In the West, we like to think of our world as modern and of our medical system as sophisticated. Yet, with the wide array of illnesses, diseases and disorders that continue to escalate in scope and number, it might be time to explore another way of evaluating and maintaining health. Many people are doing just that, exploring the realm of natural health.

The basic premise of natural health is that when the body is nourished and maintained optimally, it is able to heal itself naturally. Better yet, it can prevent the occurrence of disease in the first place. In other words, we wouldn’t need the interventions of our medical system in many cases after all. Instead, we can create the environment and conditions that allow the body to heal itself in which optimum health can be assured.

A healthy lifestyle is the cornerstone to natural health. Prevention is the foundation. Natural health is not about being a health fanatic, but more a health conscious person. This means holistic health, encompassing the whole person, body, mind and spirit.

Natural health practitioners believe that prevention is each individual person’s choice, and that each is capable of taking active responsibility for their own personal health and well being. The healthy lifestyle that is encouraged involves eating fresh whole foods, taking nutritional supplements as needed, ensuring regular physical exercise, and managing the sources and levels of stress in the environment.

Despite the best intentions and prevention, disorders of the body might develop. When concerns do arise, natural health treatment can include everything from vitamins and supplements, to massage therapy, to homeopathy, to acupuncture, to other forms of energy work. By definition, natural healing methods address the whole person; they are holistic, rather than focusing on a specific disease or body part that is affected.

While the natural health approach is to prevent the occurrence of serious infectious diseases or any medical emergencies, it never condones treating these apart from traditional medical intervention. There is nothing that prevents natural healing methods from being used side by side with conventional medical treatment. In many cases it can support the effectiveness of the medical treatment by building the immune system and bolstering health in other body systems.

While there have been efforts to pass legislation that requires a prescription for dispensing vitamins and supplements, none have yet been passed - at least not at the national level - in the US. There are laws and regulations that govern the “practice of medicine” that natural health practitioners cannot violate. But, by and large, natural health is still an unregulated field. This lack of regulation can be good and bad. Ultimately, some middle ground will be reached overseeing safe practices while ensuring choices in health care.

With its focus on prevention, natural health is the lifestyle choice among millions of people today who choose to take responsibility for their own well being. It emphasizes a holistic approach to health and healing, creating the optimal environment for the body to thrive, and employs natural strategies when imbalance does occur. The interest in and pursuit of natural health is more in demand today than ever before.

Tags: natural health

What might be the definition of holistic medicine? I believe many people would ask because vast majority of the people understand medicines as a remedy to illness and diseases. The holistic remedies in short are outlined by CHMA (Canadian Holistic Medical Association) as a healthcare unit, in which is harness cooperates in relation amid all involved, and directs toward optimization of attainment that covers mental, physical, emotional, spiritual and social health. Emphasizes is also placed on the testing of physiological, nutrients, ecological, lifestyle values and includes spiritual and emotional health. To put it simply, it’s a system of medicines that encourage or inspires intellect, spirituality, emotional and mental health and overall sound body and mind.

There are actually three type of medication system currently. On a holistic view, there are Alternative Medicine, Complementary Medicine and Natural Healing.

In the perspective of medicine practitioners as well as general public, alternative medicine is some health care techniques or methods that are generally not well received and usually doubted. Some examples of holistic treatments include, Herbs, Acupuncture, or the treatment with needles, Homeopathy, (Contemporary disease treatment system) Reiki and much more.

Techniques that are not conventional received and perceived will be considered to be in this category. Although, it is usually perceived that conventional western medicine is the most effective of all, but it may not be entirely true. Because herbs and acupuncture originated from China where these techniques and medicines have been applied as their conventional medication for many years, It is really hard to define which is conventional and which is alternative, it all actually depends on the cultural and historic background of the people in that region or country. However, the classification of alternative medicine can be changed to conventional medicine when the vast general public accept and no longer doubt this techniques or medicines any more.

Traditional medicinal practitioners often used complementary medicine as an aid, which are non-pharmaceutical and non-invasive methods to complement their traditional medicinal treatments. Some examples of such complementary medicine are Imaging, Biofeedback, Change of Lifestyle Program, hobbies and many more. It is concluded that such medication techniques is safer as compared to the conventional invasive and pharmaceutical techniques as it do not involved surgery which consist of certain level of risks and drugs which may leads to eventual side effects. In a Holistic Healing Plan, conventional techniques can be not needed at all but in some of such plans, it’s a chief segment of the process. It is situational and based on a number of medical considerations.

Last, it’s the natural healing. A technique similar to complementary medicine does not entail usage of invasive also non-invasive and pharmaceuticals methods to help the patients. Physical touch has been used in medicine or similar process since the early days of medical care. Healing by touch is primarily based on the idea that the illness, affected area or particular injury located in one area of the human body cans negatively affecting the rest of the body. With apt manual manipulation, it can be healed and brought back to optimum health. Example of natural healing is Massage, Yoga, Tai Chi and etc. Such physical techniques require strict discipline in order to follow through this medication healing process. The process can be rather long and tiring but it has been proven that it is a safe way to recover from injury or illness as compared to surgery and drugs with high magnitude of risks involved.

