| More and more people are using holistic healing as | | | | used improperly. Many of the herbs and |
| either a supplementary method or their main | | | | treatments found in both Chinese medicine and |
| technique of health care. Holistic healing uses all | | | | herbology are now getting a second look by |
| aspects of the individual to treat illness. It is a | | | | scientists and physicians. Herbs contain a vast |
| combination of body, mind and spirit. It takes all | | | | amount of additional nutrition compared to their |
| things into consideration such as the patient's diet, | | | | weight and some feel that this may be why they |
| their environment, their lifestyle, social outlets, | | | | work. Like Digitalis, herbs also are the basis for |
| spiritual health and of course their physical health. | | | | many drugs on the market today. |
| All the aspects of their life create the disease or | | | | The massage therapy, reiki, yoga and even |
| illness, not just an isolated part. | | | | breathing exercises are for the body as well |
| Today, many new research studies indicate that | | | | tapping into pent up spiritual issues. Massage |
| this is true. Claims of a diet of red and purple | | | | therapists tell that they not only stimulate the |
| fruits and vegetables as a cure for colon cancer | | | | flow of blood to injured areas, they unlock the |
| caught the ears of researchers at Ohio State, | | | | stress that's trapped in the tight muscles and |
| primarily because it worked. Today they found | | | | allow it to flow out. Stress from anger, |
| the reason, anthocyanins. They isolated the active | | | | disappointment and fear all gathers in the body |
| ingredient in blueberries and grapes and now | | | | and if not released causes disease. Studies now |
| attempt to duplicate it in a drug for cancer. The | | | | prove that stress causes the body to weaken |
| holistic doctor, of course, would recommend | | | | and illness to settle in the body. |
| eating the vegetables and fruit instead. | | | | The body is a beautiful instrument that heals itself. |
| Many holistic cures are "chicken soup cures". Like | | | | The body maintains itself if we work with it, feed |
| chicken soup for a cold, they make you feel | | | | it properly, appreciate and exercise it. Yoga and |
| better and do no harm for your body. Until | | | | breathing exercises work to improve the |
| recently physicians thought that chicken soup | | | | circulation of the body and increase the healing |
| made you feel better because it's one of the | | | | oxygen intake. More doctors are recommending |
| many comfort foods, but instead found that | | | | yoga classes as a form of maintaining limberness, |
| there's something in the fat in the broth that | | | | relieving the pain of arthritis and overcoming other |
| actually helps you heal. Other types of | | | | problems such as back pain. |
| non-invasive holistic treatments involve traditional | | | | Creative visualization, once thought as something |
| Chinese medicine, herbology, chiropracty, reiki, the | | | | for people that wore tin foil hats and practiced |
| healing touch, reflexology, acupressure, massage | | | | strange beliefs, now is part of the supplemental |
| therapy, yoga and breathing exercises to name | | | | treatment for cancer and other diseases. Doctors |
| but a few. | | | | found that this simple tool increases the speed of |
| Unlike some of the invasive surgery or toxic | | | | recovery and increases the effectiveness of |
| medication, most won't hurt you. I use the term | | | | treatment. |
| most because herbology and Chinese medicine, | | | | Holistic medicine isn't one theory; it's a combination |
| while normally safe, also uses some toxic herbs. | | | | of different techniques that looks at the whole |
| Foxglove, a plant that Indians used for heart | | | | person using as many as necessary to make |
| conditions is the plant digitalis purpurea. This plant | | | | them well again, often with no drugs or invasive |
| from herbal remedies of the American Indian | | | | procedures. |
| gave us the drug Digitalis, a toxic medication if | | | | |