Archive for the ‘Alternative Medicine’ Category

Useful Facts on Common Herbal Remedies

Thursday, March 13th, 2008

In the ongoing battle against the everyday illnesses you and your family will encounter, it’s good to know that trusted allies are no further away than your backyard garden or medicine chest.

Below is a list of helpful herbs and the things that they can help you combat.

Echinacea: This works its wonders through helping to boost your white blood-cell count, which aids in fighting disease. Take echinacea at the first sign of a ‘bug’ (cold or flu), or at the outset of any type of infection.

Lemon balm: Excels as a mild relaxant, and helps to defeat the virus most often responsible for cold sores.

Feverfew: This should be in the ‘arsenal’ of those who are in the process of treating and trying to prevent the onset of migraine headaches.

Nettle: Suffer from hay fever? Then keep nettle, a tested allergy fighter, close at hand.

White willow bark: Contains salicin, which is a predecessor of aspirin. It acts a geat deal slower, and a lot gentler, than the pure full-strength aspirin you get at the drugstore. This makes it unlikely to cause an upset stomach. Willow bark can also be taken to deal with mild fevers, and other aches and pains.

Saint John’s wort: This has been found to be as tough as normal pharmaceuticals when it comes to fighting mild to moderate depression.

Valerian: It’s near perfect for delivering a good night’s sleep, especially when used alongside lemon balm, passionflower and, surprisingly enough, hops!

Wild indigo: Remember our old friend echinacea? It helps to form a dynamic duo with indigo to battle those pesky sinus infections. Indigo’s other strength is its’ effectiveness against upper respiratory infections.

Slippery elm: This aids in coating and relaxing your throat and intestines. It’s great against coughs and sore throats, and can also fight diarrhea and most other digestion problems.

Peppermint spirits: This is a 2-headed ‘friend’, for it helps to prevent headaches and soothe upset stomachs. Got a headache? Dribble a small amount of peppermint on a folded tissue or hanky, then rub it across your forehead, your temples, and also on the back of your neck. To calm your upset stomach, place a few drops in water and then swallow. Don’t give this internally, however, to your very young children, as it may cause problems with their very tender tummies.

Chamomile tea: This is a tried and true mild relaxant, helpful against colic and the occasional upset stomach. It’s safe to give to your children as well. Chamomile tea bags can be used on your eyes to treat conjunctivitis (pink eye). Place your tea bags in a small amount of boiling water. When they’ve cooled but are still warm to the touch, place them on your closed eyes, then lie back to relax. Repeat this ritual for 15 minutes each 2 or 3 times a day.

It’s great to know that in this fast-paced, technological society we live in nowadays, that there are ‘old-school’ remedies that can help us as powerfully and sometimes more effectively than over-the-counter medicines. Grandma and grampa weren’t far from the truth when they told you that help is sometimes just a step or two beyond your back door, or in the cool of your old medicine chest.

About the Author: Keith Guyton is an aspiring writer and infopreneur. He currently resides in Middletown, Ohio with his wife Cheryl and their dog, Max.

How to Use Honey to Treat Wounds?

Thursday, March 13th, 2008

Before antibiotics came about, it was common for honey to be used as a medicine to treat wounds and to prevent infection. After being forgotten as a healing agent, honey’s effectiveness is being reevaluated for the treatment of wounds, burns, insect bites, cuts, eczema, psoriasis, athlete’s foot, ringworm, etc. Honey has been known to heal even the most heavily infected wounds without negative side effects.

The existence of hydrogen peroxide in honey disinfects and heals wounds due to its antibacterial, antimicrobial and antiseptic properties. Bacteria cannot survive in the presence of oxygen or hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide regulates the amount of oxygen getting to cells and increases the oxygenation of skin tissue.

Honey also creates a moist healing barrier which prevents wounds from sticking to bandages, therefore preventing the damaging of new skin tissue. Scarring is also reduced when using honey as a wound dressing because skin cells grow without forming a scab. In addition, honey produces a protective barrier around the wound, preventing cross-infection.

