Health | Chinese Alternative Medicine

Homeopathy Offers an Alternative Medicine Method to Control Sugar Cravings

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Homeopathy is an alternative medicine option that uses natural substances to provide natural cures. First developed in Germany in 1796 by Samuel Hahnemann, homeopathy uses highly diluted preparations to cure various ailments. The theory is that if something makes a person ill, highly diluted amounts will allow them to slowly and safely build a tolerance. Needless to say, this alternative medicine option has had its share of supporters and critics.

While many patients report positive results with homeopathy, many studies have shown that this alternative medicine technique only has a placebo effect. When homeopaths are asked about formulations that have been diluted to the point that they contain absolutely no active molecules of the original substance, they state that the water has a “memory” that allows the formulations to continue working. Regardless of which side of the argument anyone takes, some people have experienced relief of many symptoms when using homeopathic treatments.

To combat obesity and type 2 diabetes, homeopaths have looked to their formulations to determine if homeopathy could provide an alternative medicine treatment for sugar cravings. While no one would want to cut all sugar from their diet, sugar cravings can lead to food binges and worse. A simple formulation that wouldn’t do any harm could be the key to reduce sugar cravings in some individuals.

Cacarea is a homeopathic remedy that is derived from calcium. It works well for anyone who has sugar cravings and headaches. Argentum Nitricum, also known as silver nitrate, is an alternative medicine remedy for diarrhea and anxiety, but is also thought to curb the desire for sugar. Sulpher is usually used to treat skin conditions, but studies are showing that it can control one’s desire for sweet foods. Lycopodium is a homeopathic formulation used for stomach problems. Some people report that it stops sugar cravings while it calms a nervous stomach. Gymnema is another homeopathic remedy that is thought to stop people from wanting sugar-laden food. One or more of these remedies could be tried by anyone who would like to cut down on their sugar consumption without worrying about potential side effects.

Alternative Medicine Remedies for Anxiety

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Many people suffer from uncontrolled anxiety on a daily basis and look to alternative medicine for natural herbal remedies. Most everyone experience anxiety from time to time. It’s normal and was once a valuable survival instinct. However, if excessive anxiety is felt on a daily basis and interferes with a person’s normal functioning, it should be treated. Alternative medicine offers several herbal remedies for those who would prefer to try them instead of harsher prescription medications.

The passionflower herb has been used throughout history to control anxiety and insomnia. Studies have reported that passionflower has a similar effect as the class of anxiety medications known as benzodiazepines which include drugs like valium and xanax. This herbal alternative medicine does come with side effects including nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, and rapid heartbeat. Care should be taken when combining any other herb or medicine with passionflower.

Mind and body techniques have also shown to be effective alternative medicine remedies for anxiety. This area includes massage, yoga, tai chi, meditation, and biofeedback. It appears that when the body relaxes, so does the mind.

Valerian is a root that has traditionally helped people with insomnia get a better night’s sleep. It is also known to help with mild anxiety. Valerian can take several weeks to work and shouldn’t be used for extended periods of time. Side effects can include dizziness, headaches, and heart palpitations. Don’t take valerian with other sedatives or alcohol.

Kava is another herb that has been found to help with anxiety. However, the US Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about supplements containing Kava. Numerous cases of liver damage have been reported after using this herbal remedy.

Aromatherapy is an alternative medicine technique that is virtually side effect free. Many people find that certain scents instantly relax them and induce a calm state. Lavender is the most well-known fragrance that brings relaxation and reduces anxiety. The essential oils from certain plants can be added to infusers, bath water, and massage oils for aromatherapy. In addition to lavender, other relaxing scents include bergamot, geranium, cypress, jasmine, rose, melissa, sandalwood, neroli, and ylang-ylang.

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Alternative Medicine Treatments for Alcohol and Substance Abuse

If you’ve become frustrated with Western medicine’s approach to treating drug and alcohol dependency, you may be interested in trying a few alternative medicine techniques. Substance abuse continues to be a problem in all areas of society. Both young and old, rich and poor, college-educated and high-school drop outs can have addiction problems. Many people find that a genetic tendency towards addiction seems to draw them towards substance abuse at the first sign of a crisis, while others develope problems through boredom, experimentation, or peer pressure. Regardless of the cause, once someone decides to get clean, it can be a long and frustrating journey.

