Medicine Health

All types of medicine have their strengths and weaknesses. They also have their staunchest advocates as well as critics. But when you get right down to it the ultimate goal of any type of medicine is to heal illnesses whether they be serious or mild, or psychological or physiological.

The body is a complex work of art that possess an innate intelligence far more sophisticated than our most advanced computers. That said, the intricate networks inside us must work in concert with one another in order to achieve optimal health and prevent current and future illness.

If one cog in this complex machine fails to function not only will we cease to be as healthy as we should be but may experience a cascading effect where one body system after another goes into decline ushering in a myriad of health challenges.

For example every day our body creates and destroys hundreds of cancerous cells if only few were to go undetected and begin to multiply it likely would lead to a serious illness that could put our very survival at risk.

Another example would be a self-imposed decline in preventative defenses due to diet, inactivity, or lifestyle choices which compromised immune system function long enough to allow a serious infection to take hold.

One interesting fact I came across recently was that at least every couple of years virtually all of the cells in a person's body will be different than they are today.

So in other words we are constantly changing as we age. As our cells are replaced they may become less pliable, with the outer lining hardening, causing a slow deterioration in both appearance and general health.

Herbal and Natural Medicine - A Broader Approach To Managing Our Health

In the world of Chinese herbal medicine it is believed that to treat a diseased tree by simply cutting off its symptomatic branch will only lead to more disease. For every diseased branch cut, two more will erupt. The conclusion that Chinese herbal healers base their medicinal approach upon is that for a tree to truly flourish the root must be nourished as the afflicted branches are treated or pruned.

Western medicine that relies primarily on pharmaceuticals to get the job done is the opposite of this time-tested herbal and natural approach to healing. Not only do Chinese healers believe this approach to be the best pathway to health but healers from Ayurvedic herbal medicine, African herbal medicine, and Peruvian herbal medicine have successfully implanted these same principles for thousands of years.

Pharmaceutical medicine treats one problem at a time and when another pops up it is treated as well. In many cases it works against the body to remedy whatever health concern may be being treated which is in stark contrast to herbal and natural medicine which works with the body to help it heal itself. This approach may also result in a numerous prescriptions having to be taken each day just to maintain the status quo.

The most recent estimate is that a person 60 years of age living in the United States takes at least 6 prescription medications each day.

To be fair there are times when pharmaceutical are the best solution. Two examples that come to mind would be antibiotics treatments to quickly halt bacterial infections or anti-viral medications to halt dangerous flu strains.

The most successful practitioners of herbal and natural medicine are able to smartly combine the use of natural remedies to treat problematic symptoms, start the healing process, and bolster immune system function to protect against future illness.

If successful the herbal and natural healing process will have helped a person heal themselves without damaging the intricate networks so essential to assuring current and future health.

Treating illness, and preventing future illness, is not easy and we should work with our medical professions to take full advantage of innovations as no one type of medicine is 100 percent effective or for that matter 100 percent safe.

Although some would argue homeopathic dilutions are as near to 100 percent safe as one could hope for.

For many of us who are advocates of herbal and/or natural medicine it is all about using all the tools available to us to prevent disease without disrupting the natural balance within.