Alternative Medicine
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Available in eBook
My grandmother was born in 1892, and she suffered with asthma all her life. She, of course, didn’t have the luxuries afforded us by modern medicine, but she managed her symptoms well with herbs, dietary, environmental changes, and her home remedies. Grandma often took me on trips to the fields, meadows, and into the woods or along the riverside to collect herbs. Now I regret that I did not continue learning from her, after I was twelve or so. Back then—just like any teenager—I thought I was smarter and the “old medicine” was just that, old.
In nursing school and later when I studied Alternative Medicine, I learned what I could have learned from Grandma, how to ease the constriction and tightening of the muscles surrounding the airways, inflammation, soreness, swelling, and irritation of the airways in the lungs. Although there is no cure for asthma, the symptoms can be managed with medications, dietary changes, and prevention with alternative methods and the elimination of environmental triggers. |
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Available in eBook
The symptoms, our body’s signals of diseases and conditions, are fascinating. This book contains unusual symptoms, strange food cravings, vitamin deficiency and overdose symptoms. Also a list of foods that keeps your body healthy as well as easy, whole body detoxification methods. The main purpose of this book is to urge you to pay attention to the signals that your body is sending you.
When I was a child, I often craved sweets. But, when I asked my mother if I can have a candy bar, she gave me a bowl of fruit salad with nuts and raisins, or to my utter disappointment, spinach. She knew by instinct, or rather experience, that my body didn’t need empty calories. What I needed was chromium, phosphor and sulfur from certain foods. After I entered nursing school, I started experimenting with the interpretation of my body’s signals, and I’ve noticed a few things, which were very interesting. |
I never realized how much I learned from my mother and grandmother about healthy and healing foods, as well as herbal remedies growing up in a small town in Hungary. They grabbed every chance to teach me without letting me know what they were doing. As a small child I had no idea that grandma was the town’s so-called medicine woman, and so were her mother and grandmother before her. In her spare room, there were herbs hanging to dry from hooks all over, and the cabinets were filled with bottles and jars containing oils, salves and tinctures. People came to see her frequently. They told her about the symptoms they were experiencing, and she looked at their wounds or rashes, or she asked questions, and then she handed them some remedy with instructions. It was all natural; in my mind she was a good person who helped people.
I didn’t know that she was teaching me when we were sitting on the bench by the gate watching people walking by, or when she took me to church and she quietly pointed out people to me.
See that woman over there? She shouldn’t eat those cherries, she’s gonna have a mighty headache. See her oval face and hourglass shape? She’s prone to those blinding headaches.
Another time she said She should really take Willow bark that one. See her chubby fingers and she favors her left foot? Yesterday she was rubbing her right knee, and the gland at the front of her neck is big. She has the ‘body thinks itself as enemy’ disease.
Or she would say: Look at that jolly man! He’s eating cheese like there is no tomorrow. He’s the
round faced stocky type, he shouldn’t eat much milk, it makes too much mucus. His chest is going to fill up and he will cough like crazy!
Mom reminded me of the importance of every food we ate. No, Missy, don’t you scrape the parsley leaves off your chicken! It helps to clean your kidneys. Or, those carrots are not for just decoration on your plate! They will help you to see like a cat in the dark, and they will make your skin nice too.
Dad says I will learn to whistle if I eat the carrots, I reminded her. That too, honey! She assured me smiling.
I gave up demanding scientific explanations. I’m not a doctor, how should I know? I know things because I saw them, and my mother and my grandma told me about them. If you want to know why, go to school and learn; I can teach you only what I know, they answered every time.
The bedtime stories about dragons or princesses were rare occasions at my house. Instead, mom and grandma drilled knowledge into me such as: cauliflower is good for the lungs, or cinnamon is not only a tasty spice, but it helps to regulate blood sugar.
Mom would ask me: Do you remember what I told you about beans? They look like the kidneys in your body which make the peepee to filter out poison.
I realized much later how much they knew, when I studied anatomy and physiology. In a simplistic way, without scientific explanation, they knew how the human body works, and what it needs to be healthy. Grandma warned people about their diet and bad habits, and she recommended certain foods or herbs to them. Over time she learned who was receptive to her advice in our small town; those people came to her regularly. The skeptical ones she ignored.
