combination of vitamins and minerals to prevent DHT from blocking the hair follicles. In addition, when you provide hair that is growing with the right nutrients, it becomes healthier and stronger.

The ingredients you will find that can create an alternative medicine for hair loss are natural ingredients. Saw palmetto, nettles, Vitamin B-6 and Biotin are the best ingredients to use.

Not only are the ingredients effective, but they cause no side effects like chemicals can. The use of a natural mineral are also beneficial.

Magnesium is one of these minerals. It will help growing hair stay strong and healthy.

It also is another of the blockers of DHT to help prevent the hair follicles from dying. Getting new hair to grow is another advantage.

One of the things you need to remember when searching for the alternative medicine for hair loss is your diet. Eating healthy is another way of keeping hair, skin and nails at their best.

There is the mistaken idea that men are the only ones who have this problem. The fact is, women have problems with losing hair as well.

Although not quite as high as men, the number of women in the U.S. that suffer from hair loss is 21 million. Men top that by numbering 35 million.

Types Of Alternative Medicine Courses

By: Ravee Kiran

Alternative medicine is a type of medicine that believes in capability of the body to heal it self naturally and holistically. It advises people to change their lifestyle to prevent illness, as much as curing it. The biggest difference between traditional medicine and alternative medicine is the way they view the human body system. While traditional medicine looks at the body as a collective group of various systems and organs, alternative medicine views body, mind and soul as complete. There are many alternative medicine courses taught in various institutes. There are five main types of alternative medicine courses as follows:

1.) Alternative Medical Systems: These are a type of alternative medicine courses that are a whole set of theories as well as practices. Most of these are ancient and were discovered before much before the conventional medicine practices. These include many famous practices like Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Naturopathic medicine, Traditional Chinese medicine and so.

2.) Mind-Body Interventions: These types of alternative medicine courses teach how to encourage mind of a person to affect the ailment in the body. There are some methods in this that were earlier alternative but have turned into mainstream now. Some that are still alternative include Dance therapy, Hypnotherapy, Yoga, Meditation, Biofeedback therapy, Music therapy and such others.

3.) Biologically-Based Therapies: Basically, these include alternative medicine courses that train an aspiring practitioner about the various natural resources that have the power to heal. These include many herbal plants, foods as well as vitamins. Some common practices in which a student can specialize include Dietary supplements, Herbal products and etc.

4.) Manipulative and Body-Based Products: These include the study of such products that manipulate or control movements in one or more body parts. The various methods under this include Acupressure, Chiropractic, Massage therapy, Reflexology, Osteopathy, and also Rolfing.

5.) Energy Therapies: This is a form of alternative medicine courses that makes use of energy fields. It is further subdivided into biofield therapies and bioelectromagnetic-based therapies. Biofield therapies are those that affect the various energies surrounding our body and penetrating it. These therapies involve applying pressure on these energy fields by placing hands in or around them. Some of these include Reiki and Therapeutic Touch. Bioelectromagnetic-based therapies involve practices to affect the electromagnetic fields surrounding the body, like pulsed fields and magnetic fields.

One of the best centers for studying alternative medicine is India. There are many alternative medicine courses in India like Acupuncture, Naturopathy, Yoga and Massage, Reiki, Acupressure, Magneto therapy in various institutes. These institutes offer degree, diploma and even post graduation programs in the same. Most of these also provide distance learning now, which enables a student to get alternative medicine diploma online and also alternative medicine degree online in the various alternative medicine courses in India.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
The author Ravee Kiran is a keen and competent writer. He is also a skilled enterpriser. He is very knowledgeable about various alternative medicine courses available.

What Are The Different Types Of Alternative Medicine?

By: Zahari Ibrahim

If you are sick or injured due to any grounds you do not continuously depend on the conventional medicines. These days' people are moving towards the eccentric or the alternative medicines. The doctors are prescribing these alternative medicines as well. There are different types of alternative medicine present all over the world. Consequently with the alternative medicine you have a number of selections. The alternative medicines have a long history and it you explore the history watchfully then you will come to know that these medicines and the therapies definitely work. It not only works for the diseases but it works for different categories of injuries as well.

