I wouldn’t exactly call this alternative medicine but more forgotten medicine to be honest. Just take a second and try to recall how much water you drank today. Did you drink 6 glasses? Maybe even 2 glasses? Now try to recall the last time you went for a walk? I’m not talking walking around the store or the office, but a real outside walk with fresh air and the whole deal. Did you even take just one walk this week? Now how about your heart, have you given you heart a work out this week? Have you done vigorous activity where you got your heart pumping for a good twenty minutes?

If you are not drinking water, getting fresh air and working your heart how do you expect to feel any better?

People find it far too simple to turn to pills. A pill for this a pill for that.

Now don’t get me wrong, alternative medicine is far better than taking these mass produced pills that pharmacies are try to literally push down our throats, but we are forgetting the very basics of caring for our own bodies.

Make it a point this week to pay attention to drinking water, getting fresh air and giving your heart a good “beating” so to speak.

Complementary Medicine is the use of natural therapy and medicines to restore and maintain health in addition to conventional medicine. Dating back to 420 B.C., around the time of Hippocrates, complementary medicine is also considered a practice beyond the realm of conventional modern medicine - naturopathy, chiropractic, Ayurvedic, homeopathy, acupuncture and so many other complementary medicine treatments are steadily in demand and on the rise.

Complementary medicine teaches proper nutrition in conjunction with vitamin and mineral supplements. Plants and herbs are commonly used in alternative medicine to treat illness, as well as remedies produced from animals and minerals. Hydrotherapy and hypnotherapy are also utilized in complmentary medicine for maximum benefits. All in all, complementary medicine improves mental, emotional, and physical health. It encourages psychic and spiritual growth, and an overwhelming sense of wellness.

 Pets are many things in many ways but they are not responsible. Not outside of very limited doggy parameters. This means that you are 100% responsible for your pet’s health. In this day of seemingly limitless online medication options, the only way to face this challenge is through education. Freedom of choice is only a benefit when you are familiar with the choices.

The easy availability of medications online has placed extra pressure on society to moderate its own behavior responsibly. It has placed even more pressure on human beings using the Internet to shop for pets that are entirely reliant on them for their wellbeing.

Buying pet medicine online offers a level of consumer freedom that is enough to make one dizzy. In the old days we would take our pet to our local veterinarian who would counsel us on the right way to deal with our pet’s health issues. This was a relief in two obvious ways: we could be guided by an expert and we could shift a little of the weight of responsibility. Today it is possible to go online, diagnose and medicate our own pet.

This is a boon on the one hand, and a very serious danger on the other. With the aid of the Internet we are empowered to act somewhat independently of traditional channels. This is a qualified bonus only if we are almost uncomfortably aware of the fact that we do not have years of veterinary experience behind us. This awareness should hopefully make us doubly cautious as we navigate these unfamiliar waters with our newfound freedom.

The bonus is a qualified one because it should not take the place of veterinary expertise when that is appropriate. The question of how to discern when that is appropriate is the million-dollar question. Websites play experts and they do so with expertise but it is not necessarily the expertise we need.

A favorite tactic is to dot the website with white clad ‘experts’ who profess to a proficiency they don’t have. It is important to note that the figures are often just models paid to pose with an air of authority. We need something more than a show of proficiency when it comes to the lives of our precious pets.

The bottom line is this; nothing can take the place of a visit to the veterinarian when your pet is sick. Attempting to diagnose your pet’s ailment yourself can have devastating consequences. When time is of the essence, wasting it waiting for cost effective, online drugs to be shipped to your door is not only unwise but inhumane.

Buying pet medicine online has a limited application. Within these boundaries it can be both benign and cost effective. This avenue works best with repeat medications like flea, tick, worming and heart medications. If you are considering taking advantage of the online option let your vet know. He or she will have to write out a prescription for you to use when purchasing online. Many services also offer to call the vet directly. Your delivery date will be reliant on prompt communication between the online company and the veterinarian’s office working together to share information.

