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Posted on November 17th, 2008 by Kathy Austin
Alternative medicine and modern medicine have may differences and whose to say which is best? Today, we expect doctors and medicines to fix whatever ails us instantly and doctors only look at the current physical problem when diagnosing our needs. Alternative or holistic medicine, on the other hand, takes many different factors into consideration before prescribing a cure. This type of healing has been in use for thousands of years and can be very effective. It concerns itself not only with the physical problem, but with the problems of the “whole” self. Alternative medicine includes massage, therapy, herbal tea, herbal medicine and millions of people today still use these types of treatments instead of or in addition to modern medicine.
In ancient Europe there were two types of healers, the professional physicians and the folk healers. The folk healers lived in the lower class and healed the people of each village who could not afford the expensive physicians. These people believed in the folk treatment and it worked for them. This type of situation also occurred in many other cultures. In Western culture, philosophy was frequently used to assist the folk healers in their quest for a holistic treatment. Philosophy was important because it told the stories of their lives. With a twist of philosophy and religion as well as belief, they easily found the best treatment available for whatever it was that was ailing the villagers of this time.
We now have a more advanced or instantaneous form of medical treatment, but alternative medicine can still be very effective. Massage, aromatherapy, acupuncture, herbal, humor therapy, meditation, and many other forms of holistic healing are used every day. In fact some of these treatments have become so popular that they are no longer considered alternative medicine and they are now supported by modern physicians. Although the theory of alternative medicine has been ridiculed throughout the centuries , it has survived for one reason - It works. Alternative treatments may not work as fast as the treatments that we have today, but these natural types of treatments can be better for you overall, if you just give them a chance.
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Filed under: Alternative Medicine
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Posted on October 21st, 2008 by Tera Warner
Various vegetables should be the prominent food in your diet. Even though they may not taste as good as a slice of cake, vegetables have more nutritional value that is principal for excellent health. Whole grains are another food that are healthy for your body. Notice I said WHOLE grains. Try to stay away from white-processed flour as there is barely any nutritional value in it. During the grain refining process almost all vitamins and minerals are taken out, as well as much of the fiber. Not to mention the fact that they bleach the flour, which puts chemicals in your body that shouldn’t be there! So eat whole wheat bread instead of white bread, and whole rolled oats instead of instant. Whole fresh fruits are another beneficial food group for your overall health and nutrition. They contain vitamins and fiber much like vegetables do, but fruit is much sweeter which makes them great for when your sweet tooth starts acting up. Another necessary factor of nutrition is protein. Protein can be found not only in lean meats and nuts, but also in vegetables. Go for smaller portions of meats if you desperately have to have it however, and choose leaner meats such as chicken or fish over red meats such as beef. Dairy is necessary to keep in your diet as well. It is one of the major sources of calcium which is necessary for keeping your entire body functioning properly. However, you should eat low-fat dairy products to cut down on your fat intake. Lastly, try to cut out fried foods, processed food, and foods high in saturated fats, sugar, and salt.
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Filed under: Nutrition
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Posted on September 24th, 2008 by Ralph Serpe
Acquired Immune Deficiency syndrome or AIDS is a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus. The late stage of the condition leaves individuals prone to opportunistic infections and tumors. Although treatments for AIDS and HIV exist to slow the virus’s progression, but, there is no known cure. There is currently no vaccine or cure for HIV or AIDS. The only known method of prevention are based on avoiding exposure to the virus or failing that an antiretroviral treatment directly after a highly significant exposure, called post-exposure prophylaxis.
Well current treatment for HIV infection consists of highly active antiretroviral therapy, also known as HAART. HAART allows the stabilization of the patient’s symptoms and viremia, but it neither cures the patient of HIV, nor alleviates the symptoms, and high levels of HIV-1, often HAART resistant, return once treatment is stopped. Moreover, it would take more than the lifetime of an individual to be cleared of HIV infection using HAART. Despite this, many HIV-infected individuals have experienced remarkable improvements in their general health and quality of life, which has led to the plummeting of HIV-associated morbidity and mortality. In the absence of HAART, progression from HIV infection to AIDS occurs at a median of between nine to ten years and the median survival time after developing AIDS is only 9.2 months. HAART is thought to increase survival time by between 4 and 12 years. This average reflects the fact that for some patients and in many clinical cohorts this may be more than fifty percent of patients HAART achieves far less than optimal results. This is due to a variety of reasons such as medication intolerance/side effects, prior ineffective antiretroviral therapy and infection with a drug-resistant strain of HIV.
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Filed under: Drugs
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Posted on September 4th, 2008 by Fred Peters
While the life-expectancy gap between men and women has decreased, it’s no secret that men still need to pay more attention to their bodies. Several things work against men. More than 50 percent of American men and women do not get enough physical activity to provide health benefits. Men’s Health Network (MHN) is a non-profit educational organization comprised of physicians, researchers, public health workers, individuals and other health professionals. Understanding the health risks for men is a crucial part in maintaining a healthy life. Mens are smoke and drink more than women, and generally lead less healthy lifestyles. What you eat and drink and what you don’t eat and drink can definitely make a difference to your health.
Mens health is committed to improving the health and wellness of men through education campaigns, partnerships with retailers and other private entities, workplace health programs, data collection, and work with health care providers to provide better programs and funding for men’s health needs. Balancing obligations to your employer and your family can be challenging. Based on your age, health history, lifestyle, and other important issues, you and your health care provider can determine how often you need to be examined and screened for certain diseases and conditions. Males are at increased risk for some injuries and conditions. Motor vehicle traffic, poisonings, and falls are the leading causes of unintentional injury deaths for males.
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Filed under: Lifestyle
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Posted on December 14th, 2007 by Linda Greens
While health insurance is important for everyone, it is extremely important to have medical insurance for diabetics. With regular visits to the doctor, lab tests, blood testing strips and medications, diabetics have constant costs related to their disease. These measures are important to keep the disease under control. Besides keeping the disease under control, diabetics are at risk for complications arising.
Unfortunately for diabetics and others with chronic conditions, in most states, insurance companies can screen applicants and turn down those with pre-existing conditions. This happens frequently with diabetics. An alternative way to get medical insurance for diabetics is to get on a group insurance plan through work if one is available. These group plans must accept people with pre-existing conditions. If there is no group plan available at work, all is not lost, however. Some professions can buy into group plans. If you work in real estate, information technology or construction, you have an opportunity to buy into a group plan through those industries.
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Filed under: General
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