Free Alternative Medicine Information

Although conventional medicine won’t acknowledge any of the things that the American Indians use and have used for over 40,000 years as cures for the many ailments that people suffer, they certainly cannot disprove their effectiveness either. In fact it can be said that a lot of the things they used such as herbs and different procedure to cleanse a person do have obvious benefits. Native Americans use a combination of herbs, religion, different rituals and their spirituality to help with a lot of different medical issues and many say it has worked wonders for them.

One of the first things that the American Indians will do is to use purifying and cleansing techniques in order to help the patient to become a lot more receptive to the techniques that they offer to help them heal. These purifying and cleansing techniques may include different herbal teas that will cause a person to vomit, smudge (using smoke from plants to cleanse a person) and sweat lodges. These sweat lodges are kept dark and are enclosed with a fire in the middle that keeps stones hot. These techniques are also used for changing a person's awareness. Other things that are done for purification can be singing, chanting, dancing, and sometimes even hallucinogenic substances produced naturally by nature.

For people who are suffering from different kinds of respiratory conditions are often treated by American Indians with skunk cabbage. This is said to be able to loosen up any phlegm a person may have and it is also used for those who may have asthma. Other herbs used are called pleurisy root and wormwood and they are often used for the symptoms that come with bronchitis. The pleurisy root is also used for pneumonia. For coughing they often use things like bone-set, aspen tea, wild cherry tea, sarsaparilla, rabbit tobacco, white pine tea, as well as blood root. Sage is also often used to help to combat the symptoms of a cold or the flu.

If a person has diarrhea, some of the herbs that they claim that are good for this condition would be black cherry root, tea made from dogwood bark, black raspberry roots as well as black cherry fruit juice that has been fermented. For heartburn and any urinary tract problems it is said that using dandelion roots will help ease these problems and sage can be used to treat upset stomachs. Juniper can also be used for diarrhea and urinary infections.

Other problems that may arise such as kidney problems are treated with oak and wild yam root can be used for hormonal imbalances. Sage can also be used for cuts, TB, colds and bruises. Purple cone flower is good for bites from insects, snake bites, gonorrhea, toothaches and sore throats.

Safety Note: Although a lot of people swear by these treatments it is important to note that none of these have been medically tested to see if there will be any interactions with other medicines or supplements that a person might already be taking and are not regulated or endorsed by the FDA. Always make sure to check with your doctor first before trying any of these remedies.  

Alternative medicine is usually defined as being any medical or healing practice that is conducted by someone who doesn't have an MD or DO (Doctor of Osteopathy degree) This will include a large range of practices that might include herbal remedies, chiropractic medicine and acupuncture. If the traditional and alternative are combined then it becomes what is called complementary medicine. The doctors that practice both are usually in what is called naturopathy.

The idea of naturopathic medicine is that healing will happen through nature. This is a very broad concept and will often include a regular doctor who also believes in taking a lot more time to treat their patients, it also includes pharmacists who try to look for alternatives to the biochemical drugs their patients take. This kind of alternative medicine has six principles that they follow:

1. Trusting the healing powers of nature.
2. Treating the whole person.
3. Finding the true underlying cause of the symptoms.
4. Using less harmful cures.
5. Teaching their patients how to care for themselves.
6. Promote wellness.

There are medical courses in naturopathy in a lot of different institutions and two of the more popular ones are the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, CT and Bastyr University in Seattle, WA.

The alternative homeopathy is considered to be a practice that uses highly diluted substances in order to help the body start the natural healing process. Those who practice this type of alternative medicine believe that smaller doses of different remedies can be used to help treat their patients. Someone who is a homeopath can be a medical doctor that chooses to work with pharmacists that are homeopathic. There are many different schools that are open to those who want to become homeopaths. Two of those schools would be Bastyr University and Resonance School of Homeopathy in Reno, NV.

