Natural and alternative medicines have been around for centuries.
Ancient cultures have used herbs for healing for centuries.
Wisdom Of The Ancients - Rediscovered
When you are ill, you
normally go to see your doctor. The doctor will then diagnosis your
ailment, and then prescribe the medications that will hopefully get you
well. This is how the health profession works on a day to day basis.
However, if someone were to prescribe you herbs instead of medicines,
you would probably label that person a quack. But now, studies are
being conducted to see if there really are any merits to what is called
natural medicine.
Natural medicine is the use of natural methods, such as herbal
medicines, and traditional practices to heal ailments. Every culture
has some form of natural medicine. In many ancient cultures, village
medicine men served as the doctors of the community, passing on medical
knowledge to their apprentices that followed them.
Many categories of the healing methods fall under natural medicine.
Among these are traditional medicine, complementary medicine, and
alternative medicine. Usually, natural medicine refers to medical
practices that were in place before the advent of modern medicine. This
includes herbal medicine, orphytotherapy, which is prevalent in
Chinese, Ayurvedic(or Indian), and Greek medicine.
After the birth of modern medicine, many professionals discarded the
use of herbs in favor of man-made medicine. The fact that these
treatments are based on the healing properties of some herbs was
forgotten. For example, opium, digitalis, quinine, and aspirin all have
their roots in traditional medicine.
Natural medicine can be considered as a lost art. This does not mean
that it has lost efficacy over time. In some cases, natural therapy is
actually more effective than modern medicine. This leads some doctors
to seriously consider and study the possible uses of natural medicine.
Before we continue, it is important to stress that not all the natural
remedies are legitimate. It is best to only use those remedies that
have been thoroughly tried and tested.
Take herbal medicine for example. There are many well-documented and
studied herbal remedies available. However, only those that deal with
minor ailments such as cough, colds, fever, skin rashes, and their
like, are likely to be recommended by health professionals. These
remedies are sometimes superior to synthetic medicine. This is because
herbal medicines are less likely to cause negative side effects.
Currently there are numerous organizations that study the effects and
advocacy of natural medicine – among which is herbal medicine. Some
governments and health agencies openly advocate the use of natural
methods since they are inexpensive and relatively risk-free. As they
continue to compile these studies, more herbs and treatments are added
to the list of accepted medicines. However, many herbs and treatments
have been proven to be bogus medicines. This represents a challenge for
both the user and the agencies because they have to ascertain that the
treatments they either use or advocate are legitimate.
There are many alternative medical treatments that fall under the
heading of natural medicine. However, not all of them have been proven
to be effective. You could mention homeopathy, aromatherapy,
acupuncture, and other alternative medical treatments. It would pay to
consult the experts as to the legitimacy of these treatments.
Natural medicine should also be thought of as an accompanying medicine.
Right now, the current collective medical thought suggests that natural
medicine be used only to supplement accepted modern medical practices.
In the case of some minor ailments your doctor will actually advise you
to take natural therapies instead.
The practice of modern medicine revolves around diagnosing an illness
and prescribing treatments for such. Natural medicine is helpful
because it suggests that treatment can be given any time, not just when
your sick. The goal natural medicine strives for is to make each
patient practice good health habits. These habits include a healthy
diet, exercise, and regular natural treatments. It is this same line of
thought that leads our parents to tell us to eat our vegetables. Yes,
it is the foundation of a healthy lifestyle and will do no harm to our
well-being. And this is also the foundation of natural medicine – be it
massage, herbal medicine, aromatherapy or others.
It is funny but true that science, in its quest for excellence, is
studying the knowledge of ages past. This, surprisingly, leads us back
to the remedies nature, it's self, offers. The possibilities of finding
remedies to everyday illnesses in natural medicine are encouraging. So
staying tuned to these studies about natural remedies is worthwhile;
until we can verify that these therapies are truly helpful to our
health and our society.
By: Neil Harper
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If
ancient civilization can use natural remedies for healing, why can't
we? Even though a lot of doctors disagree on the use of alternative
treatments and remedies, studies have shown many benefits to using
herbs and natural remedies to both treat and prevent ailments.
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