Therefore, it is actually proven that illness or injury can not necessary only be effective cured via surgery and drugs, there are actually other techniques and medication that is able to improve physical, nutritional, environmental, emotional, social spiritual and lifestyle values which eventually attain total cure and attain optimum health.

What is 20/20 vision? If you possess 20/20 vision, you do not necessarily have “perfect” vision, as many people suppose. A person with 20/20 vision has what is considered to be “normal visual acuity”, or sharpness of vision. This is measured as the ability to recognize certain sized shapes and symbols at a distance of twenty feet thus, the twenties in 20/20.

We have all seen eye charts where lines of letters become smaller as you go from top to bottom. The most commonly known eye chart is the Snellen Chart, which has 11 lines of test letters. This chart was invented in 1862 by the Dutch ophthalmologist, Hermann Snellen.

The size of the letters on the Snellen 20/20 line were chosen because the vast majority of people are able to make them out at a distance of 20 feet. Symbols or shapes are used on charts for pre-school children or other non-readers.

20/20 is actually a comparison, a fraction made up by the distance from which you can distinguish an object divided by the distance from which a person considered to have “normal” vision can distinguish that same object.

Of course, eye chart tests are mainly useful for screening purposes. More exact testing is necessary for prescribing corrective lenses, let alone to diagnose diseases or to discover abnormalities of the eye.

Line no. 8 on the Snellen Chart, counting from the top, is the 20/20 line. If you can read most of the letters on this line from 20 feet away you, too, can claim 20/20 vision.

A person with 20/10 vision can read a sign from 20 feet away that a person with normal vision could only read from 10 feet away. The 20/10 line is the bottom line, number 11, on the Snellen Chart. Most people who can “read” the bottom line of an eye chart are probably good guessers! Or they may be far-sighted enough so that it is somewhat difficult for them to read a book held at a normal distance from their eyes.

Suppose the smallest letters you can read are on the 20/40 line (line 5, three lines above the 20/20 line). This means that you would have to come up to 20 feet in order to read what a person with normal eyesight can read at 40 feet.

Eyesight between 20/10 and 20/30 is considered within the “normal” vision range, while 20/40 vision in at least one eye is the usual minimum requirement for a driving license. Corrective lenses, if required, are allowed here (otherwise the roads would be far less crowded).

With 20/200 sight you would have to come up to a distance of 20 feet in order to distinguish what a person of normal vision can read at 200 feet. This is the top line of the Snellen Chart: a big, single “E”.

Best corrected visual acuity of 20/200 or worse in the better eye is the definition of legal blindness in the United States and Canada. Legally blind people, even those with some vision, usually qualify for tax breaks and/or help towards buying vision aids.

Metric charts normally have a progression of 6/3 to 6/30, where 6/6 is the equivalent of the English 20/20. In other words, their “normal” test distance is 6 meters (just under 20 feet).

Testing with eye charts is really only an estimation of ones quality of vision, and it works best for spotting nearsightedness. Farsighted people, of course, would normally have no trouble reading the 20/20 line.

Have your eyes properly tested by a qualified optometrist every year, even if you have always thought of yourself as being 20/20. Unfortunately, there are many subtle conditions that, if left undetected, could sooner or later degrade your “perfect vision” to something seriously worse.

Tags: vision, eye health, healthy living

It’s true that we are what we eat. A person who fills up on junk food each day is probably going to age faster and get sick more often than the person who eats a balanced diet and exercises daily.

Importance of Protein in Our Diets

Protein is not just important for building up mass and muscle. A lack of protein can cause obesity and other health problems. A diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates and sugar will leave you feeling full for a longer amount of time and actually aid in losing weight.

A lack of protein in your diet causes the white bands across the nails, as well as hang nails. And for shiny, healthy hair you need to consume a diet high in nutrients, mainly protein, beta-carotene, and iodine.

Fruits

New studies suggest once again that citric fruits including oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits help fight cancer, high cholesterol, and obesity. Studies both at Texas A&M and University of Kanasawa Medical University in Japan show that compounds in citric fruits can help reduce the risk of colon cancer.

One of the best ways to ensure good health is to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Once you get in the habit, it is easy to add more of these items to your daily diet. It is also a great way to lose weight.

Vegetables

Eating your daily requirement of vegetables will help a lot in fighting off illness and disease. Juicing the vegetables is even better since it allows your body to absorb more of the nutrients.

How Nutrition Benefits Our Immune System

Eating well gives us energy and bolsters our immune system. Our immune system is weakened as our cells age. How do you aid your cells in staying healthy? Eat right, keep a healthy weight, and exercise daily. Keeping a positive attitude is important, too.

