A very overlooked subject sometimes is Women's Health. Alternative
Treatments also have much to offer women for their health and well being
the natural way.
The female body is one of nature’s most wonderful and complex
creations. It is the origin of all human life. A woman’s journey in life
is punctuated by many milestones; childhood, puberty, pregnancy,
childbirth, motherhood, and menopause. The reproductive organs
specifically, mature during puberty, the stage where a girl becomes a
woman and menstruation begins.
A woman menstruates an average of five hundred times during her
life, and when she reaches menopause, there is a cessation of all
menstrual bleeding. Because women are healthier now, menopause can no
longer be indicative of the onset of old age. Nowadays, women can even
expect to live a third of their lives following menopause.
Women's health care focuses on helping women maintain optimal health
as their reproductive system develops and mature. Alternative
medicine's aim is to educate women in preventative steps for maintaining
overall health, as well as providing natural treatments for symptoms
and diseases related to hormonal and physiological imbalances.
Women's diseases are those involving the female reproductive system
and its parts, areas, and accessory organs in a woman's body. Women of
various age can have these diseases but generally middle aged women
mostly suffer from them.
There are many hormonal and endocrine problems like thyroid problems
which are mainly found in women, though the male population is not
absolutely immune. Women suffering from female specific hormone problems
generally have various similar symptoms such as menstrual periods at
the improper time, stopped menstruation or menstruation accompanied by
pain, increased or decreased amounts of bleeding during menstruation,
backache during the period, headaches, loss of appetite and even
depression.
Many diseases that affect women at 80% of the population may
include, breast problems including cancer of the breast, irregular
periods, pre menstrual syndrome / PMS, menopause issues, polycystic
ovaries, endometriosis, fibroids, amenoorhea, dysmenorrhea, uterus
prolapse, infertility, heavy periods, ovarian cysts / cystitis, sex
organ infections, and painful periods.
Other related diseases like bladder infection and urinary track
infection, bacterial vaginitis, gardnerella, and sex organ yeast
infection etc.
These issues may cause various symptoms that irritate or are
painful, and this varies from individual to individual depending on the
problem or disease. As often symptoms may appear similar, a proper
diagnoses is necessary in order to diagnose the problem and appropriate
treatment.
For example, bacterial vaginitis, or gardnerella, involve change in
color, smell, amount, and consistency of the discharge. This usually
develops post intercourse, then causes painful intercourse and urination
as well as itching. Meanwhile Vaginitis may involve frequent, moist sex
organ discharges, odor, vulval or sex organ itching, burning or
irritation, and painful urination. There's an overlap and similarity to
be seen for sure.
Being susceptible to vaginitis. May result from overusing
antibiotics, diabetes, pregnancy, oral contraceptives, obesity, improper
and excessive douching, B vitamin lack, thinning of the sex organ wall
from menopause, and abrasions or cuts to the genitalia.
Yeast infection is caused by candida albicans fungus. Besides for on the organ, this fungus can be found in the mouth, digestive track or
even on the skin or toes.
Amenorrhea, is absence of menstruation,. It is among women's issues
that bother women quite frequently. PMS / Premenstrual Syndrome
describes physical and behavioral changes that happen to most women
seven to ten days before the monthly period.
Main symptoms are retention of water, gaining weight, bloating
especially the abdomen, tenderness of the breasts, headaches, swelling
of the feet and hands, constipation, depression, being irritable,
anxiety, mood swings, tension, sex drive change, and concentration
issues. Once the period actually begins these recurring monthly symptoms
seem to ebb and decrease.
Breast cancer is a disease found in many and various areas of the
world. It is the 2nd most common type of cancer after lung cancer and
the 5th most common cause of cancer deaths. It is a hundred times more
frequent among women than in men.
Osteoporosis is more prevalent in women over the age of sixty, often
after menopause and as a result of female hormonal changes especially
estrogen. Osteoperosis is caused by low amounts of calcium and phosphate
in the bones, making them porous, brittle causing them to break. Though
often not totally understood, it is known that lack of calcium while
developing in childhood, inactivity / sedentary lifestyle, and decreased
levels of estrogen are risk factors connected to Osteoperosis.
Conventional medicine for women's issues often uses surgery and
other invasive medical procedures to deal with common physiological
functions, like the hormonal imbalances experienced during menopause.
Women's health may be treated with alternative medicine resulting in
long term positive effects. The unique approach of Alternative medicine
helps women with different sorts of gynecological, urological issues,
and pelvic pain, receive a thorough treatment protocol for their health
concerns.