The types of alternative medicine include acupuncture, homeopathy, ayurveda, traditional Chinese method, Native American healing practices, Tibetan medicine and naturopathic medicine. These are some of the alternative medicines, which are widely used throughout the world. There are countries that specialize in one or two forms of the alternative medicine. Excluding this there are many more types of the alternative medicine. There is the art therapy where a technique of both the mind and body is used. There are additional therapies like the magnetic therapy. In this therapy the magnet is used to treat any kind of injuries as well as other diseases.

The magnetic therapy has gained a lot of importance all over the world. This therapy works by creating an electro magnetic field in the body of the person suffering from the pain or the disease. The negative side of the magnet is used for this purpose. Recently the doctors and the specialists also give their opinion in the favor of the different types of alternative medicine. There are other types of therapies integrated in the alternative medicine. These therapies are based on biology that is they include different kind of food, food habits, herbs and vitamins. This therapy uses the things, which are made out of nature.

The examples of the therapy based on biology are diet and dietary supplements, megavitamins and different kinds of herbal products. There are the other types of alternative treatment, which is based on the body. This kind of therapy includes acupressure; massage therapy, reflexology, osteopathy, rolfing and so on. The different types of therapies are based on different things. There is another kind of therapy, which is based on the energy. Aromatherapy is also one of the alternative medicines widely used. These are quite different from the conventional medicines and they do not contain any chemical or harmful material and hence no side effect.

How Alternative Medicine Fits Into Todays Society

By: Ken Snow

Think you dont know what alternative medicine is? Its more common than you think, and now has a firm place in the world today. Certain therapies not formerly thought of as legitimate medical treatments are now being used on a more frequent basis to treat a variety of ailments, quite often with endorsement from the medical community. Some of the more common types of alternative medicine treatments include:

Massage therapy
Aromatherapy
Hydrotherapy
Acupuncture
Herbal Remedies
Meditation
Spiritual therapy

More than likely, you are familiar with many of these treatments; maybe you have even experienced a few yourself. Many of these treatments are not only used to treat many common health problems, but are used by people all over the world in order to achieve total well-being.

For thousands of years, the treatments deemed alternative today were standard practice. And now, people seem to be turning to these optional therapies when they are in a health crisis, or if they feel they have nowhere else to turn.

There are factions of people throughout the world who prefer to take advantage of the natural effects that alternative medicines and therapies offer, rather than depend on synthetic drugs to cure or prevent ailments. Herbal medication have the benefit of being completely organic, or from the earth, and often provide equivalent remedies to prescription drugs.

Alternative medicines and treatments have become part of the fabric of our society today. While many of these therapies are meant to be used as a treatment for a health problem, some are used by people as simply a method of relaxation or reward. Chief among them is massage therapy. Massage has become incorporated into the routines of many individuals in todays society as a means of stress reduction, rather than pain relief.

Meditation is another form of alternative medicine that has become an integral part of many lives in todays society. With its roots steeped in ancient spiritual history, meditation acts like massage in that it provides a release for stress and anxiety. In order to perform mediation correctly, though, you should learn as much as you can about it first. Many people enjoy this type of alternative therapy a great deal because of the personal control they have when performing it. Many individuals in todays society highly recommend meditation as a type of alternative medicine.

The stresses of todays society have led some to cry out for change. Many find solace and healing in alternative medicine treatments. The natural treatments and calming effects of many of them are exactly what many people have been searching for in order to reduce their stress. The average person is forced to deal with a large amount of stress on a daily basis. Alternative medicine and treatments bring relief to the stresses and anxiety that people of todays society feel weighed down by.

Ayurvedic medicine Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine

Author: Adam

Alternative medicines come in many forms and Ayurvedic is one of them. Many people have not heard of this healing medium as it only came to the fore in 1980 although the practice of Ayurvedic healing is said to be over 5000 years old.

Ayurvedic means life and knowledge. This ancient alternative healing system has been practiced in India for many years although there is now a tendency towards western style medicine in the main cities. But most of the population live in rural areas where it is estimated that 70% still use this form of healing.

The basics of Ayurvedic are broke down into three main categories and those are diet, herbs, and yoga.

Certain authorities have warned that some of the herbs used could be poisonous, and there are a host of people saying that this form of alternative medicine is a rip off, and that if anyone should want to go down this route of alternative medicine is that they should double check what they are taking. Not being a scientist or a botanist I feel as though I do not have that sort of expertise to comment any further about the herbs used.

