Natural Remedies-Definitions of Integrative Remedies
Integrative Remedies -Definitions
Therapies can be supportive to keep you healthy or healing remedies when you have a minor illness or injury
Botanicals – Western / Traditional Chinese / Ayurveda/ Adaptogens
Botanicals refers to using plants as medicine for prevention or treatment of ailments. Plants have been used for centuries in healing and are the first choice of medicine for over 80% of the world according to the World Health Organization. They can be taken into the body in many ways; for example, as a simple tea, powdered in a capsule,or liquid alcohol extract. They can be used as a poultice or inhalation steam or eaten as food.
Supplements
Supplements are usually in pill form, but can be powders or liquids. These can be plant or animal based or synthetically created. This category includes vitamins and minerals. These can be other substances the body makes naturally but you may want more of such as CoQ10, SAMe (s-adenosyl-methionin), or melatonin. They can also include fish oils.
Breathing Practices
Just as the words note, controlling your breath can be very powerful medicine. It is the link between voluntary responses (using your muscles to move your body) and the autonomic nervous system which controls your organ activities and our stress response. By changing your breathing you can calm yourself and decrease the intensity of your stress response significantly.
Meditation / Mindfulness
Meditation and mindfulness are also ways to practice focusing and thinking in a particular way that leads to mind relaxation and also beneficial body responses like lower blood pressure, clearer thinking, better memory and less feelings of stress. Check out the Mindfulness Module for more inforamation.
Guided Imagery
This simple but powerful tool can help with many physical and mental health problems. All that is required is listening to scripted messages in a relaxed environment. It is sometimes called organized daydreaming. These can be simple recordings leading you on a walk in nature to relax your mind and body. However, they can also be highly sophisticated,created by skilled professionals, in their ability to treat specific illnesses like depression and anxiety or helping to create positive outcomes for surgery or cancer treatment.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that has been around several thousand years. It consists of placing very tiny needles along lines in the body that regulate the flow of “Chi” or life force. Relieving blockages of chi help increase health and can relieve pain and illness.
Chiropractic
Chiropractic is a healthcare discipline that emphasizes the inherent recuperative power of the body to heal itself without the use of drugs or surgery. The practice of chiropractic focuses on the relationship between structure (primarily the spine) and function (as coordinated by the nervous system) and how that relationship affects the preservation and restoration of health. Manipulation of bones and joints can be characterized as high velocity.
Osteopathy
Osteopathic medicine provides all of the benefits of modern medicine including prescription drugs, surgery, and the use of technology to diagnose disease and evaluate injury. It also offers the added benefit of hands-on diagnosis and treatment through a system of treatment known as osteopathic manipulative medicine which can be characterized as low velocity . Osteopathic medicine emphasizes helping each person achieve a high level of wellness by focusing on health promotion and disease prevention. Osteopathic physicians have the full scope of practice as medical doctors.
Massage
Massage therapy is manual manipulation of soft body tissues (muscle, connective tissue, tendons and ligaments) to enhance a person's health and well-being. There are dozens of types of massage therapy methods (also called modalities). Swedish, Aromatherapy, Deep Tissue, Lymphatic, Acupressure, Shiatsu and Thai name a few. Have you ever had someone massage your shoulders when you felt tense? The release of rigid muscles feels wonderful. Imagine how a full body massage could work out all the tension you are holding. Highly recommended, an inexpensive way get a massage is find a massage school and volunteer to be a recipient for a learning student!
Integrative Remedies
Recommendations for a select list of health issues to give you an idea of the possibilities.
Adaptogens for General Health
- Anxiety
- Cold / Flu / Sore Throat
- Depression (mild)
- Digestion
- Muscle soreness or mild sprains
- Simple Burns (no blistering)
- Stress
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