Sunday, August 5, 2012

Alternative Medicine As Treatment for Cancer

Cancer treatment can be tricky. Some measures work miraculously as the body responds in a positive way. However, there are also methods that may not be effective. Alternative methods are worth looking into when trying to find an ideal cancer treatment.

Alternative medicine might make use of measures that are not recognized as part of standard procedures. They do not have to be performed by doctors or other health professionals. These methods might not be the only ones that you need in order to improve your symptoms. However, these can be used in conjunction with other standard methods. Before you sign up for any alternative medicine treatment, you have to get clearance from your principal health provider. A lot of complications might ensue if the method is not right for you. Sometimes, your health provider will be the one who will recommend which treatment alternatives you can try.

Alternative medicine might mean the methods that people will use as a substitute to the standard measures that they have no means of undergoing. Some people will opt to have these methods as they cannot afford to get them from a medical doctor. There are also individuals who will decide to undergo alternative measures as no standard methods have been effective.

This can be used to manage the existing symptoms. It may also be used to prevent the development of new symptoms. Alternative medicine also hopes to improve the individual's health. The person's quality of life may be greatly affected if he or she is not suffering from any acute or chronic symptoms. When used with other treatment methods, it may help improve the effects.

Acupuncture is a famous method. Thin needles are inserted in certain points of the body. These points are varied and are believed to be connected with particular symptoms one experiences. A trained individual knows where these points should be. If you do not have special training on acupuncture, you can't just go and plunge needles under your skin.

In relation to cancer treatment, acupuncture can be used to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Nausea and vomiting may be prevented. Pains and aches may also be reduced.

Aside from acupuncture, chiropractors may also be used in cancer management. Chiropractic therapy strives to attain homeostasis in the body. Balance inside the body is disturbed when it is sick. In order for a person to become healthy again, that balance should be restored.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Have A Healthy Heart And Live Long

According to a study, heart disease is the number one killer-disease of both and men. Especially, heart ailments affect people from developed countries more than those who live in other countries. This means that it is the lifestyle of the people of these developed countries that contributes heavily for this affliction.

A lot of research has been taking place in the recent years to find out the causes as well as the preventive measures that people can take to protect themselves from this dreadful disease. If you want to have a healthy heart and safeguard yourself from heart ailments, you should take the following few steps. These are mainly lifestyle changes and if you make these changes, they will go a long way in keeping you protected from heart ailments.

- You should first make drastic changes in your dietary habits. If you are fond of oily and spicy items and processed and junk foods, you must stop eating these foods forthwith. Instead, you should develop the habit of eating a lot of fiber foods and wholesome grains. The wrong foods you have been consuming all these days may have increased your BMI or Body Mass Index. You should ensure to maintain your BMI below 30. For calculating your BMI, you should divide your weight in Kilograms by the square of your height in meters. If your BMI is above 34, you are considered obese and it may damage your heart quite seriously. If you lead a lazy and sedentary lifestyle, it is all the more dangerous.

- The second factor that may contribute to your proneness to heart ailments is lack of exercises. Though weight training exercises may help you in building muscles and having a good physique, you should do cardiovascular exercises also to keep your heart healthy. But, cardiovascular exercises may nullify the muscle-building effects of weight training exercises. So, you should do both types of exercises in the right proportion to get the best of both worlds. If you are above 45 or 50, you should consult your doctor before doing rigorous weight training exercises. It is better you focus on cardiovascular exercises like brisk walking, light jogging, etc. if you are above 45.

- It is a strict "no" to smoking if you want to keep your heart healthy. Your heart ages faster if you are a smoker. Apart from causing heart ailments, smoking may cause many other diseases such as cancer, lung problems and so on.

- You should closely be monitoring your cholesterol levels. Your Low Density Lipoprotein should be low and your High Density Lipoprotein should be high. In addition to these two factors, you should maintain the levels of Triglycerides also low. If you keep them at the right levels, you need not fear about heart diseases at all.

- High blood pressure can be very dangerous and it may cause heart attacks. So, those who have this problem should take the right treatment and keep their blood pressure at the right levels.

What Benefits the Immune System?

What benefits the immune system should be an important consideration. Many people are concerned about what damages the immune system, but those things that are beneficial are sometimes overlooked. Vitamins, minerals, plant components and herbs to boost the immune system are all available. You just need to know which ones to look for.

The immune system is a very complicated collection of cells, organs and pathways. Specialized white blood cells learn what belongs in the body and what does not. These cells communicate with other cells that destroy those things that do not belong and they are carried out of the body. What benefits the immune system are those things which allow the white blood cells, lymph nodes and even the skin to function properly. In this article, we focus on a few herbs to boost immune system strength. This is by no means a complete list and the essential vitamins, minerals and trace nutrients important for proper nutrition are not listed here.

Of the known herbs to boost immune system strength, the most commonly used appears to be Echinacea. It is however difficult to learn how many people use products, such as these, since they are sold over the counter. A recent study in Canada concluded that of the people surveyed who used health and dietary supplements, more people used herbs to boost immune system strength and specifically Echinacea than all the other dietary and health supplements combined.

Echinacea was the most commonly used medicinal plants by Native Americans of the North American plains. It was used to relieve symptoms and hasten recover from everything from the common cold to influenza and infections of all types. It has often been recommended as what benefits the immune system because of this fact. Echinacea is a common plant that grows in many areas of the world. And while Echinacea supplements may be 100% natural, they may not be 100% safe. Recent evidence suggests that continued use for extended periods of time (more than 90 days) can be toxic to the liver. It should therefore be avoided by anyone who takes prescription or over the counter medications that are known to be toxic to the liver. And extended use should be avoided. This could be a problem for those who are looking for what benefits the immune system, because studies indicate that full effectiveness as a preventative is only achieved after using for three months consecutively. Echinacea may be a better choice for occasional use, as a treatment or to speed recovery time from colds and viruses, as this was its historical use.