People with fibromyalgia experience a range of symptoms of varying intensities that wax and wane. Those symptoms are usually invisible to others and many people with fibromyalgia push themselves too far until they trigger collapse. What’s key to well-being for people with fibromylagia is taking charge of their own health, employing effective therapies, learning how to cope, and maintaining a positive attitude. Continue reading
Category Archives: Massage
Coping with Arthritis
Arthritis affects 46 million people in the U.S. That’s nearly one in five people. There are more than 100 types of arthritis, but the most common is osteoarthritis. It affects men and women in equal numbers. Arthritis is not an inevitable part of aging, most people develop osteoarthritis after 45, but it can occur at any age. And the good news is that there are now better treatments to relieve pain, stiffness, and discomfort. Continue reading
Aromatherapy is alternative medicine
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I’m an aging woman coping with disabilities including fibromyalgia and focused on improving my life. I use many alternative medicine methods to reduce stress and to control pain and I share them with my readers in this personal development, self improvement and conscious living blog. Three of my mainstays are aromatherapy, Bach Flower Remedies and massage. Continue reading
Managing Your Health: A Balancing Act
Managing Your Health: A Balancing Act by guest author Kathleen
I’m a Registered Nurse and enjoy researching medical news and sharing my findings with my readers. Accurate and updated information will always be available for anyone interested in health news and events, along with suggestions for self help and well being.
This is a response to timethief’s post Natural Health Products and Me
The problem is when the pendulum swings too far in one direction or the other. If you cut your risk factors, you shouldn’t need natural products or prescriptions, except occasionally. – in each instance.
Certainly antibiotics are overly prescribed, but most often it’s consumer demands that lead physicians to do so.
There is no natural cure in the world that will save you from stroke or heart attack, and “natural” products are based on what we already can get from food, daily exercise and sunshine.
Relying on natural products is no different than relying on prescriptions. It’s the same idea. Does anyone think there’s not BIG money in the sale of natural health products? The safety issues really do vary. Too many people think more is better because something is “natural”. They take natural products and don’t tell their doctors, complicating their medical care.
One of the biggest challenges to healthcare providers, as well as a contributing factor to rising healthcare costs, is non-compliance with medication. Too many people refuse to take what is prescribed, even after a major health event, believing that pharmaceutical companies, and prescription medications carry too much risk. Some do – some don’t. It’s up to the consumer to advocate for medications that they are comfortable with, and to ask about studies and side effects.
The answer lies somewhere in the middle. You have to know what you’re taking, and whether any studies at all have found benefit. Vitamin C supplements are a prime example. There have been many studies, that show Vitamin C does not prevent colds, except in extreme conditions and during intense athletic training, but the first thing everyone does is gobble vitamin C supplements in response to the sniffles. If we ate properly, washed our hands, and keep our immune systems intact through daily healthy practices, we’d have a lot less problems.
The truth is, educating yourself thoroughly, and using conventional medicine in combination with natural cures is likely the better approach to managing your health.
TT is correct when she says we have to take more responsibility, and yes, the mind body connection is real. How many people really practice what we already know about health maintenance?
I didn’t mean to make an essay out of this…..
Kathleen‘s blogs are:
