What is Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)?
Complementary and alternative medicine is treatment for an illness, that isn't normally part of conventional medicine. In many cases, because of recent studies or their effectiveness, many physicians practicing conventional medicine now include some of these treatments when a patient has specific diseases. For instance, studies show that creative visualization can help the body kill cancer cells. Because of this, some cancer treatment facilities now include it as part of the patient's therapy. Even relaxation techniques used before the visualization can help cancer victims.
Super Germs and Antibiotics
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As soon as scientists learned about germs and antibiotics, they prescribed antibiotics for everything. Today, because of that, we have super germs that are immune to most antibiotics and a rash of people with antibiotic allergies or diarrhea and yeast infections because of low friendly bacteria count in the colon. Of course, drug companies now sell probiotics to offset that problem.
Nutritional and Herbal Supplements for Health
Nutritional therapies were part of medicine in early days, just as herbs and spices were. Today, laboratory studies show that many of these therapies from days long passed actually work.
Turmeric, a golden colored herb used in Indian foods and medicine, proves successful in fighting disease, including Alzheimer's. There are studies that show consuming brightly colored fruit and vegetables can help control and cure cancer. At one time, doctors scoffed folk medicine and herbal supplements for health enhancement, but now know that the antioxidants and phytonutrients in foods and herbs can have a beneficial effect on health.
The knowledge of antioxidants helped promote many herbs and diets to the foreground. Once scientists learned that antioxidants often contained in the herbal treatments actually protected the cells from damage by free radicals, including them in the diet became part of their recommendations.
Mind-Body Medicine
Meditation is another form of complementary and alternative medicine. Not only does it help relax the body, it also helps you change your focus. Deep breathing techniques, yoga and guided imagery all aid you in healing. These mind-body medicine techniques, including energy healing such as acupuncture and acupressure, are no longer fringe medicine, but recommended commonly as a complementary form of treatment. Studies even show that prayer from strangers when directed at a picture of an individual helps promote healing.
Massage and Manipulation
Some illnesses occur because of poor alignment of the body, pinched nerves or simply stress out tense muscles. Massage and realignment can help release the toxins in the body, relax the individual and eliminate pain. Today many colleges and universities offer courses for certified massage therapists. Chiropractic medicine always maintained specific standards, but is more widely accepted as an alternative form of medicine. In many cases, rather than use these techniques alone, as in alternative medicine, doctors recommend them in combination with traditional medicine.
It's One Big Picture
The term disease means "not at ease." It often isn't just one thing that causes illness but many different assaults on the mind and body working together. People with a happy disposition tend to heal more rapidly when faced with a severe illness. Those that eat properly tend to stay healthier. Exercise and stretching increases the body's resistance to disease just as meditation does. We are more than the sum of our parts. By using complementary and alternative medicine together, we can increase the potential for a healthy life.
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It is important to emphasize that you should not reject mainstream medical attention and guidance and the use of recommended products, treatments, and remedies for individual disorder should be approved and monitored by your health care provider. See disclaimer for more!
