Alternative Therapies For Allergies

According to various experts, this is supposed to be one of the worst allergy seasons in recent years. “We had a perfect storm this year,” said Dr. William Storms, professor at the University of Colorado and a clinician. “It’s the worst I’ve seen in 10 years.”

Many people suffer from some form of allergy or another and the reaction can range from mild to serious. Alternative therapies provide a number of options that can be very effective on allergies.

Medicinal Herbs are one of the most effective treatments for allergies and are often recommended based on your particular allergy symptoms, and what’s causing your allergy.  Since these are “medicinal” it’s a good idea to consult a herbalist to discuss your allergy and have him/her select the ones that will work best for you.  For those sudden allergy attacks, one homeopathic remedy that has been purported to give immediate relief is SOS HistaDrops™.

For some people changes in diet can have a significant effect on their allergy. For example, some people who have hay fever have found that eating local honey before the spring season begins helps to significantly reduce the symptoms  of hay fever.

Acupuncture, Ayurveda, and Chiropractic are other alternative therapies that have provided effective relief from allergies.  Some will reduce the reaction or completely resolve an allergy.

Whichever alternative therapy you decide to use, make sure you’ve done your research so that you will know the risks and rewards, and will know which therapist can help you.  The  therapist you select should have experience in treating allergies and also a client list that you can contact to get feedback. If you are concerned about how the treatment could interfere with any conventional medicine you are taking you should also consult your doctor to ensure you are safe.

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Expert: Heather Herrington
Bio: Heather Herrington is an herbalist with years of experience in treating common ailments with herbs and other natural remedies.

Thyroid Disease, a Naturopathic Answer

Thyroid disease, malfunctions of the thyroid gland, hyperthyroid (overactive) or hypothyroid (underactive) are showing signs in our population of becoming an epidemic says a “The Colorado Thyroid Disease Prevalence Study.” This is a trend across the board in American health, where we are seeing many common diseases moving to an epidemic stage. You name a disease and it is probably an epidemic or moving toward becoming an epidemic like thyroid disease.

Why do we have this problem? Well, as a naturopath I say look at the basics, we are violating just about every natural law in how we take care of ourselves and our environment. But for you who have thyroid disease, solving your problem is the most important priority right now. I will be frank with you; the drug industry does not have a realistic answer to your problem. Drugs can be a way to stabilize your situation temporarily but to use those drugs does not address the root of the problem only the symptoms. Through your thyroid disease, your body is saying something is wrong with the way you are living. If you only address this disease signal your body is sending you with drugs, without addressing the real cause, it will breakout again as another disease and so on.

To get back to basics, take a look at an article I wrote titled “You Are Sick and You Need Help Now,”  also read “I am an omnivore, we are all omnivores.”  These articles will give you some real solid basic health suggestions and common sense knowledge that, when put into practice, begin to address those needs your body has. When you give your body what it needs, the whole body begins to normalize and all your organs begin to run like they were designed to. When they do that, even genetically weak organs begin to move toward normal function. I ask that you give these suggestions a fair shake of at least 3 months of diligent work. Remember it took years of abuse to develop thyroid disease, it is not going to be solved with a few good meals, you have to work with this. You will see changes just as I did. Read my biography. I had cancer, a genetic weakness, and many genetic problems all served up by an American life style. I really thought I led a healthy life until I was taught better by my sicknesses. If I had not changed my life, like I am asking you to do, I would be dead like my father and grandfather. As I have repeated over and over to students, “I have not drawn a sick breath since that time 18 years ago when I cured my cancer.”

While you are establishing a healthy foundation for your body there are herbs, vitamins and minerals listed below that can assist you with your thyroid issues. Also I would encourage you to take up a hatha yoga routine that includes the inverted postures (simple inverted, shoulder stand, and plow poses). These powerful yoga postures are known to cleanse and stimulate the thyroid gland to balance itself while encourage a balancing of all hormones.

The kind of Ingredients you should seek for thyroid disease.

Below are listed some of many foods that can assist the body when it is suffering from this disease. Some of these foods have a reputation for their thyroid remedial power. Why is it important that the ingredients in the herbal formulas you take be from food? Why couldn’t they be from chemicals? Scientists would like to think that we can treat our bodies with chemicals, that chemical medicines will cure us. But that has never happened and it never will; that is why there are always dangerous side effects. This is just plain common sense; our bodies do not recognize chemicals because they are not from nature. Below are simple natural food complexes which have been shown to be better for our internal human environment. Our forefather’s and mother’s have been using some of these same ingredients for thousands of years with no ill effects.