Purchasing non-prescription drugs for your pet online is also a matter for caution and consideration. Because certain drugs do not require a prescription does not mean that they are not potentially dangerous if administered unwisely. Read instructions carefully. Good websites take their role as educator seriously. Most have extensive information online regarding dosages and side effects.

Avoid or be cautious regarding prices that are way below market on pet medications. Most legitimate companies hover in the same discount region. Outrageous savings are normally only offered by fly by night companies offering questionable product

Are you spending a fortune on prescription arthritis medicines? Are they helping? Are you concerned about side effects? You may think a particular drug is a miraculous godsend. Yet, someone you know may take the same dose only to experience little relief and life-threatening side effects. All of the choices can be confusing.

The best treatment for your arthritis is based on your needs. Making the diagnosis of “osteoarthritis” is fairly straightforward, but deciding what to do about it is a complex and very individualized matter. There’s a wide range of options available to help you deal with OA; medicines are only part of the picture:

• The Basics: Weight Management / Exercise / Education / Modify Activities
• Medications: Pain Relievers, NSAIDs (like ibuprofen), Supplements
• Injections/ Bracing
• Surgery

The highest dose of the latest, “greatest” arthritis medicine on the market will NOT help unless you follow common-sense health practices. Focus on low-tech/low-cost habits that pay off throughout your body and quality of life. Modify the combination of remedies over your lifetime as symptoms wax and wane. Start simple, and then move to the next step if the first isn’t helping. You can cut back during the times you have less pain.

At this point, available medicines can relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis, not cure it. There are some treatments for rheumatoid arthritis that can slow down joint destruction. Scientific research suggests that nutritional supplements, like glucosamine, might strengthen cartilage tissue. Stay tuned!

The dozens of arthritis medications available are categorized by drug class. The drug classes differ in the way your body handles the chemical that makes up the drug, known as the mechanism of action. Different mechanisms of action target different arthritis symptoms: pain vs. stiffness vs. inflammation. If you understand the classes, you will understand:

• how each drug works,
• which drugs are related because they work in a similar way,
• what side effects can occur, and
• why a drug may or may not be right for you.

Fortunately, there are eight drug classes to choose from to relieve your osteoarthritis symptoms. If you must avoid a whole class because you have another health condition, there are plenty of others that could keep you comfortable. Combining smaller doses from different classes may be the right answer. Usually only with prudent, thoughtful trials will you and your doctor discover what’s best for you. Keep a diary of the remedies you try, and their effects, good and bad. You spend a lot of money trying to feel better - don’t waste it!

Beware of your drugs’ true cost! “Cost” applies not only to the money you pay for the pills, but also to the toll they could take on your system in terms of side effects like stomach ulcers, kidney failure, addiction, and other problems worth avoiding!

OA is a chronic, degenerative condition that progresses at different rates in different patients (and even in different joints in the same body!) You’ve got better things to do than let OA rule your day. The right treatment strategy will get you back to the Pursuit of Happiness!

Want to learn more about all EIGHT classes of OA drugs? Visit www.knowyourbones.com to order “Making Sense of Arthritis Medicine: Manage Your Symptoms Safely” and discover relief that’s right for you!

Looking for information about a nutritional supplement, vitamin, or herbal remedy? This guide gives you information about the history, medical uses and treatments using herbs, vitamins, and nutritional supplements, typical doses, side effects, government regulation, and how to be a savvy supplement shopper.

The evidence of natural therapies are increasing and being validated by scientists every day. Most health conditions being treated by medicine today are entirely preventable. Chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and others have been clearly linked to diet and lifestyle. Now it has never been easier to learn about this scientific evidence for maintaining health.

THE SCIENCE OF OBESITY: FATS & CHOLESTEROL

For years we heard that a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet would keep us healthy and help us lose weight. And many of us jumped on the bandwagon, eliminating fat and high-cholesterol foods from our diets. Well, unfortunately, we were doing it all wrong.

