Alternative Forms of Medicine : Acupuncture

Acupuncture can be used for providing pain relief.
Alternative Herbal Medicine helps strengthen the body’s ability to eliminate cancer cells. They do not however cure cancer, but can definitely prolong the life of a person suffering from cancer.
Homeopathy is effective in providing relief from the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.
Mind and Body Treatment focuses on a persons emotions, behaviour and faith. It is believed that a person must maintain a positive attitude and live a life free of mental and emotional stress. Massage and reflexology have also been found to be effective in strengthening cells and promoting the release of anti-cancer hormones in the body. The Mind and Body treatment has been found to be very effective and powerful in dealing with cancer, and perhaps even preventing it.
Nutrition and Diet has been found to be effective in preventing tissue and cell damage and ensuring the proper immune function of the body.
Traditional Chinese Medicine as alternative herbal remedy has been found to be effective in providing relief from the side effects of the conventional treatments of cancer. Practitioners of this form of medicine recommend the use of herbs like Asian Ginseng, Astragalus and Dong Quai.

Peanut Butter Diet

Peanut Butter Diet is more popular than most other weight loss diets as other than its utility as a weight loss diet, it is easy for most people to stick to the diet as peanut butter is a part of the normal regular menu for most people. Dieters find it easy to carry on with this diet for quite a long period of time.

Typical Daily Meals under the Peanut Butter Diet

It is reduced diet calorie where people eat between 4-6 tablespoons of peanut butter a day.

Breakfast: a banana, cereal, and milk.
Lunch: a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and an apple.
Dinner: a skinless chicken breast, chopped nuts, an avocado, and a salad (peanut free)

However you can snack in between lunch and dinner.

Portion Control and Exercise

A peanut butter diet would generally give you approximately 1500 calories per day for women and 2200 calories per day for men. You need to close watch and follow that the calorie levels hovers around the mentioned limit. The diet should be accompanied by a moderate exercise of around 45 minutes, be it walking, jogging or aerobics. Only then it can lead you to a lasting and healthy weight loss.

Why It Works

As compared to most other diets, the peanut butter diet demands less restrictions and specifications. It has not many dos and don'ts. The other reasons that make it an efficient diet options are:

• Moderate calorie restriction
• Regular aerobic exercise or work outs every day
• Regular small meals and snacks all through the day encourage fat burning and discourage binge-eating

These features make it a positive and healthy diet option

Daily Intake of Apple for Diet

The apple cider vinegar diet, the acidic solution produced by the fermentation of apples, has an efficient fat burning mechanism. The acidic solution is a blend of the acidic vinegar and fruit pectin.

Daily Intake of Apple Cider Vinegar

For a complete and successful diet plan for weight loss, you are required to take one, two, or three teaspoons of apple vinegar before every meal. Though it may not be an easy task to down three teaspoons at a time initially, you will get used to it in a few days time. But be very careful to stick to the maximum limit of three teaspoons, as your stomach would find it hard to handle a stronger acidic solution.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Studies have revealed that there are ninety different substances in the solution. It contains thirteen types of carbolic acids, four aldehydes, twenty ketones, eighteen types of alcohols, eight ethyl acetates etc.

Apple cider vinegar also has important minerals, vitamins, acetic acid propionic acid, lactic acid, enzymes, amino acids as well as roughage in the form of potash and apple pectin

The apple dicer vinegar diet must be accompanied by nutritious food taken in moderate quantities and complemented by regular exercises to stimulate your body for weight loss. Many people are of the opinion that the healthy lifestyle that comes with this particular diet is more than enough to lose weight on its own. And they are also skeptical with a false delusion that the solution is too acidic. However, the pH in the apple cider vinegar is lower than that of commercial cola.

The efficacy and value of the diet can be explained with the simple medieval English saying that 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away.'

The apple cider vinegar capsule is developed along with gotu kola (Centella asiatica) herb to make it easier for you to swallow.

Natural Herbal Formula For Sprue with Honey

Almost every flower plant can yield honey. Thank to God because our earth rich of amazing flora, so then we can yield immeasurable abundance of honey. Until now noted around 20 herbal which can yield honey. With researches we find many herbal remedy formulas for cure diseases and health problem. Each of honey has typical usefulness. More if mixed with some certain herbs.
Cucumber honey, for example, useful to heal insomnia, urine regulator, cures sprue , cures high blood pressure , reduces fever and assists reducing rate of cholesterol mixed with orange gist , hence cucumber honey applicable to heal sprue that’s one of natural herbal remedy formula to cure sprue.
Orange has rate of water about 80%. Besides that also contain vitamin C, sugar , amino acid and minerals. Besides efficacious to heal sprue , sweet orange also useful for cure bloody gum , flower and seed contains essential oils that can applied in therapy of relaxation

Getting the Nutrition You Need

As you get older, good nutrition plays an increasingly important role in how well you age. Eating a low-salt, low-fat diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and fiber can actually reduce your age-related risks of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, osteoporosis, and other chronic diseases. By eating a wide variety of foods, you can pretty easily get what your body needs, including:

