Alternative Health News

Many people don’t realise how much the sense of smell can affect their physical and emotional well-being. Aromatherapy is the perfect example of this, as it harnesses the power of certain essential oils to offer health benefits. For example:

• Basil is great for relieving stress, anxiety and nervous tension
• Eucalyptus has the power to clear a blocked-up nose or a congested chest
• Chamomile is often used to relieve the symptoms of pre-menstrual tension (PMT)

How does aromatherapy work?
According to aromatherapists, this treatment works by stimulating the sensory system, which in turn sends messages to the limbic system. This is located in the brain, and it has an influence on major systems such as circulatory and respiratory functioning.

Often classed as an alternative health treatment for minor complaints, aromatherapy will never be able to cure serious illnesses and conditions.

Put simply, magnetic therapy is an alternative health application designed to relieve pain, improve sleep and alleviate the symptoms of various degenerative diseases. It is apparently safe, as it only involves the application of specialist magnets to various parts of the body.

How does magnetic therapy work?
One negative aspect of magnetic therapy is that no one is quite sure how it works. Some theories claim that it affects the haemoglobin in the blood, increasing circulation to the affected area, whilst others believe that it helps to oxygenate the blood in order to accelerate healing.

How effective this treatment is varies from patient to patient, and you should never use it in the place of approved medical practice, if you have a pacemaker or other device, or if you are pregnant.

This is a technique that uses manipulation and massage to help distressed muscles and joins around the body to make the work smoothly. The actual profession first began back in 1892 by Dr Andrew Taylor who opened Americas first school of Osteopathic Medicine. He had discovered that the ailments and disorders could occur when the bones or joints no longer functioned in harmony. He believe that manipulation was the cure needed and the key was to let the body heal itself rather than use drugs. By viewing the body from a engineers point of view and experience of the anatomy led to the new technique that is now widely used all over the world.

Reflexology is a technique of diagnosis and treatment in which areas of the body particularly the feet are massaged to alleviate pain or other symptoms in the organs of the body. It is thought to have originated five hundred years ago in china and also used by ancient Egyptians. Dr William Fitzgerald introduced the technique to the western world and applied 10 zones to the surface of the body which were considered energy paths along with a person’s energy flow would travel. The is no use of any medication and uses a specific type of massage at certain pressure points on the foot to alleviate pain.

The osteopathy belief is that if the body is undamaged then all physical activities can be accomplished efficiently without causing any problems.  The majority of disorders that osteopaths deal with are of the spine which result in pain in the lower part of the neck and back.

It’s found that problems that prevent the body working correctly can often be diagnosed with the root cause being with injuries or stress.  As a result this can lead to tension headaches as the stress experienced can cause contraction in muscles.   This is situated in the back of the neck at the base of the skull and relief can be obtained by using massage to relax the muscles.

Many people see yoga as a component to their relaxation programme and the stretching and breathing exercises are becoming more and more popular in the western world.  It encompasses physical postures, exercise and controlled breathing.  One of the benefits is that as well as being seen to relax the body and combat stress it can also be used to tone the body.  It’s one form of exercise that is particularly recommended to pregnant women to help keep their healthy without causing stress to the unborn baby.  Originally Yoga evolved from Hinduism where it was used as a form of meditation to attain higher consousness.

The usage of reflexology is especially effective to relieve pain in the back, headaches and toothache as well as asthma and arthritis. The massaging action creates a soothing effect that enhances the blood flood giving an overall benefit to the whole body. It cannot be used to treat a disorder that requires surgery. The pressure of the finger is applied to a nerve ending creating a sensation elsewhere in the body indicating a connection or flow between the two points. The pain may not be alleviated straight away but continued massage over period of up to one hour may have the required effect.

From the good old days of wearing spec and visiting your local optician for a eye check new technology advances are now giving individuals a choice of continuing to wear specs or have laser eye surgery carried out. Some of the first treatments for the vision correction took place back in 1991 – nearly 20 years ago!. Companies continue to invest in research and now there is a wide range of treatment choices available such as the next generation vision correction and Laser Eye Treatment that clinics are offering.

Consultations still need to be done to check individual suitability for the correction. One of the up and coming treatments companies are looking into is correction of sight for reading. Reading glasses is one of Britain’s top 5 age related health issues with 4.5million people who have the need for them. The treatment will soon be available to men and women with permanent correction surgery carried out in just 15- 20 seconds. This condition starts becoming a issue to people when they hit their 40’s and symptoms include eye fatigue and as the eye’s natural len’s hardens and it become increasingly difficult to focus on items that we come into contact with on a daily basis.

With so much focus in the headlines on keeping our children healthy and what not to give them, No fizzy drinks (too much sugar), no fruit juice (too much fructose), no chocolate (too much fat), no sweets (too much sugar), no diet drinks (too many chemicals) is there enough calcium? Enough vitamins? Enough Fibre? Too much sugar? Too much fat? Too little of the wrong type of fat?Wheat intolerance? Egg allergy? Peanut allergy? Lactose intolerance?
So imagine how difficult it is to source Children’s party supplies for a forthcoming celebration. Party bags, when I was a child would be crammed full of birthday cake, biscuits and chewy sweets that would make your 21st centruy dietician faint!

So even if your little guests have been a bit picky about the crunchy organic carrot sticks and the gluten free tuna whirl sandwiches, you can still make them all smile with healthy alternative party goody bags that don’t have to be full of sugar but don’t break the bank!
Glow bracelets, stickers, balloons and other novelty toys are all available from good Children’s party supplies shops and websites. You can buy batches of pre-filled fun bags to make life even easier or opt for empty bags and pick your own contents from a vast selection that won’t ruin anyone’s teeth or cause childhood obesity.

Smoothies are bad for your health.

The carton may say that there is no added sugar, and it may claim to constitute 1 of your 5 a day (for 250ml) but is it actually the super food that we want it to be.

When fruit is juiced it loses the fibre that gives it so much of it’s nutritional value. Some of the other vital nutrients found in whole fruit are lost during the juicing process. While they are low in fat certainly, and are a healthier alternative to full sugar cola or other fizzy drinks, smoothies actually contain vast amounts of natural sugar.

A single 250ml serving of smoothie can contian 32.5% of your recommended daily allowance of sugar.This high level of sugar together with the naturally acidic nature of fruit juice is also likely to cause damage to dental enamel when consumed over a long period of time.

The number of calories in a smoothie is very high. Many have added yoghurt and some even have peanut butter or CHOCOLATE!

The bottom line is that if you really want all the benefits of fruit in a convenient package that is easy to carry around and tastes great - eat a banana!