Natural means to treat these issues may involve approaches in
nutrition / diet, botanicals, herbs, homeopathic medicine, Ayurvedic
medicine, acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, massage and
different types of body based work, hydro therapy and counseling.
The
natural practitioner when diagnosing, seeks out the underlying cause of
illness and zooms in on how to stimulate the body's own healing
abilities. The real goal is to treat in a preventative fashion, helping
to avoid the symptoms from cropping up again now and at a later time as
well.
Also, since natural / alternative medicine stems from a holistic
view of the patient's health, each treatment approach respects the deep
connection between mind and body. Yoga and other exercise
classes have also been initiated to teach women with pelvic pain how to
benefit from yoga postures, pelvic exercises, breathing techniques, and
meditations / visualizations, for pelvic health.
In some cases progesterone therapy or other forms of natural hormone replacement therapy are effective. Mainly though, diet, vitamin and mineral supplements,
exercise, stress management and various holistic approaches help women
regain their good health and maintain their overall well being.
A good diet for example for PMS includes fresh fruits, vegetables,
whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and fish. Bioflavonoids and foods
high in phytoestrogens are also highly recommended, as many Asian and
African cultures which feature foods high in these vital nutrients, have
lower rates of breast cancer, very few menopause symptoms, and do not
tend to have transition problems, since the modulating effects of
bioflavonoids are beneficial for menopause.
The simple importance of diet, nutrition, and exercise overall can
be seen by the fact that many women with polycystic ovary syndrome are
insulin resistant, which impairs the body's ability to effectively use
insulin. Obesity can make insulin resistance worse. A well instituted diet and weight loss regimen can improve both insulin and androgen levels and may even restore ovulation.
Throughout life, a woman's body and reproductive system follow
rhythmic patterns of change, monthly cycles, and the completion of those
cycles with menopause. Because of their unique makeup, women in general
are more in touch with their bodies and themselves.
Self awareness and self care including breast self exams help women
become more responsible and empowered for their own health and well
being. By becoming acquainted with the needs, characteristics, and
issues of each life phase, a woman can benefit by making proper informed
choices about lifestyle and health care.
Diet and detox?! Sort of like Scotch and Cigars, eh? Here is the absolute best home body cleanse approach, done very easily.
For
years I have experimented with different types of diets and nutrition.
Everything from the old Scarsdale Diet to even the Cabbage Soup Diet. I
have done a candida diet at least twice as this was suspected related to
certain skin issues, though candida did not actually show up in a
conventional blood test a couple of years back.
I have been doing a
24 hour cleanse for years starting Saturday evening till Sunday
evening, where all I have is water, sometimes tea or herbal infusions,
and apple cider vinegar and honey. Good to give your system a break once
a week in order to let it recharge and prepare for the week ahead. Rest
up and get some of those toxins out.
I have done 4-7 day juice
fasts. I eat various clays with and without psyllium for cleansing and
for maintaining proper bowel movement, and more recently have started
eating Diatomaceous Earth. That's good stuff man!
I learned a
technique from one of my Homeopaths for detoxification and cleansing
which I sometimes use and tell others about. Before showering while dry,
use first a body glove scrubber or luffa, then a shower brush to scrub
the whole body. Then in a hot shower, use a fluffy shower scrubber,
again to scrub the whole body. This opens up all the pores and helps
detoxify and clean out the system. It's important to drink a lot after,
as this treatment is quite intense and the sweating may dehydrate you.
It's like a sauna and steam bath without having to actually go to one.
Seriously.
I was inspired a few years back by a book by Dr. Norman
Walker on dieting, where I learned about eating mostly raw foods, and
more specifically about food combining. Using this method, it helped me
more or less maintain ideal weight.
I have never been terribly
obese, but there were times in my life since my youth where I struggled
to keep weight off, indulged in too much junk food, and was somewhat
chubby and overweight, at times even pushing the envelope of my BMI.
Dr.
Walker's method of food combining entails not mixing complex
carbohydrates unless it is only with high glycemic fruits. Most fruits,
vegetables, and proteins, can be eaten together, but not within a two
hour interval of complex carbohydrates. This is a method that I enjoy
and find relatively easy to maintain.
I have since come across
other similar methods of food combining that are even more specific and
strict as to the particular fruits, vegetables, and proteins, etc. and
how and when they can be combined. I incorporate these rules into the
methodology when I can.
More recently, I took this to an even
higher level, by also integrating and maintaining a Blood Type Diet (I
have B positive blood just like my attitude) based on Dr. Dadamo's
approach. Before this my weight was hovering around the 150 lb mark to
my dislike; I am about 5'6”. Since then, I have mostly dropped below
145lbs and am maintaining this weight easily
and happily. I usually mix both diet systems, but if I find it too
hard, am lazy, or lose patience, I take my pick and use either one which
works also.
