ACCEPTED ALTERNATIVE PRACTICES

ACUPUNCTURE

One of the more popular and well known forms of alternative medicine is acupuncture.

Developed in China thousands of years ago, acupuncture revolves around the idea that the body is made up of energy, or chi.  When this chi can flow from one part of the body to the other, the body will be free of illness.  But when this chi is blocked or is someone diverted, the body can be prone to disease.

A map of meridians (or energy pathways) is used to guide the professional acupuncture practitioner to the points at which the chi needs to be changed.

By using filiform needles, the practitioner stimulates certain parts of the body and relieves the energy congestion.  The needles are left in the skin for a certain amount of, depending on the troubles, and then removed at the end of a treatment.

The needles are very thin and they do not hurt when they are inserted.  While they might look a little strange, they will not damage the skin or hurt the body in any way, according to scientific studies.

If you were to have an acupuncture treatment, you might have numerous needles placed all along your body and head.  This is because the meridians move though all parts of your body and at any point, your energy might be blocked and need to be released.

In order to determine where your energy is blocked, an acupuncture professional would ask you a long series of questions to see what kinds of problems you are having.  Sometimes problems can alert the professional to the areas which may be blocked.

Next, they will feel your pulses on your body to see which is weaker (if any) and where your body is 'off' from the rest of your body.  They might also look at your tongue, eyes, and throat to see if they notice any imbalances there as well.

Acupuncture is useful in a variety of issues:

• Cessation of smoking
• Pain
• Migraines
• Nausea
• Morning sickness
• Infertility
• Anxiety
• Digestive disturbances
• Sleep troubles
• Etc.

While many people need to return for follow up appointments after their first acupuncture session, others feel much better after their first treatment.

HERBAL MEDICINE

If you walk into any grocery store or mass market retailer these days, you are bound to find a vitamin and mineral aisle that's far larger than your local drugstore.

This wasn't always the case.

And on these shelves, you can find everything from aspirin to multivitamins to herbal remedies and even homeopathic treatments.

Herbal medicine is the practice of using herbs to help treat common and even severe ailments.  Based on the principle that all common and conventional drugs came from nature at one point or another, herbal medicine is still struggling to get the validity it deserves.  For example, willow bark is where aspirin came from.  The active ingredient in this pain killer is found in the plant.

After all, native cultures still use herbal remedies to this day without problem. 

Herbal medications can include:

• Herbs
• Plants
• Flowers

Also known as folk medicine, herbal medicine can be used in a number of ways.  For some, they might go to an herbalist that prepares custom made mixtures of herbs for a specific condition.  Much in the same way an acupuncture professional might ask questions and check pulses, the herbalist does the same in order to see what herbs may be most beneficial.

You might also find herbal medicines in your own backyard in your garden.  Things like chamomile and mint are easy to grow, helping add to your medicine cabinet without taking up a lot of space.

But your grocery store or supplement aisle might be the best place to find common everyday herbal supplements and remedies.  By reading the bottle labels, you can learn about the effectiveness of each remedy as well as the potential drug interactions.

The main concern with herbal remedies is the idea of self-medication.  Everyone wants to be able to heal themselves and while many can choose the right herbs to do this, this does not mean you should keep this medicine from your doctor.

Whenever you are considering taking a new drug or herb, you need to speak not only with your doctor, but also with a pharmacist – especially if you are on any prescription medications.

The biggest problem with herbal medicines is that many people don't realize they can interact with their prescriptions and some patients have died from these interactions or caused serious harm to their health.

Here are just some of the potential interactions:

• Those on Coumadin blood thinners should not be taking any herbs as they can interfere with the absorption of the drug into the body, interrupting PT/INR levels.
• If you are on an antidepressant, taking St. John's Wort will cause the body to produce too much serotonin and cause an overdose of the chemical in your brain.
• Gingko biloba interferes with blood disorder medications.
• Ginseng can raise your blood pressure, which is not something a person on blood pressure medication wants to do.

