Traditional Medicine or Natural Medicine?

Healthcare decision making comes down to risks vs. results.

There are many treatment options available today for just about any disease, disorder, malady or condition. The number of treatment options can sometimes be overwhelming. Finding a treatment option isn’t a problem, but finding the best treatment option is.

In an ideal world, there would be treatments that would work 100% of the time with absolutely no side effects.

In the real world, no treatment has a 100% success rate with many treatments having significant side effects. The bottom line is that since there are no guarantees, every treatment option is somewhat of a gamble.

People are running scared and looking at their choices now more than ever.

Medical error is now actually the 3rd leading cause of death in America. One source for this statistic is National Public Radio.

Treatment Options Fall Within Two Major Categories

The Traditional Western or Allopathic Medicine Options

Over the counter or prescription drugs, which can have mild to serious and potentially deadly side effects. Prescription drug deaths total over 100,000/year.
Surgery – The Lancet claims that the overall death rate for the two months following surgery is a staggering 1 in 28!
Radiation – In the future, radiation treatment might be looked on in disbelief. The attempt of radiation is to try to kill the cancer before the healthy cells. (from WebMD)
Psychiatry – Beware selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which are antidepressants that have the potential side effects of suicide and homicide. This has been a hot topic of debate in recent years.
Physical Therapy can be based on traditional medical principles or be more holistically oriented.
Dentistry can also be based on more traditional or holistic approaches. Biological or holistic dentists have a more natural approach and don’t use amalgam fillings that are made of mercury and silver.

The Alternative, Holistic & Natural Healing Options

Supplements, including; herbs, vitamins, minerals, probiotics, nutraceuticals and essential oils. I practice Science Based Nutrition, which uses supplements, food and lifestyle modifications rather than drugs to help the body to heal itself.
Food Therapy – Utilizing healing foods. Here are 52 healing foods from Prevention Magazine.
Exercise is Medicine – Exercise is therapeutic on many levels. Endurance, resistance training and flexibility training are 3 major categories. Exercise increases life expectancy and reduces stress. Exercise also reduces the odds of getting sick or injured and can be done at zero cost. Take a look at the Exercise is Medicine website.
Chiropractic – This a method of healing that started in America in 1895. There are many systems of chiropractic, but the one that I prefer is Koren Specific Technique (KST).
Osteopathy – This is another American method of healing that started in 1874. Please note that some osteopaths don’t do any manipulations any longer and are basically medical doctors. Here is some information about Osteopathy.
Acupuncture – This is a Chinese method of healing that started well over 2,000 years ago. Very little was known about acupuncture in the United States before the 1960s. Here is a good source for more information about Acupuncture.
Bodywork, including; massage, acupressure, tapping, hot stone therapy and more.
Meditation – Meditation comes in many different forms and is practiced all over the world. Here is a source for more information.
Yoga – Originated in India and can be traced back over 5,000 years and also involves meditation. Here is an interesting source for beginners.
Homeopathy – This alternative method of healing started in Germany in 1796 that has been very controversial since its onset. Here is a source for additional information on Homeopathy.
Energy Healing, includes many non-traditional techniques, one of which is reiki.
Magnetic Healing – The therapeutic use of magnets has existed for thousands of years and is still another controversial treatment method. Many experts swear magnets do nothing and others, such as Dr. Mercola, beg to differ.
Intuitive Healthcare is considered health quackery by some and others swear by it – Part of intuitive healthcare is diagnostic, by determining what is wrong without traditional methods. This can be done with the patient present or done remotely. The second step is intuitive healing. This can be a physical treatment, a natural prescription, may be attempted without any contact with the patient, as well as done remotely. This area of healthcare is one of the most controversial. Here is a good source.
Healing Prayer – Has been used for thousands of years by many religions to attempt to heal oneself as well as to heal others. Can prayer actually heal? WebMD chimes in and you may be surprised by what they have to say.
Light Therapy – This is harnessing the healing frequencies of light from the sun or another source. Infrared light makes up 50% of sunlight and is invisible. Infrared from sunlight or another source can increase the production of energy in the powerhouse of cells, called mitochondria. This occurs by stimulating the mitochondria to produce ATP molecules at a more efficient pace. ATP provides the energy for all cellular activity. Ultraviolet light is also very therapeutic and helps vitamin D to be produced by the skin. Light therapy can also be used by having someone look at colors that are said to stimulate healing and recovery. I believe that there are many other benefits of sunlight that haven’t even been discovered yet. Harvard University is associated with Massachusetts General Hospital’s Department For Photomedicine that studies the health benefits of light energy.
Laughter – Comedy and laughing have been found to be very therapeutic and can alter someone’s hormones, physiology and their health. Forbes Magazine agrees.
Positive Thinking – Since so many health issues have a stress component, having a positive attitude is very therapeutic and promotes good health. People with negative attitudes are not as healthy as people who have positive attitudes. The Mayo Clinic agrees.
Sleep Therapy – The body rejuvenates itself after a good night of sleep. The brain detoxifies during stage 4 of sleep and the body heals. Here is a source from Web MD called The Healing Power of Sleep.
Therapeutic Water – We are about 60% water. When sunlight hits water, the infrared in the sunlight produces structured water. Maybe that is why mountain spring water is so coveted? Here is a source from Dr. Axe on the topic. There are also certain alkaline waters that can enhance health. My choice is Ion Alkaline Water.
Ecotherapy – This is using the therapeutic benefits of nature to improve health and well being. Besides the physical and emotional benefits of nature, being in different ecosystems also greatly helps to increase the biodiversity of our body’s microorganisms. We have about 10 trillion cells in our body and about 100 trillion microorganisms on us and in us. These microbes total 2-3 pounds! We should have about 25,000 different species to be healthy and over 85% of the microbes should be beneficial microbes. These are the friendly ones, not the pathological ones. This is from Science Daily.
Ionic Foot Baths – These foot baths help to pump more negative ions into your body. Negative ions help to make the body more alkaline. Disease is found much more in an acidic body and is not found to a great extent in an alkaline body. Many researchers believe that cancer cannot exist in an alkaline body. Negative ions scavenge free radicals and reduce oxidative stress. When the body is more alkaline, it can detox naturally. Detoxification occurs through your breath, skin, urine and bowel movements. I agree with this blog from Livestrong.com that concludes toxins aren’t pulled out of someone’s body into the water of an ionic foot bath. Also, many false claims are being made about this therapy. I believe the benefits are all related to encouraging a more alkaline body. When you swim in the ocean, a similar effect occurs on the body as an ionic foot bath. The earth is more negatively charged and we are more positively charged. The result is a more alkaline body.
Grounding or Earthing – Earthing or grounding products, including pads and sheets, have tiny metal wires running through them and then plug into the ground of an electrical outlet, which is where the third prong connects. Grounding sheets have a similar effect as ionic foot baths or swimming in the ocean. Even walking barefoot on the earth will help to alkalize your body. World renowned cardiologist, Dr. Stephen Sinatra wrote a book on Earthing. Here is where you can buy grounding or earthing products.
Healing Minerals – I am one of the owners of FIR Industries. Our company specializes in utilizing healing minerals that work from the outside in and not the inside out. Our main focus is on the therapeutic benefits of tourmaline. Tourmaline is a semi-precious mineral that is found on all seven continents and is among the most intricate of all minerals. The health benefits of tourmaline have been well documented for thousands of years. Tourmaline has been used successfully to treat many conditions. There are three health promoting energies of tourmaline. Two of the three are infrared energy and negative ions, which I have mentioned already a number of times.