Plus if I'm at a lavish dinner or party, during the
Holidays, or at a wedding or celebration, it may be difficult to
actually do both. So based on quick mathematics and logistics I do
what's best at the specific given time.
When speaking to my clients about diet and nutrition
– and many of them need to lose weight as this is part of what is
causing their low back pain or joint pain – I usually recommend both
systems and tell them to research both and to start with whichever one
they find easier. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.
I
also tell all my clients to make sure they are drinking at least 2
liters of fluid per day summer or winter (ideally clean water, and not
counting beverages with caffeine; a diuretic which makes you lose
fluids), as most of them are not drinking enough and have an excess
buildup of toxins in their systems which is part of what is causing them
pain.
So there's some basic useful tips and hints for detoxing
and dieting if that's what you have to do. Just some ideas. The main
thing is for you to just do it one step at a time and to avoid the
scotch and cigars.
Wake up and start living!
Addiction and substance abuse is serious whichever way you look at
it, and Complementary and Alternative Medicine has its own specific and
unique approaches as to how to deal with it.
Addiction can be defined as “any physical or psychological
dependence that negatively impacts a person’s life.” Though a person may
be addicted to many forms of behavior, “addiction” is usually
used to refer to dependency on cigarettes, alcohol, and both legal and
illegal drugs and substances. Even addiction to certain foods may come
into play here.
Addictions afflict millions of people in the US and result in an
annual loss of productivity with health care costs in the billions.
The alternative field believes that conventional ways fail to treat
addicts, because they don't consider the genetic and biochemical
imbalances that research has shown to be at the center of addiction.
For example, such biochemical imbalances may be present, like the
lack of the brain’s natural stimulants and relaxants, as well as
malfunctioning brain neurotransmitters. As a result, addicts may may
seek external alternatives to these chemicals they are lacking, and also
show a flaw in the brain’s decision making center which may impair
their abilities. The brain may then build new neural pathways that are
hardwired to and always demand more of these addictive substances.
A genetic predisposition to addiction may also be present that can
be triggered by various internal or external factors similar to other
diseases such as diabetes.
It is also believed that there is a strong connection between
addiction and allergies. Craving for a substance may indicate an allergy
in relation to it such as with certain foods, when a vicious cycle is
created as we crave the food we are addicted too in order to keep
withdrawal symptoms at bay. Withdrawal symptoms for addicts are actually
almost identical to symptoms occurring when allergenic substances are
removed from the environment or diet.
Malabsorption of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals
along with a more permeable or leaky gut disturbs the normal presence
of microorganisms and allows foreign toxic substances to cross the
intestinal wall. Undigested particles become toxic once they cross the
intestinal wall, to enter the blood, and cause havoc in the body. The
liver and immune system become overactive, overwhelmed, and confused,
and allergies as well as addictions may develop as a result.
Though many modalities some of which are mentioned here, are helpful
in overcoming addiction, focusing on diet is most essential, in order
to change a person's neurochemistry and nutrient deficiencies. That and
to alleviate an addictive person's issues in processing sugar and
carbohydrates.
Through this, people can learn to master their own biochemical and
physiological imbalances. The body being what it is with its own memory,
once well nourished will kick in again and reestablish healthy
function. As and adjunct, taking the proper vitamins, minerals, and other supplements is a vital tool for replenishing the body and its deficiencies and imbalances.
Traditional Chinese Medicine, especially acupuncture and
auriculotherapy is very helpful for addicts and results in fewer
relapses and readmissions to hospitals and programs.
Using Biofeedback, Neurofeedback, and visualization techniques helps
to bring about significant behavioral change in the addictive
personality.
Herbal medicine can play an important role in treating addiction,
specifically with regard to the liver an organ most damaged by substance
abuse, and with various withdrawal symptoms. Various flower essences as
well, also make it easier to break the cycle of addiction.
Through Osteopathic or Chiropractic adjustments the body is
realigned, giving it the ability to function in a whole way. Any
neurological insult that may have been preventing the brain from
releasing chemicals in the right sequence is corrected, giving the body
its natural sense of well-being and pleasure.
Ayurveda recognizes that addictions often develop while trying to
deal with fear and anxiety. Each of the three different Ayurvedic body
types deals with this differently, and has certain weaknesses that can
lead to addiction.
With all these as tools as a basis, we can use the body's built in
tendencies in an orderly and systematic way to help bring about natural
healing.
