Physician Reviews Cover Holistic Medicine

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There is a doctor for every patient, but what if your medical needs stretch beyond the boundaries of common practices? Today’s medicine is more advanced than ever before, but if a more natural or spiritual approach is what you are looking for, you can find that, too.

Gone are the days when rituals and magic were a key aspect of medical treatment. Advancements in health care of centuries have made curing life’s ills more direct and, as a result, more successful. But what if today’s approaches have failed or make you uncomfortable? There are other, more traditional options.

In perusing physician reviews to find the right one for you, consider what approach you would like to take to your own health care, especially if you fell seriously ill or became incapacitated and were unable to make decisions for yourself. Your choices in medicine don’t have to always be common ones.

Many modern cultures and beliefs do not subscribe to the use of modern approaches to treat ailments. Similarly, neither do some doctors. There are also those who practice medicine who use today’s resources while remaining open to the treatments and practices of centuries passed.

If you are someone who is interested in alternative medicines, there are doctors out there for you; you just need to look for them. Whether or not these practices are part of a doctor’s medical portfolio is often included in physician reviews.

What is officially known as complementary and alternative medicine has several sub-categories, each of which deviate from traditional methods of treatment and focus on wellness through uses of natural sources of energy and healing.

The broadest forms of this overall approach are various alternative medical systems. Instead of individual treatments for a specific illness or injury, these systems are complete arrays of approaches and treatments based around a common, alternative approach. Varying cultures have created numerous systems of this nature and they can vary vastly across the spectrum.

Mind-body interventions focus on the mind’s influence over the body and its power to induce and encourage healing and wellness. No direct treatment is actually applied to the injury or illness through this approach, but rather the mind is trained and encouraged to will the healing process forward.

Biological systems employ the use of natural resources, such as herbs, that were common in the days before today’s medicinal practices. Those who practice herbalism specifically are knowledgeable about the various healing powers of certain herbs and can apply them accordingly to treat patients.

A body-based approach focuses on treatments such as massage therapy to make the body more comfortable and aligned to facilitate a more successful and effective natural healing process from within.

Reading physician reviews are a simple way to determine whether a specific doctor makes these types of alternative approaches available to his or her patients. If they are something you are interested in, it is best to speak with a doctor individually about his or her individual beliefs on various treatments and whether or not they fall in line with your own.

physician reviews can help you determine which professional is right for you. To learn more, visit: http://www.doctorreviewsonline.com/

Herbal Medicine, Homeopathy,and Plant Spirit Shamanism,

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Listening to the Plants Nature is Talking to us.

The shamans say that plants connect us with nature because they take their nourishment directly from the earth, as well as the sun’s rays, the air, and water. They allow us to know and recognize ourselves. A shaman must know this and must love his people to heal them. Here are just a few of the plant healers.

Jergon Sacha (Dracontium peruviuanum)

My first exposure to this plant came about quite accidentally, when one day walking through the rainforest studying the properties of the plants, the maestro Javier queried why I always walked around with a machete. I jokingly replied it’s against anacondas!. He paused in thought for a moment and beckoned for me to follow him, a few minutes later we came across this tall stemmed plant. He proceeded to cut it down and then whip me around the body paying attention to my legs and the soles of my feet.. He then said no more problems, you are protected against snakes. I asked him why this plant was used in this way, and he indicated the pattern on the stem which looks identical to the snakes in the forest. Later as I started to investigate this plant even more, I discovered some interesting correspondences; this is a plant which is widely used as an antidote against snake bite venom in the Amazon.

This is accordance with the doctrine of signatures’ concept. This doctrine is at the heart of homeopathy, folk medicine, and plant shamanism. The doctrine was revealed by the great alchemist and physician Paracelus who lived in the 16th Century. The underlying principle was that the healing properties of the plant are not only in the outer physical’ form, but also in their inner or spiritual nature. The Doctrine of Signatures holds that this inner nature can be revealed by it’s outer physical form or signatures. This plant is a clear demonstration of the outer form indicating the inner qualities. It’s use is directly related to it’s physical appearance, the patterns on the tall stem closely resembles the skin patterns of the highly venomous pit viper known as Bushmaster’ or Jararaca which is indigenous to the Amazon.