But if herbal remedies work, why not try them?

For many people, herbal remedies can work hand in hand with their current medical conditions.  If you are depressed, for example, your doctor may recommend that you try St. John's Wort first before you use any prescription medications.

If you are worried about getting sick, you might take some Echinacea before you travel or have an important function.  This is thought to boost your immune system, but only over a course of six to eight weeks.

Here are some common herbal remedies that you may be able to try, with a doctor's permission, of course:

• Ginseng  can help to improve concentration and energy levels.
• Echinacea  for help to increase your immune system function.

• Goldenseal  can help with detoxification and immune system response.

• Gingko biloba  thought to help with memory and brain function.

• Ginger  helps with nausea and motion sickness.

• Valerian  can help you with anxiety or insomnia.

• Milk thistle  can help with detoxifying your body.

• Garlic  may help with cholesterol levels and heart disease prevention.

The real question is – do they even work?

For many doctors who advise conventional medicine therapies, their response is that herbal medications only work because people believe they work.  But if this is the case, is that really a bad thing?

Just as with 'real' medicine, some herbal remedies work and some will not. 

A lot of the effectiveness is determined by your personal body chemistry.  For some, St. John's Wort will lift their mood, but for others it might not. 

Give each herbal remedy at least a month to be effective before dismissing it as another failed attempt.

One thing to keep in mind as you are looking into herbal medications – make sure you are getting high quality products.  Though it might cost a little more and it might take you more time, heading to your local health food store might be a wise investment for your health.  You can also find reliable suppliers online if you're looking for lower prices.

HOMEOPATHY

As one of the more controversial practices of alternative medicine, homeopathy may be getting a bad rep because its methodology isn't quite understood.

Homeopathy began in the late 18th century through the research and trials of a German physician named Samuel Hahnemann. 

By taking the idea of symptoms and finding ingredients that caused these symptoms and diluting them into alcohol.  In doing so, it is thought that your body could react favorably to the diluted form of the ingredients, which would build up an immune response in your body.

This caused you to not only get rid of the symptoms that you were experiencing, but you could also build up a tolerance to the intruder.

The benefits of homeopathy include:

• Simple to take
• Low risk of side effects
• No drug interactions
• Widespread availability
• Low cost

The dilution point of these substances and remedies is so low – millionths of the original amount of the substance in some cases.

In taking in these ingredients, you are stimulating a response from your body and helping your body heal itself. 

Homeopathy is also known as the law of similars.  Hahnemann actually figured out the concept of homeopathy by noticing that some people who took medications for certain diseases, but who were healthy when they took the medication, experienced the same symptoms as though they had the disease in the first place.

Knowing this, he recognized the possibility that by causing symptoms in people (or at least in small amounts) would actually help to treat disease as that's what the standard forms of medication would do anyway.

But understandably, many people do not believe that this could actually work.

And many people still don't believe these remedies can work. 

Helpful substances in such small amounts could not actually do any good or bad to the body, it is often thought.  And many studies are backing this up, noting that homeopathic remedies seem to use the placebo effect more than they actually stimulate any healing response.

Whether or not this is actually the case is still being studied.  People have been used homeopathic remedies for many decades and continue to do so today, so it's likely that they are able to help some patients.

Flower remedies, for example, are homeopathic type remedies that use flowers that have been soaked in water and then diluted to miniscule amounts.  Useful for everything from anxiety to headaches, these remedies are found on retail store shelves and are still in hot demand.

Homeopathy is actually more popular in Europe, as that's where it originated.  Schools in homeopathy educated new homeopaths each year and practices begin with these remedies as the sole source of treatment.

It's interesting to note that Hahnemann himself was the main subject in the trials for the practice of homeopathy.  Since he needed to find out which substances caused certain symptoms, he needed to ingest a variety of items until he found the symptoms that he was trying to cure with his formulas.