Why so many different ingredients? This is also just plain common sense as are all nature healing remedies and philosophies. Every single ingredient we are suggesting will all encourage a positive result in your body. But our bodies are uniquely individual and what will encourage dramatic healing results for you might not be as beneficial for someone else with thyroid disease. So we suggest many herbal foods combined together to create a healing synergy that will fit with each unique individual. Again this is common sense when you are given the simple answer.

Chemicals can react against each other causing side effects while foods tend to work together; we all know that.

Food Nutrients for the Thyroid

Listed below is information on different food complexes that assist the thyroid to regain balance and function. This information was compiled by Doctor Robert Thiel, N.H.D. who also holds a Ph.D. in nutrition science; he heads the research group at Doctors’ Research. Adrenal glandulars are a Food which has been used for decades by nutrition-oriented doctors when adrenal concerns are suspected. The adrenal glands help the body deal with stress, but high stress weakens the adrenal glands. Fatigue and metabolic problems are common symptoms of adrenal insufficiency. It should be noted that it is well accepted that hypoadrenalism results in  increasing the frequency of hypoglycemia as well as  hypothyroidism. Salt craving is a common symptom of hypoadrenalism; it can also be involved in hypothyroidism. The adrenal cortex produces the hormone cortisol which helps control organic metabolism and responses to stress.

Alfalfa is believed by some herbalists have a beneficial effect on the pituitary gland and helps in chemical imbalance, neutralizes uric acid for arthritis, and is useful as a Food to prevent cholesterol accumulation in the veins; this last point is supported by several animal studies.

Brown Kelp is a Food source of trace minerals, and an excellent source of iodine. Kelp has long been used (since 3000 B.C.) to provide nutritional support for the thyroid gland. Gary Null, Ph.D., has written, “Kelp can rebalance thyroid metabolism, resulting in successful weight management and the reversal of many conditions which are caused by a thyroid imbalance, including stomach and respiratory disorders.”

Burdock is believed by some to be helpful in fortifying the immune system. It has several historical uses including helping with skin disorders; particularly when they are caused by a system imbalance. It stimulates the digestive juices and bile secretion and therefore is useful in treating anorexia nervosa and digestion and appetite problems. Some believe, in addition to helping with digestive concerns, burdock aids the pituitary gland to help adjust hormone balance. Burdock has sometimes been recommended for thyroid health.

Carrots contain a variety of carotenoids, which is a vitamin A precursor. Low levels of vitamin A are associated with increased risk of thyroid goiters and deficiencies affect thyroid metabolism.  A decade-long Harvard study indicated that by getting 50 milligrams of carotenoids in every other day significantly reduced the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and cataracts.

Copper is a mineral which, in proper dosages, is essential to the human body.

Irish Moss Chondrus crispus contains humic and fulvic acids (FAs) which increase the solubility of toxic metals, thus it is sometimes used to detoxify. Detoxification can be an issue with thyroid health as some believe that substances like chloride and fluoride can bind with the thyroid and interfere with iodine absorption.

Rice bran is a Food source of B vitamins, which are often used for stress and anxiety.

Scullcap (also spelled “skullcap”) is a member of the mint family and is often used as a tonic for female weakness.

Selenium seems to support thyroid hormone production, function as part of many enzymes, have antioxidant effects, and supports cardiovascular health. Food selenium is about twice as well retained than non-food selenium.

For additional information and full article, visit the Author’s Website.
NOTE: This article was contributed by Paul Blake, and condensed down from its original length.

Alternative Therapies for Fibromyalgia

Alternative Therapies for Fibromyalgia: Myofascial Release and Massage
Contributed by Erica Thompson
There are many alternative therapies for Fibromyalgia and each individual may be affected differently by each therapy.  A therapy that works well for one may not benefit another as much or at all.  It is important to know what is available to you that can help better your quality of life and help you manage your pain.

I have tried several different therapies and there are a few that really helped and one in particular, was a life-saver!  My hope is that you can find a therapy that you can add to your conventional treatment and gain freedom of movement and freedom from the stress and depression that are caused by Fibromyalgia.