Instead of eliminating fat completely, we should have been eliminating the “bad fats,” the fats associated with obesity and heart disease and eating the “good fats,” the fats that actually help improve blood cholesterol levels. Before we examine the good fats and bad fats, let’s talk about cholesterol.

Cholesterol - It’s been ingrained into our brains that cholesterol causes heart disease and that we should limit our intake of foods that contain it, but dietary cholesterol is different than blood cholesterol. Cholesterol comes from two places–first, from food such as meat, eggs, and seafood, and second, from our body. Our liver makes this waxy substance and links it to carrier proteins called lipoproteins. These lipoproteins dissolve the cholesterol in blood and carry it to all parts of your body. Our body needs cholesterol to help form cell membranes, some hormones, and Vitamin D.

You may have heard of “good” and “bad” cholesterol. Well, high-density lipoproteins (HDL) carry cholesterol from the blood to the liver. The liver processes the cholesterol for elimination from the body. If there’s HDL in the blood, then less cholesterol will be deposited in the coronary arteries. That’s why it’s called “good” cholesterol. Low-density lipoproteins (LDL), carry cholesterol from the liver to the rest of the body. When there is too much in the body, it is deposited in the coronary arteries. This is not good. A build-up of cholesterol in our arteries could prevent blood from getting to parts of our heart. That means that our heart won’t get the oxygen and nutrients it needs, which could result in heart attack, stroke, or sudden death. So, if your LDL is higher than your HDL, you’re at a greater risk for developing heart disease. It may come as a surprise, but recent studies have shown that the amount of cholesterol in our food is not strongly linked to our blood cholesterol levels. It’s the types of fats you eat that affect your blood cholesterol levels.

Bad Fats - There are two fats that you should limit your intake of–saturated and trans fats.

Saturated Fats - Saturated fats are mostly animal fats. You find them in meat, whole-milk products, poultry skin, and egg yolks. Coconut oil also has a high amount of saturated fat. Saturated fats raise both the good and bad blood cholesterol.

Trans Fats - Trans fats are produced through hydrogenation–heating oils in the presence of oxygen. Many products contain trans fats because the fats help them maintain a longer shelf life. Margarine also contains a high amount of trans fats. Trans fats are especially dangerous because they lower the good cholesterol, HDL and raise the bad cholesterol, LDL. Unfortunately, most products do not tell you how much trans fat it contains, but you can find out if it’s in a product by looking at the ingredient list. If the ingredients contain hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oils, then it contains trans fats. Fortunately in 2006, manufacturers will be required to list the amount of trans fat in their products on the nutrition labels, so it will be easier for you to find.

Good Fats - Some fats actually improve cholesterol levels.

Polyunsaturated Fats - Polyunsaturated fats are found in sunflower, corn, and soybean oils. These oils contain Omega-6, an essential fatty acid. However, most people get enough Omega-6 in their diet and instead need more Omega-3. Omega-3 is a fatty acid found in fish and walnuts.

Monounsaturated Fats - Monounsaturated fats are found in canola, peanut, and olive oils. Both types of unsaturated fats decrease the bad cholesterol, LDL and increase the good cholesterol, HDL.

Now, just because the unsaturated fats improve your blood cholesterol levels, you don’t have the go-ahead to eat all of the olive oil, butter and nuts you want. Fat of any kind does contain calories, and if you’re trying to lose weight, eat fat in moderation, and stay away from saturated fats.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR WEIGHT

A pound of fat represents approximately 3500 calories of stored energy. In order to lose a pound of fat, you have to use 3500 more calories than you consume. Although this seems like a simple formula remember that your body is a thinking organism designed to protect itself. If you were to try to reduce your intake by the entire 3500 calories in one day, your body would register some type of alarm and think that there is a state of emergency. Immediately your metabolism would slow down and no weight loss would be achieved. It’s better to spread your weight loss out over a period of a week, so that you aim to reduce your caloric intake by 3500 to 7000 calories per week, resulting in weight loss of one to two pounds per week. It’s generally not recommended to try to lose more than two pounds in a week. Attempting to do so may cause health risks, and on top of this you’re unlikely to be successful.

