Health | Chinese Alternative Medicine

The Upper Dan Tien

The upper dan tien is many things in Tai Chi. As well as being aligned to the element of air, it is also the gateway to the sky and to the energy which is given to us by the heavens. While it is always important to remember the Earth and your family heritage, you must also forge something for yourself above these beginnings. Just as the seedling must grow to be a tree if it is to survive and thrive, you must push outward toward the nourishment which only the heavens can provide to you. Because of this need, you are going to have to nourish your upper dan tien, if you are going to be healthy and improve in a spiritual sense.

The upper dan tien deals primarily with the top three chakras, and as such deals less with the physical side of things. While your heart, lungs, brain and other “higher up” organs are important to you physically, they are definitely matched by balancing your spiritual development with the physical development which takes place when you work on directing energy through your lower dan tien. These two forces must be in balance, if they are going to work effectively together for your good health and continued development. If you have not read the article on this site about the lower dan tien, you would do well to check it out for a further explanation of that part.

But of course, it is true that while the seed has no limits to its travels, it also has no grounding in where it stands. If you wish to be a seed that glides permanently on the wind, keep in mind that this is dangerous when the wind blows hard. If you strike rocks because you are ungrounded by an under-appreciated lower dan tien, you may come to regret your decision to split up the development of these two critical parts. Everything’s there for a reason.

Filed Under: Health | Tagged: Tagged With: Health, Lin Dan, Vestibular nuclei, Vietnam

Erectile dysfunction and the common causes of the disease

Erectile dysfunction is a disease that is also known as impotence. This is a common disease that is seen in many men all over the world. There are no differences in the various ethnic groups in the incidence of the disease.

There are various causes and risk factors that can be seen to affect the people. Men who suffer from erectile dysfunction may not respond much to the health medicines that are given to them. The reason is that it is a chronic disease. There is only one drug that seems to be having an effect on the disease and that is the Viagra.

The problem with the use of Viagra is that it is very expensive. Since it is the only health medicine that is available for the treatment of the condition, people still buy the drug. The other negative factor about Viagra is that it can lead to various common side effects. Some of these side effects are very simple, but there are other side effects that are very complicated. The complicated side effects of using Viagra include those like malfunctioning kidney and a liver that is not able to metabolize properly because of the toxic chemicals that affect it.

Generic Viagra is an option for those who are concerned about the high cost of the medication. The disease that does not respond well to health medicine can be caused by the decreased flow of blood to the male erectile organ. Diabetes, hypertension and even high stress are some of the risk factors of the disease. Old age is the common reason for the disease because it causes a decrease in the functioning of the circulatory as well as the nervous system. Natural therapy including herbal therapy have also been tried to reduce the impact of this disease, especially in the lives of young men.

Filed Under: General, Health Food, Health Tips, Healthy Medicine | Tagged: Tagged With: Disease, Erectile dysfunction, Health, Sildenafil

Are Rx Drugs Getting a Bad Rap?

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In recent years, prescription drugs have gotten a bad rap. They are blamed for creating super strains of viruses and creating an environment within the body that makes people more susceptible to Rx drug immunity over time. But while the media keeps bombarding society with these problems, the fact of the matter is that prescription and/or Rx drugs have revolutionized the way of life. For most, this has been for the better.

The attack on prescription drugs seems to have more to do with the medical and pharmaceutical industries as a whole rather than the drugs themselves. Many people within the media question the ethics of medical practitioners who get kick backs from pharmaceutical companies, and rightly so. At the same time, people must not diminish the astonishing feat some of these prescription drugs offer to people who take them.

People are living longer and healthier lives thanks to Rx drugs. Maladies that just one hundred years ago could easily take your life are now staved off by a simple trip to the doctor for a drug prescription. People who would have been relegated to a mental institution can have healthy and productive lives. And the leaps and bounds being made in prescription drug formulas can only grow.

