Homeopathy Treatments
Homeopathy is defined as an organic system of medicine that is based on three main ideas:
1. Like cures like
2. Minimal dosing
3. One time remedies
Alternative medicine traditionally has the least amount of “active” ingredient possible, with the concept of using one single remedy irregardless of how many symptoms are presenting. Homeopathy focuses on the least amount of treatments for better health.
There are several reasons why homeopathy is the second most popular form of medicine (after conventional medicine). The most popular reasons are:
- It is extremely natural and safe
- The results are permanent
- It is effective
- You can take most homeopathic medicines along with conventional medicine without side effects
- It is non-addictive
Homeopathy is a precise science, which is why it sometimes takes longer to find exactly the right medicine for your illness. Alternative medicine spends time asking questions about symptoms and the root cause of the illness in an effort to make a clear diagnosis for the problem, and treat it effectively.
Herbal Remedies
Nature provides many cures and treatments for ailments of all kinds. Each region has its own native plants that are used in alternative medicine.
When buying herbs for medicinal purposes, it is suggested that you use herbs from an herbal shop. Herb strength varies depending on the way in which they are grown, so until you are familiar with growing techniques for medicinal herbs, purchasing from a professional is recommended.
The following list provides herbal cures to common ailments:
- Acne and skin blemishes.
Wash your face and rub a clove of garlic that has been cut in half. Or, mix lavender with witch hazel at a 1:10 ratio. Tea tree oil can be substituted in place of the lavender.
- Anxiety and stress.
Lavender pure essential oil soaked onto a cotton cloth, heated, and folded into a compress. Apply to head or neck.
- Bruises and contusions.
Boil hyssop flowers and leaves into a tincture. Filter liquid, and soak a cotton compress. Apply to bruised area by applying pressure. The hyssop, heat and pressure combination will reduce the bruise.
- Burns.
Minor burns can be treated with comfrey or aloe juice. Simply rub aloe juice into burned area. Comfrey can be crushed into a fine powder, mixed with equal parts of melted beeswax, and added to vegetable oil. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, and then strain mixture.
- Warts.
Either use a cut piece of garlic, placed directly on the wart or, for a less odorous cure, try dandelion juice applied repeatedly throughout the day.
Herbal Teas
An age old remedy, herbal teas are used to soothe and relive pain and stress. Many teas are actually a tincture rather than a tea. A tincture is a thicker tea that is herb-dense and is infused instead of steeped.
The following list is a list of conditions and herbal tea remedies:
- Anemia.
Drink a tincture made from boiled stinging nettle leaves.
- Arthritis.
Drink a tincture of devil’s claw, juniper, birch, or celery seed (not the type on your spice rack).
- Chemotherapy side effects.
Drink a tincture of Siberian ginseng root. It soothes the insides and relieves fatigue.
- Colic in babies.
Add less than 10 drops of dill and fennel tincture to their bottle.
- Constipation.
Drink a liter of rhubarb root per day.
- Cough.
Drink a tea made from garlic bulbs and ribwort leaves.
- Depression.
Drink a tincture daily made from the ground up oat plant and St. John’s wart flowers.
- Fever.
Drink a hot tea made of lemon balm, yarrow, and ginger.
- Gas.
Drink a tea made of caraway, fennel, ginger, and peppermint.
- Flu symptoms.
Drink a tincture made of Echinacea, yarrow, and catnip.
Vitamins & Minerals
Taking a vitamin supplement is not a substitution for eating healthfully. However, it does serve as insurance to be certain that you are getting all of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs.
Vitamins are essential to the optimized functioning of your body. Without sufficient vitamins, for example, your blood will not clot. You need vitamins to fight colds, and boost your immune system.
It is best to take a homeopathic test to determine the vitamins that you need. This will avoid a dangerous overdose. Then you can take the vitamins you need individually, as needed, and avoid a multi-vitamin, which is chockfull of fillers. This method will save you money, too.
Bee Therapy (aka Apitherapy)
The practice of Apitherapy is the use of bee stings, bee pollen, propolis, royal jelly, and honey to treat a variety of aliments. While there has not been extensive testing in the scientific world to validate the claims of apitherapists, history proves that the treatments provide relief.
There are five honeybee products that are used in apitherapy:
1. Venom: A practitioner will aid the patient in injecting or being stung by bees in the affected area. The venom is used to provide relief for conditions such as tendonitis, Multiple Sclerosis, and degenerative bone disease. It works because the venom is a natural anti-inflammatory which is more potent then others available to conventional medicine such as hydrocortisone. You must get tested to be certain that you are not allergic to bee stings prior to exposing yourself to bee venom.