Everyone knows that acupuncture comes from the traditional Chinese medicine that's been practiced for centuries and it focuses on the fact that the body has several key points within it that can help remedy many different ailments. Generally this type of alternative is used to manage pain by apply pressure to the points on the body that can help heal itself. A license is needed to be able to practice acupuncture and you must meet all of your state requirements but an MD is not required. There are many alternative medicine schools that offer acupuncture classes and you can become an acupuncture therapist by taking these courses and they don't need any previous medical experience. For example the New England School of Acupuncture in Newton, MA does offer these courses to students with no previous experience. However, students should have a BA with at least 6 credits of biology and chemistry.

The alternative medicine of chiropractic medicine has become a very highly recognized in the Unite States and even though you don't need a bachelor's degree to get into chiropractic college, it is still recommended that you do have one. Anyone who might think of doing this should probably have at least 2 years of biology, chemistry and anatomy. You will spend probably at least 4,200 hours in school when training to become a chiropractor and this will include practical experience in intern as well as externships before they can get their degree. After they are finished they can then go a head and set up their practice alone or work with a group of chiropractors. All graduates are required to pass a Ntional Board of Chiropractors Exam in order to open up practice.  

If you don't like the idea of going to an acupuncturist and having needles stuck in to help relieve your sinus pain, you can do another alternative treatment that focuses in on the same pressure areas of the body that acupuncture does. This is called acupressure. It will use the exact same pressure points and instead of you having needles put in pressure will be applied to the same areas instead. It's important though that you know where the correct points are in order to relieve your sinus pain.

To locate the pints in your face you will put your fingers on either side of your nostrils and then apply pressure with your fingers. This is one point where you can relieve the pressure that is building up in your sinuses. You can also find other points on the sides of the bridge of your nose and in the middle of your forehead right between the eyebrows.

Another pressure point can be found on the crease of the wrist. You will need to slide your fingers up your forearm very slightly. This pressure point can also be used to help relieve the cold symptoms as well as a sore throat that come with your sinus problems.

The next thing that you can do is to find the spot where your thumb and your index finger come together on your hand. This is the v part of your palm. You then will slide your finger into the depression there and apply some gentle pressure. This is the pressure point that treats both sinus headaches and cold symptoms.

Now that you know where the different pressure points are that work well for relieving sinus pain and pressure you can go ahead and massage all of these areas for anywhere from three to five minutes or longer if need be. Continue the massage until you begin to feel some sort of relief. In order to get the best results it's a good idea for you to massage these pressure points with just the tip of your finger, your knuckle or even use the eraser on a pencil.

Important thing to note here is that if you have a heart condition or if you are pregnant you really shouldn't be using acupressure. Other things to be aware of is if the pressure point is under a mole, near a varicose vein, break in your skin or a bruise you shouldn't do the acupressure either.

Also, if your symptoms continue after you use the acupressure it's probably a good idea to go and see your doctor. There could be something more serious going on like some sort of infection that might require antibiotics.  

The holistic pediatrician is a doctor that will treat children and their diseases as well as the scrapes and bumps of every day childhood. They just don't use the more traditional invasive methods and instead use a more non-invasive method that is more natural and more gentle towards the child. They will help to prevent diseases as well as help keep a child's health maintained with their diet, with herbal medication, massage and other drug free techniques.

The holistic pediatrician mainly focuses in on trying to treat children by preventive care. While they still may at some time need to provide prescriptions and surgery to treat a variety of things, they tend to have a far better bedside manner to put it bluntly. They also are heavy on dietary needs, aroma therapy, bodywork, biofeedback and more, all of which do form the holistic medicine foundation. A good holistic pediatrician will employ the holistic foundation along with his or her formal medical knowledge in order to provide the best overall care of children.

Understand holistic pediatricians have a solid medical education. They either will earn their MD or their DO which is doctor of osteopathic medicine which is a post graduate degree. They will also have served three years as a pediatric resident at an assigned hospital. These doctors also will continue their education by taking a variety of additional courses and seminars that deal with holistic treatments for children that includes asthma, diet, autism and homeopathy.

