Have you ever awakened in the morning, nose running, throat sore, or head throbbing? Has a sports injury caused you to limp around in pain? Is your first instinct to reach into your medicine cabinet for Ibuprofen, Advil, or Motrin? While these over the counter medications may temporarily alleviate your pain they will not fix the source of the health problem. The most significant issue with conventional medicine such as Aspirin or Ibuprofen is that these medicines only look to cure one particular part of the body. But according to numerous health studies, research has shown that the factors that contribute to a person getting sick can be attributed not only to physical problems, but also to emotional, mental, and spiritual as well (Sternberger).
Alternative medicines such as acupuncture, tai-chi, yoga therapy, herbal medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine are just some examples of effective techniques that can be used to help keep the body healthy. Because doctors only focus on making a disease or symptoms go away, other components are lost, and the problem is not completely resolved. Alternative medicines improve the body’s ability to cure diseases on its own and strengthen the immune system. Can a person gain access to some of these techniques that improve health for good?
The reason most teens reach for that Advil is because it is convenient as walking down the hall and grab a few pills from the cabinet. But what people don’t understand is alternative medicine can be simple too. Alternative medicine is as easy as changing simple patterns. One example of an easy change is drinking Green Tea. Green tea is full of compounds known as polyphenols, which have been shown to improve antioxidant activity. People who consume high levels of green tea polyphenols have had a lower risk of getting many diseases (Cohen). Another easy change is attending yoga at a minimum of once a week has been shown to decrease stress which can have significant effects on teens that frequently get migraines (McCall).
Other methods of alternative medicine such as homeopathy and holistic healing require a specialist. An easy way to find a local specialist is to consult your primary care physician. Homeopathy has been used on influenza for over 200 years. In the 1918 flu pandemic homeopaths reported 1% mortality rate while conventional doctors reported 30%. (Tamplin). For those who constantly get colds and the flu homeopathy may be an effective route. Alternative medicine is fairly new but has gained much popularity over the last decade, and 80% of people worldwide rely on herbal medicines for health care (UMD medical center). If Advil, Ibuprofen, and conventional methods are only masking symptoms of a recurring condition, remember there are thousands of easy alternative remedies and methods available for everyone.

Sources

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McCall, Tim. "Yoga Vs. Yoga Therapy ." Yoga for Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar.

2012. <http://www.yogajournal.com/basics/1381>.

Sternberger, Shari. Personal interview. 19 Nov. 2011.

Tamplin, Sally. Homeopathy for Influenza. N.p., 28 Nov. 2011. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.

<http://www.flusolution.net/>.

UMD Medical Center. "Herbal Medicine ." University of Maryland . N.p., 1997.

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