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Using Plants To Heal With

Herbal Therapy

By Using Types Of Alternative Medicine

How can herbal therapy and many of the other types of alternative medicine fit into our overall health care plan? At every given moment, our body has three important functions. These are too:

  • Digest or break down the food and air we ingest to aid in the development of new tissue and cells.

  • Rest, recuperate and repair any unbalanced bodily functions as needed

  • Eliminate all waste by-products produced by your metabolism and digestion

If any one of these functions is not balanced with the other two, any person's body will start to suffer.

Herbal Therapy By Use Of Phytomedicinals

Phytomedicinals, or plant medicines, in the United States are generally self-prescribed. This is because very few physicians are educated in this form of medicine. Often the patient themselves must research and determine which remedy to take, the dosage, and determine its effectiveness on their own.

Research is not high on most people's to do list because they are uncertain where to look, they don't understand what they found anyway, and then they are uncertain which herbal remedy to try when there is a group of possible matches.

So to make this process a whole lot easier, check out the following information giving an alphabetical listing of many of the most popular healing herbs and a synopsis of their expected usages and results.

It is an indispensible tool to keep around the house for your own family's health and safety.

In many other countries in the world, this is the exact opposite. Herbal therapy is routinely used by physicians to prescribe a herbal remedy as a first line of defense in any treatment program. This ultimately saves the patient money and often an entire menu of adverse side effects.

It must be understood though some of these herbs can be very dangerous. Certain herbs do contain toxins which when taken at increased levels can create complications. It is imperative for you to be sure your source is marketing reputable and standardized dosages.

Another important safety precaution which you can not overlook is a pregnant woman should never start any treatment program without the supervision of a licensed practitioner. Many of the herbal preparations can have a detrimental effect on a developing fetus. If the mother is using them, often the effects can cross over to the child through the blood stream. Also, during breast-feeding years, the herbs can be secreted through the mother's milk. A young infant or toddler's digestive system may not be able to digest the remedy because of the lack of maturity of their organ's. Many herbs may also create changes to a child's ever-growing metabolic system which could lead to possible future complications.

Finally, the elderly must be cautious just because of the advancement of age. The aging process itself does result in changes to the body's organs. Fat to muscle ratios change, increased or decreased metabolic performance etc. can change the effectiveness of any herbal therapy. Therefore what is perfectly safe for a 30 year old woman in good health may become toxic for a lady in her senior years.

Dispensing medications in our country (USA) has always been the responsibility of the health care team, or so we have been taught ever since we were children. Many people are therefore very uncomfortable trying to decide on a possible treatment program to be used on their own. For some expert advice, or just someone you can ask and get answers from, check out the information from this trained and licensed herbalist. Do not allow the frustration and anger to build up because of insecurity from wondering will I be safe if I try this way for a new treatment. Allow those fears to be relaxed before you embark on this new therapy program.

As is always important though, make sure you advise your own doctor about any new procedures you have started for your own protection. A change in medication from him/her can be a possible cross-reaction with your new herbal program.

Even though many doctors in conventional medicine do scoff at using herbs as a means of effective treatment, somehow they seem to forget that some of the many commonly used pharmaceuticals today do originate from plants. Some prime examples are:

Pharmaceutical Drug
Current Use
Plant Originating From
Digoxin
Heart medication
Foxglove
Vincristine/Vinblastine
Anti-cancer drug
Periwinkle
Morphine
Painkiller
Opium poppy
Atrophine
Cardiac drug
Belladonna
Penicillin
Antibiotic
Mold
Aspirin
All-purpose medication
Willow Bark (Salicin)
Ephedrine
Asthma drug
Ephedra plant
Senna
Laxative
Senna plant
Caffeine

Coffee plant
Taxol
Anti-cancer drug
Yew tree
Codeine
Painkiller
Opium

At the same time, many in conventional medicine will recommend the following for at-home use in controlling the following conditions:

  • Ginger for motion sickness

  • Garlic will help lower cholesterol and blood pressure

  • Chamomile helps to promote sleep and to improve digestion

  • Valerian can be used as a mild sedative

Although conventional medicine today tends to dismiss many of the attributes of herbal therapy, most of this is reasoned to be because of lack of education and training. But because of patient pressure for more effective treatments without the high cost of pharmaceutical drugs, many doctors are finding that herbal therapy does have options available as good or even better than standard medical treatment protocols. Actually, many people now prefer natural remedies as these can be used to effectively treat a wide range of ailments directly from your own home.

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*Disclaimer*

This site is not intended to replace the advice and supervision of your professional medical treatment plan. Although all of the information is true and accurate to the best of our knowledge, we still recommend you carefully check all food labels before consuming any food product. We can not assume any legal responsibility for any illness obtained while following the advice contained on this site.