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Alternative Natural Remedies

Until relatively recently, most of the remedies and treatments that were considered ‘alternative’ were not accepted by the established medical authorities. Now it is not uncommon for doctors to make referrals themselves or even to accommodate alternative therapists within their own clinic or premises.

New therapies are being added all the time to what is already a long list of choices.

Some of the remedies can be home administered or bought off the shelf whilst others are practiced by trained individuals.

Homeopathy
This is based on the principle that small doses of a substance that produces the same symptoms of whatever a patient is suffering from will activate a natural self-healing process within the body.  Treatments are produced from plants, minerals and animals.
Homeopathic remedies often have tongue twisting and even alarming sounding names such as ‘Rhus Toxicodendron’ or ‘Aconitum Napellus’ and can be found easily in the high street from health food outlets and some pharmacies.

For illnesses or conditions that seem a little more stubborn it is worth consulting a homeopathic physician who can produce prescriptions that are tailor-made for the patient.

Bach Flower Remedies
These are produced by an infusion process involving various flowers and plants.  They are used to treat all kinds of emotional conditions.
Flower remedies seem to have less credence from the medical community than many other alternative medicines but many who use them swear by their efficacy.

Again, they are widely available through pharmacies and health food stores.

Aromatherapy
Of all the human senses it is our sense of smell that is most able to trigger memory. Deep emotional reactions can be evoked by a particular odor or fragrance. It is perhaps then not surprising that the oils used in aromatherapy can have significant mood enhancing effects.
Various plants are used to produce highly concentrated oils, known as essential oils that can then be used in massage, as ingredients in toiletries and skin care products, in the making of candles or incense and for use in oil burners.

Aromatherapy oils can be harmful if guidelines for their use are not followed.

Most essential oils need to be mixed into a carrier oil to dilute them before they can come into contact with the human body.

Meditation
Brain wave patterns recorded during meditation show significant reductions to those of a normal waking state. A state of alertness will produce a wave pattern of between 13 to 30 cycles per second. During meditation this can be lowered to 4 to 7 cycles per second inducing a state of deep relaxation.

It is a common misconception that meditation means emptying the mind and this in itself will put many people off trying to begin. It is impossible for humans functioning normally to empty their minds. Meditation is actually trying to achieve the focusing of the mind in order to clear other clutter away.

It can take many different forms and the best way to approach this vast subject is to arm yourself with a good ‘how to’ book or to join a meditation group.

Crystal Healing
It is proven that all crystals hold and radiate energy. They are formed in often the most violent or extreme ways, for example in volcanic eruptions or millions of years of high compression under oceans and rivers.

For anyone who is sceptical about the energy of crystals and stones then the use of quartz in clocks and watches for highly accurate timekeeping should be enough to convince them. If you squeeze quartz it generates a tiny electrical current and it is this that is utilized in conjunction with a battery in clock-making.

It doesn’t take too much of a leap of faith to then accept that crystals can be used to work with the energies inside humans to help healing and balance.

If you are unsure where to start then there are many crystal therapists who will be able to guide you in crystal healing methods and the benefits of these. There are many excellent books on the subject which list the types of crystals alphabetically and suggest ways in which to put them to use.

Nature
Even the most cynical of individuals will report a lifting of spirits or a sense of well-being after some time spent walking in a forest or amongst nature. There are no scientific recordings of this form of therapy but there is no doubt that it is an invaluable medicine for many.

Perhaps it is just the ‘time-out’ element that produces results or maybe in years to come we will discover that plants, trees and certain environments have quantifiable healing properties for us, brought about just by being amongst them.

A walk on the beach, watching the changes and action of the ocean, sitting in a forest or walking through hills and mountains – all can produce great serenity and peace at all times but more effectively so at times of great inner turmoil.

There are many more alternative therapies than are listed here. Many local regions now produce directories of natural and alternative medicine practitioners and clinics offering multiple services.

We are inclined as humans to debunk things that can’t be explained by scientific means and many of the alternative treatments fall into this category. Perhaps it isn’t always necessary to know how something works. For many sufferers the only criterion is it does work. There are recorded cases where natural remedies have succeeded where conventional medicine has repeatedly failed.

Alternative choices are so many that only you can know what is best for you and this will be very personal and very different for every individual, even amongst those undergoing exactly the same treatment.

About the author: This article has been written by Outofstress.com Expert Author ‘Deneice Arthurton’. All rights reserved. If you want to reproduce this article in your ezine or website, please send a request to ‘reprints@outofstress.com’