In the example of attempting to lose two pounds per week, you can use a basic method of calorie counting to help you accomplish your goal. To do so, you need to figure out how many calories a person of your age, sex, and weight usually needs in a day, subtract 500 from that amount, and follow a diet that provides you with that many calories. For example, if you would ordinarily need 3000 calories in a day, you would follow a 2500-calorie a day diet. Next, figure out how much exercise a person of your weight would need to do to burn 500 calories per day, and engage in an exercise plan that will help you achieve your goal. The result is simple: 500 fewer calories consumed and 500 more calories expended equals a 1000 calorie per day deficit, which, over the course of a week adds up to 7000 calories, or two pounds. Although individual results may vary, the bottom line is if your body is consuming fewer calories than it’s expending, then weight will be lost

Minus all meningitis thoughts.The flu symptons were strong. Headache,burning fever and sore throat. So what does any natural mother do when their offspring takes ill. They smother him or her with a lot of TLC and would walk to the ends of the earth just to take away the pain and suffering.

but when it comes to curing them. please call a doctor.

Before you decide to give your dog canine arthritis medicine you should understand what arthritis is and why medication will ease your dog’s symptoms.

Arthritis in dogs is just like in humans, it is when a joint becomes inflamed. It can be very painful, swell and become hard to move. Dogs can have different types of arthritis also. Before just giving your dog any type of medication you find at the store, you should have your veterinarian check your dog for signs of arthritis.

Canine arthritis medicine will not make the arthritis go away. There are no cures for arthritis. In severe cases, surgery can be an alternative. But, many medications will relive the pain and swelling associated with arthritis. After your veterinarian has diagnosed your dog with canine arthritis it would be best to find out what medicines he thinks would be best for the type of arthritis you dog is suffering with.

There are many different types of pain killers and anti inflammatory medications that are great in helping your dog. With these medicines your dog will be able to play again and even enjoy life more.

The main thing to remember is that you do not want your best friend suffering with pain if he doesn’t have to. He will not be happy and can become worse without the medication. The pain from arthritis will have him lying around and then his joints can become stiffer. He needs to exercise and that is very hard to do, if he is in severe pain.

Luckily, its an ailment that can be treated with treatments such as Arthramine which helps repair the damaged tissue.

Medicine and High Blood Pressure are interdependent. The kind of medicine to be taken for High Blood Pressure is not a single route to be followed. The dosage and the kind of medicine to be taken depend on the level of High Blood Pressure that a patient is suffering from. Initially, the medicine for patients with just a small rise above the normal blood pressure level is Diuretics. These High Blood Pressure Medicines work on the kidneys and flush out excess water and sodium from the body.

In yet another category of medicine for high blood pressure, there are the Nervous System Inhibitors. They inhibit heart and relax blood vessels by controlling nerve impulses. Doctors also use Vasodilators as High Blood Pressure Medicication in the final stage. These medicines for High Blood Pressure directly open blood vessels and allow the blood pressure to be lowered. Combining this medication and High Blood Pressure with the right lifestyle can be very helpful.