Supplements

Sometimes supplements are necessary. Even the person who eats nine or more servings of fresh fruits and vegetables each day probably needs supplements. After years of growing our food, the soil is so depleted of nutrients that the fruits and vegetables grown on it fall far short of containing all the vitamins and minerals we need each day.

Balance is the Key to Good Health

It is important for everyone to eat a variety of healthy foods, balance the food they eat with regular physical activity, and choose a diet with the right nutrients. If you have health challenges, are overweight, chances are you are not in balance at all.

Whatever diet you choose to live by, the food you eat has to provide your body with the nourishment to properly balance your body’s chemistry. Eating healthy enables your cells to stay strong, improving your overall health.

Eating healthy, combined with plenty of water and some exercise, is the key to long live and a strong immune system. There’s no way around it: If you want a healthy body you have to feed it right.
Tags: healthy living

Every person can improve their health if they follow these five guidelines: Be optimistic, eat right, exercise, sleep well, and find purpose for your life. Follow these and you will become healthier, happier, and more productive. First, put away fear and worry and find joy. There are health professionals who recommend not watching or listening to the news. Reading the daily newspaper in the morning starts your day off on a negative path. The news brings you crisis after crisis, tearing you down. Change your thinking to one of optimism and gratitude. Thinking of things you can be thankful for is a great exercise every morning. Be thankful for life, for family, for the ability to see and to think. It doesn’t matter what you put in the blank. The important thing is to develop a thankful heart. The second guideline is to eat right. Eat more whole foods, less processed foods, and overcome your addictions to junk food. That is hard to hear and perhaps even harder to follow, but it is so vitally important to your overall health. Besides eating the right foods you need to be careful not to overeat. Overeating causes us to age faster, increases wrinkles, and greatly increases our chances of acquiring many diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes. If you need to, decrease the amount of food you eat. At the same time increase the percentage of whole foods in your diet. Whole foods improve your health and improve your immune system. Eat 7-13 servings of fruits and vegetables each day and reduce the amount of sugar and salt in your diet. You will notice a difference in your energy level and your overall health. Thirdly, get adequate sleep. If you do not sleep enough your body is not going to function efficiently. It will even slow down your metabolism and make it harder for you to lose extra weight. Also, a lot of hormones are secreted in high levels during sleep which allows your body to recuperate and repair. For example, if you are an athlete or a body builder, not getting enough sleep will increase your chances of injury or failure. Fourthly, exercise regularly. The average person should try to exercise every day, raising their heart rate a little bit and keeping it there for 20 minutes or so. If you cannot do it every day or every other day, at least do it every three days. Studies have shown that after being sedentary for 72 hours the body’s metabolism starts to decrease. Fifth, find purpose in your life. Even people who have experienced horrendous illness have been able to survive for a long, long time because they had a reason to live. They have become incredibly useful individuals within their family and social and community spheres despite their illness. These five guidelines are very basic and within reach of most people. Followed closely they can lead to a longer, healthier and a more fulfilling life.

Tags: Healthy Living

Does this sound familiar?

You stumble out of bed in the morning, feel your way to the kitchen, and desperately reach for the coffee pot, hoping that the caffeine will jolt you awake. But soon you find yourself drifting off.

In today’s fast world, many, if not most people are just getting too little sleep and it is becoming a growing concern.

It has been estimated that one fourth to one half of all Americans get too little sleep. Sleep deprivation can cause many serious side effects, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

It can also reduce your body’s ability to respond to sudden circumstances by slowing your reaction time when you may need it the most. This can be especially dangerous if you are driving a car or working machinery, causing a serious injury or even death.

According to the National Institutes of Health, sleep disorders and sleep deprivation are costing Americans about $16 billion a year in health care. In addition, it is costing American businesses around $50 billion a year in lost man hours and work related injuries.

You probably already know that the average adult is recommended to get at least eight hours of sleep each night, but with today’s hectic schedules, most people are getting far less than they need.

So what is the answer for this growing problem? The first thing many people do is to try an over the counter sleeping pill. But many sleep remedies are ineffective and can create more health problems than they cure.

Even if they prove to be effective, they certainly are not the long term solution.

The simplest answer would be to go to bed earlier, but for many people, even that would not solve the problem. Our minds are racing a mile a minute reviewing today’s events, as well as planning for tomorrow.

The problem, in most cases, is that your body has been deprived of sleep for so long that it has been trained to accept that as normal. But for your body to perform, as it should, the proper amount of sleep is essential. It must be retrained for this.

The first step is to see your doctor to make sure that there is not a more serious problem.

If you are otherwise in good health, your doctor can recommend specific strategies and solutions to help you get the sleep you need.

Even if you do not think that you have a sleep disorder, consider how many hours of sleep you are getting each night. If you are getting less than seven hours, then you need to make some changes, for it will catch up to eventually at the most inopportune time.

Tags: Sleep Disorder