Category: Alternative Health

Do Essential Oils Really Work?

Creighton University Medical Center School of Medicine is out to determine if alternative therapies actually work. Aromatherapy has long been recognized for the treatment of minor ailments as well as the promotion of emotional stability. But how does it actually work? The Medical Center reports that while there is widespread use, there is still not much scientific evidence to support claims of the ability to treat these ailments.

What studies have been done? The school has tested the lavender, chamomile, marigold and peppermint essential oils in several studies to see if there was a reduction in the perception of pain. Placebo tests were also performed in these studies as well. The results showed that there positive effects through the use of the essential oils although they were not conclusive. Does that mean that essential oils do not work? Absolutely not! What the studies do show is that there are positive physiological effects when aromatherapy was used as a complementary form of treatment.

The use of aromatherapy is rooted in our history with its use dating back some one thousand years. The Egyptians used essential oils for embalming the dead, but they also used them as medicines, for perfumes and as cosmetics. Throughout the centuries following the use of essential oils in medical treatments were refined through the use of improved distillation equipment and additional studies of plants. While the term “aromatherapy” is new, the practice of using essential oils as medicines is not.

We do know that aromatherapy combines uses the sense of smell to regulate emotional behaviors. We know that certain essential oils are known to induce feelings of peace, harmony, reduce stress, anger or fatigue as well as other emotional facets. Essential oils can also reduce anxiety or feelings of loneliness. There is an essential oil that can aid in the treatment of just about every negative emotion and enhance the positive ones as well. But how it all works has still not been proven.

We also know that essential oils used as a topical treatment have been known to exhibit anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic responses. Topical treatments are normally diluted mixes of essential oils with carrier oils such as apricot kernel oil or almond sweet oil. Essential oils have been used in the treatment of acne, athlete’s foot, eczema and other skin ailments. Essential oils have also been noted to reduce scarring tissue and stretch marks. Citrus oils have also been used to treat insect bites as well as act as insect repellant. There are so many uses!

While there still might be little evidence to support or validate the scientific processes of healing or emotional balance that take place within the body, we are still seeing positive responses! We are still seeing and experiencing the benefits of what aromatherapy can do when we add this to our regimen. Whether or not the use of essential oils is right for you, only you can decide. Take some time to consult with your doctor or aroma therapist and see how you can add nature’s benefits to your life!

Creating the Mood of Your Home with Essential Oils

Looking to add a new dimension to your home? Scents are powerful! They can stir up memories of our childhood as we remember mom’s home cooking. They remind us of a place of comfort as we remember special moments in our lives.

Make your home your haven by adding the dimension of scent. Using essential oils in various places throughout your home can bring a sense of peace, tranquility, and refreshing. It can also bring a newfound zesty appeal and at the same time, help bring emotional stability in our minds. You can change the mood of your home easily by changing the blend of oils you use.

Add a happy, peaceful tone in your home. A few essential oils that would help to create that mood are citrus oils like grapefruit, lemon, and orange. Each has a different tone of citrus and can be used in different areas of the home for variety. The lemon or orange essential oils can be used in the kitchen (so as not to conflict with household cleaners) to promote a feeling of freshness and crispness. Use the grapefruit essential oil in the living areas to spice up these rooms. The invigorating grapefruit essence also helps to combat feelings of fatigue and exhaustion as well. What a great atmosphere to relax in after a long hard days work!

Okay, maybe we don’t want or need a scent in every room, but we just want to add a simple touch to our home environment. To create a calming peace and tranquil atmosphere, try lavender or roman chamomile essential oils. The scents can be added in a variety of ways – through candles, spritz sprays, and reed diffusers. You can also try adding a drop of the oil on top of your heater or to a hot light bulb (do not use a halogen bulb with this). You can also blend oils to change up the climate of your home. A personal favorite is the lavender and cedar wood blend of essential oils. You can blend these oils yourself or purchase pre-made products at a local retailer.

What kind of mood do you want to create? The essential oils mentioned above are quite popular, but there are many more oils available. Take a trip to your local retailer and see what oils are available. If there are no oils available, see what the scent smells like and if it appeals to you. A trip to a bath products or lotions store will most likely be helpful in identifying what scents you like before starting your online price search.

Choose the essential oils that fit you. Does the scent depict your personality? Does the scent reflect the mood you want to create? What kind of scents work best for my home? The answer to these questions is that it is all up to you. You decide which essential oils work for you and your home. You decide the tone of the environment in your home. The best way is to jump in and find out what you like. Start with a bottle or two and try them in various locations of your home. Have fun creating different scents for different occasions!