 Naturopathic medicine is a system and philosophy of medicine that has been around for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. Before the advent of ‘conventional’ medicine, which uses a wide variety of drugs and surgical procedures, almost every doctor learned how to use herbs, minerals, homeopathy, and other natural methods to treat disease. Since the early 1900’s and with the discovery of antibiotics, usage and public knowledge of naturopathic medicine has declined. This was most likely due to the ‘quick fix’ nature of many of the new drugs developed and increased safety of surgical procedures. Diseases such as influenza and measles, which today are generally nuisances and easily treated in most people, were very scary and sometimes life threatening in these earlier times. The plague literally plagued people. Today we are blessed with better opportunities for proper nutrition, hygiene, and information about these diseases, all of which lessen the threat of many of the more common diseases becoming life threatening. The attraction that people had towards conventional medicine was and is understandable. Treatments that decrease symptoms of a disease are often well received by patients who are dealing with a troublesome condition. Most advances in technology are viewed as progress and people want the best, especially where their health or that of their loved ones is concerned. The problem that came with this flux towards conventional medicine was that it was new and no one knew what the side effects or long-term effects of using synthetic drugs would be. Also, most people abandoned the more natural methods of health care and stopped caring for themselves in a way that would keep them strong and vital. Instead they began using pills and surgery as ‘fixes’ when things went wrong. They began to eat more processed foods that have fewer vitamins and minerals. Our environment became more polluted. Most doctors know little about nutrition, how or what to eat, or what to do with people affected by the environment. As well, the more scientific medicine gets, the less people understand it. This leads to people feeling ignorant about health matters and leaving all the power in their doctor’s hands.

So, here we are today. When people feel sick or know something is wrong, they make an appointment and usually get a prescription. If that doesn’t work, another prescription is tried. If a person is lucky, they get sick very infrequently and live healthy lives. Complications arise when the treatments given don’t work or cause side effects that need another treatment to lessen them. What happens if you have allergies, asthma, and diabetes? How many prescriptions do you take? What if the drugs given interact with each other or cause a nutritional deficiency? What about the people who are on a drug for the rest of their lives? What about people with chronic diseases that have been told they have no cure but the symptoms can be ‘managed’?

What causes many of the above problems is the philosophy of the medicine used. The focus should not be (however contrary it may sound) how to get rid of whatever ails you, but why it began. If you can find out what causes your disease and why it began for you, it is entirely possible to foster your health in such a way that your body heals itself. It does little good to get rid of an ear infection in your child if it returns again. Why take an antiviral daily to suppress herpes outbreaks when this can be done with lifestyle and natural methods that do the same thing while enhancing your immunity? If you have advanced heart disease, diabetes, or cancer, what feelings of hope do you have that your life can be enhanced? If you take medications daily, perhaps in increasing doses, for the rest of your life with your only hope to have better or stable lab test results, that doesn’t sound like the quality life you could be having. Did you know that with changes to your lifestyle and natural therapies you could increase the energy you feel as well as possibly reverse many of the damaging changes you now live with?

There are natural treatments for every complaint. I once heard from a wise doctor, “There are no incurable diseases, only incurable people”. What he meant was that every case of cancer may not be curable, but it is possible to cure cancer. No condition is incurable. What happens in treatment is more a factor of the person, the nature of the disease, and other variables, and not so much which disease is being treated. It is more difficult, of course, to treat diseases that are long-standing, severe, or in other ways complicated. But that does not mean it can never been done. If a person does not want treatment and they get something from being in the place they are at, that makes recovery all the more difficult. It is much easier to treat conditions when they first start and when the person wishes to be well. But still there are no guarantees.

What tends to work best for most people is a multifaceted approach to treating their condition. First, treat the whole person. Find out what their needs are and treat them physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, as they need it. Treat their whole body. Migraines, arthritis, and urinary infections can be related and not separate diseases. A person may not need antibiotics or removal of an organ, they may need something that seems entirely unrelated. The toddler with constant stomach pains may not need medication; he may need to change day cares. Try to understand what is going on for the person.

Second, treat them in such a way as to increase their vitality. The goal is to increase the healing response within so that the body becomes healthier and reverses the disease process naturally and in its time (if this is possible). It may be necessary to provide some symptomatic relief, but the goal of a treatment should not be to simply suppress the symptoms. Just because symptoms are gone does not mean that the disease is not there. The goal is a complete cure and no return of the condition (sometimes this is possible, at other times it is not). Your body holds an incredible healing force that wants to keep you in harmonious balance at all times. Think of the miracle of healing a broken bone. Think of how microorganisms cause your lungs much distress in bronchitis, yet how well you breathe and how complete the cure when the body is done healing that condition. Think of the miracle of life itself. If disease arises when we hinder the body in maintaining its perfect balance, then restoring conditions of balance will help our bodies to heal themselves. After all, it is not the antibiotic that heals you. The antibiotic simply kills off enough bacteria to allow your body the upper hand. Ask yourself if the body shouldn’t have the upper hand to begin with. If you really do need antibiotics, what is causing the bacteria to gain the upper hand?

