About 75 percent of U.S. health workers use alternative healing methods, according to the HealthDay.com News site on August 26. Compare that to 38 percent of the general public using alternative, sometimes referred to as holistic, healing methods. The most striking finding is that doctors and nurses are more than twice as likely to use the services of an alternative health practitioner than health workers in other areas, such as technical and administrative departments.
These statistics arose from a survey conducted in 2007 under the auspices of the National Institutes of Health. Researchers at the Penny George Institute for Health and Healing with the Allina Health System in Minneapolis analyzed the findings and published their study in the journal Health Services Research.
Alternative health care, also referred to as complementary medicine, can include such areas as nutritional supplementation, diet, acupuncture, yoga, massage, chiropractic, herbal medicine, naturopathy, homeopathy and many other areas of interest. The researchers listed 36 types of care included in the study. The most common reasons given for seeking alternative care were back, neck and joint pain.
The study's leader noted that the prevalent belief has always been that alternative therapies aren't as well researched or evidence-based as traditional medical science, but that has changed in recent years. If medical professionals are taking advantage of alternative services more often, it should help people feel more comfortable discussing their needs, concerns and desires with their physicians.
Read the article:
http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=656106
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Supplements Under Attack by the FDA - Again
They keep trying to criminalize the vitamin industry and if current efforts move forward, they may succeed this time. And who are "they?" For one, the FDA, the Food and Drug Administration, along with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill), who has sponsored a bill in Congress that would drive this latest attack down our throats.
If that happens, all supplements formulated after 1994 will be required to undergo the FDA approval process, which typically takes years and costs millions of dollars to complete. That alone would put most vitamin companies out of business, which I believe is the purpose of this proposed legislation.
Since natural substances cannot be patented, there is no way the new requirements would ever lead to any approvals of nutritional supplements. This leaves only one alternative: a pharmaceutical industry takeover of all products, which would necessarily need to be artificial and synthetic.This is nothing short of a complete attack on every individual's ability, freedom and desire to be responsible for their own health.
A very good explanation of this can be found here:
http://www.anh-usa.org/dietary-supplement-labeling-act-a-huge-smokescreen/
If that happens, all supplements formulated after 1994 will be required to undergo the FDA approval process, which typically takes years and costs millions of dollars to complete. That alone would put most vitamin companies out of business, which I believe is the purpose of this proposed legislation.
Since natural substances cannot be patented, there is no way the new requirements would ever lead to any approvals of nutritional supplements. This leaves only one alternative: a pharmaceutical industry takeover of all products, which would necessarily need to be artificial and synthetic.This is nothing short of a complete attack on every individual's ability, freedom and desire to be responsible for their own health.
A very good explanation of this can be found here:
http://www.anh-usa.org/dietary-supplement-labeling-act-a-huge-smokescreen/
Thursday, March 31, 2011
What's up with Gluten-Free?
A lot of people have varying degrees of sensitivity to gluten, a protein found in certain grains, the best known being wheat. The problem can range from a mild intolerance to a major allergy, and even the dreaded Celiac Disease.
This is not a trifling problem, and has been around for a lot longer than many realize. Like other allergies, until it's recognized for what it is, sufferers have had to endure a variety of diagnoses and treatments, often ineffective. I am one of them.
Gluten intolerance wasn't even a topic of anyone's conversations over 20 years ago when I was suffering from an unknown condition that left me with severe stomach and gut pain after eating.
Allergy testing at the time didn't even include gluten, so I was diagnosed (provisionally) with an ulcer. But the usual treatments had no effect at all and I continued to suffer. At times, I was simply afraid to eat and would go for days without a meal.
Finally, a friend casually mentioned that it was ironic that he was a wheat farmer but was allergic to his product!
Once my condition came into focus then, I learned how to deal with it by controlling my diet. Unfortunately, though this condition is becoming better understood now, it's still considered extremely controversial, as the skeptics refuse to accept its existence.
For now, as with all alternative health options, it's up to each of us to do our own research and personal experimentation to find what works best.
I have a chapter on gluten intolerance in my book, Alternative Healing Choices, available as an ebook as well as a Kindle version.
You can also search the Internet for information by using the search term, "gluten free." Many web sites have sprung up on this important topic, and you can find everything you need to know, including recipes.
