What Is Herbal Medicine | Is It Safe?

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Herbal medicine is the use of plant and herb extracts for their therapeutic value. Most plants contain and produce chemical substances that aid in healing and other physical treatments.

Herbal medicine is the oldest form of healthcare and constitutes a key role in the development of modern medicine as we know it today. Back when technology was still unheard of, primitive men utilised the vast flora around them to the fullest extent, observing both plant and animal life and their components, eventually giving birth to herbal medicine. In a study by the World Health Organization on herbal medicine use, about 80% of the world's populace still rely on herbal medicine to cure certain ailments and about 74% of the drugs we use today contain at least one botanical element. For instance, Chinese Herbal Medicine's use of ephedrine to cure respiratory conditions still exists in the present time. Ephedrine remains an active ingredient in most of the commercial drugs that are being prescribed to relieve asthma symptoms.

Herbal medicine is defined by three schools of thought: Ayurvedic Herbalism, Traditional Chinese Herbalism and Western Herbal Medicine. While both Ayurvedic and Chinese herbal medicine have moved on to advanced forms, western herbal medicine remains a part of folk treatments. Herbal medicine is, first and foremost, holistic. It aims to address not just a particular symptom, but also to help the whole body rejuventate strengthen itself. And while there is no scientific evidence that all herbal medicines claiming to have healing powers are actually effective, the number the herbal medicines that have been placed under clinical testing have proved their worth. The list of known kinds includes echinacea, which is used to temper colds, St John's wort, used to treat mild depression (without using Prozac), and hawthorne berries, which help in the recovery process from mild heart failures.

Is herbal medicine a direct substitute to modern medication? It depends. While herbal medicines are extracted naturally from plants, not all are safe to use; particularly if they are taken with other types of treatments that may not be complementary. Also, herbal medicine is often used only for mild ailments. If the symptoms are more serious, it is best to consult a trained practitioner of herbal medicine who can tell you which ones are appropriate and recommend dosage levels and frequency. Presently, most of the recommended herbal medicines fall outside of standard drug regulations, thus, not all of their claims to fame are guaranteed and true. And even as common sense tells us that herbal medicine has been around for thousand of years, giving an impression that it is quite an authority, it is not recommended to self-diagnose.

Always keep in mind that herbal medicines are still medicines and, therefore, share the likelihood of having side effects as regular commercial drugs. Some of us have this misconception that because herbal medicines are natural, they are 100% safe. This is not true all the time. The best defense against the possible side effects herbal medicines might give is to educate ourselves with the basics on the herbal medicine in question and to use it with caution.

Alternative Medicine | Herbal Preparations

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Alternative medicine is gaining more attention every day. The idea that one can heal their body, prevent physical symptoms and even treat them - naturally - is very appealing. It is especially appealing in the wake of some alarming findings on popular prescription medications which resulted in them being pulled from shelves due to health hazards.

While one should still approach alternative medicine with caution and thorough research, natural cures, remedies and herbal preparations still should be considered when researching the best options for treating various physical ailments that impact your quality of life.

Still regarded with some skepticism in the medical community, there are undeniably some truly remarkable and tangible benefits to be garnered from herbal preparations, as testified by many users of the array of natural health products available today. Herbal remedies and alternative medicines can help treat and alleviate symptoms ranging from pain and menopause to acne and depression.

Users of these herbal preparations and remedies most commonly are those who are health conscious, have had adverse reactions to traditional medications, or just have a holistic mindset and approach to their mental and physical health, longevity and proactivity in prevention.

With it's increasing popularity and recognition, you are likely to see a rising number of new product offerings and also an increase in companies willing to put more money into research and development of new natural health products as their demand increases.

When Clear | Skin becomes an Obsession

Billions of people around the world experience acne over their lifetimes. In fact, acne is the single most common skin disorder, and more common than all other skin disorders combined.

With this being the case, it is not surprising to see literally thousands of different acne treatments available on the market today. There are prescription medications, such as accutane, and Retin-A. These work well on severe cystic acne. There are also over the counter medications, such as Benzoyl peroxide and Salicylic acid. For light to moderate acne, these can be a godsend. And of course, there are herbal acne treatments like tea tree oil and green tea cream. These both are proven to work well as alternatives to benzoyl peroxide.

This is just to name a very few of the most effective acne treatments available. There are then hundreds of brands that repackages these treatments under thousands of names, and sell them to acne suffers the world over.

However, there is one acne symptom that none of these medications can treat… Acne Dysmorphia.

Acne Dysmorphia is really more of it’s own disorder altogether. It
is similar to anorexia nervosa, in that the person suffering from acne dysmorphia becomes completely obsessed with a physical condition of their body. With Anorexia, it is their weight, and with acne dysmorphia, it is their clear complexion.

The truth of the matter is, Acne Dysmorphia is not strongly related to acne at all. The acne is just a catalyst for the problem. With Acne Dysmorphia, a person will become completely fixated on their skin, whether or not they are suffering from acne at all! They may pick at an area of skin until it bleeds, or becomes infected. Also, depression often results from their frustration with their skin complexion.

The sad fact is, many times these people may only have a few very small breakouts. Therefore, no amount of “acne treatment” will help reduce the fixation on the skin. It is not uncommon for someone with Acne Dysmorphia to check their face in a mirror dozens, even hundreds of times a day. And each look in a mirror reflects only a distorted image, one with a much larger acne problem than exists.

The cure for this disorder does not come from any form of acne care, but from healing within. Behavioral therapy, can be an amazing aid in curing acne dysmorphia. In many cases, this is all that is needed to help reduce the symptoms. In extreme cases, a serotonin reuptake inhibitor may be needed. Also, some people find hypnosis can be an effective form of treatment.

The most important thing to understand with acne dysmorphia is that it is not due to the acne breakouts, but to a mental disorder that needs to be treated completely independently of any acne. Furthermore, it is very important to treat acne dysmorphia, because the resulting depression can create many problems for a person, including suicide.

Acne is never pleasant for anyone, but acne dysmorphia can truly be a crippling disorder. Seek treatment for the mental aspects first, and then you may find that the acne you have will suddenly become an easily manageable aspect of your life!