One of the more common ailments that all children seem to get are ear infections. Most pediatricians will immediately prescribe antibiotics to help get rid of the condition. However, this will usually reoccur even with this kind of treatment. This is where the holistic approach comes in handy and the holistic pediatrician will prescribe that the child be given some pro biotic or good bacteria supplement. It has been proven that if given antibiotics and a nasal spray with a pro biotic in it that that the recurrence of ear infections were far less than children not treated in this manner.

The best way to find a holistic doctor for your children is to get a hold of your insurance provider and ask them for a list of holistic or alternative pediatricians that they have and that they will cover. You can also go to the Holistic Pediatric Association website and find doctors in your area by searching their website. Another site that you can also go to would be the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.

If you are concerned with there is a upswing trend in treating your children with drugs then you might truly want to look into finding a holistic pediatrician, because they can offer you a way to feel at ease when treating your child with more natural ways. With alternative ways of treating a child with nutritional changes, vitamins, herbs and other natural things will cut down on drug side effects and they also seem to be far less frightening for your children.  

If it seems that even traditional medication is not working to ease the pain of a migraine that you might have then you might want to consider alternative medicine or treatments to try and get yourself some relief. There is actually some medical research that does support the use of acupuncture and chiropractic treatments as good ways in which to fight your migraine headache. There are also nutritional items and herbs that may also be of help.

If you are diagnosed with migraines, you might want to try a more holistic approach that might include some lifestyle changes like changing your diet. Other things might be using reflexology, some physical therapy as well as homeopathic treatments that could give some relief. You can also combine the alternative methods with traditional methods as well.

It is still a mystery to this very day what really cause migraine headaches. There are different theories and different studies that have been done but no cold hard facts on what definitely causes them. Some things they do know is that about 28 million people get migraine headaches. These headaches are severely painful; they are recurrent and have other symptoms like visual disturbances and nausea. You can have either the common migraine which is a migraine with the visual disturbances or the classic migraine that has no visual disturbance.

If a migraine is not treated they can last anywhere from four to seventy-two hours. The person with the headache is going to experience throbbing pain on one side of the head, doesn't matter which side and it will get worse if they try to do any kind of exercise or physical activity. There is extreme sensitivity to light as well as to noise. They also become pale and sometimes feel like they are cold.

Some doctors will recommend that you go see a licensed chiropractor and or an acupuncturist. Having acupuncture done will restore normal body functions by getting the blood into the small intestines where 99% of the immune system is located. It will stimulate points of the body to help reduce the pain that a person is experiencing in their head and neck by balancing the body's meridian system. This has been studied for over 20 years now and the results in the people studied have been very effective.

A chiropractor will help manipulate the spine and this also has been known to be effective in relieving a lot of people's migraines. Sometimes the spinal manipulation is combined with a daily medicine called Elavil to help combat the migraine. The results have been very effective in alleviating the pain and getting the migraine to go away and there are very few side effects. The spinal manipulation restores the normal motion to the occipital area of the brain at the base of your head and will reduce the pressure of the nerves going to the head.

There are also some nutritional supplements that might help as well. Some of these would be 2,000 mg of calcium and 1,000 mg of magnesium each day along with 60 mg of Co-enzyme Q10 and Co-enzyme A can be wonderful treatments for migraine headaches. The calcium and the magnesium will help to regulate a person's muscle tone and will transmit nerve impulses through your body and to your brain. The co-enzymes will increase your blood flow to your brain and improves overall circulation.

You also might want to consider going on a diet that is low in the simple carbohydrates and high in protein. Almonds, parsley, fennel, cherries and fresh pineapple are some good foods to have on this diet. You need to avoid food with a lot of salt and foods that are acid forming like meat, cereal, grains and bread. Also it's best to avoid fatty, greasy or fried foods.  