2. Pollen: A natural energy supplement that is also used as a seasonal allergy aid. It is also believed to slow down the development of wrinkles.
3. Raw Honey: A source of quick energy, raw honey is used for many cures. It can even be used as a salve on top of an open wound to avoid the spread of bacteria.
4. Royal Jelly: Is the milky white substance that the worker bees produce to feed the queen. While unsubstantiated, this substance is used as a beauty aid and is believed to help lower cholesterol.
5. Propolis: Is the glue used to keep the hives together and make repairs. Propolis is made from the sap of poplar and conifer trees. It is used to make lip balm and salves, and is considered to be an antioxidant.
Iridology
Iridology is name for the practice of determining a person’s toxicity based on the color of their iris. This concept goes back to Sweden and Hungary where physicians used it to gauge disease in their patients.
For centuries, famous physicians and scientists, all the way back to the Greek physician Hippocrates, have found the people with injuries get black marks across the iris of their eye. These marks later disappear as the person’s ailments heal.
In today’s world, iridology is used as a preventative measure to gauge if there is a change in a person’s health. It is unfortunate that iridology cannot be used to identify a specific disease.
The way in which iridology is practiced today is that the colored part of the eye (the iris) is carefully photographed using a strong camera lens. It is painless, and it takes about an hour to complete. The photos are then enlarged, and a trained professional iridologist studies it for signs of possible illness.
Even conventional doctors use the eyes as an early warning sign of bad things going on inside of the body. This study is just the more focused analysis of the iris when looking for signs of degenerative health issues.
Meditation in Healing
Meditation is a skill that is learned. Once you know how to do it properly, it can be used to greatly improve your quality of life and health.
The benefits of meditation are an increased level of energy, a more positive attitude, a better immune health, better sleep quality, and the slowing of the aging process.
To take advantage of the maximum benefit, meditate for at least 20 minutes per day prior to bedtime.
Follow these steps for meditating. First, sit down and get comfortable in a quiet room. Keep your back and neck straight, and clear your mind so that you are focusing on the present moment.
Then become aware of your breathing. Breathe in and out of your mouth, and pay attention to your stomach rising and falling.
If thoughts come into your head, acknowledge them and let the pass through your mind. Remain conscious of your breathing and relax. If your thoughts carry you away, don’t get frustrated. Simply return back to focusing on your breathing.
When your time meditating is finished, become aware of your surroundings and stand up slowly.
Meditation is a wonderful way to instantly relax yourself and reenter your being. It is the perfect supplement to any treatment, both alternative and contemporary. This deep relaxation technique will help remove stress and anxiety from life. Reduced stress can only help healing.
Tai Chi & Yoga
Tai Chi is a very gentle form of exercise that anyone can do. Since most people spend most of their time sitting, it is imperative that regular exercise become a part of their daily routine. Tai Chi can become that daily movement.
Exercise helps by improving circulatory function, reducing headache tension, lowering blood pressure, and eliminating chronic back and neck pain.
Tai Chi is a series of movements and stretches that anyone can do from any position, even sitting. The exercise will improve posture, stamina, and flexibility.
Movements in Tai Chi are slow and deliberate, and easy to learn. Attending a class is the best way to learn Tai Chi. Do not worry about not being in shape; Tai Chi is known to be an exercise that is done by all types of people, of all ages.
Yoga
Yoga is a great exercise activity for all types of people. It is not difficult, but you do have to want to learn about it. The main goal of yoga is to create a balanced relationship between you physical and mental health.
Yoga is a way of life that is carried throughout the day, not just while in yoga class. Yoga creates an awareness of yourself and your day to day life. This is a drastic change to many people who often live on autopilot.
You can decide how you want to use yoga, for its basic purpose of bringing together mind and body, or as more of a strenuous activity for exercise purposes.
In yoga, it is best to start out at the lowest level possible and work your way up as you develop strength and understanding. Just like most other things, it is important to know the foundational concepts before branching out into more difficult territory,
You can take instructor-led classes, or learn at home through the wide variety of DVDs.
Birkram Yoga
Birkram yoga is also known as “hot yoga”, mainly because it is practiced in a space that has been heated to over 115 degrees. Hot yoga mainly focuses on stretches and balance. It also is filled with moves that create pressure in the body that blocks circulation. By going through the movements, the constant build up of pressure created by stretching are then released, providing a rush of blood through the veins. This is believed to clean them out.