The large tuber of the plant is an well known and highly effective antidote for the bite of venomous snakes. The tuber is chopped up, and immersed in cold water and then drunk. Also the chopped tuber is placed in a banana leaf and used as a poultice which is wrapped around the bite area. These procedures are repeated every few hours. Of course the deal here is that it works, and as it not possible to store anti-venom vaccines in the rainforest without refrigeration, this plant has exceptional life-saving importance.

Mocura / Mucura Petivera Alliacea. This plant can be taken orally or used in floral baths to raise energy, or take you out of a saladera (a run of bad luck, inertia, sense of not living to the full). Gives mental strength and you can feel its effects as also with Ajo Sacha, both are varieties of false’ garlic and have a penetrating aroma.

One of it’s qualities is that on a personal psychological level it can boost one’s strength. For example it is considered good in countering shyness, and can strengthen one’s own sense of personal value and authority. One of it’s properties is to help people overcome irrational’ fears & fearful memories

Medicinal properties include asthma, bronchitis, reduction of fat and cholesterol. This plant grows widely in the lower Amazon, and it is used widely in purification (floral baths) .

Pion Colorado Jatropha gossypifoilio

Has short lived effect after drinking but helps lucid dreaming later on when you go to bed. Can be used as a planta maestra and it is a plant that maestros can take when being during their initiation. Can also take with tobacco.

The plant’s properties on the physical level relate to problems such as, burns, swellings, intestinal parasites , Insect bites and stings, vaginal infections, and bronchitis. It is possible to take the resin which is much stronger but toxic if too much ingested. The resin can be applied directly to the skin.

Piri-piri, (Cyperaceae). Native people throughout the Amazon cultivate numerous varieties of medicinal sedges to treat a wide range of health problems, the native peoples for example, use sedge roots to treat headaches, fevers, cramps, dysentery and wounds as well as to ease childbirth. Special sedge varieties are cultivated by Shipiba women to improve their skill weaving and to protect their babies from illness.

Teresa a Shipiba craftswoman who joins us on our Amazon Retreats, told me that it is customary when the girls are very young for their mothers to squeeze a few drops of the piri piri’ seed sap into their eyes in order to give their daughters the ability to have visions of the designs that she will make throughout her life.

The men cultivate special sedges to improve their hunting. Since the plant is used for such a wide range of conditions, it was once dismissed as being mere superstition. Pharmacological research has revealed the presence of ergot alkaloids, which are known to have diverse effects on the body from stimulation of the nervous system to constriction of blood vessels. These alkaloids are responsible for the wide range of medicinal uses. Apparently the ergot alkaloids come not from the plant itself but from a fungus that infects the plant.

Chanca piedra Stone Breaker (Phyllanthus Niruri)

This is a hybrid name chanca meaning to break in Quechua and piedra meaning stone in Spanish. This herb from the Amazon has been used by the indigenous peoples of the Rainforest for generations as an effective remedy to eliminate gall, and kidney stones. The plant has demonstrated its effectiveness against many illnesses including, kidney problems , urinary problems, colic, dysentery, jaundice and numerous other conditions. This herb has become widely used in South America as the herbal remedy for gall and kidney stones, and can typically be bought in capsule or leaf form from many stores. This plant is used only for its pharmaceutical properties, and is not a planta maestra. As a note, this plant is also starting to become known in Western Medical circles, as when I brought some back for my mother to help her with her kidney stones, her doctor was apparently familiar with this herb, but he still didn’t want her to use it due to possible contra-indications with the prescribed pharmaceutical medicine.

Reflections.

On reflection plant medicine is totally different than pharmaceutical medication which only affects one whilst it is being taken; these kinds of plant medicines seem to have a permanent effect in some way metaphorical or otherwise altering one’s consciousness or “DNA”. Paracelus, is still a source of inspiration to all those who work with the healing properties of herbs, and the plants.

One of the great revelations that we can experience in working with the plant spirit or consciousness is that we are not separate from the natural world. In our culture we perceive ourselves to be separate beings with our minds firmly embedded within our physical being (typically our head). The plants can show you that this way of being is an illusion and that we are all connected, all of us and everything else is a discrete element in the great universal field of consciousness or spirit.

Traditional Chinese Medicine For Kidney Disease

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We first need to make clear why kidney function decline occurs.

1. The causation of kidney damage varies. It can be Diabetes, Long-term high blood pressure, Immune complex deposition in kidneys (like IgA Nephropathy), long-term and large amount of protein leakage, and so on.