This is not a trifling problem, and has been around for a lot longer than many realize. Like other allergies, until it's recognized for what it is, sufferers have had to endure a variety of diagnoses and treatments, often ineffective. I am one of them.
Gluten intolerance wasn't even a topic of anyone's conversations over 20 years ago when I was suffering from an unknown condition that left me with severe stomach and gut pain after eating.
Allergy testing at the time didn't even include gluten, so I was diagnosed (provisionally) with an ulcer. But the usual treatments had no effect at all and I continued to suffer. At times, I was simply afraid to eat and would go for days without a meal.
Finally, a friend casually mentioned that it was ironic that he was a wheat farmer but was allergic to his product!
Once my condition came into focus then, I learned how to deal with it by controlling my diet. Unfortunately, though this condition is becoming better understood now, it's still considered extremely controversial, as the skeptics refuse to accept its existence.
For now, as with all alternative health options, it's up to each of us to do our own research and personal experimentation to find what works best.
I have a chapter on gluten intolerance in my book, Alternative Healing Choices, available as an ebook as well as a Kindle version.
You can also search the Internet for information by using the search term, "gluten free." Many web sites have sprung up on this important topic, and you can find everything you need to know, including recipes.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Becoming a Healthy Eater Shouldn't be an "Alternative"
Being a healthy eater requires you to become both educated and smart about what healthy eating actually is. Being food smart isn't about learning to calculate grams or fat, nor is it about studying labels and counting calories.
Healthy eating is all about balanced and moderate eating, consisting of healthy meals at least three times per day. Healthy eaters eat many different types of foods, not limiting themselves to one specific food type or food group.
Healthy eating is a way of life, something that you can do to enhance your body, your health, and your lifestyle, every day, not just during a "diet." If you've thought about making your life better, healthy eating is the place to start.
Healthy eating is all about balanced and moderate eating, consisting of healthy meals at least three times per day. Healthy eaters eat many different types of foods, not limiting themselves to one specific food type or food group.
Healthy eating is a way of life, something that you can do to enhance your body, your health, and your lifestyle, every day, not just during a "diet." If you've thought about making your life better, healthy eating is the place to start.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Fluoride Treatment... This Test Will Reveal if it's Harmful
As a parent, you want to do what is right for your child. Then why not trust your own eyes? Test the situation yourself.
If fluoridation is the correct thing to do, then this test will help to ease your fears. If it is not correct, this test may confirm that, too. In any case, living without fluoride for a week or even a month is not going to hurt anybody. If it is truly preventing cavities, your child will not suddenly develop even one due to the lack of fluoride for just one week, or even an entire month.
The test? By now you have probably figured it out: No flouride for at least a week.
To be certain that fluoride is removed as completely as possible from your diet, or your child's, be sure to monitor the diet religiously for the test period, whether you choose to try it for one week or one month.
Eliminate local drinking water and use either distilled water for drinking and cooking, or find bottled water which you are sure contains no fluoride. Also eliminate soda pop, fruit juices made from a concentrate, mouthwash, tea, fish, and of course, toothpaste. If you cannot find fluoride-free toothpaste, use baking soda.
Now watch your child closely for changes in personality, sleep habits, energy levels, appetite, mental acuity, skin condition, headaches, stomach aches, etc. Basically what you will be watching for is whether any problems disappear.
Don't start staring at your child on the first day. This could make them nervous and color your view of their reactions. Besides, it's too soon to notice anything. Wait a week, then stop and think about the above characteristics. If you are doing this for a month, take a look every week.
If you see absolutely no differences, then drop it and go back to what you were doing before. But watch to see if any changes occur then, too. If not, you may feel fluoride is not a threat in your life. Do what you feel is right.
But if you do see changes after eliminating the fluoride, it is possible this substance is responsible. To test that theory, return to the old routine and watch even more closely to see if symptoms return. If they do, remove the fluoride again. If they again disappear, you can be certain that fluoride is the culprit.
If you decide you now want to permanently eliminate fluoride from your lifestyle, you have to be diligent in selecting consumable products. It can be quite a challenge to find foods, drinks and oral hygiene products that do not contain fluoride.
Good luck.
