Nowadays people are getting more in
tune with natural health after learning that drugs,
medications and quick fixes are not effective in the
long run. Alternative medicine is a comprehensive approach
to healing that uses natural methods to bring physical,
mental, emotional, and spiritual harmony. It does not
rely on drugs, surgery and other conventional medical
procedures.
History of Alternative Medicine
Alternative medicine dates back as far as 5,000
B.C.E. with Traditional Chinese Medicine in China and
Ayurvedic Medicine in India . Healing traditions also
exist in most cultures, from African to South American.
These forms of medicine are based on the harmony between
mind, body, and spirit and a belief in the vital energy
of the body. True health is achieved when there is balance
in the whole person and harmony with the environment.
Alternative Medicine features :
- Alternative
therapies use the healing power of nature.
- It is based on the body's innate ability to establish,
maintain, and restore health.
- The underlying cause of disease must be treated,
rather than merely masking the symptoms.
- Alternative medicine is based on the harmony between
physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and environmental.
- The doctor's role is to educate the patient on lifestyle
changes, self-care, and prevention of disease.
- The ultimate goal of health is to promote optimal
health. The doctor assesses risk factors and teaches
the patient to improve these areas.
Users of alternative medicine believe that the focus
of conventional medicine is too narrow. Drugs don't
address the reasons why illness develops. People start
to believe that chronic diseases such as digestive problems,
headache, allergies, and heartburn are a way of life,
and once it happens there will be a pharmaceutical drug
to take away the symptoms. The power of a person to
prevent disease is forgotten.
Types of Alternative Therapies
Examples of alternative therapies include:
Ayurveda, Yoga, Tai Chi, Hypnosis and Aromatherapy .
Weight loss and Alternative
Therapies
We need to understand the fact that our body
weight is based on our body type, genetics, and eating
patterns, and not on "industry standards."
There are also cases where excess weight is gained because
of conditions such as food allergies, sluggish metabolism,
chemical toxicity, insulin imbalance, excessive dieting,
psychological factors, and nutritional deficiencies.
All of these conditions are often treatable with alternative
therapies.
Ayurveda
is a science that teaches how to live in a
true and natural balance. This is not limited to the
proper functioning of our mind, body and soul but extends
further in establishing a natural and balanced relationship
with the nature as a whole.
Yoga
and
Tai Chi are among the exercise or relaxation
techniques that can reduce anxiety and increase body
awareness. Alternative therapies may help with some
of the symptoms of anorexia, and can serve as useful
adjuncts to treatments that address nutrition and the
emotional roots of the disorder.
Webster's dictionary describes hypnosis
incorrectly as an artificially induced sleep,
but it is actually a natural state of mind and induced
normally in everyday living much more often than it
is induced artificially. Every time we become engrossed
in a novel or a motion picture, we are in a natural
hypnotic trance.
Aromatherapy
is the art, and science, of using oils extracted
from aromatic plants to enhance health and beauty.
Essential oils derived from plants can have subtle effects
on the mind and emotions.
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