Natural Holistic Health Blog

Headaches are not only annoying and painful; they can also severely disrupt your life.  Regular headaches can affect your mood, sleep patterns, and work performance.

If you suffer from headaches, you’ve probably looked into a lot of treatments, but perhaps don”t really know where to start.

While they can take away the pain, many headache medications have undesirable side effects.  While rare, a few of these side effects can be severe and even life threatening, even at low doses.  Plus, to get rid of more severe headaches, you have to take higher doses. It’’s no wonder people have been turning to natural cures to help relieve head pain.

There are several herbs and foods that can be used to treat headaches once they start.

Here are some:

* Lemon – Squeezing a few wedges of lemon in your water or juice can get rid of a headache almost immediately. If that doesn’t work, grind the peel into a paste and apply directly to the forehead or temples.

* Cinnamon – Grind a cinnamon stick with water until you get a fine paste.  Apply to the forehead and temples for quick relief.

Filed under: Pain Management by Dee
No Comments »

After an exhausting day on your feet, a hectic weekend of shopping or a weekend warrior workout now saying makes you feel better or relieve stress and pain than a relaxing foot massage in the privacy and comfort of your own home.

Knowing how to do a foot massage can come in handy in a number of ways. It can be an all natural stress reliever that you can give as a gift to yourself or to a loved one. A relaxing foot massage can also help you sleep better, feel rejuvenated and be ready for another hectic day.

The fluid has 12 different muscles that are designed to support the weight of the body and provide a movable platform on almost any surface. Your foot is designed to carry the full weight of your body whether you are walking on in the solid ground, or rocks or a tightrope. Having a foot massage can help you to relax, improve blood flow to the feeds and relieve any tight or cramping muscles after a full day on your feet.

Filed under: Alternative Therapies by Dee
2 Comments »

The diagnosis of arthritis can be incredibly overwhelming. Faced to suddenly with the knowledge that pain will be a part of the future individuals also must struggle to find a specialist to help manage the medical situation and prevent any further disability. That particular specialist who manages arthritic conditions is called a rheumatologist.

There are some tricks to finding a good rheumatologist who can provide excellent care, improve the comfort level, decreased pain and help to prevent any further disability that the individual may suffer with their particular diagnosis. Here are some suggestions that will help an individual find their way through the maze of medical care to find the doctor with whom they can be comfortable and with whom they can learn to treat their own disease.

Making the right choice in the specialists who cares for your illness is an important decision because and a positive attitude on the part of the individual actually makes a great difference in the daily lives of people who live with chronic pain. There are three different ways of coming up with a list of specialists from whom to choose; credential checks, referrals and insurance lists.

Filed under: Joints, Bones & Muscles by Dee
No Comments »

I debated for quite awhile on whether to add the category “My Personal Journey” to this blog, finally deciding that yes, I would. Why? Because if we are truly talking about holistic medicine (I like to call it Wholistic medicine), then how can you neglect the spirit?

I’m on my own journey of self-discovery and spirituality. A journey that is at times frustrating, at times enlightening, at times rewarding but at all times worth it – at least to me. I’ve always been curious – much to the chagrin of my elders when I was a child and to the delight, believe it or not, of my church pastor.

I think that’s where my ’search’ began. I don’t have horror stories of church and dogma from my childhood. I was surrounded by folks who loved God and who lived God’s love. Our church had a pastor who not only didn’t hesitate to say “I honestly don’t know” when asked a tough question he had no answer for, but also followed it with “You need to pray and seek your own answers to this one – and I promise you’ll find them.”

Filed under: My Personal Journey by Dee
8 Comments »

From Nursaholic.com:

Sometimes it is easy to forget, with the rigors of scientific medicine, that sometimes the whole person needs to be treated. With holistic medicine, the health of the patient involves spiritual, lifestyle, nutritional, emotional, mental, social and environmental aspects in addition to the physical. Holistic medicine can be used in a manner that is complementary to medical practices present in modern Western health care. Here are 50 blog resources that can help you learn a little more about holistic medicine:

General Holistic Medicine Blogs

If you are looking for more information on general holistic practices, here are some helpful blogs that can rovide you with an overview:

1. About.com: Alternative Medicine provides a look at complementary medicine, including holistic practices.
2. Alternative Medicine Zone offers overviews of different holistic medicine practices, and focuses on how you can be treated as whole person, rather than just your physical symptoms.
3. Holistic Medicine Blog has posts on different types of holistic healing, as well as helpful hints for using holistic practices in your own life.
4. Natural Holistic Health Blog gives the reader special hints on how to best use holistic remedies and practice to help improve one�s health.

