Herbal Medicine Center

Archive for January, 2010

From relaxation and relieving stress to warding off chronic pain, the benefits of massage therapy are great.

As people grow older they realize how effective massage therapy is for treating various conditions. As the body ages muscle tightness and pain occur. Many people find that they wake up in the morning with stiff joints, tense muscles, and back pain. Massage therapy is a wonderful remedy for these ailments.

But you do not have to be getting on in years to enjoy these remedies. No matter what your age, you will find that there are many benefits available through massage therapy, but those who are older and suffer from chronic pain will especially enjoy the relief found in massage.

As people grow older they soon realize that they cannot handle the same level of activity that they enjoyed in their younger years. Massage therapy can be very effective when people have strained or stressed their muscles through exercise.

Whether it is walking, jogging, or playing tennis a therapeutic massage can help increase blood flow, speed healing, and help the body to recover quickly.

Sometimes scar tissue may be the source of the problem. If so, a massage therapist can work wonders.

Consult with your health care provider and find out if massage therapy can help with your physical ailments.

Another wonderful benefit found in massage therapy is that it helps the spine and other joints increase in flexibility. Flexibility has said to be the key to youth. As people grow older and lose the ability to stretch, reach, or touch their toes they tend to become less active. This creates a cycle where stiffness sets in and as a result, the person moves less. By using massage therapy, the muscles and joints become relaxed and flexibility increases. This is an important aspect of remaining in good health.

With the regular practice of massage, blood flow increases and circulation is improved. This has a wonderful effect on the muscles in general but it also helps to promote healing.

People who experience chronic pain due to conditions such as Arthritis or Bursitis or just sore muscles due to daily activities report great results from daily massage.

It is important to realize that relaxation is the key to a successful massage. If it is your first visit to a massage therapist, you may feel nervous or anxious. These emotions will be counterproductive to your massage.

You must take steps to relax and let the massage therapist work their magic. If this means practicing techniques such as deep breathing before the massage, then you should do it.

You will also find that your mind may wander during the massage. That is perfectly okay. You should do your best to put aside any stressful thoughts during your massage. This is not the time to work out your bills or try to figure out new work strategies.

By taking steps to relax before and during the massage you will derive greater benefits. Once the massage is completed it will be well worth the results.

James Thomas is co-founder of Touch Of Aloha. An organization dedicated to teaching Lomi Lomi, Hot Stone Massage and Spa Therapies.

Herbal medicine is becoming a popular option among many individuals. More and more people are starting to consider the dangerous consequences of subjecting the body to chemicals that are used in prescription and over-the-counter medications. The natural approach to health is quickly emerging as a popular trend among those that place value in their health. There are many different choices when it comes to herbal medicine. Throughout this article, you will be briefly introduced to the various options that you have that are considered to be natural.

While it is true that prescriptions and over-the-counter medications do contain chemicals and compounds that may prove to be potentially dangerous to the body, it is essential to understand that the Federal Drug Administration, or FDA, has approved these treatments. When weighing the consequences to the benefits of the individual that partakes in these treatments, this drug enforcement agency has determined that the benefits are more productive than the consequences that may occur as a direct result of engaging in these treatments. You should know and understand that many herbal medicines have yet to be approved.

If you are considering implementing the use of herbal medicine, it is essential that you allow your doctor to play a role in your decision. While herbal remedies and treatments are natural, we have all heard the saying too much of a good thing, can be bad for you. This is especially true when using herb based medicines. There are side effects and consequences that may result from consuming these medications. Basic caution and using these medicines in moderation is considered to be the most appropriate course of action.

1. Massage Oils – There are a number of herbal medicines that are marketed as massage oils. These oils often contain aromatherapy benefits that can help to reduce pain and tension in various areas of the body. In addition to this, massage oils play a large role in assisting the body in the area of simple circulation and relaxation. Many different types of essential oils are used to create these types of medicine. If you are prone to allergies, or have a skin condition, it is important to use these items cautiously.

2. Supplements – Naturally, many medicines that are herb based are created into capsule supplements. While it is rare to discover pure herbs in this form, supplements can be a very effective means of introducing the body to herbal ingredients, vitamins, and various types of minerals that are essential to good health. The main concern to this type of remedy is that these supplements may not interact well with individuals who take other types of medications, or have allergies.