But again with all forms of alternative medicine there will always be people that will say that the unusual does not work although a lot of the websites I visited said that it was good for arthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis. A good point to push forward here would be to mention the fact that one of the more popular food supplements on the market today is Micro Phytoplankton which is nothing but a single cell alga, and who would have said ten years ago that we would be taking this type of food supplement on a daily basis.

Like a lot of alternative medicine cures Ayurvedic medicine is diet based which seems to be the modern trend and when you read all the reports on how diet based cures are having success it's no wonder that this type of alternative medicine is catching on.

Another thing I did notice about Ayurvedic medicine is that is based on a vegetarian diet which would be on the alkaline side rather than the acid contents of sugar based products and meat.

As for Rheumatoid arthritis that can leave people in such a bad way that they can become bed ridden and in so much pain I do believe from reading reports of them being cured through these diet related cures is a good thing. Perhaps modern medicine has a lot to learn although I do believe that some of the large drug companies have taken out patents on certain of the drugs that are used in Ayurvedic medicine, which to me tells me that there is something there otherwise they would not be taking such measures.

What is ayurveda used for?

People use ayurvedic practices to maintain health, reduce stress, and improve flexibility, strength, and stamina. Researchers currently are studying yoga and meditation as interventions for diseases such as asthma, high blood pressure, and arthritis.

Ayurveda stresses proper diet for maintaining good health and treating disease. Herbal medicines are prescribed based on the person's dosha type.

Alternative Medicine - When to Use It and When Not

Some of the medical systems and therapies found on the alternative medicine list have been in service for thousands of years, in fact reaching back into prehistoric times to origins unknown. Some of these have remained unchanged for many centuries. Other entities in alternative medicine were a positive answer to the horrific early developments of allopathic medicine as it existed in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Others were the result of accidental discoveries in the relief or cure of certain ailments and health conditions. Modalities in alternative medicine range from highly efficacious to faulty, having no effect whatsoever to downright dangerous to human health. So how do you protect yourself from poor results, alas, life-threatening circumstances coming from the use of alternative medicine?

First, a bit about allopathic medicine.


This is your first step in determining whether alternative medicine is right for you in curing an ailment, pain management or any other health issue. Allopathic medicine has been so named due to its philosophy in treating for symptoms rather than restoring health from focusing on the causes of the ailment. Allopathic medicine is a biomedical entity, meaning it is highly specialized, its treatments are standardized and it is not holistic.
Albeit allopathic medicine holds first prize in having an incredibly large knowledge base about human health and disease. The system is empirically based, is scientific and its procedures rigorously tested. Allopathic medicine does have its dark side however and processes are not always in the best interest of the patient, especially since it is a for-profit industry and would go out of business if disease was eradicated.
An unlikely thing however, allopathic medicine wins the gold metal for its highly technical and effective procedures in medical emergencies and otherwise terminal conditions. Though it is not holistic and can be quite impersonal, the allopathic physician should always be consulted first for any medical condition which can have serious underlying problems.

Is Alternative Medicine No Good?


By all means, a resounding NO! Many medical systems and modalities outside of allopathic medicine are indeed highly efficacious and are great alternatives to the more expensive allopathic therapies and procedures. In non-emergency situations, alternative medicine can often provide equally effective, sometimes even better results without the side effects that often comes with chemical-based therapy.

Your alibi on the determination whether an alternative medicine is effective or is quackery comes from education. Also, what may work for one person may not work for another since each of us are different in our own right. Allopathic medicine has been standardized and through experimentation what a treatment should be is based on what is known to work on most people, caustic as it may be. Alternative medicine is not like this. It is composed of health systems and therapies which are individualized according to the patient and his needs.

Allopathic Medicine and Alternative Health


Though there are many reasons why an alternative health modality may not meet the approval of the American Medical Association (AMA,) the three main reasons are:

• It either has not been tested or is not subject to scientific experimentation.
• It has been tested and proven to be faulty, ineffective and/or detrimental in some way.
• It has been tested but the results are unpredictable or is not useful to allopathic medicine.

Unless a modality has been proven to be a fake or is dangerous, and the health condition is not life threatening, there is little reason why it would be harmful to try it - especially those which have time-tested and have been known to produce positive results. Allopathic medicine does refer patients to complimentary therapy and at times alternative medicine. An example would be complementing or even replacing conventional chemical-based medications with hypnotherapy - a modality that has been proven to work on pain management.