There are 26 poses in hot yoga. The purpose for the hot environment in Birkram yoga is the warmth warms the body’s muscles and tendons which aids in flexibility.
There are a few tips for people considering this type of yoga. First, because it is practiced in a hot room, you will sweat a lot. It is best to wear appropriate light clothing. It is also a good idea to drink plenty of water prior to your session.
Hatha Yoga
The main focus of Hatha yoga is breathing, meditation, and posture. The practice of this form of yoga is perfect for people that are new to it. Hatha yoga has more of a strong emphasis on the mental component of meditation, mixed in with yoga.
Karma Yoga
The Karma form of yoga pulls together the spiritual and physical worlds. The fundamentals of Karma yoga are based in the Hindu philosophy and religion. It combines two competing philosophies in the world; from the West – that life should be pleasure based, and from the East – that life should be lived for knowledge. Both theories are blended in karma.
Your karma growth is dependent on how you live your life. Bad karma comes from living your life for the purpose of money, wealth, and material possessions. Good karma comes from living your life for happiness and love.
Karma yoga helps you focus on your life as you learn about you life goals, and helps guide you in the right direction.
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)
Neuro Linguistic Programming can be considered the power of positive thought and prayer. It is well documented throughout science and medicine that having a positive attitude, outlook, and having a positive support system surround you is one of the most effective alternative medicines available.
NLP is a method of programming your thoughts in order to be positive. This technique focuses on your sub-conscious and your dreams. It is imperative to truly believe that you can heal yourself for NLP to work.
How do you practice NLP? First, take a strategy that you know creates success in other areas of your life, and apply it to your healing process. You absolutely must have faith in your body’s healing ability for this to work.
Muscular and Skeletal Alternative Medicine
There are numerous other alternative treatments for the skeletal and muscular systems of the body. They include:
1. Kinesiology
Professionals test the various muscles throughout the body to determine areas that are not balanced properly, and then restore balance by using a variety of techniques.
2. Rolfing
Rolfing is the use of pressure to massage the connective tissue within the body. This allows for the body to be more flexible and be aligned properly. Rolfing will provide more energy and less anxiety.
3. Massage Therapy
Massage therapy is used to break up the knotted muscles, and to retrain the muscles. It works the ligaments, tendons, and soft tissue muscles. Massage therapy increases circulation and improves breathing.
4. Color therapy
Color therapy uses color and light to treat ailments. Often considered a complementary treatment, color therapy is used in addition to other treatment.
There are seven colors that correspond to the wavelength centers of the body. Each color is matched with a region of the body.
5. Magnetic energy
The use of magnetic energy fields to, as magnetic therapists believe, to manipulate cells with magnetic energy. They also believe they can recharge cells. Magnetic energy can also increase blood flow that will then reduce scars on organs, provide migraine relief, and other reoccurring pain.
6. Craniosacral therapy (CST)
The craniosacral system is the membranes and fluid that envelopes the brain and spinal cord. By applying gentle pressure to the head, the rhythm of the cranioscaral system can be evaluated and in some ways manipulated. This improves the flow and function of the central nervous system. This treatment is used in alternative medicine as a preventative measure. Professional craniosacral therapy practitioners believe they can locate and release energy cysts by unblocking them and realigning the neck.
Acupuncture
In acupuncture, thin needles are inserted into the skin to stimulate pinpointed locations around the body. Acupuncture is a Chinese medical procedure that involves Dao – the advocate for living in balance and moderation, with yin and yang – two life elements that are opposing forces that when balanced brings good health and happiness. Acupuncture brings relief of pain, aids respiratory illnesses, and relieves headaches and ulcers, among other physical issues. It also balances the qi life force.
Reiki
Reiki is the practice of transferring healing energy from the healer’s hands to the ill person. This can be done hands-on and from a distance. The healer is believed to be full of universal energy. It is thought that the practitioner can use Reiki energy to alter the frequency of the aura. Healing is achieved first physically, then emotionally, and finally spiritually.
Crystals: A Tool for Healing
Crystals have long been associated with alternative healing. A crystal is created when crystalline is formed by minerals being arranged in a precise pattern. Quartz is the most popular crystal. The belief behind the use of crystals is that blocked energy will be released when the crystal is placed at specific points around the body.
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