Integrative Medicine:  The idea was developed to help medical and other health professionals to expand their practices by and integrating accessible effective Complementary/Alternative Medicine (CAM) protocols for the treatment of their patients. This would bring patients more complete care and give them all the help that is available to improve their overall health. Some of the therapies included are:  Energy Therapies (including CMU Technology), Herbs and Supplements, Nutrition, Lifestyle Strategies, Biochemical Approaches and Structural, Movement and Mind-Body Therapies.

In this article, I will cover two structural, movement and mind-body therapies:  Myofascial Release Therapy & Massage Therapy.

Massage therapy helps with Fibromyalgia because it gently works on the soft tissues (muscles, tendons, fascia and ligaments). Massage increases circulation of blood to tight, sore muscles & increases muscle tone. It is sometimes used in conjunction with ultrasound or with the application of heat and/or cold packs. Massage is also often helpful in removing built-up toxins such as lactic acid, and to help re-educate muscles and joints that have become misaligned.

Massage also helps the movement of lymphatic fluid (removes body wastes, toxins, pathogens), to release muscular tension, maintain proper musculoskeletal structure and function, internal organs, the central nervous system, the immune system, the endocrine system, mind/body integration, and energy flow to promote healing and emotional well-being.

Myofascial Release is a very effective hands-on technique that provides sustained pressure into myofascial knots to eliminate pain and restore motion.  To understand what Myofascial Release is and why it works, you need to know what fascia is. Fascia is a thin tissue that covers all the organs of the body. It is actually one structure that exists from head to foot without disconnection.  Myofascial Release treats taut bands in the muscle by releasing the uneven tightness in injured fascia. I was treated with the John Barnes method of Myofascial Release after a car accident that inflamed my Fibromyalgia symptoms and led to the discovery of myofascial trigger points.  Even if you do not have Chronic Myofascial Pain, you can still benefit greatly from this therapy.

There are many more alternative therapy options out there and I will continue to provide information about them in hopes of giving you and your doctor the ability to make an informed decision about what therapies might work for you.

Holistic Weight Loss Program

Holistic Weight Loss Program With a Raw and Living Diet

Article contributed by Carmelita M. Brown

One of the first questions a Nutritionist, Wellness Coach, or Fitness Trainer usually asks his or her client is: How many weight-loss programs have you tried over the years? Well, lets take that a step further and ask: How many of these weight-loss programs have taken a holistic approach and demonstrate how you can incorporate more raw and living foods in your diet? To fully understand the impact of a holistic weight-loss program with raw foods or living foods, lets take a deeper look at the word holistic.

Holistic means considering all factors in a whole system without dividing components. Weight-loss is a science and like any science it is made up of systems and all systems must be considered as a whole.Accordingly, holistic weight-loss is the only way we can experience permanent weight management meaning that we will lose weight and keep it off. A holistic weight-loss program that includes how to safely transition to the raw food diet and increase your vibration focuses on the whole person.

If a weight-loss program does not focus on restoring your health, fitness, power, and resolution, it is a temporary and quick-fix to what can become or is a lifelong battle. Holistic weight-loss is essential for permanent weight management. No one wants to continue on the yo-yo dieting rollercoaster; therefore, one must take control by developing a holistic weight-loss program which incorporates the raw food diet with the help of a Holistic Nutritionist, Wellness Coach, or Fitness Trainer. And the average run of the mill program will not do. A holistic weight-loss program with raw and living foods is vital in order to support your complete success in losing weight.

Again, holistic weight-loss programs which incorporate eating more raw foods consider the whole person-emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. More often than not when a person gains weight, there is more to the problem than just avoid eating too much junk food. Many times there are food addictions involved, emotional stress, and spiritual disconnection. A holistic weight-loss program allows the client to identify these factors in order to lead the individual on a path to optimal health. Weight-loss programs which omit addressing the whole person and the raw food diet  have often resulted in compromising your health. Weight-loss programs that do not consider the whole person are destructive for several reasons:

1. Many people who are overweight, obese, or morbidly obese have underlining issues related to the health of the whole person.
2. These underlining issues may include stress, low self-esteem, a poor self-concept, food addictions, emotional eating…all that must be addressed during the weight-loss process.
3. Studies and case reviews have shown that people who are overweight, obese, or morbidly obese develop a distorted body image even after they have lost weight.
4. Many people view a diet as a temporary and quick way to lose weight and do not understand the importance of holistic nutrition and whole foods.
5. People who join many diet programs with pre-packaged foods or special supplements to suppress the appetite are suffering from malnutrition.
6. Because such programs cause malnutrition, many people can not keep up the diet for the rest of their lives and eventually gain all the weight back and more.
7. Detoxification is important to the weight-loss process because a toxic body is not a healthy body and an unhealthy body will not maintain weight-loss.
8. The body is designed to metabolize whole and natural foods. It is all the additives and processed foods our body cannot recognize. Truth: You have to exercise.
9. Exercise is a part of fitness. Exercise works to reduce body fat and body size. 10. Exercise can help remove toxins11. Exercise restores our energy levels and helps us to produce lean muscle. Lean muscle helps us burn more calories and more fat.

