Basic Principles of Complementary/ Alternative Therapies
JUST AS MAINSTREAM MEDICINE has a fairly consistent approach to illness, so does al-ternative medicine. Most prevalent in alternative medicine are the six naturopathic principles. In one form or another, these principles are revisited again and again throughout Section Two of this text. The following principles are described by Dr. Catherine Downey and excerpted from her chapter on naturopathic medicine.
1. The Healing Power of Nature (Vis medicatix naturae)
The body has the inherent ability to establish, maintain and restore health. The healing process is ordered and intelligent: nature heals through the response of the life force. The physician’s role is to facilitate and augment this process, to act to identify and remove obstacles to health and recovery, and to support the creation of a healthy internal and external environment. In short, give the body the appropriate tools and it will heal itself.
2. Treat the Whole Person (The multifactorial nature of health and disease)
Health and disease are conditions of the whole organism, involving a complex interaction of physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, and social factors. The physician must treat the whole person by taking all of these factors into account. The harmonious functioning of all aspects of the individual is essential to recovery from and prevention of disease and requires a personalized and comprehensive approach to diagnosis and treatment.
3. First Do No Harm (Primum no nocere)
Illness is a purposeful process of the organism. The process of healing includes the generation of symptoms, which are, in fact, an expression of the life force attempting to heal itself. Therapeutic actions should be complementary to and synergistic with this healing process. The physician’s actions can support or antagonize the actions of the vis mediatrix naturae; therefore methods designed to suppress symptoms without removing underlying causes are considered harmful and are avoided or minimized. Therapeutic actions are applied in an ordered fashion congruent with the internal order of the organism.
4. Identify and Treat the Cause (Tolle causam)
Illness does not occur without cause. Underlying causes of disease must be discovered and removed or treated before a person can recover completely from illness. Symptoms are expressions of the body’s attempt to heal, but they are not the cause of disease; therefore naturopathic medicine addresses itself promptly to the underlying causes of disease, rather than symptoms. Causes may occur on many levels, including physical, mental-emotional, and spiritual. The physician must evaluate fundamental underlying causes on all levels, directing treatment at root cause rather than at symptomatic expression.
5. Prevention (Prevention is the best “cure”)
The ultimate goal of naturopathic medicine is prevention. This is accomplished through education and promotion of lifestyle habits that create good health. The physician assesses risk factors and hereditary susceptibility to disease and makes appropriate interventions to avoid further harm and risk to the patient. The emphasis is on building health rather than on fighting disease. Because it is difficult to be healthy in an unhealthy world, it is the responsibility of both the physician and patient to create a healthier environment in which to live.
6. The Physician as Teacher (Docere)
Beyond an accurate diagnosis and appropriate prescription, the physician must work to create a health-sensitive, interpersonal relationship with the patient. A cooperative doctor-patient relationship has inherent therapeutic value. The physician’s major role is to educate and encourage the patient to take responsibility for health. The physician is a catalyst for healthful change, empowering and motivating the patient to assume responsibility. It is the patient, not the doctor, who ultimately creates or accomplishes healing. The physician must strive to inspire hope as well as understanding. Physicans must also make a commitment to their personal and spiritual development in order to be good teachers.
Obesity in America is the number one health threat. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have already warned the public about the looming threat. Clocking in at a staggering $122.9 billion in costs; obesity also sends nearly 400,000 Americans to an early grave.
There is a noticeable reduction in the quality of life of obese persons. The condition impacts lifestyle and leads to lower self esteem, depression and discomfort in social situations.
More serious diseases such as diabetes and hypertension generally enter through the door of obesity in America. A phenomenal two thirds are overweight. A common disease in America is high blood pressure, and it is touted that stress is a prevalent health problem here as well.
There are many reasons for the overweight statistics. Much of these statistics come from overeating and poor eating habits. The total cost of overweight and obesity in America was $99.2 billion in 1995. The cost of obesity had ballooned to about $117 billion in 2000.
High blood pressure has increased from 25 to 28% throughout 1991 to 2000. In numbers, the movement was from 50 million to 58 million. This silent disease has proven to be the leading cause of strokes and heart attacks. To make matters worse, a whopping 30% of Americans with high blood pressure are unaware that they have it!
Meanwhile, a staggering 75 to 90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress related problems. More than 20 million Americans between the ages of eighteen to fifty have anxiety disorders. Stress goes on the attack from all directions. It affects everything we do. Recognizing the causes of stress is half the battle. Avoiding it is the other half.
We need help! That help today is Proactol. It is a licensed medical product that has been recommended by doctors for the treatment of obesity and weight management. It is also proven to decrease food cravings and lower blood cholesterol levels. We have finally found a product to help the millions of Americans fight obesity.
The psychological effects of obesity are profound and deeply rooted. As soon as you begin to believe more and more in success for yourself then will your ups and downs begin to level out.
When you decide to take success into your bosom, remember also to take responsibility for your decisions. You will gain more control of your life as soon as you take more responsibility for what happens in your life.
Keep a firm hold on the reins of your life from this day forward. Always believe that you will get the mastery over your appetite and one day you will. Remember, when you can visualize your end result, it is then that you will know when you have arrived.
ight is easy! How? Just cut off your daily intake of high calorie food and back it up with more and more exercise. These simple steps are the answers of almost all people\’s question on how to lose weight without extensive diets. Why is this so? It\’s simple.
Our bodies have organisms that seek energizers; calories are the primary example of it. When these organisms cannot find enough energizers from the food we eat, it will instead start to burn the stored fats in our waist and on the other parts of our body. Therefore, the most practical way to lose weight is to follow a simple diet and burn energy by making exercise as a habit.
Though these approaches to lose weight are the most ordinary and healthy, many people failed to follow. This is actually the reason why weight loss pills were formulated, which is easier no exercise and no diet to follow. Among the most common categories of these pills are the so-called fat binders and fat blockers. These pills work by decreasing the amount of fat that our body organism absorbs from foods. Xenical, one of the most common brands of Fat blockers, slows down the lipase enzyme in the intestines which breaks up fat making it prepared for digestion. This will prevent the fats from being absorbed by the organisms so it freely passes our body through the bowel. Fat binders on the other hand work by fastening the fat molecules. Same as fat blockers, it prevents the fats from being absorbed by the intestines. As expected from medicinal diets, fat binders and blockers have very wicked side effects. Examples of these side effects are foul smelling and unmanageable anal discharges. Naturally, taking up diet pills to remove fats is easy and effortless but, it is also expected to be unhealthy.
Moreover, appetite suppressants are another class of weight loss supplements. As it name indicates, these classes of supplements reduces your appetite by making your body organism feel like being full always. Hodia Gordonii, a cactus-like plant found in South Africa is one of the most known herbal appetite suppressants. This natural appetite suppressant was made known by Bushman during his long hunting adventures. Since this suppressant is most likely raw and a pure natural treatment, it does not have nasty side effects unlike those other synthetic appetite suppressors.
This different ways on how to lose weight without extensive diets may be effective to some people. However, it is much more advisable to follow steps that require extensive effort, dedication and discipline. These steps may require you to exert effort and time, yet, they are proven to provide longer lasting effect. Remember, no glory can ever be obtained in just a single snap. What ever it is that you want to achieve, may it be to lose weight or anything else, hard work is the key.