2. No matter what reason starts kidney damage or which kidney part firstly occur damages, when kidney function decline takes places, there must be damages to glomerulus. This is because that glomerulus is the very place where blood filtration takes place.

3. Glomerulus is made up of massive blood capillaries, when blood flow through these capillaries, toxic substances and excessive water are filtrated out. These blood capillaries are called blood filtration area.

4. Many factors can lead to blood filtration area reduction (or damages to these blood capillaries). As mentioned above, high blood pressure, diabetes, squeeze from proliferated kidney cells, pressure from immune complex deposition, blood circulation obstacles and so on. And these factors lead to two results: block of micro-blood circulation within kidneys, and insufficient blood inflow to kidneys.

5. Finally, fewer amount of blood can be filtrated through kidneys, and there is creatinine, BUN accumulation in blood, and water and sodium retention within body. And these retention lead to various complications in heart and brain.

Then, treating kidney disease should focus on two aspects

1. Controlling primary causations like high blood pressure or blood sugar level, overreacted inflammatory response, squeeze from proliferated kidney cells or immune complex deposition. All of these methods is to make sure fluent blood circulation within the whole body, and especially within the kidneys.

2. Repairing damages in glomerular blood capillaries and improving kidney function is the key to resolve kidney problems.

What curative effects does Traditional Chinese Medicine have?

Dilating blood vessels and degrading blood stasis and thrombus paves the way for fluent blood circulation.

2. Anti-coagulation and anti-viscosity prevents further blood circulation obstacles taking shape.

3. Inactivate inflammatory response of immune system eliminates further kidney damages caused by inflammatory activities and immune complex deposition.

4. Degrading excessively proliferated kidney cells and deposition of immune complex, and this relieves blood capillaries external pressure.

All of the above mentioned curative effects contributes to promoting blood circulation of the whole body, and, most importantly, within the kidneys.

To what extent can Traditional Chinese Medicine treat kidney disease?

When glomerular damages occur, there are two situations among glomeruli (except for healthy ones).

1. Completely sclerosed glomerulus (no blood flow in these capillaries), for which no method can restore its function.

2. Partially sclerosed glomerulus (blood capillaries are blocked partially)for which, if blood and oxygen supply can be guaranteed, damaged capillary cells can process self-repairing. And Traditional Chinese Medicine focuses on restoring function of these damaged but reversible cells.

Under the help of above mentioned curative effects, further kidney function decline can be prevented, and after the restoration of damaged cells, there will also be improvement of overall kidney function.

In summarization, Traditional Chinese Medicines mainly focus on rectifying overall body dysfunction, and providing favorable self-repairing environment for damaged but reversible kidney cells. And it most featured effect is promoting blood circulation of whole body, and especially within the kidneys.

Ginger As Food And As Medicine

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Without question, ginger is one of the most in demand spices today. It has many uses after all. It can be used as food and as medicine, too.

What is ginger?

Ginger is a hot-tasting root consumed as a spice, delicacy, or medicine for long time already. Ginger especially young ginger rhizomes have actually very mild taste. They too are fleshy and juicy.

South Asia is where its cultivation began.

Ginger as Food

Ginger can be infused to a number of South Asian cuisine, including vegetarian and seafood cuisine.

In India, ginger is used as a main ingredient to numerous Indian dishes. That justifies why most Indian dishes are not only flavorful, they are greatly pleasing to the taste, too.

It can be a perfect flavoring to your favorite treats, including cookies, crackers, and cakes. Thus, if you are planning to make your favorite treats at this point, the thing that you must not forget to do is to flavor those mouthwatering treats with ginger.

With ginger, you will be able to make delicious gingerbread, ginger ale, ginger beer, and even ginger flavored candies.

Ginger as Medicine

Ginger can get rid of sore throat naturally. So, if you are suffering from sore throat due to cold or cough at this point and want to be healed from it in a natural manner, the best thing that you can do now is to immediately take in ginger with honey. It is, without question, an effective cure of sore throat.

Ginger can be excellent cure of flu. So, if you are dealing with flu at this present time and want to be cured from such illness naturally, the greatest thing that you can do at this instant is to quickly take in ginger with lemon and honey. There is no argument that such treat, ginger with lemon and honey, will definitely terminate the flu naturally.