The 3 Health Promoting Energies of Tourmaline

Energy # 1: Far Infrared

Far infrared is generated by each tourmaline particle as they absorb body heat. The health benefits of far infrared include accelerated healing, increased circulation and enhanced detoxification. The smaller the particle size, the greater amount of far infrared is produced per gram of tourmaline. That is why the tiniest microscopic tourmaline crystals are used in our products.

Energy #2: Negative Ions

Negative ions are generated by tourmaline when it is in contact with movement energy. Movement energy, including friction will generate these negative ions. Negative ions will make body tissues more alkaline, which is a healthier cell environment than an acidic environment. Negative ions also stimulate increased blood oxygen levels, scavenge free radicals, reduce oxidative stress and reduce inflammation. All of this promotes health and well being.

Energy #3: The Schumann Resonance

This is the same energy that is generated by the interaction of the Earth’s crust with the ionosphere. This resonance is 7.83 cycles/second.

This special energy is generated due to each tiny crystal having a north pole (negative) and a south pole (positive). The Schumann Resonance may be the most beneficial of the three energies to promote cellular health. The Schumann Resonance is often referred to as the earth’s “heartbeat” or “pulse”.

These energies collectively help to balance cellular and body function, as well as to promote health.

Internet Searches

Many people today go online and turn into “Dr. Google”. A little bit of knowledge can sometimes be a dangerous thing. On the other hand, I have met people who figured out what was wrong with them after their doctors could not.

There is a lot of fantastic information online and there is also a lot of misinformation. Some people spread misinformation because they actually believe it and others have a hidden agenda and purposely mislead.

Whatever research you do, these are my suggestions:

Keep an open mind. It sometimes takes well over a decade for solid scientific research to be finally accepted.
Is the information that you are looking at from a reputable source, such as a university, a journal publication or from a licensed healthcare professional?
Don’t get frustrated with contradictions. There are many controversial healthcare topics that have “experts” on opposite sides of the fence. Read their opinions and then go with your gut.
Try to find out what the success rate percentage is for a given treatment or procedure, the percentage that had no change and the percentage of people that actually got worse.
Research the possible side effects, including common and uncommon side effects.