3. Teas – Many herbs are used in the creation of teas in order to benefit the health of an individual. It is not uncommon for individuals who suffer from anxiety to experiment with chamomile and/or catnip tea. It is important to make certain that you understand the precautions associated with the herbs that you elect to use in creating beverages to be consumed prior to actually consuming them.

4. Whole & Raw – Many individuals elect to bypass all the technicalities and go directly for whole herbs and consume them raw. While there is the advantage that the body receives the full amount of benefits from these herbs, it is also possible that the body may receive too much.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are a number of herb type medicines that can be used by those who seek natural remedies. However, prior to ingesting herbs in any form and of any type, it is essential to include your doctor in on the decision and to be certain that you know and understand the complications that may result as a direct impact of your decision.

Gaetane Ross is a Certified Natural Health Consultant who has spent over 4 years focusing on Nutrition and Health. She also specializes in Alternative Medicine, Spiritual Healing and Healthy Lifestyle.

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You may not believe it, but stevia’s main extract, stevioside is about 300 times as sweet as table sugar. Even its dried leaves are at least 30 times sweeter than sugar. What is extremely surprising is that Stevia has no calories, no carbs, no synthetic sweeteners like saccharin or aspartame (better known as Equal and NutraSweet) and no adverse effects on diabetics. More than that, many claim that it possessed several beneficial medicinal properties, although scientific studies have yet to confirm and evaluate such claims.

Origins of Stevia
Stevia is a native of two South American countries Paraguay and Brazil. For hundreds of years, people there used it to sweeten their beverages. Now several countries in the Far East, Asia and South East Asia are cultivating and using it for similar uses. China is presently its largest producer and Japan is using it extensively in its pickles and in various other food products for sweetening. Japanese diet coke has stevia sweetening it. Several other countries like Thailand, Malaysia and India are also cultivating the herb and using it.

Use of Stevia in the US
The Food and Drug Administration of the United States has approved it only as a dietary supplement and not yet as a food additive. It does not allow any mention of the sweetening aspect of Stevia on the packing label or in ads. There is a lot of controversy on the FDA stance. Stevia is safe because FDA has approved it as a dietary supplement. Do FDA authorities consider it unsafe when it comes to approving Stevia as a food additive? What is their logic? Does it have anything to do with the lobbying of the powerful sugar industry against Stevia? Logic or no logic, Canada and the European Union are one with the US in not allowing Stevia as a food additive. Australia and Singapore are no different.

In all these countries, while you will not hear much about many of the proven toxic effects or other known side effects of the widespread use of artificial sweeteners, you will find a lot of opposition to stevia, although based on insufficient data.

Toxicologists and other scientists have many unresolved concerns regarding Stevia. There are some studies on animals, which indicate that stevia inhibits sperm-production in males and, because of it, females produce smaller babies. There are worries about the cancer-producing properties of some stevia-derivatives. Besides, there are suspicions that the herb adversely affects metabolism. Nevertheless, in all these cases, you cannot get any conclusive proof. Most of these claims are based on hearsay and are really meaningless.

For years scientists claimed that Nutrasweet was carcinogenic, however, what they didn’t tell you was that test were done on lab rats by injecting them with the equivalent of dozens of servings of it per day.

Waiting for approval
In the meantime, look at the several benefits that the people using stevia have been enjoying. This natural herb, they say, is safe beyond any doubt whatsoever. It is non-toxic. Its use does not add calories to your body. On the contrary, they believe it reduces obesity/weight, as it lowers their level of craving for sweets. It prevents tooth-decay.

Both diabetics and hypoglycemics contend that stevia balances their blood-sugar levels. It improves metabolism. More than anything else, stevia beats artificial sweeteners hands down in that it does not carry any of their many known risks or side effects that those in power have conveniently ignored.

Visit my Alternative Health Medicine site at:
http://YourAlternativeHealthMedicine.com for info on many types of alternative health medicine. For more articles on alternative remedies visit: http://YourAlternativeHealthMedicine.com/AHMblog

The benefits of using hoodia in order to lose weight have gained more interest over the last few years. When compared to some of the health foods and dietary supplements currently being sold in drugstores, hoodia is generally more accepted and said to have more health benefits. The biggest plus that people turn to hoodia pills for is their ability to decrease your appetite, which means that you don’t eat as much or even want to eat as much. This decrease in caloric intake thus leads to losing weight.