Many people with a drug or alcohol problem have a nutritional deficiency due to malnutrition and can have liver problems due to toxins. Nutritional support is an alternative medicine technique that attempt to correct nutritional problems and flush toxins from the body. For addicts, the levels of beta-carotene, vitamins B1, C, and E, zinc, and selenium should be increased through diet and/or supplements. Calcium and magnesium can also be helpful. The recovering addict should avoid refined carbohydrates and processed sugars while increasing their intake fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Herbal remedies are often used as alternative medicine approaches. Certain herbs reduce alcohol and drug withdrawal symptoms including anxiety and insomnia. Some can also reduce the body’s craving for its drug of choice. For relaxation, try peppermint, catnip, chamomile, or skullcap. St. Johns Wort can reduce depression. Burdock root, Echinacea, and milk thistle act as cleansing agents. Rudimentary Chinese studies show that Kudzu root tea can reduce the cravings for alcohol by up to half.

Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese form of alternative medicine, has been used successfully to treat alcohol and drug addiction. This method attempts to restore the imbalances in the body that led to addiction in the first place and has up to a 50% success rate. The treatments can reduce the withdrawal symptoms and prepares the mind to face any underlying emotional problems. Acupuncture treatments for addiction concentrate on the liver, kidney, and nervous system meridian points or channels in most cases.

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Careers in Alternative Medicine

With the growth in the field of alternative medicine, many people are looking towards this area for career choices. This area is becoming a more and more accepted form of treatment by both doctors and their patients. In some cases, alternative treatments are used alone. In others, they are used in partnership with standard Western medical treatments. With varying levels of educational requirements and certifications procedures, almost anyone can find a career path in alternative medicine that appeals to them.

Virtually everyone has heard of chiropractic treatment. This form of alternative medicine involves the manipulation of joints and spinal discs to correct alignment for better functioning. It is often used to correct back pain and provides an option to harsh narcotic pain medications or spinal surgery.

A Doctor of Naturopathy combines several alternative medicine approaches to work with the body’s own healing forces. Techniques can include nutrition, supplements, herbs, massage, exercise, acupuncture, and even minor surgery. Many patients find that they like this holistic approach much better than seeing a traditional doctor that spends most of their time filling out the prescription pad.

Homeopathy uses highly diluted formulations of various substances to cure many different illnesses and problems. Curiously, the diluted substance would create the same symptom if it was given at higher dosages. In some cases, the formula is diluted to the point that virtually no original content can be found. Homeopathic remedies are sold in a variety of stores from pharmacies to health food stores. A career in this alternative medicine area could include creating homeopathic remedies or selling them in a store.

Acupuncture is another popular alternative medicine treatment. It involves the insertion of very fine needles at certain points in the body along the pathways of the central nervous system. These pathways are also known as meridians. It is thought that the needles stimulate the body to produce natural pain relieving chemicals as well as restoring balance to the body’s natural energy flows. While an acupuncturist doesn’t have to be a medical doctor, they do need to be both licensed and board certified to provide acupuncture therapy.

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Naturopathy as an Alternative Medicine Option

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One type of alternative medicine provider is a Doctor of Naturopathy. A Naturopathic doctor, designated as an ND as opposed to an MD, bases their practice on the human body’s inner healing ability. They instruct their patients to modify their diet, exercise routines, and lifestyle and use new natural therapies to increase their innate ability to prevent and fight disease. Instead of focusing on a single part of the body or a set of symptoms, an ND views the patient as a whole person with interrelated systems. When a patient chooses an ND, they experience the best combination of modern medicine and natural medicine. In order to treat their patients, Naturopathic physicians seek out the root cause of an illness by following six basic principles.

An ND’s first principle is to let nature heal. The body has an innate capability to heal itself. A Naturopath will find and remove any barrier to the self-healing process like poor diet or unhealthy habits.

The second principle is to identify and treat the root cause of an illness. The ND understands that the symptoms will continue to return until the initial cause is corrected. They do not attempt to simply cover up symptoms with medications.

Do no harm is the third principle in the alternative medicine technique. A Naturopath will use safe procedures and healing substances like supplements, herbal extracts, and homeopathic remedies that have a low potential for side effects. They will only suppress symptoms when absolutely necessary because these are the body’s way of naturally trying to self-heal. Symptoms are suppressed if they become dangerous. An ND will see each patient as an individual that needs a customized diagnosis and treatment plan.