A lot of people think when they see someone with a canker sore or mouth ulcer that they are contagious, but in reality they aren't. Even so, they can be very annoying and can make eating, drinking and even talking very hard to do because they can be quite painful. They can appear on the sides of the cheeks, under your tongue and inside your lips. Even though anyone can get them they are more commonly seen in young adults, children and teens.

If they happen often they can become quite agonizing and people who deal with this are always trying to find a way to solve the problem. There are some natural ways to treat these that have proven to be quite effective and will give instant relief but also address the cause of these and this would be nutritional deficiencies in the body.

One thing you should do if you suffer mouth ulcers is to get toothpaste that is free from sodium lauryl sulphate or SLS. You can find this kind of toothpaste in natural food and health food stores. This SLS has been said to contribute to the mouth ulcers. SLS is the agent that makes it foam and it is also included in shampoo and liquid hand soaps. So, people sensitive to SLS may also notice sensitivity to shampoos and liquid hand soaps with SLS.

If you happen to have braces or dentures and you are getting mouth sores it's a good idea to go see your dentist. Your dentist can find a way in which they can help you combat the mouth sores and help you with the problems you may be having with your dentures or your braces.

You should also ask your doctor if you can take a vitamin B complex supplement which includes B12. It has been discovered in a recent study that if you take a nightly dose of this at 1000 mcg that people with mouth ulcers saw a major reduction in the ulcers and they also began to have less and less outbreaks. Generally one of the reasons why people get these ulcers is because their body is not getting enough of the B vitamins so that's why it's suggested you get a complex supplement since it includes B12, B1 and B6 all essential for the body.

Eat more probiotic foods. You can get these in yogurt and kefir. It has been proven that probiotics can help treat the mouth sores found because they have a healing effect on the digestive system and through that healing the sores in the mouth will also be healed.

You should also consider getting a natural licorice supplement. Many naturopaths will suggest that a patient take a licorice supplement to not only help get rid of stomach ulcers but mouth ulcers as well. It can be found in chewable tablets that simply taste like what it is, licorice.

You might also want to try what is called slippery elm. You would mix the slippery elm with some water until it becomes a paste and then apply it directly to the sores in your mouth. This will give immediate pain relief to the affected areas of your mouth.

You should also consider seeing a naturopathic doctor to make sure you are not experiencing any kind of food allergies. You may discover that you are allergic to gluten which can in turn cause these mouth ulcers or even celiac disease.  

The art of Shiatsu is an ancient technique from Japan and is meant to be used to diagnose and treat different irregularities of the body. By using the fingers, palms and the thumbs the person applying the pressure to certain areas of the surface of the body can correct those imbalances. To get good at it will take time and experience to get right but it is something that massage therapists might want to consider adding to their skills.

When you go to perform shiatsu you will need to make sure that your patient is laying face down either on a very low massage table or on the floor. The patient does not have to take their clothes off for this kind of massage because there are no oils or creams used. As soon as the patient is comfortable the therapy can start.

The whole thing is about pressure and you will be using only the fingers, thumbs and palms to apply this pressure. Unlike regular massage where you use the thumbs and fingers to massage and squeeze the different body areas with shiatsu you just apply pressure only to those same body areas.

You need to understand your patient and try to find out why they want to have shiatsu done. Many will know what's wrong and let you know, while others may not know the root of their problem and were just hoping that shiatsu might help. So before you begin the treatment it's a good idea to examine different areas of their body that should include the stomach, the back their legs and their neck. It's a good idea to look for any soft or hard areas. These are the areas that will help you figure out which areas need special attention. Once you have found the area you can start performing the shiatsu treatment.

Remember that when you perform shiatsu it is not like when you perform a regular type of massage. There are specific places on the body that you need to target so that the overall health of the patient is addressed. Areas such as the head, the neck, fingers, palms and the feet including the toes are all what are called access points to the major organs of our bodies. These are the areas that need to be targeted by applying pressure to certain points in these body areas.