I didn’t understand most of what I heard and unconsciously learned from them, until I went to nursing school and later I
studied Alternative medicine.
I learned that there is a connection between cherries and migraine, the auto-immune disease called Systemic Lupus that grandma called the body think itself as enemy disease, and the different physical and mental types of people having different dietary and nutritional requirements. She must have done everything right as she lived to ninety-eight and she was healthy all her life.
I didn’t know that she was teaching me when we were sitting on the bench by the gate watching people walking by, or when she took me to church and she quietly pointed out people to me.
See that woman over there? She shouldn’t eat those cherries, she’s gonna have a mighty headache. See her oval face and hourglass shape? She’s prone to those blinding headaches.
Another time she said She should really take Willow bark that one. See her chubby fingers and she favors her left foot? Yesterday she was rubbing her right knee, and the gland at the front of her neck is big. She has the ‘body thinks itself as enemy’ disease.
Or she would say: Look at that jolly man! He’s eating cheese like there is no tomorrow. He’s the
round faced stocky type, he shouldn’t eat much milk, it makes too much mucus. His chest is going to fill up and he will cough like crazy!
Mom reminded me of the importance of every food we ate. No, Missy, don’t you scrape the parsley leaves off your chicken! It helps to clean your kidneys. Or, those carrots are not for just decoration on your plate! They will help you to see like a cat in the dark, and they will make your skin nice too.
Dad says I will learn to whistle if I eat the carrots, I reminded her. That too, honey! She assured me smiling.
I gave up demanding scientific explanations. I’m not a doctor, how should I know? I know things because I saw them, and my mother and my grandma told me about them. If you want to know why, go to school and learn; I can teach you only what I know, they answered every time.
The bedtime stories about dragons or princesses were rare occasions at my house. Instead, mom and grandma drilled knowledge into me such as: cauliflower is good for the lungs, or cinnamon is not only a tasty spice, but it helps to regulate blood sugar.
Mom would ask me: Do you remember what I told you about beans? They look like the kidneys in your body which make the peepee to filter out poison.
I realized much later how much they knew, when I studied anatomy and physiology. In a simplistic way, without scientific explanation, they knew how the human body works, and what it needs to be healthy. Grandma warned people about their diet and bad habits, and she recommended certain foods or herbs to them. Over time she learned who was receptive to her advice in our small town; those people came to her regularly. The skeptical ones she ignored.
I didn’t understand most of what I heard and unconsciously learned from them, until I went to nursing school and later I
studied Alternative medicine.
I learned that there is a connection between cherries and migraine, the auto-immune disease called Systemic Lupus that grandma called the body think itself as enemy disease, and the different physical and mental types of people having different dietary and nutritional requirements. She must have done everything right as she lived to ninety-eight and she was healthy all her life.
Alternative medicine is a group of healing methods which has been formed through the centuries by the experiments of our ancestors. Their insights into the successful use of indigenous foods and plants as medicines have survived through generations, to give us a rich, global heritage. Herbs were used in India five thousand years ago, oils in Egypt, and acupuncture in China.
The goal of Natural Healing is to reach a healthy state, and to form the ideal diet and lifestyle tailored to the individual. The goal is to provide the body with the right nutrition, vitamins and minerals, as well as to prevent toxic buildup in the body. When illness develops, it is the goal of natural healing to help the body heal itself.
Alternative healing is a concept that includes a wide variety of healing methods. For example, osteopathy, naturopathy, and acupuncture require close to the same length of schooling as traditional medical doctors, but people often put them in the same category as kinesiology, iris diagnostics or shamanism that anybody can learn in a two-week course, never having medical schooling in anatomy, physiology or psychology.
Although from time to time the uses of extremist or "magical” treatments provide negative results, people view them as important. Usually healers, including the extremists, pay more attention to the person; they listen, show empathy and look at the whole person. Physical touch is also important to people. The ancient method of healing by touch wins against the machines that stand between the modern doctor and patient. The “magical "healers with their chanting and unusual rituals create a mystical atmosphere that can be powerful, along with their
placebo effect, if the person believes in them.
