Alternative Medicine

Alternative Herbal medicine is a plant or part of a plant used for therapeutic properties. It is considered in the medical community as a dietary supplement without any approved therapeutic claims. Several studies suggest that it can improve a person’s health if given the right dosage and indication.

Dietary Supplements

Natural herbs and plants have been use for the treatment and prevention of diseases since time immemorial. In recent years, health institutions are trying to define which herbal medicine should be considered as dietary supplements. In most cases, it is defined as any herbal medicine that is intended to supplement the diet, which means that it has to contain ingredients that are found to be nutritious such as vitamins, minerals, botanicals, amino acids and other substances that are said to improve one’s health. Diet supplements should be taken through the mouth as capsule, tablet or liquid. Herbal products should be labeled as such and must not state any therapeutic claims.

Reception

The knowledge of herbal medicine dates back from prehistoric times and has been passed on from generation to generation. In recent years, many became interested in natural methods of healing and preventing diseases. Such popularity was able to penetrate the medical community which is now considering herbs and botanicals as alternative medicine. In fact, several clinical studies are being conducted on common medicinal plants to prove their therapeutic value. Many are now recognized and recommended by health practitioners worldwide.

Herbal Products

Because of such acceptance, manufacturers are beginning to mass produce herbal medicine, making a niche of its own in the industry. Herbal products are now being sold as tablets, capsules, powder, tea, extracts, fresh and dried plants.

Tea is one of the most popular means to mass produce herbal medicine. Tea is a solution containing the botanical substance that is supposed to be dipped in boiling water for a long period in order to extract the nutrients in it. If a stronger treatment is necessary, the nutrients have to be directly extracted from roots, barks and berries that are simmered up to boiling point. The extracts may be drunk hot or cold.

For manufacturers of herbal products, the most viable method to mass produce is via tincture done by soaking the botanical in a solution of water and alcohol to preserve its therapeutic effects. Tinctures are usually sold as liquids made in different strengths depending on the concentration of the solution and the botanical substance.

the purest forms of herbal products that are sold in the market are extracts. Just like tinctures, these are soaked botanicals into a liquid solution that is supposed to remove certain chemicals in the herb. This liquid should be left dried up to extract the nutritional value of the herb. What is left shall be used to produce capsules and tablets or sold as is.

Safety

Despite the continuous usage of herbal medicines in many households all over the world, health institutions still advise on the health implications associated with herbal medicines. Precautions are given against herbs that may cause further health problems instead of treatment. Some are also deemed ineffective and others may be hazardous when they interact with other pharmaceutical drugs a person is taking.

To avoid all these dangers, everyone is advised to consult a doctor before taking doses of herbal medicines. Patients must not take dosages larger than what is recommended on the label. Special precautions are also given to pregnant and nursing women.

Several tests have been conducted regarding the adverse reaction of herbal medicines to other drugs. This only proves to show that “natural” does not always mean healthier and safer.

Alternative medicine deals with health care and health procedures that are based on techniques that do not involve any chemicals but are natural in origin. These treatments are traditional and are not used in standard western medicine or taught in medical schools. The medicines are natural, derived from herbs and plants as in naturopathy, traditional chinese medicines (tcm), herbal medicines and others.

alternative medicine contains a vast storehouse of spiritual therapies, practical hands on techniques and physical exercises which are used singularly or along with therapies to treat ailments, diagnose them and even to prevent illnesses. These treatments are committed to the well being of human health. It is becoming increasingly obvious that health care should be holistic in nature. Illness comes from a lack of balance, so it is imperative that there should be an equilibrium between the environment and the mind and body of the human being. Alternative medicine is committed to promoting health rather than curing disease. To this end, the traditional healing methods of asia, particularly india and china are finding global acceptance. There is a growing market for natural treatments and drugs in the us and european countries as more and more people are turning their backs to conventional medicine and trying to go back to a more natural “earth based” lifestyle. A recent research conducted showed that yoga and nature cure are thriving in the us as is evidenced by the industry created around such practices, yoga mats, props, dvds, etc. Scented candles, meditation music, eye pillows and incense sticks are also gaining popularity. This shows the growing popularity of traditional school of thought and of course alternative medicine.