Truth: You must get educated about weight loss. When considering these factors, if losing weight has been a battle for you, you can empower yourself. We can empower ourselves by learning as much as possible about holistic health, nutrition, and how the body works. Knowledge is power. Once we have the knowledge, we know exactly how to develop our own holistic weight-loss program.

By developing our own holistic weight-loss program, we will empower ourselves with knowledge that will allow us know why we are doing what we are doing. We will have a plan that works for us. By developing our own weight-loss program with a holistic approach, we will have a plan based on the science of losing weight. And most importantly, we will have a health and wellness plan we can commit to for our entire lives.

About the Author

Miracles and Medicine

Light: the Energy Medicine of the Present and Future

Contributed by Bernard J. Fleury, B.A.

In the Forward to Jacob Liberman’s book, Light – Medicine of the Future, John Ott, a pioneer in the field of photobiology, asks the question, “Are we to totally discount our own abilities to see, hear and feel our everyday experience, trusting only the findings of others who differ from us in their view of reality?” 1 The “real” is often hidden beneath the exceptional. The optical illusions researched by Goethe were accurate illustrations of the behavior of light. We must be open to new insights. Present day scientific methods are not eternal. They do not have the final answer and so cannot be allowed to be an absolute norm for what is scientific.

Jacob Liberman is an Optometrist and also holds a Ph.D. in vision science that he received for his pioneering work in phototherapy. He worked out of the Aspen Center for Energy Medicine in Aspen, Colorado, where he was president of the College of Syntonic Optometry, and also of Universal Light Technologies Limited, a company that researched and developed photo therapeutic devices for healing. As the year 2008 begins he lives in Hawaii and continues to do extensive personal consultations.

His approach integrates scientific research, clinical experience, and his own intuitive insights. The college that he led has advocated the use of light therapy by way of the eyes since its inception in the 1930’s. His own painful life experiences led him to a number of insights. First of all, he states that most of what life reveals to us comes when we are not looking for anything specific. In fact when we are too specific, too narrow in terms of what we are looking for, we tend to miss everything we were not looking for. “People are meant to see passively not actively….our eyes are meant to see for us, if we let them…vision is meant to be effortless.” (xx) As a result of this insight he stopped wearing glasses and began to actively experiment with the workings of his mind, especially with the integration of mind and eyes, the relationship between the inner and the outer light.

In 1977 he learned of a specific form of light therapy called Syntonics that “therapeutically utilizes different portions of the visible light spectrum to treat, by way of the eyes, an array of bodily conditions.” (xxi) He attended a course at the College of Syntonic Optometry and thus began his life’s work. Liberman concludes the Preface to his book with a concise statement of the basic assumptions upon which his book is written: “Our task is to take in and utilize light so that we may merge with our true selves and our destiny, thus facilitating the healing of our planet. As each of us becomes whole we radiate light – light from within – unimpeded by our self-imposed emotional and physical blocks. The medicine of the future is light. We are healing ourselves with that which is our essence.” (xxii)

His book is all about the science of light, a science that synthesizes scientific knowledge, intuitive knowing, health and personal evolution. Liberman uses the term “science” in its original Latin derivation, that is, “knowledge” and he includes induction, deduction, and intuition as all equal and reliable ways of knowing. He appears to rely most heavily on intuition as the beginning of the scientific process. That is not an unusual stance. In the late nineteenth century, the great philosopher and educator, John Dewey, wrote that all knowing, all science, begins with a hunch, a felt need, an intuition. Further thought and refinement of that hunch results in one or more hypotheses which are then experimentally affirmed or rejected by means of the remaining steps of the scientific method. Liberman maintains that the synthesized nature of the science of light provides a new paradigm in healing. He writes that light is at the core of the new “energy medicine” (healing light energy) of the late twentieth century.