If fluoridation is the correct thing to do, then this test will help to ease your fears. If it is not correct, this test may confirm that, too. In any case, living without fluoride for a week or even a month is not going to hurt anybody. If it is truly preventing cavities, your child will not suddenly develop even one due to the lack of fluoride for just one week, or even an entire month.
The test? By now you have probably figured it out: No flouride for at least a week.
To be certain that fluoride is removed as completely as possible from your diet, or your child's, be sure to monitor the diet religiously for the test period, whether you choose to try it for one week or one month.
Eliminate local drinking water and use either distilled water for drinking and cooking, or find bottled water which you are sure contains no fluoride. Also eliminate soda pop, fruit juices made from a concentrate, mouthwash, tea, fish, and of course, toothpaste. If you cannot find fluoride-free toothpaste, use baking soda.
Now watch your child closely for changes in personality, sleep habits, energy levels, appetite, mental acuity, skin condition, headaches, stomach aches, etc. Basically what you will be watching for is whether any problems disappear.
Don't start staring at your child on the first day. This could make them nervous and color your view of their reactions. Besides, it's too soon to notice anything. Wait a week, then stop and think about the above characteristics. If you are doing this for a month, take a look every week.
If you see absolutely no differences, then drop it and go back to what you were doing before. But watch to see if any changes occur then, too. If not, you may feel fluoride is not a threat in your life. Do what you feel is right.
But if you do see changes after eliminating the fluoride, it is possible this substance is responsible. To test that theory, return to the old routine and watch even more closely to see if symptoms return. If they do, remove the fluoride again. If they again disappear, you can be certain that fluoride is the culprit.
If you decide you now want to permanently eliminate fluoride from your lifestyle, you have to be diligent in selecting consumable products. It can be quite a challenge to find foods, drinks and oral hygiene products that do not contain fluoride.
Good luck.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Appendix Finally Found Useful?
The latest news is that the appendix, believed for centuries to be useless, is finally earning status as a real organ. It was a headline story on Yahoo news, just yesterday! (http://www.yahoo.com/s/1119597)
Researchers say they have identified certain potential functions of this "vestigial" organ, so classified by none other than Darwin himself, still revered as the father of the theory of evolution. And still revered as an authority! How many more of his theories must be debunked before that changes? Who knows... but that's another story, for another day, another web site, or another belief system. It doesn't matter.
The idea now is that the humble little appendix used to be more useful in days gone by to store bacteria that could help protect one's system in a world full of horrible infectious material... all cleaned up now, of course. (Believe that?)
The Industrial Revolution changed the world, and now, according to current thinking, we just don't have all that garbage around us, threatening our health. And in keeping with that idea, the appendix no longer has enough to do, so it sits quietly, doing little or nothing, until we might need its services. Trouble is, with its life of ease, it's become lazy and shrunken and now may not be up to the demand it used to handle, much like a healthy, well-muscled football player who has retired and gone flabby.
Well, this is just another chapter in the story of medical arrogance, in my opinion. As a chiropractor for more than 35 years, I can tell you that it's always been the opinion of most alternative health professionals that everything that appears in a normal, healthy body is there for a reason... even the appendix. Only medical arrogance proclaims uselessness when they can't explain something. In typical fashion, if the big shot docs can't find a function, then it doesn't exist.
Natural healers, on the other hand, don't know all the answers either, but we are content in knowing that everything is here for a reason, and as stewards of others' health, it is our responsibility to help our clients and patients recover and maintain their best health in order to foster their best functionality... even for organs and processes we may not fully comprehend.
The medical theories are full of holes, too. The assumption that our modern lifestyle has been cleaned up is a bit off the mark. How about those folks in Third World countries who are suffering because of poor sanitation due to Western influences that completely changed their native habitats? They contract some of the most horrific tropical diseases from being unprotected in environments that aren't exactly clean. I'll bet they have "useless" appendices, too. Or, why don't they have big fat busy ones?
When exactly did our lives become so easy? I know a lot of peole who aren't lying around sipping pina coladas and feeling so good. I hear there are still some slums in the big city, too.
Oh, life has changed, all right. Some things are worse... pollution, shrinking resources, adulterated food, chemical composites called food, genetically modified "food," enormous increases in drug use (legal or not), and adulteration of our internal and external environments with radiation and so-called remedial chemicals (such as fluoride).