Alternative medicine treats the whole person; including body and mind, taking into account the person’s symptoms, lifestyle, diet, feelings and beliefs. Most well informed people seek out an Alternative Practitioner who has a medical background in combination with alternative methods. They use the discoveries of modern medicine along with herbal, vitamin or other natural treatments. They pay attention to the person’s physical and emotional state, as well as family, relationships, job environment, stress level, which all plays a major role in
developing a healthy diet and lifestyle, thus both preventing and treating illness.
The blooming age of synthetic medication overuse, extreme use of pesticides, loaded with preservatives TV dinners, greasy fast food, full of Trans fat snacks and chips, and chemically treated, genetically altered food is slowly over. We’re coming to our senses that organic food is better for us, and we’re developing quicker and healthier cooking methods that fit our faster lifestyle. We don’t take antibiotics to treat the viral flu, and we try using herbs, massage or acupuncture to treat aches and pains instead of taking pain killers by the handful. We are learning to use common sense. We’re re-learning what our grandparents learned from their parents and so on for generation to generation.
We’re re-learning forgotten knowledge such as scrubbing fungus spots off the bathroom wall with thyme tea instead of using harsh chemicals, or deodorizing the kitchen by boiling water with lemon peel instead of using sprays. Drinking peppermint and chamomile tea for heartburn and avoiding foods which cause too much acid instead of eating antacids like candy.
We’re learning, but some people today are taking the concept of natural to the extreme. Many are turning their backs completely on modern medicine, and they’re refusing immunizations, surgery or lifesaving medications believing in the false notion of getting back to nature. They use herbs without careful consideration; they use the utmost amount of vitamins and quickly change from one extreme diet to another. They get their information from popular books and websites that promise close to magical, cure everything in no time remedies. Sometimes I
browse websites and I’m honestly amazed. Does anybody read these? Is there anyone foolish enough to follow this advice? I ask myself. And then I see that their visitor counter shows 2-300 visitors a day. Yes, some people are gullible enough to believe that they need 300 times more vitamins than necessary, otherwise they will die; or an exotic herb from the jungle will save them from cancer, cure their diabetes, obesity and all their diseases.
We're not going to the drug store to buy up all the medications that are in style because our neighbor recommends it, or we read about it in a magazine or website. We trust the doctor to prescribe the right medication for us.
Many people follow the advice of magazines or the Herbal Remedy store cashier's sales pitch on which herb, vitamin or homeopathic medication to take. They’re just flowers and leaves or roots, they’re natural, and therefore they can’t harm us - they think, but they don’t realize that herbs can be very dangerous if they’re not used properly. Herbs have side effects, and they can interact with medications, and herbs can be contraindicated in certain medical conditions. For example, Alfalfa is a great herb to reduce bad cholesterol and blood sugar
levels, but it can dangerously flare up Lupus, and it can alter the effect of blood thinning medications because of its high vitamin K content.
The vitamin mania is another example. The more the better! They can't harm us, they're just vitamins and vitamins are good for you. This way of thinking is just as dangerous. We need vitamins and minerals, no question about it. However, the big question is what kind and how much? The body can store overdosed fat-soluble vitamins for a while, but when all storage spaces are exhausted, the result can be serious organ damage. For example, vitamin A overdose can cause acute reactions such as severe headache, vomiting, fatigue, loss of hair and peeling of the skin. When these symptoms occur, changes in the liver, spleen and bones have already occurred.
Using alternative healing methods is not without dangers. We can either do a very thorough research, or ask advice from a qualified person who is well informed about the effects, side effects and interactions of the herbs. Sensible people realize that herbs can be as powerful as medications; we shouldn’t use them without careful consideration.