One of the most astonishing examples of how far and quickly prescription drugs can advance is the advancement of AIDS drugs. These drugs have revolutionized how people with AIDS live in a very short period of time. When the first diagnoses began, people regarded the condition as a death sentence. Even taking the medication available at that time usually failed to do more than give individuals another year to live. Today, modern medicine can extend the life of the average person diagnosed with this disease by 22 years. Regardless of how people feel toward the medical community, the advancement and benefits of prescription drugs cannot be disputed.

Filed Under: Drug Addiction Recovery, General | Tagged: Tagged With: Drugs, Health, Medical prescription, Pharmaceutical drug, Pharmacy, Politics, Prescription drug, United States

Losing Weight the Safe Way

Safe and steady wins the race. Safe weight loss is the best way to lose weight. Short bursts of intensive exercise do help, but it results in fatigue. The best way to go about losing weight is to do it like you would cook a tasty broth—slow and steady.

Losing weight often has people thinking of doing drastic things, like going on a fasting period or exercising excessively. Taking unhealthy lose-fat supplements and so on. Nobody is prepared to turn their bodies into low-fat structures the right way. That is because it takes time. But was Rome built in a day?

For best results try walking in the mornings. You might see people from various retirement communities doing so as well. But that does not make you look old. It only makes you look wiser. Because those folks know from experience that slow cooking creates a tasty dish. Got the analogy?

So now the question arises, how does one lose weight the safe way? It’s simple. First, you need to make sure that you don’t eat more. Eating more negates any effects of exercise. An easy tip is to always carry a bottle of water. When you feel your stomach is empty and needs a fill, don’t fill it with food, fill it with water. Even while you are working, keep a water bottle next to you. Don’t drink caffeine or eat junk food to keep your boredom away, just keep drinking water.

Walk every day. This is a simple and straightforward piece of advice very often alarmingly underestimated. Walking is the best exercise for losing fat. Running does lose it faster, but walking is better. Walking creates stronger fibers in your muscles due to repetition. Running, on the other hand, does produce faster results. However, it is not advised for overweight people. Such people should only walk. Because if they run, the might hurt their kneecaps.

Filed Under: Health Tips, Rehab | Tagged: Tagged With: Health, Physical exercise, Weight loss

Lose weight and gain good health without medicine

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There are many methods of losing weight and gaining good health. There are some people who are able to lose weight as quickly as they gain weight. Though it is very motivating for a person to be able to lose weight very quickly, it is not very common in people. Though it is difficult, there are some methods that have been identified to help you to lose your weight as fast as possible and these methods are as follows.

1.Eat healthy food: You should eat food that is healthy. These foods include vegetables, fruits and other foods that have a lot of water content in them. These foods are low in calories and do not contain fat. These are also healthy foods that will digest very easily. If you consume these foods in large quantity, you will not feel hungry and may not eat foods that contain a lot of calories.

2.Exercise regularly: There are various kinds of exercises that one can do on a regular basis. Both aerobic as well as anaerobic exercises are good for the health. Aerobic exercises are those that include exercises such as walking, swimming and jogging. These exercises are beneficial in losing weight fast because they use up the fat stores in the body as fuel. Other than these exercises, lifting weights is another fastest way to lose weight because as one lift weights, the muscle bulk increases. This in turn will use up the fat as fuel and so one will be able to lose weight.

3.Water consumption: There are some other methods that are also fastest ways to lose weight. You should consume a lot of water, especially before every meal and this will help one to lose weight very quickly. As you drink water, your intake of food will decrease and this will cause you to have a reduction in the weight.

Filed Under: Alternative Medicine, General, Health Food, Health Tips | Tagged: Tagged With: Aerobic exercise, Calorie, Health, Weight loss

Traditional Chinese Medicine

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In use for over 2,000 years, traditional Chinese medicine is quite different from Western medicine. Instead of treating individual symptoms, traditional Chinese medicine takes a holistic approach to health care and looks at the patient as a whole. This type of treatment attempts to diagnose various syndromes caused primarily by a dysfunction in the core zang-fu organs.

The zang-fu organs make up the inner core of the human body. Everything is connected through a system of channels and blood vessels within the human body. Qi, or Chi, is the energy force that carries information that is expressed to the external world through the jingluo system. Traditional Chinese medicine analyzes the entire system before focusing on correcting the system by making readjustments.