5 Big Reasons to Relieve and Prevent Thyroid Disorder

In today’s world, it seems that almost any topic is open for debate. While I was gathering facts for this article, I was quite surprised to find some of the issues I thought were settled are actually still being openly discussed.
5 Big Reasons to Relieve and Prevent Thyroid Disorder

Word Count:
664

Summary:
Medical studies have been done to determine what causes thyroid disorder. This article shines light on many new factors that are responsible for the causation of thyroid disorder. Learn the most important means you can do to glut and prevent thyroid disorder. It is probably not what you think.

Keywords:
thyroid disorder, ph balance, alkaline diet, alkaline body, acidic frame, acidic foods, alkaline foods

Article Body:
Reason 1

The thyroid regulates the rate of energy production drag the bodys cells. Thyroid commotion reduces the bodys metabolism and makes you feel sluggish.

Reason 2

Thyroid disorder also increases your wager of degenerative diseases such because heart disease, cancer and arthritis and your stake of widespread infection. In severe cases, the energy level in the bodys cells cannot even sustain a basic level of metabolism, creating a life – threatening situation.

Reason 3

One major problem with thyroid disorder is that its often missed in diagnostic tests. Even if tests show that you take on not obtain a thyroid disorder, you might still be at risk. If your body is ever acidic, your venture of thyroid disorder increases.

Reason 4

Thus, even if you havent been diagnosed with thyroid bother, its important to check your bodys overall pH level and take dietary and other steps to reduce the acid level in your body.

Reason 5

You will not only reduce your chances of hike thyroid disorder or making an existing thyroid disorder even worse. You will improve your health overall again reduce your vulnerability to degenerative disorder.

THE RISK

Accumulation of acids influence your body, due to insufficient digestion of food, food allergies and consumption of acid – forming substances, can cause thyroid disorder. Acid – related causes of thyroid disorder also include exposure to heavy metals and toxic chemicals in the water supply and in highly processed food. When your bodys acid level rises too high, your thyroid function will be depressed and your metabolism will slow.

Lack of digestive enzymes, also caused by over – consumption of processed foods, further causes your thyroid disorder. Your bodys ability to neutralize acids is further moneyless. As you get older, the greater toxins you’re exposed to, the more likely you will develop a thyroid disorder if you haven’t already.

THE DAMAGE

Salt away a thyroid disorder, your bodys cells also organs will not metabolize as fast as they should. The certainty of excess harsh only makes the problem worse. Your cells and organs will become overgrown screen acid that they need to eliminate, but your thyroid disorder will reduce their ability to deal with these acids. The acid, in turn, will perpetuate or worsen your thyroid disorder.

For example, a sluggish thyroid reinforces the digestive problems that effect acid to accumulate in your body. Because a thyroid disorder slows your cellular metabolism, it reduces your bodys ability to eliminate acid waste. The more acid – forming substances you consume, the more this cycle repeats.

Thyroid disorder also reduces your immune system game, leading to chronic infection. With the accumulation of acid in your body, infection will spread briskly, further reducing your bodys ability to neutralize acids.

As with other organs, the thyroid needs glucose and oxygen to function. When acid waste accumulates in the bloodstream, these vital substances cannot get through. Without striking oxygen and glucose, thyroid function is poverty-stricken. The resulting thyroid disorder further reduces the bodys ability to clear the bloodstream of these acids that prevent the oxygen and glucose from getting through.

THE BENEFITS OF A BALANCED pH

Because thyroid discover causes so many other degenerative diseases, a thyroid that functions properly can restore health in since many other areas of your body. When you neutralize the acids in your body and eliminate acid – forming substances from your cuisine, you give your thyroid a chance to heal. Improved thyroid vocation entrust, in turn, assist your other body organs function properly.

To neutralize acids and restore your bodys pH balance, you need to reduce or eliminate consumption of acidic foods and other acidic substances. Adding more alkaline foods and minerals to your diet can help restore thyroid disorder. As your acid level falls, you’ll good buy that your thyroid function will increase. Your bodys metabolism will increment as a payoff, and you’ll be able to drown acids even further. The end result will be restored health, higher energy, and a decreased risk of thyroid disorder.

You can’t predict when knowing something extra about alternative medicine will come in handy. If you learned anything new about alternative medicine in this article, you should file the article where you can find it again.