• Protein, which is needed to maintain and rebuild muscles. You can get low-fat, quality protein from poultry, fish, eggs or egg substitutes, soy, and limited amounts of nuts and low-fat meat and dairy.
• Carbohydrate, which is the body's preferred source of energy. There are two main sources of dietary carbohydrates: simple sugars, such as sucrose (the refined white sugar added to sweets and desserts), fructose (the sugar contained in fruit), and lactose (milk sugar); and complex carbohydrates, which come from vegetables and grains. Unlike refined sugars, fruits contain vitamins and fiber, dairy products contain nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D, and complex carbohydrates contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Get most of your carbohydrate calories from vegetables, grains, and fruits. And try to replace fat calories with complex carbohydrates in your diet.
• Fat, which also provides energy. To help keep your blood cholesterol levels low, get most of your limited fat intake from the polyunsaturated fats (as in liquid corn oil or soybean oil) and monounsaturated fats (in olive oil, avocados, and nuts). Limit saturated fats (beef, pork, veal, butter, shortening, and cheese). You can do this by eating these foods less often, having smaller servings, choosing less fatty cuts of meat, and by using stronger tasting cheeses so you can use just a little and still get the cheese flavor. Try to avoid the trans fats (hydrogenated fats) found in stick margarine and in many processed foods such as crackers and cookies. Trans fats are now shown on the nutrition facts labels found on most packaged foods.
• Water, to replace water lost through activity. Because your kidneys gradually become less efficient at keeping your body hydrated, make a conscious effort to get six to eight 8 fl oz (0.2 L) glasses of water a day.

As you take a look at your daily diet, remember that as you age:

• Your body's daily energy needs slowly decrease. You therefore need fewer calories a day than when you were younger. Your doctor or a registered dietitian (RD) can help you calculate your ideal calorie intake.
• Natural hormone changes make your body prone to depositing more body fat (especially around your middle) and less muscle. Eating a healthy balanced diet and limiting your intake of saturated fat, along with increased activity and muscle strengthening (muscle cells are the major calorie burners in your body), can help you stay at a healthy weight.
• Your bones lose mineral content more rapidly than before, especially if you are a postmenopausal woman, because lower estrogen increases bone loss. As a result, you need to have calcium and Vitamin D in your diet, to help prevent osteoporosis, and your doctor may recommend you take a calcium and vitamin D supplement.

Emotional and mental vitality

Emotional and mental vitality are closely tied to physical vitality—just as your mind has powerful effects on your body, so your physical state affects how you feel and think. Social contact can also make a big difference in how you feel.

Replacing a "lost" activity is a key to staying active and feeling good about yourself. For instance, if you can no longer run, you might try walking, biking, and/or swimming. And if your favorite activity was dancing, you might try something else that combines social and physical activity, such as joining a water aerobics class. Replacing lost activities can help you keep a positive attitude and sense of well-being over time, even if aging and changes in your health mean you can not do all the things you used to do.³

Physical activity. Protect or improve your emotional and cognitive health with regular physical activity. While physical activity produces chemicals in the body that promote emotional well-being, inactivity can make depression, anxiety, and stress worse. For example, one study suggests that older women who walk regularly have more mental sharpness than those who don't.⁴ Another study showed that regular physical activity 3 or more times a week delayed the beginning of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.⁵

Social activity. Protect or improve your emotional health by staying in touch with friends, family, and the greater community. Whether physically healthy or ill, people who feel connected to others are more likely to thrive than those who are socially isolated.⁶ Volunteering in your community and sharing your wisdom and talents with others is a gratifying and meaningful way to enrich your life. In fact, older adults who regularly volunteer even a small amount of time generally have a greater sense of well-being than those who don't.⁷

Mental activity. Protect or improve your memory and mental sharpness by:

• Challenging your intellect on a daily basis. Read, learn a new musical instrument or language, do crossword puzzles, play games of strategy with others. Just like an active body, an active brain continues to develop and thrive, while an inactive brain loses its power over time.
• Helping your memory along. Write down dates, names, and other important information that you easily forget. Use routine and repetition. For example, keep daily items such as keys and eyeglasses in a specific place. And when you learn a new name, repeat it out loud in conversation or to yourself several times to commit it to memory. (No matter what your age, having too much on your mind can interfere with your memory of new information. And as you age, it is normal to take longer to retrieve new information from your memory bank.)
• Preventing depression, which is a common yet treatable cause of cognitive decline in older people. In addition to getting regular physical activity and social contact, avoid the depressant effect of alcohol and sedative use, eat healthy meals and snacks, and include meaningful activity in your daily life (such as learning, creating, working, volunteering). If you think you have depression, seek professional help—antidepressant medicine and/or counseling are effective treatments for depression. For more information, see the topic Depression. If you find that a physical condition or disability is making your depressed mood worse, get the medical treatment you need.
• Not smoking. Cigarette smoking may speed mental decline. This connection was recently identified in a large study comparing smokers and nonsmokers age 65 and over.⁸ If you smoke and would like to stop, see the topic about quitting smoking.