of course, the large population of india never turned its back on alternative medicine at all. Therefore alternative medicine in india has a very bright future. Alternative medicine in india has never been out of favor. Our heritage encompasses various branches of alternative medicine like yoga and herbal medicine. In our institute, we offer a vast range of courses in various branches of alternative medicines like naturopathy, yoga, herbal medicine, aromatherapy, magnetotherapy, acupressure, bach flower remedies, biochemic medicine, electro-homeopathy, reflexology, etc. And these are good at alleviating illness, not only mild but even serious ailments and chronic ones. They are cost-effective, have low toxicity, and they work, hence they are popular and extremely viable as alternatives to conventional medicine.

complementary and alternative medicine (cam) which the western world has discovered now, is practiced since centuries in india. With the rise of medical tourism, more and more people are visiting our country and this gives qualified students a bright future in the practice of alternative medicine in india as well as the world. Holistic healing is the future and our institute is geared to train the youth of our country to provide the same.

it is the mission of our to further the cause of alternative medicine, and help provide affordable health care to people living anywhere in this world and belonging to all economic strata. We sincerely believe that the human body has a spirit within itself that helps heal the body of all illness. It basically requires to be balanced and to this end alternative medicine helps the body heal itself. To this end we offer regular classes and distance learning programs that are of the highest quality and easy to comprehend.

the courses we offer are naturopathy, yoga, herbal medicine, aromatherapy, magnetotherapy, acupressure, bach flower remedies, biochemic medicine, electro-homeopathy, reflexology and many more.

bach flower remedies are diluted flower materials developed in the 1930s by an english physician and homeopath named edward bach. It contains the energetic nature of the flowers that is transmitted to the user to aid one’s emotional and spiritual condition most often with regards to depression, anxiety, stress and even insomnia. Bach flower remedies come in the form of a liquid preserved in brandy or cider vinegar but sometimes also in cream to be spread for massaging.

bach got the idea of using flower remedies as an alternative to scientific healing when he became convinced that illnesses are not brought by bacteria but rather because of a disharmony between a person’s mind and soul. Such disharmony creates an inner tension thereby clogging the flow of spiritual energy, which then renders a person susceptible to illnesses.

since bach radically negated the scientific assumption of how illnesses thrive and are cured, he turned into nature and intuition to find ways of healing. It went to its extreme when he suggested that one would only have to hold a plant or a flower whenever one feels sick and that finding the right flower would already give the person a feeling of alleviation. This was bach’s preliminary effort of finding the right cure to a certain illness that subsequently became the basis of collecting remedies from different flowers.

from this began bach’s quest in finding the purest form of healing. He thought that flowers grown in the sun are more natural, hence, more effective. He started to collect dew from each flower. But then, it came to him that collecting dew in large amounts through such a way as impractical. Driven by his intuition, he decisively formulated other methods of collecting remedies. He soaked the flowers in a bowl exposed to sunlight. He also tried boiling the flower.

both methods satisfied bach for its simplicity. He also considered it to be the only method of maintaining the rawness of the plant as it uses all four elements for production. The result of the process is known as “mother tincture. ”

he discovered 38 now infamous remedies all derived from flowers of wild plants, trees and bushes. These remedies can be taken orally by dropping a very little amount on a solution of water and brandy acting as a preservative. A couple of drops can also be spread in the temples or other pulse points to be massaged.

modern-day marketing strategies allowed the development of bach’s method of finding the flower remedy most suitable to a person. Each of the 38 flower remedies were ascribed to a specific emotional problem it would supposedly heal. One could also combine different remedies although it is recommended to first seek the advice of a naturopath or a trained bach flower remedy practitioner.

although bach flower remedies are heavily patronized, some critics accused it of corrupting the people’s trust with science for the purpose of expanding the market. Bach flower remedies can be bought by anyone over the counter. This, critics claim, attests to the artificiality of the flower remedy being packaged as a legitimate cure.

in fact, different research and experiments were done to expose and efface bach flower remedies. Most materials used to promote bach flower remedies were found to have no substantial data backing and that testimonials for the remedies, even if true, were result of placebo. If not placebo, effects are perceived as the result of other external factors like the conversation with a practitioner or the ritual in taking the remedy. So far, there has never been an effect that can be directly attributed to the remedy.