None of those things have changed the basic condition of the appendix as we know it today. They might, in another 80 million years of evolution, but I don't think we're going to be here... unless our "leaders" stop ruining the planet. Again, another story, for another day....
But yes, the appendix is there for a reason. I knew that.
Researchers say they have identified certain potential functions of this "vestigial" organ, so classified by none other than Darwin himself, still revered as the father of the theory of evolution. And still revered as an authority! How many more of his theories must be debunked before that changes? Who knows... but that's another story, for another day, another web site, or another belief system. It doesn't matter.
The idea now is that the humble little appendix used to be more useful in days gone by to store bacteria that could help protect one's system in a world full of horrible infectious material... all cleaned up now, of course. (Believe that?)
The Industrial Revolution changed the world, and now, according to current thinking, we just don't have all that garbage around us, threatening our health. And in keeping with that idea, the appendix no longer has enough to do, so it sits quietly, doing little or nothing, until we might need its services. Trouble is, with its life of ease, it's become lazy and shrunken and now may not be up to the demand it used to handle, much like a healthy, well-muscled football player who has retired and gone flabby.
Well, this is just another chapter in the story of medical arrogance, in my opinion. As a chiropractor for more than 35 years, I can tell you that it's always been the opinion of most alternative health professionals that everything that appears in a normal, healthy body is there for a reason... even the appendix. Only medical arrogance proclaims uselessness when they can't explain something. In typical fashion, if the big shot docs can't find a function, then it doesn't exist.
Natural healers, on the other hand, don't know all the answers either, but we are content in knowing that everything is here for a reason, and as stewards of others' health, it is our responsibility to help our clients and patients recover and maintain their best health in order to foster their best functionality... even for organs and processes we may not fully comprehend.
The medical theories are full of holes, too. The assumption that our modern lifestyle has been cleaned up is a bit off the mark. How about those folks in Third World countries who are suffering because of poor sanitation due to Western influences that completely changed their native habitats? They contract some of the most horrific tropical diseases from being unprotected in environments that aren't exactly clean. I'll bet they have "useless" appendices, too. Or, why don't they have big fat busy ones?
When exactly did our lives become so easy? I know a lot of peole who aren't lying around sipping pina coladas and feeling so good. I hear there are still some slums in the big city, too.
Oh, life has changed, all right. Some things are worse... pollution, shrinking resources, adulterated food, chemical composites called food, genetically modified "food," enormous increases in drug use (legal or not), and adulteration of our internal and external environments with radiation and so-called remedial chemicals (such as fluoride).
None of those things have changed the basic condition of the appendix as we know it today. They might, in another 80 million years of evolution, but I don't think we're going to be here... unless our "leaders" stop ruining the planet. Again, another story, for another day....
But yes, the appendix is there for a reason. I knew that.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The Amazing Human Machine
The most amazing machinery in the world isn't a nuclear reactor, an electron microscope, or the next space vehicle. It is the human body.
We don't even have to know how it works for it to function correctly and smoothly... as long as we don't interfere with the normal processes that make life possible. If this weren't true, then human life would have died out with the cave man, if not sooner.
Now that a lot of time has passed and humans have become smarter, we do know a lot about our bodies.. how and why they work, and, especially important at times, how to fix them when necessary.
Unfortunately, along with that recent knowledge has come arrogance. People designated as "doctors" think they have all the answers and are the only humans among us who are qualified to fix each other. They even think they are the only ones who can, and should be allowed to, discuss human functionality. If a so-called "lay person" learns anatomy and physiology from a book, it's not good enough. Only "real" doctors can read medical books and understand them. Didn't you know that?
Learning about the body doesn't make it function; however, "doctors" want to have that control. God-like creatures that they think they are, they *must* exert this control and squash anyone who threatens or questions it.
The body is a self-repairing, self-aligning organism that can take care of a wide array of problems that occur while moving about through our different environments.
Break a bone... it knits back together. We can help that process by making sure the ends are aligned and that the area is immobilized during the healing process, but we can't make the cells do what they must do. We can stop them, and people often do, but the healing function is automatic, and internal.
Running a fever? Time to "burn off" a germ, perhaps. It's the built-in, natural way to do that. There weren't any anti-inflammatory berry bushes around during the early days of our kind. Or perhaps there were. It's probably lost information now, though.