Stress reduction and relaxation techniques

Too much life stress can take a toll on your body, your mind, and the people who are closest to you. In addition to getting regular physical activity, you can take charge of how stress affects you by taking 20 minutes a day for relaxation time.

• Meditation focuses your attention and helps calm both mind and body. Daily meditation is used for managing a spectrum of physical and emotional conditions, including high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain.
• The body responds to stress with muscle tension, which can cause pain or discomfort. Progressive muscle relaxation reduces muscle tension and general anxiety and may help you get to sleep.
• The way you breathe affects your whole body. Try breathing exercises for relaxation. Full, deep breathing is a good way to reduce tension, feel relaxed, and reduce stress.

Positive thinking.

Positive thinking may help you live a longer, happier life. But even if you tend to be an optimist, there are times when it takes extra effort to frame your life positively. Take the following steps to harness the power of positive thinking in your daily life.

• Create positive expectations of yourself, your health, and life in general. When you catch yourself using negative self-talk or predicting a bad outcome, stop. Reframe your thought into a positive one, and speak it out loud or write it down. This type of thinking can help you best recover from surgery, cancer, and other life crises.
• Open yourself to humor, friendship, and love. Go out of your way to find reasons to laugh and to spend time with people you enjoy.
• Appeal to a higher power, if it suits you. Whether it be through your faith in a loving, all-powerful God or your connection with nature or a collective unconscious, your sense of spiritual wellness can help you through personal trials and enhance your joy in living.

High blood pressure (hypertension)

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a condition in which the force of blood against artery walls is too strong. Over time, high blood pressure can damage the arteries, heart, and kidneys and can lead to heart disease and stroke.

High blood pressure can be treated effectively with lifestyle
changes and medications that can reduce the risk of complications.

Blood pressure readings consist of an upper number and a lower number (such as 120 over 90 or 120/90). The upper number is systolic blood pressure; the lower number is diastolic blood pressure. Blood pressure readings are measured in units called millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Normal blood pressure is 119 mm Hg systolic over 79 mm Hg diastolic or below.

A person has high blood pressure (hypertension) when either or both of the following are present:

• The top number (systolic) is 140 mm Hg or higher.
• The bottom number (diastolic) is 90 mm Hg or higher.

How Essential Oils Effect Mood

When identifying which naturally occurring chemicals essential oils are made up from it is important to note that there are over 30,000 known aromatic molecules which just as many that are as yet unidentified. An essential oil can be made of between 100 and 300 components. Each has its own aroma and potential therapeutic action. The main classifications are shown in the following chart.

How Essential Oils Effect Mood

Using essential oils topically allows their aroma to also be inhaled to a certain degree during a treatment as they are volatile – that is, they evaporate and move through the air. The nasal passages are an area of the body where the blood vessels are closest to the skin, allowing rapid absorption of the essential oil to its effective site, including the brain.The Salon, Spa or Clinic can affect the mood of clients by the use of essential oil atomizers (oil burners, incense sticks, electronic atomizers, etc.) to fill the air with a scent that can excite, calm, attract or any other mood. Clients often find that their overall well-being benefits as well as their looks. Today, aromatherapy is used in beauty and aesthetic treatments for relaxation, stress-relief, rejuvenation and revitalisation and treating skin conditions. Essential oils are found as ingredients in many beauty products, including face creams and lotions, face scrubs, masks, and toners, body lotions of all kinds, slimming treatments, sun tanning and protection products, and pedicure and manicure products.

Alternative Medicine Solution

Alternative Medicine practitioners are realizing that healing herbs should be part of their arsenal against disease. The newest touted natural herb is Capsicum, found in cayenne pepper. It has many benefits whether taken internally or externally. When taken internally, capsicum is an antibacterial which will encourage healing and deflect infections while slowing the absorption of fat in the intestines to help fight obesity. Because this natural herbal remedy is a stimulant, it improves circulation. Capsicum will also stabilize blood pressure and lower cholesterol. Herbalists are finding capsicum is useful in fighting a variety of ailments.
Many herbalists today recommend capsicum for such ailments as cold hands and feet, sluggish metabolisms, obesity and respiratory tract infections. Use it externally for arthritis, sore back muscles, rheumatism or sprains and bruises. One suggestion for cold feet is to wear a thin pair of socks, then get a thicker pair of socks, sprinkle the inside with cayenne pepper and put them on over the thin socks. The pepper will send a warm soothing sensation to the soles of your feet.
The General Nutrition Center has suggested that herbs that have a “bitter digestive stimulant” property might be used as well. They believe that theses herbs may produce natural digestive enzymes. Herbs like blessed thistle are advocated in the hopes that they will alleviate heartburn. As there is no clear way of knowing their effects, blessed thistle and other such herbs are not as universally recommended.
An interesting study was done to see if capsicum would irritate or cause ulceration in the intestines. On the contrary it was found that the herb did not harm the tract but sped up the healing of ulcers by secreting more mucosa, the protective lining of the intestines.