Ginger can naturally eliminate cancer. That is I believe one of the best uses of ginger. As a matter of fact, it has been promoted as a cancer treatment by the American Cancer Society. Indeed, treating cancer with ginger is definitely a possibility.

Those are just some of the uses of ginger.

Now, are you still looking forward to learning more about ginger?

If you are still looking forward to learning more about ginger, looking through the electronic book entitled The Miraculous Healing Powers of Ginger (Health Learning Series) kindle edition by Dueep J. Singh and John Davidson now would be a great thing to do. It contains plenty of info regarding ginger after all.

It is two dollars and ninety-nine cents ($2.99) only. So, have it now!

Preview it at http://amzn.to/1ifte8A today!

Four Myths About Holistic Medicine Debunked!

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While ignorance may be bliss in some arenas, ignorance about holistic medicine could mean you are missing out on the significant health benefits that it offers.

I have to admit being one of those who’ve harbored misconceptions about the practice of holistic or alternative medicine and therapies. Luckily for me, I happened to come across a DVD-based education program offered by The Center for Healing Arts, which offers a unique way to learn more about this mysterious practice in the comfort and privacy of your own home. These DVDs helped me not only to explore for myself the truth behind many of the most common misconceptions but also opened my eyes to the wisdom of holistic health philosophies that have been in existence for centuries.

To all of you who still believe that holistic therapies are a crazy fad practiced only by desperate people and weird people; this article looks at the truth behind some of the myths surrounding holistic care. For those of you who want the -Whole Truth and nothing but the Truth’ beyond the 4 myths examined in this article, learn from the carefully selected expert healing arts practitioners offered on The Center for Healing Arts film sessions by simply becoming a member of their DVD series. Over time you’ll have the information and guidance to go in-depth, find your own way and find what’s right for you.

Myth #1- People who use holistic therapies are either ignorant or desperate

Nothing could not be further from the truth! A 2005 study by the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences estimated that 15 million adults take herbal remedies and/or vitamins in conjunction with their prescriptions. Moreover, at least one-third of American adults reported having used at least one type of complementary or alternative medicine in their lifetime. These adults were neither ignorant nor desperate; they just strongly believed in the power of alternative medicine.

Myth #2- Holistic health care is steeped in evil. It is the stuff of witch doctors and the occult.

This misconception is typical of a society that has been taught to rebuke and fear native and indigenous cultures where the original medicines of the earth originated. While many holistic practices were founded by those of the Buddhist, Hindu or other belief systems, it is important to remember that in ancient cultures the native shamans and spiritual leaders were often the most well educated members of society. Further, these holistic methods are founded on the concept of creating harmony of the mind, body and spirit. This makes the fact that they were tied to their culture’s spiritual belief system much more easy to understand.

Myth #3- Holistic medicine is just a fad that will eventually just fade away.

Firstly, -holistic medicine- is an umbrella term that is typically used in the west to encompass a large number of methods that share the common bond of working to harmonize the mind, body and spirit into one health and whole being. It is important to note that as many as 90% of the people in the world are using holistic and other -alternative- methods for their health care. The majority of these methods are derived from centuries-old healing practices around the globe. The western idea that these methods are a fad is based on the fact that these methods are new to us. Make no mistake about it- holistic medicine is neither new, nor a fad.

Myth #4- I’m too old to try holistic medicine

Age should never be an excuse when it comes to embarking on a new adventure, especially when that very something has the potential to improve your health & quality of life and increase your lifespan! Some holistic practices – like Yoga for instance – require very little dexterity from beginners and can actually improve your overall flexibility faster and more easily than you might have imagined. Don’t ever let your age limit your desire to learn – to stop learning is to stop living. Regardless of what you may believe, old dogs can- and do- learn new tricks!

Ultimately, the best way to separate the myth from the reality of holistic medicine is to explore and educate yourself so that you can make your own decisions. The truth is that you simply cannot afford to revoke your own inner guidance relating to the health and well being of yourself and your family to anyone else. In my opinion, the in-depth series offered by The Center for Healing Arts is an incomparable resource for beginner and expert alike to drink the refreshing waters offered by heart centered healing arts practitioners steeped and anchored in ancient esoteric wellness traditions. Exposure to a wide range of healing arts modalities over time allows you to find what resonates most with you and the confidence to follow your own path toward overall health. Keep debunking any internal myths that prevent you from following your heart’s health desires.