When you first talk to a homeopath, you will be asked about your medical history – both present and past – as well as your current habits and concerns.  This will help the homeopath narrow down the symptoms that might be most concerning and will help the practitioner choose the right formula.

Formulas now come with the name of the main ingredient on the bottle, but also the symptoms they address, making it simple for anyone to choose the proper formula for their concerns.

The ingredients in homeopathic remedies include natural animal, plant, and minerals as well as other synthetic substances. 

To take these homeopathic medications, you simply place the prescribed number of pellets or the number of drops underneath your tongue.  You should not eat or drink anything for about thirty minutes after letting these solutions dissolve there.

Since many of the tinctures are based in alcohol, those who have sensitivities to alcohol may want to avoid using that preparation.

The main argument for homeopathy is that it does not cause any side effects or drug interactions – at least, none have been detected yet.  This is probably due to the tiny amounts of ingredients that are in the preparations.  But for those who are already on a number of medications, this is a relief.  Since many medications hinder the use of other medications, you might be able to solve two problems at once – one with traditional medication and another with homeopathic remedies.

While you can choose your own remedies based on your symptoms, it's often a better idea to talk with a licensed homeopath before you begin a treatment plan.

It's also a good idea to keep in mind that homeopathic remedies are not regulated by the FDA, so the purity and the quality of the remedies is not monitored.  If you want to be certain you are getting the ingredients you paid for, it's a good idea to research the manufacturer before buying any products.

REFLEXOLOGY

When you have a headache, your first response might be to reach for your head in order to quell the pain.  By pressing on your temples, you are helping to slow the blood flow to your brain and thus reducing the pain you feel. 

In a sense, this is a simple form of acupressure.

However, in reflexology, the idea of pressure is extended to the feet, the hands and the ears.

As noted in many alternative medicine practices, the body's systems re all connected.  Whether you believe this to be the result of meridians or simply due to the nervous system and circulatory system – this is not necessarily the most important thing to know.

What is important is realizing that when you touch one part of your body, it is thought, you can affect other parts of your body.

And that's reflexology.

Within each hand and foot, there are a number of specific points where you can apply pressure and thus help a certain condition or organ system.  If you rub the inside web of your hand between the thumb and the pointer finger, you can help to ease a headache, for example.

Even if you're not sure about the idea of the body's energy system, you can understand how reflexology could help the body release tension.  When too much tension builds up, you can feel pain and pressure while also slowing down certain systems in your body – leading to illness and disease.

There are other purported effects of reflexology for your body too.

Some claim that rubbing the feet in a harsh manner can help to break up uric acid crystals that may accumulate there.  If you were to reach down to your feet right now and use your knuckles to rub the bottoms of your feet, you might feet some crunchy areas – this is where the crystals are thought to reside.

By breaking these crystals up, it is thought that you can help expedite the detoxification processes in your body. 

It is also thought that be pushing on certain points of the body you can begin to release the natural pain killers of the body – endorphins.

There are several ways to look into reflexology for your specific medical concerns.  Many books and videos are available that can teach you how to practice reflexology on yourself.  But if this is the case, you might also want to invest in some handy socks or gloves that allow you to immediately see a 'map' of the specifics areas you need to target for certain concerns.

When you find the appropriate spots that you need to apply pressure to, you will need to use forceful pressure on the spot for up to one minute, release, and then apply again until you feel the relief you want.

You can also massage the areas a few times a day if you have a larger or chronic problem you need help with.

But for the best reflexology treatment, it's best to head to a licensed practitioner.  They will have gone through a training program and will have been tested on their knowledge prior to receiving their certificate.

There are other benefits that you can have with reflexology:

• No side effects with medications
• No drug interactions
• Can be done on anyone
• Can be used on pets as well
• Can reduce stress and muscular tension
• Can help to reduce nagging symptoms of chronic diseases

With reflexology, the next time your head begins to ache, you can do something to prevent it from turning into a life stopping even – by rubbing away the pain.