Alternative Medicines

I have been asked several times about the different types of medicine that fall under alternative medicine.  Here is a partial list with a bit of information on each. 

Naturopathy - the belief that the body can heal itself if provided with the proper diet, exercise plan, and mental well being.  Ailments are warning signs that the body is not healthy and changes must be made to one of the three pillars to bring the body back to a healthy state.

Homeopathy - the belief that small preparations of natural remedies will stimulate the immune system to heal itself.  Similar to immunizations - give a diluted form of the disease in small amounts to stimulate the body to create natural immunity to the disease. 

Reflexology - massaging of the hands, feet, and ears to stimulate internal healing.  Our hands, feet, and spine all have points that are all directly related to our organs.  If you run your hands lightly over your hands, do you have any tender spots? knots? pain? Massaging these areas will also stimulate the directly related organ.  The webbing between your thumb and pointer finger - if massaged - has been known to relieve migraines.  Have you ever noticed that when you are stressed, you rub your temples?  It automatically calms and relaxes you.  Have you ever found yourself touching your chin when you are thinking?  Yes, another acupressure / reflexology site.  http://www.reflexology-research.com/

Acupressure - applying pressure to specific sites to induce a change or stimulate an organ.  By applying pressure or centering energy at specific points you can change the energy flow and stimulate the immune system.  Many have used acupressure to quit smoking, to stop addictions, to heal emotional scars, and to heal ailments.  http://www.acupressure.com/

Acupuncture - inserting needles into specific points on the body to relieve / heal ailments and to relieve pain.  This is a very well known Chinese therapy that many people use for many of the same reasons as acupressure - the primary difference between the two are the needles.  http://chinese-school.netfirms.com/acupuncture-whatis.html

Chiropractic Medicine - adjusting the spine to relieve ailments.  As with reflexology, the understanding that there are points along the spine that directly relate to organs http://www.dorn-method.com/index_files/SpineOrgansConnectionsTable.htm  With Chiropractic medicine, the proper adjustments to the spine will extend to the connected organs and aid in healing.

Aromatherapy - in the simplistic of terms, aromatherapy is healing with scents.  Smells carry the strongest memories we have.  How often have you smelled something and immediately thought of an ex boyfriend / girlfriend?  Or smile because that smell brings a flash of a favorite childhood memory?  My favorite smell is cinnamon - it carries with it the memory of my grandparents and my childhood.  Smell is a very STRONG healer.  Aromatherapy can involve baths, candles, massage, pretty much any where and anything.   

Massage - healing through touch and pressure points on the body.  The healing power of touch is HUGE.  We transfer energy when we touch one another.  Massage for some is intensely personal and intimate.  Someone with energy medicine back ground is able to feel spots on the body that need attention.  Knots / tenderness in certain areas may relate back to organs.  If you visit a masseur, make sure to pay close attention to any sore spots and check online to see what organs they relate back to - and check to see if you have a problem, disease, illness related to that organ.

Energy Medicine - healing by transferring, realigning, and / or absorbing energy from others.  Donna Eden is the first person to openly discuss energy medicine.  She is able to see energy, like some can see auras and is able to use her energy to fix energy paths in others.  She related a story in her book about a woman that had a bad hip - it had bothered her for years.  Donna ran her hands lightly over the area and both women began to quietly weep - in repairing the energy flow in that area, she had released a memory that had been trapped that was very painful.  Once relieved, she never had pain in that hip again.

Herbology - using herbs to heal.  This can be by eating the fresh herbs, creating tinctures, poultices, etc.  Herbs have a lot of power in them.  Using them requires an experienced hand - herbs can cause the same adverse reactions as pharmaceutical drugs - so please use caution and study the herbs before using.  Some herbs do have reactions with pharmaceutical drugs. 

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

My family is plagued with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  My aunt has had the surgery, my mother has had the surgery - both on both wrists, I have it, and now my daughter has it.  I can not have surgery because I scar VERY badly and they are afraid that it will cause more problems. But my daughter has it bad enough right now that she must choose what direction she wants to go. 

What is Carpal Tunnel?  Here is a link with pictures and the FORMAL definition for those that need all that... http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=2642.  You have tubes running from your arm through your wrist into your hand that "houses" all your nerves.  If you do repetitive things (type on a keyboard, run food over a scanner, etc) those tubes or "tunnels" swell and put pressure on your nerves - in extreme cases cause nerve damage and claw-like hands.  This pain can be felt running up the underside of your arm to your wrist, or across your shoulders... sometimes it appears to be completely unrelated to your wrists. 

In addition to repetitive motion, sleeping patterns (curling your hands under you while you sleep), and some diseases - hypothyroidism, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, pregnancy, and trauma (damage to the wrist or hand) can also be factors.  Dehydration can be a factor as well as not getting enough of your omegas (3-6-9) or B Complex - especially B6 / B12.  They really don't have any definitive answers as to why some people get it and others do not, but it does seem to run in certain families.

Simple changes for mild Carpal Tunnel, an ergonomic keyboard is probably the most important change you can make.  I was shocked at the difference.  I hated using it for the first week, but after I got used to it, I couldn't go back to the old style - within five minutes of typing on the old style, my wrists would throb.   Also, splints work great to stabilize your wrist to help reduce swelling and to stop you from curling your wrist when you sleep.  I must admit I was a wrist curler... and the splint helped a LOT.   Add more vitamin C and B complex foods to your diet.  These two vitamin combinations both affect your skin as well as your immune system and are very important to your physical well being.  I have said it before - and will say it again, I LOVE Emergen-C - hate that it is fizzy, hate that it gags me, but LOVE the affects and the energy I get back.  Emergen-C gives you both the Vitamin C and the B Complex you need.  You can take up to 3 - 4 a day, but once a day is enough unless you are sick.  I don't recommend them after lunch - B Complex helps you mentally and you may be too wired to sleep if you take later in the day.

Anti-Inflammatory foods will help reduce the swelling - kelp, wild salmon, turmeric, shitake mushrooms, green tea, papaya, blueberries, extra virgin olive oil, broccoli, and sweet potatoes are your best sources.  And several of these cover your higher vitamin C and B complex needs.

If there are anti-inflammatory foods, you can be well assured there are inflammatory foods as well.  These foods you should stay away from - eggs, organ meat, processed foods (fast food / frozen dinners), sweets (excluding dark chocolate), sodas, fried foods, caffeine, alcohol, corn and corn products, nightshade foods, and some dairy products.

You ALWAYS want to keep your diet Alkaline - this allows your body to fight cancer, tumors, and illnesses and win.  An Alkaline diet will also reduce the inflammation.

So... what to do.  As I said - keyboard and splint should be your first two investments.  Diet change would be next.  If you still suffer, there are simple exercises you can do along with yoga, acupuncture, acupressure (for those of us wimps that are afraid of needles), hot/cold compresses. 

A doctor can tell you definitively if you have it or not, they will do some "shocking" tests - which tests the nerve activity to see how severe your Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is.  Cortisone shots / Motrin / Splints are their first level for mild to moderate Carpal Tunnel.  Surgery is for severe.  Surgery has come a long way, but still requires 6 week recovery between each wrist.  There are endoscopic and laser options.  Everyone I talk to on the natural medicine side says to do as much as you can before you choose surgery.  Even with the best surgeons, you have no idea how your body will react and what the outcome can be.  But not addressing and solving your issue with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be just as debilitating. 

Good Luck!  E