The nutrients found in honey helps healthy tissue regrow and promotes the regeneration of new blood capillaries. It also contains amino acids, vitamins, trace elements and sugar which help in the healing process. The Vitamin C content in honey plays a role in collagen synthesis. Honey is also extremely acidic which assists in the healing process because bacteria cannot survive in an acidic environment.

The high sugar content in honey has an osmosis effect on wounds by drawing lymph out and absorbing moisture. As a result, dirt and debris is lifted from the wound bed which induces sloughing of necrotic tissue. It has also been known to have an anti-inflammatory action which reduces swelling and pain. Honey has been proven to be more effective than silver sulfadiazine and polyurethane film dressings for the treatment of burns.

A particular type of honey found in New Zealand called Manuka Honey seems to have more healing properties than other types of honey. Bees gather nectar from the flowers that grow on the Manuka Tree and use this nectar to produce this special type of honey containing powerful antibacterial properties.

In addition to the hydrogen peroxide found in most types of honey, Manuka Honey contains another type of antibacterial component which has become known as the Unique Manuka Factor or UMF. This other antibacterial activity is unaffected by enzymes in the body that destroy the hydrogen peroxide components. It is also unaffected by light, heat or aging. Manuka Honey maintains its potency even when diluted over 50 times as will happen when used on the body as a wound dressing. It also has the ability to diffuse deep into the skin reaching affected areas.

“Active Manuka is a powerful antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal agent that is capable of destroying E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Helicobacter pylori,” says Frank Buonanotte, CEO of Honeymark International which is a manufacturer of health care products containing Active Manuka Honey as a main ingredient. “Its antibacterial properties are even effective against antibiotic-resistant superbugs such as MRSA and can be used in cases where traditional forms of medicine don’t work.”

Honeymark has a line of Manuka Honey products ranging from wound care to antifungal solutions. For more information or to purchase Manuka Honey products, call 1-866-427-7329 or visit http://www.HoneymarkProducts.comArticle Source

Acid Reflux Natural Treatment

Saturday, March 8th, 2008

Are medical doctors keeping an acid reflux natural treatment out of the public’s hands? Have you realized that millions of people search the term, “how to cure acid reflux” each month? Millions of GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) sufferers are tired of buying antacids every other day for their acid reflux treatment. Though, doctors can’t seem to tell you anything but don’t eat spicy or acidic foods and take a pepcid. Is this fishy?

Are doctors hiding something about this disease that hurts over 15 million Americans a year? Well, our company’s natural health doctor states, “Here is how to cure acid reflux with these secrets!”

How to Cure Acid Reflux

To break down what is happening when you have acid reflux, you must realize what the esophagus and lower esophageal sphincter (LES) do for your body. Here is a quick GERD 101 overview.

Your Esophagus- This is the tube that connects your mouth to your stomach. It gets the food to the stomach! However, GERD or Acid Reflux occurs when stomach acid leaks into the esophagus. The stomach acid will cause the pain described as ‘heartburn’. Overtime, which could be months or years, the esophagus will begin to breakdown and heartburn will only get worse. The good news is that the esophagus can repair itself naturally with time if NO stomach acid reaches it!

The LES- The LES or the Lower Esophageal Sphincter is a muscle flap separating the esophagus and stomach. After the food goes down the esophagus it meets the LES which allows it to go into the stomach.

While properly working, the LES maintains a higher pressure than that of the stomach so that food and stomach acid (also called digestive juices) cannot wash back into the esophagus. If the LES is weak or damaged, it can allow potent stomach acid into the esophagus which causes the infamous heartburn.

Now the Good News - If you allow the LES and esophagus to fully heal and strengthen the LES, you will have a 100% cured acid reflux problem.

Acid Reflux Treatment Secrets

So why are they called secrets? Did you know that light bulb companies could make light bulbs that last forever and save billions of dollars and help the environment? Why don’t they? Because it is bad business sense to have a one-time customer!