The flare up of natural healing mania is kind of understandable. In the past decade or so, there has been a rapid incline in the number of people who seek alternative methods. People’s trust is declining in the medical field and its doctors lately. It seems that overbooked and overworked doctors are not giving enough information; they are in a hurry, and they don’t listen to or adequately explain the patient’s illness and treatment. The visit is short, mechanical, and it concentrates mostly on the symptoms and most of the time ends with one or
more prescriptions or a referral to a specialist. The patient then takes the medication, develops side effects or new symptoms, and returns to the office where new tests, a change of medication or a prescription for a new medication follows. Meanwhile, the patient’s diet, lifestyle, feelings, work and family circumstances get little or no attention at all. Modern medicine with its businesslike set up ignores the whole person, pays attention mostly to physical symptoms. A person is reduced to a name and number that doesn’t mean much in a busy, overbooked office. The time of family doctors who visited their patients in a horse and buggy and knew the family, their medical history, personality,
social status from birth to sometimes death, has long gone. Today, in our fast-paced lifestyle, the quick and hurried visit leaves the patient anonymous. This feeling of I’m important, too, not only my back pain or diarrhea forces the patient to turn to alternative medicine where they receive attention as well as plenty of time and empathy, which are a very important part of healing.
My opinion is that the future looks bright for integrated medicine, combining the ancient gathered knowledge with modern discoveries, using the best of both.
The discoveries in modern medicine offer quick diagnoses, lifesaving treatments and surgeries, but are not really equipped for the prevention or the treatment of chronic conditions. Modern medicine offers mostly one size fits all medication, diet and exercise.
Alternative medicine is more personalized. It takes into account the patient's physical and mental state as well as preferences. With good nutrition, a healthy lifestyle and exercise, many conditions, organ damage or the development of chronic diseases can be prevented by giving the body what it needs to build and heal itself. By integrating modern and old medicine, we can develop the best treatments tailored to the patient’s needs.
For example: in heart failure, the person needs diuretics to get rid of the extra fluid that accumulates in the extremities or in more serious cases, the whole body. The diuretics deplete potassium, which can cause dangerous arrhythmia, unless the potassium is replaced. The integrative healer might use dandelion - an herb which is rich in potassium and also a powerful diuretic– to get rid of the extra fluid and replacing potassium in one step.
Most medications used to treat asthma and coughs contain ephedrine which raises blood pressure and speeds up the heart. The herb ephedra sinica also contains ephedrine as the main ingredient as well as six other alkaloids that reduce this side effect. Pill–bearing spurge can relax the spasm of the bronchioles, ease the breathing in asthma, but don't have the side effects of steroids. In the majority of cases, the use of herbs makes more sense because of their fewer side effects.
In asthma attacks, the inhaled or injected medicine is a lifesaver; however, herbal teas, diet change or acupuncture can reduce the frequency and strength of the attacks.
The integrative healer admits the lifesaving benefits of chemotherapy and radiation in cancer treatment, but in addition, helps the body heal with appropriate natural methods to cope with the drastic effects of the treatment. Throat cancer is usually treated with radiation, but it burns very painful blisters in the mouth and throat. By rinsing the mouth with sesame oil before treatment could prevent the mucus membranes from burning, but it will not interfere with the treatment.
Chronic rheumatoid pain is debilitating, the side effects of the pain medications are even worse. Using therapeutic massage, acupuncture and anti-inflammatory herbs can make the pain tolerable without the unwanted side effects.
In gout, medication and a well-planned diet to reduce uric acid buildup - which is the cause of the condition - and using herbs that reduce the uric acid, can aid the treatment.
In Insulin dependent diabetes, medical treatment is essential; however, developing a diet and exercise plan as well as herbal therapy can greatly reduce the chance for accompanying conditions such as peripheral neuropathy and circulatory problems.
We can treat high blood pressure with medications, but we might get much better result by combining medications with stress reduction, increased nutrition, exercise, herbs that improve circulation and healthy lifestyle to improve the overall condition and balance of the body.
We can treat allergies with antihistamines, but we may get better results by eliminating the trigger factors and calm the jumpy immune system with the aid of herbs.
Overall, integrated medicine uses both the natural and modern medicine to treat the person according to the situation and the person’s needs. Just twenty years ago my doctor laughed at me when I told him that I use Arnica ointment to reduce swelling and bruising on my foot, or Lavender oil to treat my burn. Instead of taking the prescription antacid, I used herbs and diet change to treat my frequent heartburns. Instead of prescription Imigran, I used feverfew for migraines before I eliminated all my trigger foods from my diet.