However, Hoodia claims to be different from the usual appetite suppressants in that they will keep you healthy and give you plenty of energy at the same time. Most people who use appetites suppressants report to have a severe loss in energy. If the hoodia is pure then there are no harmful side effects because Hoodia contains no harmful stimulates like many manufactured appetite suppressants.

Hoodia has been used in Africa for many years and is considered to be a food there, there are no real adverse effects to taking hoodia in its pure form, it is only when mixed with other substances that there could be problems.

One of the biggest problems is where you purchase the hoodia from. There are many websites offering hoodia to buy cheaply online. However pure hoodia is expensive so you should be very wary of anyone who is offering hoodia cheaply as in the majority of cases the product contains very little hoodia or it contains a type of hoodia that does not help suppress appetite.

While Hoodia has undergone some research it hasn’t been conclusive. However very few herbal remedies are tested and so whether they actually work or not is often debated. Hoodia seems to fall into the same category although some tests have said that there are no real bad side effects from taking it. In some cases, people have reported that it acts as an aphrodisiac and may even some people a slight buzz.

Hoodia is a relatively new product that is used for suppressing the appetite and thirst. However, there are around 30 different types of hoodia and only hoodia Gordonii will suppress the appetite. While hoodia is regarded as a safe way of suppressing the appetite and thousands have claimed that it is effective; if you are considering taking any form of alternative herbal remedy then you should always consult your doctor.

You should also be aware that some products that are sold which claim to be hoodia, do in fact have very little of the product in it. You should always check to make sure that the product is 100% hoodia; pure hoodia is expensive so besides not wanting to take the additives that are in some of the products, you will also be paying more than you should.

If you wish to purchase hoodia then make sure you buy from a reputable herbal supplement store or an online store that deals solely in hoodia supplements. All products should have clear labeling which allows you to tell if you are indeed purchasing hoodia in its pure form or if hoodia is just one of several ingredients in the product.

Visit my Alternative Health Medicine site at: http://YourAlternativeHealthMedicine.com for info on many types of alternative health medicine. For more articles on Hoodia and other alternative remedies visit: http://YourAlternativeHealthMedicine.com/AHMblog

We all know how nice it can be to have our bodies touched and rubbed. A massage therapist is a person who has been trained to provide this type of pleasure in a concentrated and therapeutic way. Massage therapy can loosen up tight muscles in order to alleviate pain, to stimulate the immune system, and to reduce the effects of chronic stress. It is interesting to understand the origins of this practice so that we can see the theoretical foundations of the experiences that we enjoy in the modern day.

Nearly every ancient culture had a term for “massage” and a tradition of rubbing and kneading the flesh for therapeutic benefit. Throughout recorded history, people have experimented with and found effective means for healing the body through direct manipulation of its soft tissues, including not only the muscles and connective tissues but also the lymphatic vessels and the body’s deep organ tissues.

Each culture has had its own distinctive tradition of massage therapy. The ancient Hebrews mentioned massage in the Bible in around 493 BC, talking about how even at that early date they were making use of regular massage as a way of maintaining a healthy and beautiful physical appearance. The famous Greek natural philosopher Hippocrates, after whom the Hippocratic oath of modern physicians is modeled, wrote about how important it is that a physician be experienced with the art of purposeful rubbing. The legendary “Yellow Emporer” of ancient China, who is considered the inventor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, recommended massage of the skin and deep tissues as an integral partof his developing medical philosophy.

You can see that the roots of all eastern and western systems of medicine developed around the inclusion of not only chemical treatments for illnesses, but also the use of massage to stimulate the body’s own natural healing capacities. We now know that massage activates the lymphic system in order to help the body clear out waste and infectious material, and well as improving circulation which aids in delivering immune cells to the sites where they are needed.

Furthermore, it is interesting and important to note that the focus of ancient medicine was not strictly ameliorative in any of the major medical traditions that precursored today’s medicinal systems. Instead, preventative medicine was a major part of the medical philosophies. It was almost universally recognized in ancient times that healthy-looking and healthy-feeling people are almost assuredly more healthy, and so the promotion of beauty and happiness were considered extremely important for a long and lustrous life. It is fortunate that modern medicine is beginning to rediscover this basic truth.

Dallas helps people find tantra Chicago massage therapy services by compiling in-depth Chicago tantra massage parlor reviews. Stop by the Chicago Massagerie for information about all types of therapeutic and recreational massage services in your Chicago neighborhood or suburb.