Alternative Medicine Benefits

Alternative Medicine Benefits.

Alternative medicine benefits come from a group of healing arts which includes, but it not limited to:

• Acupuncture
• Chiropractic
• Homeopathy
• Iridology
• Massage
• Osteopathy
• Reflexology
• and other healing arts such as Herbology.

These are just the mainstream types of practices. Over the years, several other types of healing methods have been developed.

This article is not intended to include an extensive list of them, nor is it intended to declare the value of one over another but rather the benefits derived from all types of alternative medicine.

However, since this site has it's total emphasis on natural approaches, we do encourage you to seek a health care method that you can be both comfortable with and which is as natural as possible in order to realize the many alternative medicine benefits.

Many Types of Choices.

In today's world there are many directions that we can take to meet our health care needs. Anything from invasive, prescription, and surgical methods to utilizing totally natural approaches to health such as healthy eating, herbs, brain health, massage, chiropractic, fasting, acupuncture, and many other natural healing modalities.

Some people choose any where from one or the other to a combination of both sides. Regardless of what our choice is, it is important that it not only works for us with the least amount of side effects but that we are also comfortable and confident that what we are doing is the right thing to do.

Natural Approaches.

Natural methods have historically been used throughout man's history. However, since the late 19th century western medicine (sometimes called orthodox medicine, allopathic medicine, standard, and scientific medicine) has overshadowed natural approaches to health care significantly, negating most alternative medicine benefits.

Some people consider this method nearly infallible and literally run to the doctor's office for everything.

To it's credit, it has been very beneficial especially for victims of traumatic accidents, heart attack victims, premature babies, and in serious infectious diseases. In these and in other such problems the western approach has been essential and has saved many lives.

Alternative Medicine Benefits.

There cannot, on the other hand, be a list of alternative medicine benefits which adequately tell of all the unexperienced agony or unexperienced trauma because of the choice to use alternative medicine.

• How can you number the unperformed back and neck surgeries because a person choose to use chiropractic.
• How many fewer steroids for allergies and asthma have not been pumped into the body because a person choose to use acupuncture.
• How much less breathing equipment or walkers have been issued, and how many joint surgeries have not been performed because people choose to exericise.
• How much blood pressure medicine, or cholesterol reducing medicine, or depression medication has not been prescribed because people choose to exercise.
• How many fewer visits to the doctor for colds, flu, headaches, stress or infections, and how many less antibiotics given because people choose to use herbal remedies.

We won't even mention alternative medicine benefits such as:

• No or few side effects from costly perscription medication
• Reduced cost of health care
• Being proactive by taking care of your own health
• Not being addicted to perscription drugs
• Not over using such things as antibiotics until they kill your immune system and actually become the problem

Journal of the American Medical Association.

Barbara Starfield, M.D., a well respected doctor, even among her own peers, wrote anarticle entitled, "Is US Health Really the Best in the World?" It appeared in the July 26,2000, issue of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The full text of thatarticle can be seen at that site.

In summary, Dr. Starfield ranked several major countries and put the United States aslow as 13th in several catagories. A few of the things which she said, were:

• US estimates of the combined effect of errors and adverse effects thatoccur because of iatrogenic damage not associated with recognizable error include:
• 12,000 deaths/year from unnecessary surgery
• 7,000 deaths/year from medication errors in hospitals
• 20,000 deaths/year from other errors in hospitals
• 80,000 deaths/year from nosocomial infections in hospitals
• 106,000 deaths/year from non-error adverse effects of medications
• This totals 225,000 deaths per year from iatrogenic caused approaches! This makes thisthe 3rd highest cause of death in the US!
• And this does not take into consideration theadverse effects that are associated with disability and discomfort.

This article was written ten years ago. It would be interesting to know if things have gotten better or worse.

At least they tell you the side effects of prescription drugs now. Anything from heart failure and death, depression and thoughts of suicide, to minor things like rashes and blurred vision.

Many of the drugs being used have not been scientifically proven and are still in testing phases. Others are experimental. This can be dangerous.

Consider a drug that originally was thought to be safe in the 50's and 60's and was used for pregnant women with morning sickness - thalidomide. Hundreds of these women gave birth to severely deformed babies.

The answer to the question. "Why should we use natural approaches?" should be ringing loudly in our ears. Consider:

• Proper nutrition. Clogged arteries and obesity, even some cancers, can be attributed to improper eating. Utilizing herbal remedies and other natural remedies which can literally correct the problem and, if not, can help improve many issues.
• Exercise. In every case, exercise, is part of the solution. Some sweet elderly friends of ours who have had many health issues in the past are now going to the gym daily. They are feeling better than they have felt in years, their blood pressure is improving, their breathing is improving, their joint flexibility and endurance are improving.
• Alternative Medicine Benefits. Chiropractic, Acupuncture, and others, as mentioned above, gives us an option of non-invasive, natural health, many of which keep unnatural substances out of the body.

Creating a positive life style, using relaxation and stress relief, eliminating destructive vices such as smoking, alcohol and drugs, can lead to natural health.

We need to ask ourselves, "Why put things into our bodies which put us at risk?" We owe it to ourselves to investigate, study, and make our own decisions about our own health.

To me, the alternative medicine benefits are positive, while the other are mostly negative. The better choice is to go as natural as possible, and avoid anything that can put your health or life at risk.

Good luck in your search for a natural way to a healthy and fulfilling life

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