The meridians need to be located as well as these are the pathways in which the chi or the body energy flows through. Shiatsu was specifically designed to apply the right amount of pressure to break any blockages there might be in these meridians or pathways that could be keep the chi from flowing. To find these pathways you simply apply pressure to certain parts of the body that have been mentioned prior in this article and then use your fingers to find any stiffness or anything else that might seem to be irregular. You can then work out that stiffness or irregularity by applying pressure with both your thumbs and your fingers.

Understand that a good Shiatsu treatment is going to last anywhere from 1 to 2 hours and you need to make sure that you are thorough. You will need to make sure to work on all of the body areas extensively in order to ensure that the treatment will be of benefit to the patient.

It's advisable that you do good research on finding the body meridians because it will make it a lot easier on you when you go to treat your patient. Understand that the instructions here are basically for some lower level simple treatments at home. In order to professionally practice Shiatsu you will need to get a license to do so.  

Using Herbs to Help Treat Your Acne Teens are not the only ones that get acne, there more adults out there than a lot of people might think. The reason for the acne, especially in adults is thought to be overactive sebaceous glands. This makes the pores on the face kind of sticky and then in turn this will trap all of the dirt and bacteria that gets on the skin. Although this is the most common belief, some alternative medicine specialists also believe that acne can be caused by the skin actually releasing different toxins when we sweat. Because of this some of these specialists will recommend that their patients use different herbs to help get rid of these toxins. Things like dandelion, yellow dock root and chaparral can help to fight acne. Below you will find a couple of different poultices that are thought to help treat acne.

1. Using a Dried Herb Poultice
   • Get some dried lavender, yellow rock root and chaparral from a place that sells these types of organic plants, or you can just grow them yourself, it's up to you.
   • You will need a mortar and a pestle to take these herbs and grind them together. You will need to grind them down to a powder that can be mixed together easily.
   • Next take the mixture and put it into a bowl and then begin adding a little bit of warm water to it until it starts turning into a nice thick paste.
   • Now take this mixture an put it onto some gauze that is spread out onto a flat and clean surface.
   • After you have done this you will need to make sure that you clean your face really good. A good thing to use is hydrogen peroxide.
   • Take the gauze with your poultice and lay down while you make sure that your entire face is covered by the gauze.
   • You will need to keep this on your face for at least one hour. While you are doing this, don't be surprise if your skin begins to throb. This is normal. What is happening is that the herbs are actually trying to draw out all of the toxins that are in your skin and even in your blood.
2. Using a Fresh Herb Poultice
   • With this you will need to get yourself some fresh lavender, chaparral and yellow rock root. Again you can find these at places that sell organic products. But as always, growing them yourself is probably the best way to go.
   • Once you have these herbs you will need to take about two ounces of each herb and put them in a small saucepan and add one cup of water to the mixture.
   • You will next let this mixture simmer for about two minutes.
   • Again, take some gauze and lay it out on a flat and clean surface. Take the liquid herb mix and pour it onto the gauze.
   • Make sure to wash your face really good before applying the gauze. As stated before, hydrogen peroxide works great for this.
   • Take the poultice and put it over your entire face and lie down and relax with it on your face.
   • This poultice works best when you also keep it on for at least one hour. When the throbbing stops, you will now that the treatment is done and you can remove the gauze from your face.

Even though these herbs are being used as a topical treatment, they still are not meant to be used for extended periods of time. So it is always advisable, even for acne treatment to use them for a short period of time.  

Pneumonia is an inflammation of your lungs and can be caused by one of three things which would be parasites, fungi or viruses. This can be extremely dangerous for those who may already have compromised immune systems as well as the elderly. The condition can be anywhere from mild to actually life threatening. No one is immune from it, so anyone can get it. The symptoms are the following:

• Fever
• Coughing
• Respiration problems
• Chills
• Shaking
• Sweating
• Pain in the chest
• Muscle aches
• Fatigue
• Headache

There are a variety of homeopathic treatments that can help alleviate some of these symptoms but it is suggested that since pneumonia is a very complex condition that curing it with homeopathic treatments is not advisable. The treatments may help to relieve a lot of the symptoms it still is best that you continue with traditional medical treatment by visiting the doctor and following his instructions.

