Finding Alternative Therapy Resources

Interest in alternative therapy is growing by leaps and bounds. Although it is not as common as standard medicine, it can definitely work for many. If you are looking for information on alternative therapy, there are lots of resources available and many ways you can find help regarding alternative health.

Getting started with alternative therapy is a process in its own right. Remember, you are taking a risk when you start to use alternative therapy as opposed to a more practiced form of care. But even then, you need to remember that alternative therapy often times works better for some people than the more standard practices that have been used for many years. To get started, you first need to determine what type of alternative therapy is available for the illness you are attempting to treat.

If you are like most people, you probably begin your research online. From there, you can visit a doctor that specializes in alternative therapy. This will help you to get a complete overview of what is available as well as what you should move forward with.

There are many ways that you can find help regarding alternative therapy. If you are interested in alternative therapy, you should consider the many resources that are available. Although you may not find as many resources on alternative health as standard medicine, there are still plenty out there for you to look into.

1. When it comes to finding information on alternative therapy it does not get much better than the internet. There are many websites maintained by alternative health doctors, people who practice alternative health, etc. Although much of what you read on the internet may not always be true. But with that being said, you should be able to find plenty of information concerning alternative therapy online.

2. As of late, more and more books on alternative health have been published. By purchasing one of these you will get top notch information about this way of life. A good thing about many books on alternative medicine is that they are usually written by someone with knowledge in their chosen subject. This means that you will get top notch information.

3. You will find many therapists who practice alternative therapy. Of course, you are not going to find these doctors at your local hospital, so you may have to search around a bit. The best place to search for an alternative health doctor is in the local phone book. You may be surprised to find that there are many of these professionals in your area.

Once you find several of them all you have to do is choose the right one.

Listed above are three places to find information on alternative therapy. You may be able to think of other resources too. You certainly should consider using them to find information that you want. It does not matter where you find information on alternative therapy as long as it is accurate and reliable.

The actual step of starting alternative therapy can be the most difficult. This is when you have to decide whether or not you are going to move forward with the treatment process. If you do your research you will know what you should do.

All in all, getting started with alternative therapy may take some time if you are going to research every last detail.

Why We Need Health Reform and Life Panels

From bloomberg.com:

One man’s end-of-life health care bills totaled $618,616, almost two- thirds of it for the final 24 months, much of it for treatments that no one can say for sure helped extend his life.

Read the whole story: bloomberg.com

Widespread food recall due to Salmonella

FDA ordered a widespread food recall due to Salmonella found in flavor enhancers used in thousands of processed foods.  All the more reason to eat fresh whole foods and avoid processed packaged foods… even though they are darned convenient.

The product, called hydrolyzed vegetable protein or HVP, can be found in processed food products, including soups, sauces, chilis, stews, hot dogs, gravies, seasoned snack foods, dips and dressings.  At this point, the FDA doesn’t know how large this recall will get, but the expect it to grow larger over next several days to several weeks.  Thus far, no illnesses have been reported.

For list of recalled products, go to http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/HVPCP/

• Remember to follow cooking instructions for all foods.
• Report symptoms of Salmonella or other food-related illness to your local health care professional.

Salmonella bacteria can cause diarrhea, fever and cramps. It can can be a serious and sometimes fatal infection in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.

Most L.A. pot clinics to close under new law

City council voted to shrink number of dispensaries from 1,000 to 70
LOS ANGELES – The City Council gave final approval Tuesday to a much-anticipated ordinance that will close most pot dispensaries and curb the so-called “Green Rush” that swept through much of California in recent years.

The ordinance, which passed 9-3, caps the number of dispensaries at 70 and provides guidelines that will push the clinics out of neighborhoods and into industrial areas. FROM MSNBC.com

Alternative Swine Flu Therapies

While people line up for H1N1 shots across Canada, not all health professionals are trumpeting the benefits of inoculations.

Alternative medicine practitioners say you can skip the vaccine — and still avoid getting sick — with herbal supplements, good nutrition and other natural remedies.

While the mainstream medical community remains skeptical, packages of a remedy intended to beat H1N1 are going out the door faster than staff can put them together at the Access Natural Healing homeopathic clinic in Vancouver.

From CBC News.  Read Full Article

FDA and FTC Go Rogue and Threaten Dr. Weil

Both the FDA and FTC have declared all-out war against any natural products that might offer options to the H1N1 swine flu vaccines. This week, they went rogue on one of the best known doctors in alternative medicine, Dr. Andrew Weil. The FTC and the FDA have threatened Dr. Weil with criminal prosecution for making true statements about his immune-boosting formula.  In part, the threats against Dr. Weil are:

This is to advise you that the United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) and the United States Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) reviewed your website at the Internet address www.drweil.com on October 13, 2009. The FDA has determined that your website offers a product for sale that is intended to diagnose, mitigate, prevent, treat or cure the H1N1 Flu Virus in people. This product has not been approved, cleared, or otherwise authorized by FDA for use in the diagnosis, mitigation, prevention, treatment, or cure of the H1N1 Flu Virus.

This product is your Immune Support Formula. The marketing of this product violates the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDC Act). 21 U.S.C. §§ 331, 351, 352. We request that you immediately cease marketing unapproved, uncleared, or unauthorized products for the diagnosis, mitigation, prevention, treatment, or cure of the H1N1 Flu Virus.

So the FDA wants him to stop marketing his immune support formula because they have not given the product their personal blessings and approval…

Violations of the FTC Act may result in legal action in the form of a Federal District Court injunction or Administrative Order. An order also may require that you pay back money to consumers.

Oh the irony…

This FTC / FDA letter claims Dr. Weil has been promoting his immune-boosting formula “…without rigorous scientific evidence sufficient to substantiate the claims.”

And the rigorous scientific evidence for the H1N1 vaccine is where???

You can read the full letter to Dr. Weil on the FTC’s own website – http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm186837.htm

Leafy Greens Top the List of the 10 Riskiest Foods

The Center for Science in the Public Interest issued a list today of the top ten foods that can make you sick. Surprisingly enough, some of the foods now being called risky are the same foods you need in order to stay healthy. This year, one in four people will get sick from eating contaminated food.

Making the top 10 are:

1. Leafy Greens can be contaminated by the very common strains of E.Colia and/or Salmonella causing large outbreaks of disease. Remember the outbreak with bagged spinach?

2. Eggs are contaminated primarily with salmonella, a bacteria that often causes diarrhea.

3. Tuna. The most common complaint was scombroid illness due to scombroid toxins, which are linked to fresh water fish and can occur in tuna that is left in a warm place too long. Side effects of ingesting scombroid toxins include flushing, nausea and cramps.

4. Oysters. The risks of eating raw or undercooked foods, including seafood, are well known.

5. Potatoes. This one really surprised me, but potatoes caused 108 outbreaks between 1990 and 2006, resulting in 3,695 cases of illness.

6. Cheeses are susceptible to contamination because they are made using many steps, including curdling, salting, and processing.

7. Ice Cream. Contaminated pre-mix from unpasteurized eggs was the reason a large outbreak occurred in 1994.

8. Tomatoes are frequently linked to foodborne illnesses and they are suceptible to contamination because they are often eaten raw instead of being cooked to kill bacteria.

9. Sprouts. The CSPI report identified sprout seeds as the primary source of contamination for a germinated sprout. Salmonella is common to sprouts, as is E. coli.

10. Berries. Strawberries, blackberries and raspberries are just a few of the fruits the CSPI flagged as having contributed to 25 outbreaks between 1990 and 2006, causing 3,397 illnesses.

Full article:
CSPI Urges Senate to Pass Food Safety Modernization Act

Next Page »