Today more and more doctors recognize the usefulness and benefit of herbs and other natural healing methods. More doctors turn towards integrated medicine to better help their patients. Today many doctors recommend Omega 3 oils and niacin as well as dietary changes and exercise as additional treatment for slightly high cholesterol level, but they prescribe medications when the level is high. They recommend elderberry to treat viral cold and flu. This herb is thought to block the replication of viruses by altering their DNA. Studies have shown great promises in treating herpes and Epstein-Barr viruses with elderberry. They realize that gingko might be effective in treating dementia (including Alzheimer's disease) and poor circulation in the legs. It also shows promise for enhancing memory in older adults. Laboratory studies have shown that ginkgo improves blood circulation by dilating blood vessels and reducing the stickiness of blood platelets. We’re slowly but surely getting there.
References, information I use:
Foremost I used information regarding healing foods and herbs from my grandmother. The knowledge was passed down from generation to generation in the family.
I also used my notes from Herbalogy, Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine as well as aromatherapy and Homeopathy classes and lectures.
Books I studied and used information from include:
The Holistic herbal directory by Penelope Ody
Herbs by Lesley Bremness
The new age herbalist by Richard Mabey
The top 100 herbal remedies by Anne Mcintyre
The herbal drug store by Linda b White MD, Steven Foster
Integrative medicine by David Rakel
Prescription for nutritional healing by James F. Balch MD and Phyllis Balch CNC
The green pharmacy by James A Duke PhD
The herbal drugstore by Linda B White MD
The new age herbalist by Richard Mabey
Nursing drug guide by Amy M. Karch
Nutritional healing by James and Phyllis Balch
Natural healing by Gary Null
Symptoms and remedies by the Johns Hopkins
Natural standards by Ethan M. Basch and Catherine E. Ulbricht
Homeopahic medicines by Stephen Cummings MD and Dana Ullman MPH
ayurvedic-medicines.org
ayurvedaasthma.com
Jarrett, Lonny S. Nourishing Destiny: The Inner Tradition of Chinese Medicine.
Stockbridge, MA: Spirit Path Press, 2001.
Websites:
Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation: “What Is Traditional Chinese Medicine?”
Wu, Changguo. Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Shanghai: Publishing House of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2002.
I did not use any other websites as source of information such as Wikipedia or other Natural Healing websites. I rely only on respectable and published information in which the author completed a thorough research on the subject.
Foremost I used information regarding healing foods and herbs from my grandmother. The knowledge was passed down from generation to generation in the family.
I also used my notes from Herbalogy, Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine as well as aromatherapy and Homeopathy classes and lectures.
Books I studied and used information from include:
The Holistic herbal directory by Penelope Ody
Herbs by Lesley Bremness
The new age herbalist by Richard Mabey
The top 100 herbal remedies by Anne Mcintyre
The herbal drug store by Linda b White MD, Steven Foster
Integrative medicine by David Rakel
Prescription for nutritional healing by James F. Balch MD and Phyllis Balch CNC
The green pharmacy by James A Duke PhD
The herbal drugstore by Linda B White MD
The new age herbalist by Richard Mabey
Nursing drug guide by Amy M. Karch
Nutritional healing by James and Phyllis Balch
Natural healing by Gary Null
Symptoms and remedies by the Johns Hopkins
Natural standards by Ethan M. Basch and Catherine E. Ulbricht
Homeopahic medicines by Stephen Cummings MD and Dana Ullman MPH
ayurvedic-medicines.org
ayurvedaasthma.com
Jarrett, Lonny S. Nourishing Destiny: The Inner Tradition of Chinese Medicine.
Stockbridge, MA: Spirit Path Press, 2001.
Websites:
Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation: “What Is Traditional Chinese Medicine?”
Wu, Changguo. Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Shanghai: Publishing House of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2002.
I did not use any other websites as source of information such as Wikipedia or other Natural Healing websites. I rely only on respectable and published information in which the author completed a thorough research on the subject.