The doctor may put you on an antibiotic and other medicines to help get it under control. You should make sure that if you still experience chills, fever, a cough you can't get rid of and a fever over 102 degrees that you go back to the doctor and he may have to put you in the hospital.

However, there is nothing wrong with using some of the homeopathic treatments along with the medicine our doctor has put you on. Some of those treatments are listed below.

Belladonna can be used to help get rid of the headache, congestion, the fever and the pain that comes with having pneumonia. This will also help to rid you of the anxiety that might be associated with the pain and the discomfort that pneumonia can cause. As an adult you can take four tablets dissolved under the tongue. This can be done 4 times a day. Children should take two tablets just twice a day.

Carbo Veg is a a remedy that is often used for the later stages of pneumonia and it is mainly used to help combat the exhaustion and the weakness that is caused from the pneumonia. It will also help with the coughing spells. As an adult you can take 4 tablets of it four times each day and let this dissolve under your tongue as well. For children they would take half of this dose.

Lycopodium can be used to help with breathing problems and the anxiety that might come with having pneumonia. For both adults and children over the age of two they can take 3 tablets one to three times each day by dissolving the tablets once again, under the tongue. You can stop the Lycopodium as soon as all of the symptoms are gone. No matter what don't take this for more than two weeks.

Phosphorus is used to treat a lot of severe cases of pneumonia. It will help to get rid of the chest constrictions, the congestion, pain in the chest, and the coughing bouts. This is recommended for anyone who has their lungs filled with the pneumonia. Adults should take 4 tablets under their tongue 4 times a day and children should take half that amount.

Remember these treatments are not meant to replace the treatment your doctor may have already put you on. They are only to help enhance the traditional treatments. Never try to self diagnose and self medicate. If you suspect pneumonia then get into see a doctor right away.  

If you love to write and you are considering trying your hand at writing articles for blogs or website content, there are a few things that you might need to know before you go off on this type of venture. It's true that you need to enjoy writing to get into this kind of work but you also need to be dedicated and self-disciplined in order for you to be successful at it.

One of the most important things that you can do to help you succeed is for you to decide what topics that you would be most interested in writing about. It's a lot harder to write about a topic that holds no interest to you than one that you do have interest in. There are a lot of websites out there that will pay you to write for them but you need to make sure they offer you topics you can enjoy writing about. It will just make it a lot easier for you to continue writing if you are enjoying it.

Next you should make a list of sites that offer payment to freelance writers and then research each of the websites. You need to compare how much they pay and what their different benefits are. Not everyone pays the same and not everyone has the same type of topics to choose from. You will need to see what their requirements for you to write for them and make sure that what they need and what you offer are compatible.

After you have narrowed your list down to the sites that best suit your needs, skills and interests you should sign up for them and then give them all a try to see which one truly does fit what you can do and what you are looking for. You should never by the way be asked to pay to join any kind of writing website. Any good site is not going to charge you to write for them, they are going to pay you.

Once you have written for a few of the sites you should probably pick 2 or 3 that you want to commit to on a regular basis. There are a couple of reasons for this. The main reason is that you'll be able to get more money but you may also get more variety of topics that you might enjoy writing about and finally, even though a company may be doing great and pays you on time all the time, does not guarantee that they won't go under and no longer be able to continue paying their writers.

It really is possible to make a living by being an online writer. The important thing is that you stay motivated and understand that it takes time and dedication on your part in order to be successful. You're not going to become rich and it may even take up to a year or more before you start bringing in the real money, but in the end you will love the final rewards you will reap. The independence of working on your own, the reward of being able to be creative and sharing your writing skills for others enjoyment.