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Are You Ready to Try a Natural Health
Remedy?
When you’re not feeling well, the first thing that comes to
mind is a visit to the doctor, especially if you’ve had
symptoms that haven’t gone away despite your attempts to
self-medicate them with over-the-counter products. In fact,
this is exactly the right thing to do; you should always seek
your healthcare provider’s assistance if you have chronic
symptoms.
Your doctor makes a diagnosis and prescribes medication for
you, but it doesn’t relieve your symptoms. You go back to your
doctor who says “Well, if this med didn’t work, let’s try this
one.” This can go on for some time, and you could still feel no
relief.
Finally you ask
your physician about natural health remedies and he tells you
that there’s no medical reason why you shouldn’t try an
alternative medicine approach. The question is, are you ready
to try something new, and what have you got to lose?
What is a Natural Health Remedy?
A natural health remedy is just that: natural; produced by
nature, not in a laboratory or medical school classroom.
Alternative Medicine involves using healing techniques and
substances that aren’t part of “mainstream” medicine. In this
category are massage therapy, acupuncture, herbal medicine,
hypnosis, biofeedback, and homeopathy. Natural health remedies
don’t involve prescription medications, surgery, or other
traditional medicine approaches.
Practitioners such as massage therapists have acquired specific
education and skills, and are officially licensed to perform
their craft. Herbal healers, however, are not. You must rely on
their skills as verified by how long they’ve been practicing,
and recommendations from others. You can also obtain natural
health remedies via the internet; reputable herbal medicine
companies will have consultation services and will provide you
with specific information as to how to use their
products.
Natural health remedies involve you taking charge of your
health care. If traditional medicine hasn’t helped, you can
make the decision to try alternative medicine. Herbal medicine
use, including homeopathy, is on the rise. Natural health
remedies purchased through skilled, reputable providers or
companies are less expensive than prescription medications and
have much fewer, if any, unpleasant side effects. Natural
Health magazine consistently provides information on
herbal remedies and their safe, effective use. You must be
aware that herbal products are not tested or regulated by the
FDA; you use natural health remedies such as herbs at your own
risk.
Don’t Experiment on Your Own with Natural Health
Remedies!
Obviously you can’t give yourself a therapeutic massage or
acupuncture treatment. But herbs and homeopathic remedies are
easily obtainable. Unless you really know what you’re doing,
you could cause harm to yourself assume herbs are deadly to
humans, including children and pets.
A wonderful resource book to learn how to safely use herbs is
Natural Health magazine’s Complete Guide to Safe Herbs by
certified naturopath Chris Meletis. This comprehensive book on
natural health remedies defines the natural properties of
herbs, their safety when combined with other herbs and
prescriptive medications, and a section on toxic herbs that
must be avoided. Similar information on homeopathic
preparations can be found on the web site of Dr. Ken Frank, a
medical doctor who also practices homeopathic preparations for
chronic muscle and joint pain, allergies, and sleep apnea.
Used correctly, natural health remedies may provide relief from
symptoms that traditional medicine hasn’t helped. Avoid the
fads, the scams and the infomercials by doing your homework on
alternative medicine and placing your trust into a skilled,
reputable practitioner.
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