…“light is the basic component from which all life originates, develops, heals, evolves…we are about to see a new marriage between the ‘intuitive’ and the ‘rational’ sciences – a marriage that is bonded by light…Miracle after miracle has convinced me that this science of the future is an investigation of inner space rather than outer space.” (xxv)

1 Jacob Liberman, Light-Medicine of the Future (Santa Fe, New Mexico: Bear and Company, 1991)

p. xxv. This and subsequent direct references from this work are reprinted by permission of Inner

Traditions International, Rochester, Vermont.

About the author:

Alternative Therapies for Hypothyroidism

In recent times, there has been so much focus on the effect of alternative remedies in treating ailments generally.  Some even make claims that orthodox medicine cannot make. This has of course led to most people looking for alternative medicines and solutions to their ailments. Fortunately, some who have used these alternative remedies and have had good success with it.

Hypothyroidism which is an illness stemming from the malfunction of the thyroid gland leading to the inadequate production of the thyroid gland’s hormone called thyroxine. The thyroid gland is found at the lower end of the neck just below the “Adam’s apple.”  The thyroid gland like any well functioning organ does not just suddenly cease to function. Its malfunction is a product of certain unfavorable conditions. So, if certain steps are taken earlier, there won’t be any need in the first place to start treating hypothyroidism. There are some ways to effectively keep the thyroid gland in normal healthy condition.

The very first move an individual can make is to be mindful of his diet. An individual’s diet is capable of either prolonging his existence on the surface of the earth, or helping him move faster to the grave than he ought to be moving. Watching what you eat is not only important in keeping away hypothyroidism, it is an effective way of keeping most diseases away. What you throw inside your belly is partially responsible for your general well being. So if you consume all that comes in your way without ay regards for your insides, then you might as well realize that your internal organs will be adversely affected rendering them ineffective.

There are certain foods that will inhibit the production of thyroxine. Some of them are mustard greens, broccoli, soybeans, cauliflowers, cabbage etc. Foods like sugar, refined foods, dairy products should be avoided in excess.  If you discover that you’ve got hypothyroidism, avoid caffeine, wheat and alcohol. Start including fatty acids in your diet. Taking about 1000-15000mg of these essential fatty acids three times a day helps the thyroid glands in its production of thyroxine.

Research has also shown that vitamins A, B complex, C and E are important in thyroxine production and in generally improving the thyroid’s health. Before taking tgem however, consult with your doctor as he would know in what quantities you should take them and for how long.  Supplements like calcium, iodine L-tyrosine and selenium are also recommended by dieticians.

Try all these, but ensure you run them by your doctor before you begin to use them.

Energy Medicine Anti-aging Conference

Ondamed and Energy Medicine Anti-aging Conference

Article by Jim Oschman, Ph.d.
I would like to describe why I am optimistic about the future of medicine in general and anti-aging medicine in particular. My optimism is due to the growing popularity and effectiveness of energetic approaches to medicine. Western biomedicine has held back in looking at life from the energetic perspective because the predominant focus has been on chemistry, biochemistry and pharmacology. From my perspective, chemistry is one of many successful approaches to life and health. Energy medicine is filling in many of the previously unexplored or unknown areas in the puzzle of life and healing, and thereby increasing our understandings of how to help patients live longer and happier lives.

Recent medical research is showing that one of the main obstacles to longevity is best described in terms of energy. And the best approach to treatment is energetic. This is exciting to someone who has spent 25 years studying energetics and written two medical texts on energy medicine.

Energy medicine is growing in popularity because it is extremely successful, sometimes resolving conditions that have previously been considered incurable. The main side effect of these methods is an enhancement of the functioning of the immune system, and this is obviously the best thing that we can do to improve health and increase longevity

Let me explain this. If the body is injured or if there is an infection, a set of energetic reactions takes place to alert the whole body that something has happened, and to regulate the healing process. For example, if I get an injury to my arm, a wave of electrical energy called the injury potential spreads away from the site of injury. An orthopedic surgeon, Robert O. Becker, MD, documented this process in papers published in the early 1990’s. Ideally, the injury potential spreads throughout the body and informs every cell of the size and location of the injury. In this way, cells a distance from an injury can participate in the repair process if necessary. For example, in a serious injury, cells from the bone marrow or liver may be recruited to assist in the repair process.

For more read at http://www.ondamed.net

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