by Kate O'Leary

Created on: September 22, 2009   Last Updated: September 24, 2009

Alternative Medicine

Alternative Medicine has been a friend of mine for a number of years. The more I learn about the relationships between the pharmaceutical companies and the health insurance companies the more I believe that often times medicine is prescribed not because it treats the underlying illness but because it treats the presenting symptom and once the presenting symptom is remedied another system appears.

For me alternative medicine gives me the ability to work with my natural practitioner to discover the reason that my body is having a negative reaction. As more and more studies are done what has learned is that stress is one of the major causes of chronic illness and that vitamin deficiencies can lead to cancer, heart disease and organ failure. Alternative medicine practitioners have been studying the effects of chronic stress and vitamin deficiencies and it is my opinion that often times they are more aware of the current research then traditional medical doctors.

My personal experience has also been that traditional doctors go to school, start practicing and then spend the minimal amount of time necessary to maintain their license while those in the field of alternative medicine are always studying and learning. While many doctors are passionate about what they are doing the reality is that today medicine is business however for the individual engaged in alternative and/or natural medicine it tends to be a passion and a belief system. One that not only includes their patients but also the planet and a belief that if we are kind to our bodies our minds and our soul that our bodies, minds and souls will respond in kind.

Furthermore alternative medicine is much more likely to focus on prevention and the reality is with the soaring costs of health care, the obesity epidemic and what I feel is a rise of cancers of the breast and prostate to the point where these are also becoming epidemics in order to survive we MUST focus on prevention.

My alternative medicine experience has included the following changes in lifestyle and behavior

A daily dose of a probiotic over 50% of your immune system is in your gut. A healthy gut helps to maintain a healthy body. Probiotics help to ensure that good bacteria stays in your system which allows for faster waste elimination and the faster the bad stuff gets out the less likely it is to wreck havoc. Supplements a daily does of fish oil for brain health and healthy organ function Turmeric there are promising

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