Filed under: Alternative Therapies by Dee
No Comments »

Oftentimes patients and doctors will equate osteoarthritis as a disease of wear and tear in the joints as well as old age. Although osteoarthritis usually does accompany old age researchers have found that cartilage in the joint becomes chemically different than a joint that does not have the disease.

Researchers have also found that there are usually a series of events which lead to the development of the condition and that, while it is often associated with old age, that association isn’t enough to trigger osteoarthritis. These particular events involve both the use and breakdown of the cartilage as well as the production and maintenance in the joints. The joints which are effective in are usually the larger weight-bearing joints such as the knees and hips. These provide the majority of the cushion when we are doing any weight-bearing exercise such as walking or running.

Athletes who perform repetitive motion exercises, such as rowing or tennis, will find that osteoarthritis can also develop in the elbow and shoulder areas.

Researchers believe that a genetic component may also be responsible for the development but have not yet conclusively found a link. May have found a higher correlation in the development of osteoarthritis when a parent has the condition and a child subsequently developed it.

Filed under: Joints, Bones & Muscles by Dee
No Comments »

Massage has been giving individuals medical and health benefits for years. At this time there have been over 30 different types of massage that have been identified, having been used for the last 3000 years.

Deep tissue massage is one of those therapies that focuses on realigning deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue. Researchers have found that deep tissue massage is especially helpful for those who suffer from chronically tense and contracted areas of the body such as neck, low back and sore shoulders.

Deep tissue massage uses some of the same motions and techniques as Swedish massage but the pressure will generally be more intense. Deep tissue massage is a more focused typos therapy as the therapist works to release chronic muscle tension or knots, also known as adhesions.

Deep tissue massage should be done by a therapist who has been a specially trained in the technique. Although it does not hurt it is likely to be more uncomfortable than a classic Swedish massage.

Using these deeper techniques for massage can help to break up and a lemonade scar tissue and is usually focused on more specific areas of the body than an over all body massage. Although there may be some soreness during or after the massage the participant should feel better than ever within a day or two.

Filed under: Alternative Therapies by Dee
No Comments »

When you think of allergens, the first thing you probably think of is spring.� The flowers are blooming, the grass is growing, and many people are suffering.� The problem is that just because spring has come and gone, it doesn’t mean your allergies have too.� For many people, winter allergies can be just as annoying, or worse.

Many people don’t worry about allergies during the winter.� Since the plants are all dormant, it’s true that you don’t have to worry about most outdoor allergens, but that doesn’t mean you’re in the clear.� As you spend more time indoors, avoiding the cold, you’re also exposing yourself to more indoor allergies.

The most common indoor allergy is dust.� While people aren’t actually allergic to the dust, many are allergic to the tiny organisms, mold, and other disgusting things living inside the dust.� If you or a family is allergic to dust mites, you should take care to dust and vacuum regularly.� Be sure to use a product that picks up particles rather than just spreading them around.�� You may also try products that help keep you from dusting as often.

Filed under: Respiratory Conditions by Dee
2 Comments »

Massage therapy is a practice that dates back thousands of years. There are many different types of massage therapy but all have one basic factor in common-they all involve the manipulation of muscle and other soft tissue in the body.

In the United States massage therapy is sometimes part of traditional Western medicine but often it is part of complementary and alternative medicine.

Many people include massage therapy to help treat a variety of health related Strauss and illnesses as well as contributing to general wellness. At this time scientists do not understand what changes happen in the body during the massage and how they might influence overall health however there are specific current studies being done now in order to answer those questions and identify the best possible way a massage might be integrated into health care.

Although the size is hands on, there are very few risks to massage therapy if it’s done appropriately and by a trained massage professional.

However, prior to undergoing any complementary or alternative medicine you should discuss the options with your primary care physician in order to determine if they will negatively affect any underlying medical condition or medication that you may be taking at the time.

Filed under: Alternative Therapies by Dee
No Comments »

Treatment of any disease is customized to the disease itself, and this is never more true than dealing with individuals who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an immune disease where the body somehow is triggered to attack itself. While there is no known cause and scientists are unaware of any particular trigger or genetic link, the outcome remains the same.

In order to customize the treatments the diagnosis must be accurate. The first step to identify any disease is a physical examination and thorough medical history. During a physical examination to dodge a look for telltale rheumatoid nodules in the areas of pressure such as the elbows and fingers.

She will also vote for redness, tenderness, swelling and heat in the joints. The physician will use a thorough medical history to determine most family relationships, past medical history and families and current injuries or illnesses. In order to complete the diagnosis the doctor may order blood tests and will probably do some imaging studies.

Once the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis is confirmed your primary care physician will often refer to a rheumatologist as standard practice. This is a doctor who has received special training and education in the treatment of arthritis and has taken and passed certification Board exams.

Filed under: Joints, Bones & Muscles by Dee
No Comments »