The Better and Healthy You
. There are two main types of herbal remedies that are commonly used, these are "food herbs" and are generally eaten as part of the diet and are mainly used for prevention of disease and illness and maintenance. "Medicinal herbs" are usually prescribed by a Doctor of Chinese medicine and are specially prepared for the patient based on the individuals needs. The formula is made up from the patient's medical condition, the environment and the constitution of the person. Medicinal herbs are usually given alongside acupuncture treatment and used in conjunction with the "re-balancing" effects of acupuncture treatment.
The benefits of Chinese medicine are numerous and is has been thought to have helped many physical conditions along with affective disorders and increases mental clarity, here are just a few of the conditions it has been known to successfully treat.
* Sinusitis, bronchitis and asthma
* Conjunctivitis and cataracts
* Stroke, sciatica and osteoarthritis
* Faster recovery from injury
* Improved circulation
* Relief from stress and anxiety
* Relief from pain
* Strengthening of the immune system
* Addictions, phobias and eating disorders
Improve Your Health with Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy, a term created in 1920, involves the use of essential oils that are compounds in their purist state. The oils are concentrated liquids derived from plants through a variety of means: distillation, solvent extraction or expression processing. And the resulting oils are then used as treatment for a variety of ailments and healing.
Aromatherapy was actually coined because of Mr. Rene Maurice Gattefosse. While he was conducting research about how oils might aid healing, his arm caught fire and subsequently poured lavender oil onto it by accidental, which in turn caused the arm to heal faster, leaving no scar. Since that time, many have delved into how aromatherapy can help with physical and emotional healing.
Popular Uses
Some common uses for aromatherapy oils are as scents for homes and offices to help trigger relaxing feelings from occupants and to also help get rid of unwanted smells and germs. For example, lighting candles and burning wax chips made with aromatherapy oils can help rid a kitchen of smelly fried onion and other food smells.
A light fragrance can help welcome people home after a long day at the office. Popular scents are bergamot, eucalyptus, lavender, jasmine and rose.
Some of the oils can help fight bacteria, like lavender oil. And others, like camphor and menthol can help increase your metabolism and endocrine system, improve your central nervous system and boost your immune system to fight colds.
Other aromatherapy oils are used for massage treatments, too. Absorbed by the skin and muscles, the oils activate thermal receptors that result in warm relaxing feelings and calmness in the muscle groups.
And still other aromatherapy oils are used as topical aids to aid in the destruction of microbes and other fungi; the oils are simply applied to the skin. And other oils are taken internally where they can help improve antiseptic activity, stimulate your immune system and work as a diuretic aid.
Safety Precautions
When deciding about the uses of aromatherapy for your ailments and healing, use the following guidelines as precautionary measures:
* Pure essential aromatherapy oils can be very strong and harmful to animals, children and you. So check labels carefully before using aromatherapy products, and consult your healthcare provider if needed. And do not use in pure oils undiluted on your skin.
* Do not use aromatherapy oils if you are pregnant, or have epilepsy or asthma.
* Test the ingredients and sample a drop or two first to check for allergic reactions.
* Only use aromatherapy oils in small amounts as they can cause burning of the eyes and other negative reactions.
How to Cure Depression without Drugs
On the face of it, this question of trying to cure depression without drugs seems to be futile, especially these days when most people have gotten used to the idea of being treated with prescriptions drugs. But many people are successfully turning away from prescription drugs and finding alternative methods of treatment - without drugs. Those suffering from depression, too, are taking recourse to drugless therapies, which generally do not cause any side-effects and are typically much more economical.
Low light blues
Depending upon the cause of your depression, you will need to choose an appropriate type of therapy. If your depressive disorder manifests itself in winter, when days are short and daylight is sparse, you may effectively make use of phototherapy. Bright light therapy, or blue light therapy, given with the help of a light box, is believed to reduce or remove the cause of this type of depression.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy will be helpful in cases in which psychological factors like skewed thought patterns are identified to have caused depression. In such cases, psychotherapy or counseling will work better if there is good understanding and a solid rapport between the counselor and the patient. Depending on the severity of the disorder, long and frequent counseling sessions may be necessary due to the patient's distorted thought patterns. Thought patterns, personal relationships, and low self-esteem must be corrected. Self-loathing has to be converted onto self-love and stress has to be lowered