Naturopathic medicine strives to restore balance by removing any obstacles keeping your body from healing itself. Physicians using this medicine understand the importance of treating each person individually and in a way that helps restore their natural vitality. They also try to use the most gentle yet effective treatment possible to avoid causing side effects or interactions between treatments. Naturopathic physicians also recognize the importance of using conventional medicine when it is necessary. They will also use appropriate lab work, x-rays, and other tools for diagnosis and tracking when necessary. As all physicians, they frequently will refer a complicated condition to providers who can give the patient the best care along with the natural treatments. Naturopaths regard the wants and needs of their patients highly. A patient is encouraged to share their goals and take and active part in their healthcare. Consultations and treatments are generally longer than those with a conventional practitioner so questions can be addressed and a healing relationship established.

Herbal medicine is the use of plant and herb extracts for their therapeutic value. Most plants contain and produce chemical substances that aid in healing and other physical treatments.

Always keep in mind that herbal medicines are still medicines and, therefore, share the likelihood of having side effects as regular commercial drugs. Some of us have this misconception that because herbal medicines are natural, they are 100 afe. This is not true all the time. The best defense against the possible side effects herbal medicines might give is to educate ourselves with the basics on the herbal medicine in question and to use it with caution.

Many people who are suffering from disease or pain have thought about trying the alternative medicine route.  Before you try alternative medicine, you may want to learn a bit about it.  There are a lot of different types of alternative medicine and they all may not be right for you. Alternative medicine is a type of therapeutic practice that is not considered to be a part of traditional or conventional medical treatment.  People use alternative medicine instead of using traditional medical treatment.  This is often because they feel it is a natural way to get better.There are many types of alternative medicine.  Some are covered by medical insurance, but most are not.  Some forms of alternative medicine that may be covered are chiropractic and osteopathic therapy.  These forms of alternative medicine are widely used.

There are other forms of alternative medicine that are not as widely used, but are becoming more popular by the minute.  These are:  massage therapy, therapeutic touch, folk medicine, herbal medicine, special diets, homeopathy, music therapy, aromatherapy, naturopathy, faith healing, and new age healing.  There are also some non-western forms of alternative medicine such as:  Chinese medicine, gi gong, reiki, and ayarveda.

There are some less commonly practiced forms of alternative medicine as well.  One is called biofield therapy.  This is a form of alternative medicine that works with your so called “energy fields” to heal you.  Another is bioelectrical magnetic therapy.  This alternative medicine uses pulse and magnetic fields to heal you.

Alternative medicine is quite popular for people who are terminally ill.  Many AIDS and cancer patients prefer it.  An example of this is a cancer patient who uses alternative medicine instead of receiving traditional chemotherapy or radiation therapy.  People also use alternative medicine to heal ailments such as back pain or migraines.  Instead of traditional painkillers, the patients would use aromatherapy, sound therapy or herbal therapy.  Alternative medicine is even used on animals.  Have you ever seen the movie “The Horse Whisperer?”  That was about a form of alternative medicine used on an animal.  Acupuncture, herbal therapy, and others have also been used on animals.

The last thing you should know is that there is no scientific evidence that alternative medicine is effective.  There have been no scientific studies to prove if they are safe or if they work for the diseases or ailments they are used for.  Before using an alternative medicine, talk to your doctor, make sure your doctor feels it is safe and will not harm you.

There are many different kinds of alternative medicines to choose from.  Now that you understand it a bit better, you can decide if it is right for you.  For more information talk to your doctor or research it online.  With careful research, you may find one that is right for you.