Traditional Chinese medicine evaluates the patient by looking at the cause, location, and type of disease ad well as body resistance. The resulting treatment plan is based on the symptoms and the differences in presentation. For this reason, many patients with the same disease may be given a different treatment plan and vice versa.

While traditional Chinese medicine uses a variety of treatment methods that appear to be very different on the surface, each one is attempting to realign the patient’s Chi, or inner energy forces, to correct any problems with the zang-fu organs. Acupuncture may try to realign the body’s energy flow through external means, while herbal remedies attempt to do much the same from the inside. Qigong is an exercise method used in traditional Chinese medicine that also tries to return the body’s information and energy flows back to normal by regulating the Chi.

The theories of yin-yang and the five elements provides a basis for traditional Chinese medicine. Yin and yang is a theory that there is a wide range of opposites in the universe and in the body itself. The five elements are fire, earth, wood, metal, and water. Similar to the yin-yang theory, this philosophical concept is used to explain the relationship between the natural environment and the pathology of the human body.

Filed Under: Healthy Medicine, Herbal Treatment | Tagged: Tagged With: Health, Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine

Qigong as a Form of Chinese Medicine

Chinese medicine uses a variety of natural methods to not only cure illnesses, but to proactively prevent disease. While Western medicine would agree that exercise is beneficial, it doesn’t actually promote a specific form to promote health. In Chinese medicine, qigong is often recommended as a good way to build mental and physical health, learn martial arts, and find self-enlightenment. Tai Chi is the most well-known for of qigong.

Qigong, pronounced Chi Kung, improves the immunity responses, increases self-healing and self-recovery, and enhances the body’s regeneration capabilities. It can help chronic conditions like degenerative bone disease, diabetes, allergies, asthma, hypertension, cancer, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. Other major uses of qigong include building bone density, managing stress, cancer treatment, arthritis, physical rehabilitation, back pain, and general health maintenance.

The Chinese Health Qigong Association officially recognized four different exercises for health purposes in 2003. The tendon-changing classic is known as Yi Jin Jing. Wu Qin Xi is referred to as the five frolicking animals. Liu Zi Jue is the art of expiration in six sounds. Eight pieces of brocade or eight excellent movements is known as Ba Duan Jin. Each of the four is a standard Qigong exercise for general health maintenance.

While qigong is an alternative medicine technique that has a spiritual element, the physical part involves movement, stretching, self-massage, and breathing. Simple qigong exercises can be done anywhere and at anytime. At its most simple form, qigong can be performed by doing the three intentful corrections that adjust the posture, the breath, and the mind.

The first intentful correction is to improve posture to unblock energy flows, increase stamina, and reduce potential injuries. Controlled breathing is the second intentful correction. This involves abdominal breathing where the lower abdomen fills completely with air before the chest and then empties during the exhale. Finally, the third intentful correction involves creating a mental state of awareness to reduce levels of stress and achieve pure awareness of the moment. This awareness tries to reduce thoughts of everyday problems and allows you to concentrate on what you are doing at that exact point in time.

Filed Under: Healthy Medicine, Herbal Treatment | Tagged: Tagged With: Health, Medicine, Qigong

Alternative Medicine for Cats

Many owners of feline pets are turning to the holistic approach that alternative medicine provides for veterinarian treatments. Cats have particularly sensitive symptoms and can develop allergies fairly easily. When all natural methods are used, the chances of side effects or other reactions are minimized. The gentle, minimally-invasive techniques used with alternative medicine can turn a stressful vet visit into a new experiences that focuses on both the physical and mental wellbeing of your favorite pet.

Just like chiropractic care strives to promote health in humans through spinal alignment and joint manipulations, it can also be used to help cats experience improved health and a better quality of life. Acupuncture is another popular physical alternative medicine procedure used with cats. Very thin needles are inserted in the cat’s body at certain points to control pain and relieve other chronic conditions. Massage can also be used with cats to control pain, improve circulation, and relieve stress.

