Complementary Medication and Alternative Medicines for Premenstrual Syndrome

February 4, 2010

Okay ladies, its time to talk about PMS. Premenstrual Syndrome is something that happens once a month and the severity definitely varies among women. Some women have emotional and physical symptoms that completely disrupt their lives while others experience minimal symptoms. The typical treatments for PMS are over the counter medications that can help with the bloating, irritability, headaches, and other symptoms. The most common of these medications is Midol and Tylenol PMS. However, there are plenty of complementary medication and alternative medicines that can help.

Although any man who lives or knows a woman who suffers from PMS will most likely complain about it, the woman definitely has it worse. It is terrible feeling bloated, ugly, irritable, unstable, depressed, not to mention the pain and discomfort as well. Complementary medication and alternative medicines are available so that this time of the month does not have to be so disruptive.

Complementary medication is taken in conjunction to the traditional medications. Therefore, this could include drinking a chamomile tea to relax the muscles and help with the sleep deprivation while taking an over the counter medication or birth control pill. Alternative medicines are used instead of traditional medications. Therefore, women who are not on a steady birth control pill or do not want to take over the counter medications should look into the alternative medicines. Alternative medicines do not have to be something that is ingested. Complementary medication and alternative medicines can consist of relaxation methods, exercise, diet change, and other treatments.

Relaxation techniques usually involve breathing exercises, yoga, and meditation. This can help reduce the irritability as well as the mood swings. For women who get depression with their PMS, something called sleep deprivation therapy could help. It has been proven that women who experience at least one night of recovery sleep typically do not experience as much depression with their PMS. This means that at least one of the nights during PMS or the actual period, it is helpful to get around three or four extra hours of sleep.

This helps the body recover from the stresses of the PMS and period. Another common complementary medication and alternative medicines therapy is bright light therapy. This is when women intakes cool white florescent light in the mornings during the time of PMS can reduce the symptoms. Regardless of what symptoms need to be helped, there are tons of options and choices for complementary medication and alternative medicines for women who suffer from PMS, and let us face it, the men in their lives as well.

Looking For Alternative Medicine Doctors

July 26, 2009

So you have decided that it’s time to take the plunge and take charge of your own health! Congratulations, and may this be the start of a wonderful new chapter of your life. One of the first steps you should take is to start looking for alternative medicine doctors. A good alternative medicine doctor is worth his weight in gold. He can help you to get started on this natural health journey unlike anyone else.

A good place to start your search for an alternative medicine doctor is, believe it or not, a large teaching hospital. Oftentimes, staff members such as a nurse, physical therapist, social worker, or even a doctor will be able to help you by steering you in the right direction. Another idea is to do a web search to see what is available in your area.

Try to choose a doctor you feel comfortable with. It’s a proven fact that any treatment works better when you can establish a level of trust with your doctor, and this kind of specialty doctor is no exception. Since alternative medicine deals with the body and mind as a whole, it is important to choose someone who is on the same wavelength as you, if possible. When looking for an alternative medicine doctor, it might be helpful to prepare a list of questions about the things that you would like in a doctor of this caliber. After all, one does not choose a doctor every day, and it’s best to be prepared.

The doctor may have some questions for you as well, so it is best to be prepared. One of the main topics he or she may wish to discuss with you is why you are looking for alternative medicine doctors. Don’t be nervous! Answering the doctor’s questions is one way to get to know him better.

An alternative medicine doctor may ask you why you are looking for natural, holistic treatment instead of that of a conventional physician. He could inquire as to what the status of your health is at the time you are speaking with him, and what you expect to accomplish by putting yourself in his care. He or she could also be interested in just how much you really know about the general ideas and principles of alternative treatment.

Even though you may be fairly certain you have found the doctor to suit your needs after that first interview, you should not settle on the very first one. Go ahead and interview at least one or two more. Then, you can make a decision that you can be absolutely sure about.

Don’t be too shy to ask about the costs of office visits and other treatment. Make sure you like the office staff, as you will be speaking with them as much or more than the doctor. And, last but not least, check with your insurance company to see if alternative medicine doctors are covered.

An Alternative to Traditional Health Care

May 3, 2009

In the last few years, there has been an abundant interest in alternative medical therapies and treatments for all sorts of physical and emotional ailments. The burgeoning interest can probably be attributed to the rising costs of traditional medical care and pharmaceuticals normally used to treat these illnesses.

Many people also have another, related problem: they don’t have health insurance. The lack of health insurance can affect a person’s ability to get proper medical treatment for chronic problems. Using alternative medical treatments can not only be cheaper than traditional treatments, but many people feel that these alternative treatments are just as effective, if not more so. For those who do not have medical insurance, alternative treatments may be the only option they have for symptom relief or for a cure for their problems. Also, since mental health isn’t generally covered by insurance, alternative therapies are sometimes the only viable option.

The Benefits of Alternative Medicine and Radiotherapy

October 12, 2008

Alternate medicine and radiotherapy are a combination that is growing in popularity. Radiotherapy treatment is normally used in cancer patients, with the most common type known as external beam therapy. This name evolved because the treatment consists of a beam of radiation that comes from a very sophisticated machine. The beam is focused on the part of the body that contains the tumor, and the largest amount of radiation possible is used to kill the cancer cells.

Radiotherapy is very hard on the body. The treatments are short in duration, no more than 10 to 15 minutes. There is no pain involved with these treatments, but the side effects afterwards can be brutal, depending on the individual. Extreme tiredness and nausea, pain, hair loss, and red and tender skin are a few of the most common. The use of alternate medicine and radiotherapy together is indicated when the patient wants natural relief from the ravages of radiation side effects.

Nausea is one of the most severe side effects of radiotherapy treatments. Most of the people who must go through the treatments would do anything to get some relief from the seemingly never-ending sickness. Alternative medicine and radiotherapy research has been done on a test group of cancer patients to determine whether or not acupuncture was effective in diminishing the persistent nausea and vomiting.  Patients reported that they could tell a dramatic difference in the frequency and amount of nausea they had.  Written records were kept by each patient of the times they were sick, and at the end of the research, these records were collated. The final analysis in this study was that acupuncture is useful in preventing nausea in radiotherapy patients.

Acupuncture has also been tested on groups of alternative medicine and radiotherapy believers to see if it could possibly be of help in the relief of pain, another unwelcome side effect of radiation treatments. Nearly all patients undergoing radiotherapy reported various degrees of pain that was definitely related to their treatments. Acupuncture once again proved to be effective in helping cancer patients undergoing treatments for their condition.

The Chinese medicine called acupressure works well with alternative medicine and radiotherapy in helping cancer patients control nausea. This natural technique involves massaging certain areas on the body, normally just under or on top of the skin. These areas are called acupoints, and they are supposedly interconnected with each other as well as to various organs and systems of the body. Devotees to this 5000 year old healing method say that a careful massage in a certain area can stimulate a person’s essential life force, which flows from area to area rather like the circulation of blood.  A look at an acupressure chart reveals that the areas that control nausea and vomiting are directly above the kneecap, on the wrist, and about 2 inches above the wrist. People who have tried acupressure are both surprised and delighted with how quickly it relieves their symptoms.