4 Steps To Relieve Back Pain

Do you ever feel like you know just enough about alternative medicine to be dangerous? Let’s see if we can fill in some of the gaps with the latest info from alternative medicine experts.
4 Steps To Relieve Back Pain

Word Count:
852

Summary:
This article explores the 4 major steps learned by Michael J. Homan in his search for relief from pinched nerves from degenerative disk disease. Mike discusses the gravity of flexibility of the spine, and relieving pain with acupressure, and also strengthening the surrounding muscles in support of the spine and its health.

Keywords:
back pain, sciatic, sciatic nerve, degenerative disk disease

Article Body:
Michael J. Homan is a Reiki Master and studies natural healthing methods such as Acupressure, Electro – Acupuncture, Reflexology, Crystal Therapy, Chinese Magnetic Cupping, has his concede e – Book called 4 Steps To A Pain – FREE Back!, again has a health related web site devoted to health issues and natural healing techniques.

I have studied and taken courses in acupressure. Studied some on chiropractic. I besides have looked into psychological issues to do not tell pain and medical problems. And I am also a Reiki Master.

Consequently now that you have a little about my background, and what fuels my writing… let’s get to the real content.

I am going to condense this article for fair shake since it is a combination of four major studies guidance themselves, but you can get my e – book or construe my full articles at my web site, which is healthgrowhealthier. com.

I have found that 4 major things profligacy an important splinter significance your spines health.

First, there is posture. I know this is not the premier time you keep heard this, but it needs to be said again and again.
Posture should be capital in sitting, standing, and sleeping. Start taking note of your posture at all times. If it is not straight, then start working on fixing bona fide.

If you sleep in a position like I have in the past, with both hands under your pillow while you lay on your side, you can pinch a nerve in your neck if your shoulder of the arm that’s up starts to relax and leans in toward your head or neck. It would stage better to stead your arm of your upper hand destitute on your leg while one hand is under your pillow.
And if you can, buy a few different thickness pillows for throughout the night. I do not know about you, but I can not have a high, fluffy pillow when I quarter on my conduct. But a thin pillow gives me peck ache when I lay on my side.

The second thing on our list is the flexibility of your back.

What you want to do when you regard your back goes out a lot and you experience pinched nerves, is in getting your spine back into alignment and having it flexible.

Of course if you feel a chiropractor is your best choice, by all means seek one. But think about your progress if you could rank your own back when ever you needed to. It’s not all that hard!

If you are in pain at the present, put ice or heat on the spot until the pain seems to lessen.

Do NOT, under any circumstances exercise while any of your nerves are inflamed or swollen!

To get your back more flexible you might want to learn kundalini yoga. Not all yoga styles are like those you may have seen on television, where they disposition themselves up. Kundalini yoga has very worthy and applied spinal exercises developed to help flexibility. Kundalini Yoga is also a spiritual tool to utility before meditation as well.

It is very important to strengthen your back and the surrounding muscles. This is the third step to a healthy back.
Doing sit – ups is particular such exercise, You do not have to do many sit – ups until you feel you can… step by step.
Take all of these things slow and at the pace of your body. Your body will let you know what it is feeling. Pain is a warning sign.
Righteous remember… taking rack pills is okay when you really need them. But also remember that they do not heal the problem, they only mask the warning sign, they simply stop the warning sign, but not the underlying issue.
Health is fresh than just eating right. Sole has to consider mental health, environmental, and many other factors. It is not all that easy for a doctor to diagnose the complete problem also cure essential, especially if it has roots in psychological issues and has gone a long time unchecked, and became a physical problem.

The fourth and last step notoriety back health is to start a daily stretching routine. You have
seen cats and dogs stretch when they get up, try veritable for yourself!

The explanation to fetch health is in keeping it actively flexible and strong, or well supported by the abdomen and back muscles. You may have to find that happy medium in between like I have, being too markedly strength in one compass will pull out else.
Each material is uniquely different in bountiful areas. So never think what worked for someone else is going to work for you. You may have to figure on someone else’s leak and work it into your own, personal program.

I recommend you learn a little about acupressure as well to maintain your pain when it flares up.
I have found that I can dominate pain by using acupressure, simply by putting pressure on certain areas of the body. But that is something I suggest you seek a professional for help, or look because someone who does acupuncture, or take a course in acupressure like I did.

Now you can understand why there’s a growing interest in alternative medicine. When people start looking for more information about alternative medicine, you’ll be in a position to meet their needs.