Conclusion:
Alternative medicine can be used with or as a replacement for allopathic medicine if your regular physician deems it proper and you have been cleared of any detrimental underlying health issues. Common sense and education goes a long way. There is a vast quantity of resources out there in just about any health issue and their alternatives. Any modality or alternative medicine that has been around for a long time is probably a good source. They are often more thorough than allopathic medicine, are more personal and based on your individual needs. They focus on your whole being making them holistic.

Top rule here: Always see your regular physician first and follow his advice!

Alternative Medicine and Therapy

Alternative health is based predominantly on the 'natural healing model' which uses herbal medicine, diet therapy, orthomolecular medicine, exercise, indigenous therapies, and energy healing to promote health. Alternative therapies may also include anything from aromatherapy, yoga, reiki, hydrotherapy, magnetic therapy, meditation, acupuncture, and many other techniques used by others for thousands of years. Many modern sciences continue to use alternative treatments to complement modern medical treatments. People around the world still use these alternative treatments because they work and have been a cultural tradition.

There is a growing form of Western medicine called Integrated Medicine. This new way of thinking is a great combination of traditional and modern energy healing, and western medicine.

Why is it Called Complementary and Alternative Medicine?

Alternative therapies were the only known treatments prior to the discovery of antibiotics, and other modern medical treatments. Alternative Medicine is the original safe and proven medicine. They provide treatment for people who are dealing with chronic pain and illness.

Some Alternative Medical Systems

Biologically Based Therapies

Biologically based therapies involve supplementing a person's diet with additional extracts, nutrients, herbs and/or certain foods. Alternative therapies are non-conventional practices that treat patients using supplements, acupuncture, hypnosis, and many other techniques. Biologically based therapies generally use supplements that include botanicals, minerals, vitamins, fatty acids, proteins and probiotics. There have been studies in which scientist are constantly proving that foods, vitamins, and minerals are useful in combating disease such as the broccoli cancer connection or the wine heart attack connection. Also, improved quality and acceptable pricing caused millions of people to turn to biologically based therapies to help them with their health problems.

Mind-Body Based Therapies

Mind-body therapies are a set of interventions that focus on the interplay between emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and behavioral factors and their influence on health. Examples of some of the therapies used include tai chi, reiki, hypnosis, art, movement sound, and music therapy, meditation, and yoga. These therapies utilize various techniques aimed to enhance the mind's capacity to stimulate natural healing, affect bodily functions, and ease symptoms.

Manipulative Body-Based Techniques

Manipulative body-based practices are considered alternative therapies. These techniques include Alexander Technique, Rolfing or Structural Integration, Cranial Sacral, and Chiropractic. These therapies generally focus on the structures and systems of the body, including the bones and joints, the soft tissues, and the circulatory and lymphatic systems.

Alternative Medicine Techniques For The Modern World

The Western world is generally perceived to be the bringer of modernity, and oftentimes, their particular standard when it comes to certain areas of life, such as medicine for example, is deemed to be the ultimate and absolute measurement for modern living.

In the field of medicine, for example, it has been traditionally perceived that mainstream medical treatments are the only acceptable means for treating patients with several diseases. Lately however, with the growing acceptance of alternative medicine techniques that employ unconventional treatment methods, but are nonetheless proven to have healing capabilities, the Western standard is slowly opening up to these newer treatment techniques.

Alternative medicine techniques refer to certain treatment approaches that deal with an illness from another medicinal approach. For example, these techniques might originate from indigenous and traditional practices and utilize unconventional treatment tools, and have only been recently discovered by modern scientists. Moreover, in the United States, several collected pieces of evidence have proven that these medicine types are effective for several conditions such as neck and back pain, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and many more.

Here are some popular examples of these techniques:

The first one is Acupuncture. This alternative technique has long been practiced in China. As a matter of fact, it's already been in use for 2,500 years for treating several diseases and conditions, such as back pain, bone or joint injury, allergies, gout, and even severe headache. This technique is executed by inserting one or more needles in specific areas of the body and in different depths, and are left there for approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Many people have since testified that acupuncture is effective and has treated them either incrementally or fully - and the explanation for this is that the needles are inserted in specific areas that coincide with the body's line of energy.