A doctor of Naturopathy’s fourth principle is to educate patients about nutrition, exercise, and relaxation techniques. The ND uses the fifth principle to treat the whole person as an individual with their own unique needs each of which contribute to their health. The sixth principle is to prevent illness. An ND will proactively evaluate heredity and other risk factors to prevent disease.

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The Basic Theory Of Chinese Medicine

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The theory of Chinese medicine revolves around the philosophical concept of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang is a long held Chinese idea of living in harmony with nature and having opposing balance, even going so far as to correspond with the four seasons and the 24 hour cycle of 4 time zones throughout the day – sunrise, noon, sunset, and evening. Everything in the universe is divided into two parts, the Yin and Yang: darkness versus light, feminine versus masculine, rest versus activity, north versus south, and right versus left, cold versus hot.
However, when it comes to Chinese medicine specifically, in terms of physiological functions, Yin and Yang can be split into form versus energy, contraction versus expansion, below versus above, and growing versus generating. This definition of Yin and Yang is very important in Chinese medicine, because it can help a skilled practitioner determine where an imbalance of chi – or, a persons life force - is, and how such an imbalance of chi can be fixed. For example, Chinese medicine teaches that Yin places of the body consist of the front of the body as well as the inner and solid organs like the liver and kidney, while Yang places of the body consist of the back of the body as well as the exterior and hollow organs like the stomach or intestine. If one were to have stomach cramps, for example, that would be an imbalance of Yang – thus, Chinese medicine dictates that it can be balanced out by treatment of giving a person more Yin by making a traditional herbal prescription. In a more simplified example of Chinese medicine at work, if a person is cold – a Yin sign – then such an ailment can be cured with heat – a Yang sign. However, because there are so many aspects of Yin and Yang in Chinese medicine, it takes a professional to help determine how to keep ones body balanced properly if there is an imbalance within.

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The Different Methods Of Chinese Medicine

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There are a wide variety of different Chinese medicine methods used around the world to help treat an imbalance of chi, or life force, in a persons body. One of the most common forms of Chinese medicine would be acupuncture. This is a technique in which a skilled practitioner puts tiny, thread sized needles into a specific point – or points – on a persons body in order to help redirect and rebalance the body’s chi.
Another popular form of Chinese medicine would be the one most thought of as traditional Chinese medicine, herbal remedies. There are nearly 500 different types of herbs to mix and match in order to tailor specifically to a persons needs to regain balance of ones body and chi. An example of such a concoction would be a soup that serves as an immune system booster, a recipe which can easily be found online that generally consists of 10 grams of huang qi [astragalus] root, 10 grams of a dang shen [codonopsis] root, 10 grams of a shan yao [dioscorea] yam, and 10 grams of lotus seeds, boiled just like a person would make tea – the only difference being that this recipe allows for the addition of anything ranging from mushrooms to miso, and other vegetables. Other simple versions of this Chinese medicine include specially made teas assembled from different herbs used to help balance the body’s chi.
Other forms of Chinese medicine, perhaps not as well known, include things such as “cupping” and relaxation exercises. “Cupping” is a massage, where cups are placed on the body in places where chi is imbalanced; a match is lit and placed inside the cup, then removed as the cup is placed on the body. The hot air from the match caught within the cup creates a vacuum of suction, upon which the cups can be slid along the body for reverse-pressure massages. The exercises of Chinese medicine are more well-known. Tai chi chuan, for example, has within the name the idea of rebalancing a body’s chi; yoga has also become a form of rebalancing ones chi.

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The Emotions Behind Chinese Medicine