Nutritional therapy and vitamin and mineral augmentation therapy attempt to improve a cat’s health through their diet. Many cats have allergies or are too finicky to eat the proper foods to maintain the best nutrition. By adding all-natural foods and other supplements to the cat’s diet, many health conditions can be improved. Frequently, allergies can be controlled this way instead of using stronger steroid shots or trying to give your pet a pill or liquid medications each day.

Homeopathic remedies are another alternative medicine treatment that can be used with cats in much the same way as they are used with humans. In homeopathy, symptoms are relieved by giving highly-diluted formulas that contain a tiny amount of a substance that would create those same symptoms in a healthy patient. The dilution occurs by adding the substance to water in equal portions, then taking half of it and adding another equal portion of water. After this has been done about a billion times, you have a homeopathic remedy that relieves symptoms but couldn’t possibly cause any side effects. While common sense tells one that this couldn’t possibly work, many people receive rapid results from homeopathic remedies.

Filed Under: Health Tips, Healthy Medicine | Tagged: Tagged With: Alternative medicine, Health, Homeopathy

Reiki, an Alternative Medicine Method

Reiki is a form of alternative medicine that was originally developed in Japan. In a reiki treatment, the practitioner places their hands lightly on the patient’s body or slightly about the skin’s surface. It is thought to promote the body’s inner ability to heal itself. Advocates claim that reiki treatments can bring relief from symptoms of various diseases or from the side effects that many traditional medical treatments produce.

Currently, reiki is not regulated in the United States although it is officially recognized as an alternative medicine treatment. Almost anyone can learn to practice reiki regardless of their educational background. Many wellness centers and natural health stores offer reiki treatments, and some doctor’s offices are beginning to offer this type of therapy.

Reiki works on the theory that there is a universal source of energy that promotes the body’s own healing process. The reiki practitioner is trained to tap into this energy and help it flow more freely into the patient’s body. Traditionally, reiki was a form of self-care, but it has become more common for a reiki expert to administer a treatment to a patient. The most interesting part of the reiki experience is that it can be done from a distance. For example, a reiki therapist can perform a treatment on a patient over the phone or even over the internet.

During an in-person reiki session, the patient can either sit or lie down while fully clothed. The reiki practitioner places their hands just above the body with their palms down. They use a set of 12 to 15 hand positions, holding each one for two to five minutes or until they feel that the flow of energy has stopped. This flow can best be described as a hot or tingly sensation that the practitioner feels in their hands, and the patient feels in the treated area.

Depending on the health needs of the patient, the number of required sessions can vary. In most cases, there will be about four appointments that last for 30 to 90 minutes. Reiki sessions given within a health care setting can be much shorter.

Filed Under: Drug Addiction Recovery, Herbal Treatment | Tagged: Tagged With: Health, Reiki, United States

Getting Older: Is assisted living right for me?

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Nobody likes to think about getting older, it just happens. It is a part of life. If you or someone you know needs a little help there are assisted living facilities all over country. They are so much better than the old fashion nursing homes. At the assisted living apartments you get to be yourself. No one tells you what to do and they are much cheaper than the nursing homes.
Going into assisted living not only is better for you, but it also doesn’t place loved ones at an inconvenience by sharing their home. There are so many great things you can do, like play games with people your own age, watch movies, go to the diner and even get exercise. At the apartments there are highly trained nurses on call just in case you need them.
The perks are endless! Workers will not come and bother you. They are there for your safety. All the apartments are gated communities. So you can feel safe, most of them have passcodes or passwords to get in the gate. Your family will know the codes and they can come to see you anytime they want. There is no visiting hour or those lights out times, just use your better judgment when you have guest come to see you. If you don’t want to be alone you can have someone come and stay with you to help you out. Remember your safety is the most important part.
Hopefully this will help you make the right choice when that time comes for you or someone you know to begin considering adult living options.
If you’re not sure about the staff you can have your loved ones come and check them at any time. With no call monitoring, you can make calls at any time if you feel like your safety is at risk.
So be sure to give a good long look at this option, it may be the best way to go.

Filed Under: General | Tagged: Tagged With: Assisted living, Facilities, Health, Michigan, Nursing home, Old age, Senior Health, United States