How does this relate to your reflux problem?

Unfortunately, money makes the world turn and antacid and some prescription companies need customers to stay in business. Therefore, most acid reflux sufferers spend their whole lives unaware that they can naturally cure acid reflux by healing and strengthening their esophagus and LES.

This is NOT too good to be true! Here are 3 secrets to treat acid reflux naturally.

1. Heal Your LES and Esophagus- Your body is miraculous and can almost heal every tissue in the body, including your LES and esophagus. You can do this by eating soft foods for 2-3 days to begin your natural treatment. By not scratching and helping digestion (by eating soft foods), you can give your LES and esophagus a chance to heal and strengthen.

2. Stop Taking Prescription Drugs- Many sufferers take drugs like Prilosec, Prevacid or Nexium. While this might remedy the GERD symptoms for 4-8 weeks, long-term use can cause the body to make a hormone called gastrin. Extra gastrin in your stomach tells the body to make more stomach acid.

The bad news is that there are gastrin receptors on the esophageal, pancreatic, and gastric cancer cells, and over-production of this hormone can cause cancer. By taking these meds more than 6 weeks you greatly increase your risk of getting cancer in esophagus, pancreas and stomach.

3. Know the Basics- There are rules you must follow until you cure your acid reflux disease and here a few! First off, you should avoid spicy and acidic foods for the time being (until your digestive tract is fully healed). Secondly, you avoid smoking and coffee consumption for the time being. Finally, you should use natural home remedies to expediate the healing process of the LES and esophagus.

For instance, my dad shares how a piece of fruit naturally cured his acid reflux on our Acid Reflux Natural Treatment Website.

Say Good-Bye to Acid Reflux

Over ten thousand satisfied customers have naturally treated acid reflux and no longer need the antacids or medication. You can say good-bye to your antacids, medications and acid reflux today with a researched-based, medical doctor-approved and 100% guaranteed Acid Reflux Remedy Report that gives you numerous researched natural remedies. To be GERD-free in 24 hours, please visit our Acid Reflux Natural Treatment Website.

About the Author: Joe Barton promises you a 100% acid reflux cure with a 100% guarantee. To discover how Joe and a natural health doctor have revolutionized the acid reflux world, please visit our Acid Reflux Natural Treatment website; Article Source

Ayurveda as Natural Medicine

Tuesday, February 12th, 2008

Ayurveda is seeing late worldwide acceptance as a natural holistic treatment method. Now people increasingly are aware of the effects of chemicals entering our body in the name of prescription medicines. Ayurveda is not just about treating diseases. It is about living a life with fullness of health by mind, body and soul.

Medicines in Ayurveda are prepared from the flowers, seeds, roots, stem and plant products like resins. There are some claims that Ayurvedic medicines have a large content of heavy metals. The fact remains true that almost every human being on face of earth has at least a hundred different harmful chemicals in his/her body.

Ayurvedic philosophy depends on treating the person as a whole by identifying his/her body type (vata prakriti, pitta prakriti or kapha prakriti) and not the diseases. It is about helping the person regain that natural healing power, instead of applying some chemicals to kill the bacteria or virus that attack the body.

Ayurvedic remedies may take some time before showing results, but there will not be major side effects that are very common with different prescription medicines. Make use of the incredible power of herbs for natural medicare with Ayurveda.

Relaxation techniques in Ayurveda is also a major thing to study. Dinacharyas help persons attain what is expected of him. Laziness and being exhausted are states that you must avoid. All you have to do to attain your full potential is to do your karma only. Nothing more - exhausting, nothing less - don’t be lazy. You will be in a relaxed state of mind, you don’t over-exert your body, thus your body too will be healthy.

Dev Sri provides information about Ayurvedic herbal medicine practices and Ayurveda in Kerala, India. You can find more about Ayurvedic medicines at http://www.KeralaAyurvedics.com/.