Another alternative technique is the Craniosacral therapy. This was introduced in the 1970s by John Upledger, and is done by exerting mild pressure in certain key areas of the cranial bones, specifically near the skull's sutures. Moreover, this can also be done on the whole body, but the exerted pressure should specifically be mild. With these strategic applications of pressure, CST generally corrects the body's dysfunctions and imbalances that may be contributing factors to painful conditions. Some of the diseases that CST specifically targets include back and neck pain, TMJ dysfunction, orthopedic problems, central nervous system disorders, and reflex sympathetic dystrophy.

History of Alternative Medicine

History has it that alternative medicine goes back 5000 years to Chinese traditional medicine, Indian (Ayuryedic medicine) and similar healing traditions in many cultures. The common belief was that the energy of the body had to be in harmony with the mind, body and spirit. A doctor merely facilitated the healing by identifying and taking away obstacles that would inevitably lead to a cure. Therapy included lifestyle changes, self-care and preventative measures.

Today, what we know of as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has roots going back 5,000 years to Chinese (traditional Chinese medicine), Indian (Ayurvedic medicine) and similar healing traditions. For thousands of years, these diverse medical traditions held a belief in the energy of the body and the need for harmony between mind, body and spirit. Doctor's simply facilitated the healing process by identifying and removing obstacles.

Throughout most of the 19th century, doctors used the same skills as today's herbalists, osteopaths and dieticians; they were generous with time and empathy, and relied on a good bedside manner. Prayer was important, as was "a change of air," laxatives, bleeding and leeches. Right up until the early 20th century, sick people relied on much the same kind of therapies as their ancestors.

The decades following the Second World War brought significant changes. As GP and journalist, James Lefanu noted in his book, The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine, written in the 50s, a series of medical breakthroughs proved beyond a doubt that previous attempts at healing were nothing more than mere quackery. New medical breakthroughs included the discovery of penicillin, cortisone (a powerful anti-inflammatory medicine), streptomycin (a powerful antibiotic that is effective in treating tuberculosis), insulin (to treat diabetes) and chlorpromazine (an anti-psychotic that controls schizophrenia). Open-heart surgery, hip replacements, kidney transplants, intensive care and successful vaccination programs saved and improved the quality of countless of millions of lives.

Herbal Alternative Medicine - With No Toxic Side Effects

Our fast and technical life is taking us away from the womb of nature. We are nature's product and if we will move from it or do something against it, we cannot live a happy life. Earlier we used to eat healthy, drink healthy and live healthy. But now due to our busy life we are switching towards ready made products. Similar thing happening in medicines also where we are favoring allopathic medication due to easy to take and instant relief qualities. But then we are facing their negative effects also.

The best way to escape from such harm and live healthy life is to adopt alternative herbal medicine with no toxic side effects. These medicines include home made products, herbs, plants, spices, fruits and vegetables etc. These home remedies are easy to prepare and very safe and effective. Basically the natural substances present in these products in the form of alkaloids, enzymes, minerals, essential oils, etc have medicinal properties. These substances have capacity to intake inorganic substances from surroundings and convert them into life supporting ingredients.

When these elements enter in our body they themselves find the natural receptors to reach o the affected site to bring back balance through eliminating foreign substance. Unlike conventional medicines no synthetic receptors are added so as to negate their original effect. Some of the examples of the herbal alternative medicines are-

• It has been confirmed by studies that a particular species of Aloe Vera is very effective in treating constipation. It increases faecal volume by enhancing intestinal mobility.

• Ginger used in daily diet as a spice is a natural herb which generates warmth in body. It regulates body temperature and maintains proper digestion by detoxifying food poisons.

• Bacopa, an herb, has been proved very useful in boosting up memory in adults.

• Amla, a pale yellow fruit has digestive, carminative and anti pyretic properties. It is helpful in various diseases like migraine, hemorrhages, jaundice etc.

• Neem, sarva rog nivarak, as it is considered has large medicinal value. Its oil is added in shampoos, lotions, face wash, tooth paste etc.

• Vitamin D supplements provide protection against various respiratory disorders like bronchitis, sinusitis, cold flu, pneumonia etc.

• Tulsi along with being worshipped can treat gastric disturbances and can also be applies in ring worms.

The doses of these alternative herbal medicines should be taken under strict supervision. Whatever dose is prescribed to adults, half of it should be given to child. It should be taken 3-4 times in a day. If you do not get any relief after three days dose that means your body is not responding and you need to consult a doctor for that. Herbal medicines are mainly bitter in taste but if it becomes unbearable then and you feel like vomiting then just leave it, because it is an indication that body is not accepting it.