Simple and Natural Alternative Health Treatments

Generally, there are two reasons why people seek out for alternative medicine. First, they want to add a natural supplement to their diet so they can improve their health. For example, people can take herbal medicine or use detox foot pads. And second, people seek out for alternative medicine because western medicine is not curing their health condition. Holistic health and alternative medicine are increasingly becoming popular and let’s look at some natural and simple alternative health treatments being used today.

The most popular alternative health treatments might not come as a surprise to you since you might know what they are or have friends who use them. The five most common alternative health treatments are hypnosis, yoga and meditation, herbal medicine, acupuncture and massage. Yoga is a very common treatment and people do yoga to relax their muscle and reduce stress. Continue to read below on the benefits and effect of using each treatment.

Hypnosis has been found to help patients stop smoking, lose weight, treat insomnia, stress relief, pain management, headaches, dental pain and childbirth. How does it work? A hypnotist will guide a patient’s consciousness, and then make subtle suggestions to help the patient improve their health and well-being. Scientists have found that the process of hypnosis creates a biological reaction to the body such as stimulating the nervous system.

Most people incorporate yoga and meditation together because it maximizes the effectiveness of relaxing and calming the body. Yoga helps stretches the muscle and improve your flexibility and circulation. Also, studies have showed that yoga helps reduce stress, ease depression and control high blood pressure. On the other hand, meditation has also showed to help improve asthma, pain and high blood pressure symptoms in addition to help reduce stress and ease depression.

Natural supplements are the most widely used alternative treatment in the United States. Vitamins and nutritional supplements have their roots in ancient Chinese medicine. Although there are thousands of Chinese herbal medicine supplements not regulated by the U.S., some well-established studies showed the support uses of herbal medicine. For example fish oil is proven to reduce your risk of heart disease, and may also help treat arthritis and depression.

Acupuncture might look painful to many people but most use it to help reduce pain, respiratory and digestive disorders. Acupuncture is also recommended to patients suffering from fibromyalgia, nausea, back pain or headaches. How does it work? An acupuncturist uses thin needles to control the body's natural energy flow, or qi. A trained practitioner inserts these needles into more than 400 specific points on the body to redirect qi to cure or prevent certain medical conditions.

Massages have become a normal alternative treatment to help ease pain and tension in the muscle. The University of Miami have showed studies that massages have helped improve immune function in HIV patients after massage therapy and other cancer treatment symptoms. It is also common to see athletes to receive massage treatments to help relieve muscle soreness, speed recoveries and may even improve performance.

(Source: http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/10-most-popular-alternative-medicine-treatments.htm)

According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 21 million people in the United States have diabetes and about 90 to 95% have type 2 diabetes. Sugar or glucose is the main fuel for body cells and the hormone insulin allows glucose to enter the body cells. For type 2 diabetes, the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or cells are resistant to insulin. So if glucose is built up in the blood then your body cells are deprived of energy. High blood sugar level can cause damage to the eyes, heart, kidneys, or nerves. If you know anyone who has diabetes or on the borderline to have diabetes, here are five natural remedies that may them.

There many types of ginseng and studies have shown that North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) may lower blood sugar levels. According to traditional Chinese medicine, each type of ginseng is used for different healing purposes. For example, the Panax ginseng possesses "heating" properties, which help to improve circulation of the blood stream in the body.

There are a couple studies proving that cinnamon improves blood glucose control in people with type 2 diabetes. In one of the studies, 60 people with type 2 diabetes were divided into six groups. Three groups took 1, 3, or 6 g of cinnamon a day while the rest took 1, 3 or 6 g of placebo capsules. After 40 days, people who took doses of cinnamon saw significant reduced level of fasting blood glucose triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol.

Most people know that aloe vera help soothe sunburns and other skin conditions but a Japanese study have found that it lowers blood sugar level. Although there are studies shown that it can help lower blood sugar level, we still need to be cautious when using it. Aloe taken orally may cause blood sugar levels to become too low, especially if combined with blood sugar medications.

Vanadium is a mineral found in soil and many foods. Vanadium has been found to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce blood sugar. It appears to mimic many of the actions of insulin in the body. It is not recommended for people to use vanadium without consulting their healthcare provider because the dose needed to affect blood glucose levels can be potentially toxic.

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Chromium helps body cells properly respond to insulin and plays an important role in carbohydrate and fat metabolism. There have been studies showing that people with diabetes have low levels of chromium. For example, a small study published in the journal Diabetes Care compared the diabetes medication sulfonylurea with and without chromium. After 6 months, people who did not take chromium have increased in body weight, body fat, and abdominal fat, whereas people taking the chromium had improvements in insulin respond.

(Source: http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/conditionsatod/a/Diabetes.htm)