The point is that our bodies can and do, and always have been able to, heal themselves, whether we know what we're doing or not. In fact, not knowing can be the best approach, so we don't get in our own way to restore our health. History is replete with stories, now laughable, of "experts" of the times inflicting popular remedies of the day that resulted only in hastening one's death. Sadly, that still happens.
The problem now is that humans have gotten so smart they think they know it all and have decided that any expression of healing has to be stopped. Why? Because they are so smart they interpret some healing activity as disease or sickness.
Why aren't we allowed to have a fever? Why can't muscle spasms be handled correctly? And lord help you if you sneeze.
To get a feel for how bad this has become, just watch television commercials. No matter how one feels, there is a drug for it, along with a brand new name for the condition to give it credence and official status as a disease.
Even feeling too good must be a disease, as they have drugs for that, too. It was called manic-depressive in the old days, now known as bipolar disease. Too happy? Take this drug. Depressed? Take this drug.
Legs feel restless? Here's a drug.
Sneezing is a very normal bodily response to clear respiratory passages, but sneezing is not allowed anymore. It's not bad enough that you need to be blessed to survive one, but nowadays, sneezing is considered the onset of a cold or something worse... but who knows what? Kill it before it multiplies.
Coughing? Not allowed. Headaches? Not allowed. Never mind that they are symptoms of an underlying condition. Turn off the alarms to put out the fire?
You're only allowed to live a dull, lifeless, robotic physical existence. Anything less or more requires a drug.
We don't even have to know how it works for it to function correctly and smoothly... as long as we don't interfere with the normal processes that make life possible. If this weren't true, then human life would have died out with the cave man, if not sooner.
Now that a lot of time has passed and humans have become smarter, we do know a lot about our bodies.. how and why they work, and, especially important at times, how to fix them when necessary.
Unfortunately, along with that recent knowledge has come arrogance. People designated as "doctors" think they have all the answers and are the only humans among us who are qualified to fix each other. They even think they are the only ones who can, and should be allowed to, discuss human functionality. If a so-called "lay person" learns anatomy and physiology from a book, it's not good enough. Only "real" doctors can read medical books and understand them. Didn't you know that?
Learning about the body doesn't make it function; however, "doctors" want to have that control. God-like creatures that they think they are, they *must* exert this control and squash anyone who threatens or questions it.
The body is a self-repairing, self-aligning organism that can take care of a wide array of problems that occur while moving about through our different environments.
Break a bone... it knits back together. We can help that process by making sure the ends are aligned and that the area is immobilized during the healing process, but we can't make the cells do what they must do. We can stop them, and people often do, but the healing function is automatic, and internal.
Running a fever? Time to "burn off" a germ, perhaps. It's the built-in, natural way to do that. There weren't any anti-inflammatory berry bushes around during the early days of our kind. Or perhaps there were. It's probably lost information now, though.
The point is that our bodies can and do, and always have been able to, heal themselves, whether we know what we're doing or not. In fact, not knowing can be the best approach, so we don't get in our own way to restore our health. History is replete with stories, now laughable, of "experts" of the times inflicting popular remedies of the day that resulted only in hastening one's death. Sadly, that still happens.
The problem now is that humans have gotten so smart they think they know it all and have decided that any expression of healing has to be stopped. Why? Because they are so smart they interpret some healing activity as disease or sickness.
Why aren't we allowed to have a fever? Why can't muscle spasms be handled correctly? And lord help you if you sneeze.
To get a feel for how bad this has become, just watch television commercials. No matter how one feels, there is a drug for it, along with a brand new name for the condition to give it credence and official status as a disease.
Even feeling too good must be a disease, as they have drugs for that, too. It was called manic-depressive in the old days, now known as bipolar disease. Too happy? Take this drug. Depressed? Take this drug.
Legs feel restless? Here's a drug.
Sneezing is a very normal bodily response to clear respiratory passages, but sneezing is not allowed anymore. It's not bad enough that you need to be blessed to survive one, but nowadays, sneezing is considered the onset of a cold or something worse... but who knows what? Kill it before it multiplies.
Coughing? Not allowed. Headaches? Not allowed. Never mind that they are symptoms of an underlying condition. Turn off the alarms to put out the fire?
You're only allowed to live a dull, lifeless, robotic physical existence. Anything less or more requires a drug.
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