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Chinese medicine is a philosophy based off of how the human body works as a universe in itself. The basic concept of Chinese medicine consists of balance within the body and its interconnected systems, focusing on the flow of body fluids – chi. The internal and external philosophy is one based on how internal emotions can lead to an imbalance of chi, causing external symptoms to manifest and point out certain illnesses occurring within the body.
This idea in Chinese medicine believes the development of disease is based on emotional disturbance. Sorrow generally reduces chi, and affects the lungs by causing asthmatic symptoms like irregular breathing, as the lungs control respiratory reactions. Fear represses chi and effects the kidneys, and such imbalance can lead to anything from urinary problems to poor short-term memory, as the kidneys effect the bladder and are a key part in telling the body to distribute oxygen to the brain. Anger stimulates chi and affects the liver, an imbalance that causes irritability and headaches, as the liver produces the biochemical’s that help process food and nutrients. Brooding affects chi of the spleen by congealing it, causing digestive issues. Joy calms chi and affects the heart; and though joy may not seem like an emotion that would hinder the body with negative effects, Chinese medicine deems that too much of a good thing can lead to excess stress and an inability to stay restful.
These are the seven key emotions in Chinese medicine. Having an imbalance of emotions – anything from too much emotion to too little emotion – can cause negative effects on one’s chi, disrupting the body and causing disease or illness. Luckily, by understanding the symptoms listed, a skilled practitioner in Chinese medicine can figure out which part of the body is being affected by an imbalance of chi, and easily help rebalance the body.

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Some Infertile Couples Seek Alternative Treatments

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For many people, it’s hard to imagine the pain that couples face when they’re dealing with infertility. Well-meaning family members and friends try to console them, if they’re aware of the problem. Infertility is a topic that’s somewhat taboo, reserved for hushed conversations with close friends. Ultimately, couples are left alone to deal with the monthly heartbreak of yet another negative pregnancy test.

Typically, it takes six months to a year of unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant before a physician recommends that a couple undergo diagnostic tests. Fertility experts seem to agree that 40 percent of the time, the man has a medical issue that’s preventing pregnancy and 40 percent of the time, it’s the woman’s health problem. The remaining 20 percent of cases involve fertility concerns for both the man and woman. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more than seven million (nearly 12 percent) of women between the ages of 15 and 44 experience infertility.

There are a variety of medical procedures available to couples. Doctors may prescribe ovulation-enhancing drugs like Clomid or offer outpatient procedures like in utero insemination. More involved treatments like in vitro fertilization require multiple visits to the doctor, thousands of dollars in medication, and minor surgical procedures. Except in states where it’s illegal to do so, many insurance companies exclude fertility treatments and related prescriptions from coverage, leaving couples to bear the high costs themselves.

Before undertaking expensive procedures to get pregnant, many couples explore alternative treatments like acupuncture. Practitioners strategically place very thin needles into the patient’s body. This technique for bringing the body into balance has gained wide acceptance and popularity when it comes to treating infertility. In fact, many physicians who do in vitro fertilization strongly recommend that their patients get acupuncture treatments to compliment the procedure. Some infertile couples turn to naturopathy for help, a process that involves increased exercise, better nutrition, and improved emotional health. Massage is another popular treatment that can help some infertile couples. Alternative medicine can be an affordable source of healing and help for couples having problems getting pregnant.

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Chinese Medicine: Basis and Primary Therapies

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The doctrine of century’s old, ancient wisdom held the belief that the body was made of energy, with nerves transmitting electrical currents throughout the spine and brain. From this frame of reference, Chinese doctors formed a distinctive medical system called Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, that diagnoses and cure illnesses.

At its core, TCM differs from traditional Western medicine in that it stems from a holistic interpretation of the world, as detailed in Daoism, with treatments based mainly on different syndromes—or misconstrued energies. So, while a Western doctor may treat an ailment with pain pills or surgery, Chinese doctors would prescribe something like Tai Chi in order to lessen the occurrence of the ailment by redirecting, or realigning, energy flows, thereby getting rid of the syndrome.

In essence, scientific diagnoses and subsequent treatments in the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine are largely based on the theories known as the yin-yang and five elements. These theories relate natural marvels and the rules of nature to the teachings of physiological behaviors and pathological changes of the body, and its relationships that interrelate and continually interact.
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The most common therapies employed by TCM doctors are herbal medicine treatments, acupuncture, and exercises known as qigong. Commonly, these treatments are used together and compliment each other, working to aid different parts of the body in unique ways. Herbal medicine targets the internal organs and nourishes them, while qigong aims to restore an orderly flow of information inside the nervous system. Acupuncture is beneficial in that is stimulates specific areas of the outer body, easing tension and restoring calmness.

While these treatments are very different in how they are performed and what they do, they all have the same principal objective to heal the body and share insight into the nature of the body and how it interacts within the flow the energy of the universe.

Given the term ‘alternative medicine,’ TCM is becoming more popular in the United States and is practiced by millions, gaining acceptance, recognition, and a place within Western medicine.

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