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Natural Health Alternatives--
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| Anxiety | herbs: chamomile, St. John's wort; essential oils: geranium; acupuncture; music imagery; massage |
| Arthritis | acupuncture; dietary supplements: glucosamine and chondroitin, SAMe; herb: devil's claw |
| Cancer | acupuncture; aromatherapy; biofeedback, exercise; hypnosis; macrobiotic diet and flax seed; massage therapy, meditation; music therapy; relaxation techniques; tai chi; yoga |
Since cancer is such a common malady these days, here's another page with additional information...a short paragraph, usually...on most of the alternative medicine options.
| Cardiovascular health | massage, music, relaxation therapies; exercise and nutrition |
| Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | acupuncture, aromatherapy, ayurveda, chiropractic, feldenkrais, homeopathy, massage, naturopathy, reflexology, reiki, qigong, tai chi, yoga |
| Chronic low back pain | chiropractic treatment, exercise (Both found effective by Mayo Clinic College of Medicine) |
| Cholesterol (high) | nutrition; supplements and products: artichoke extract, barley, beta-sitosterol, blond psyllium, garlic extract, oat bran, and sitostanol |
| Circulation (poor) | aromatherapy oils: juniper, rosemary; exercise; massage; chiropractic care |
| Coughs, cold or flu | homeopathy; aromatherapy oils: benzoin, bergamot (cold sores), eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, marjoram, niaouli, sandalwood, thyme |
| Depression | Mayo Clinic offers these self-help strategies: exercise, nutrition, adequate sleep, journaling, relaxation techniques--such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, guided imagery and spirituality--identify what brings you inner peace: inspirational writings, worship, prayer or meditation, art, music or spending time outdoors. NCCAM studies: acupuncture, massage, spirituality, St. John's wort, high intensity light therapy, music imagery. Homeopathy; aromatherapy oils: clary sage, lavender, marjoram, neroli (orange blossom), rose, ylang-ylang |
Remember, specific how-to information about delivery methods of aromatherapy oils can be found at Aromatherapy
From Malady page to travel aromatherapy page.
or Winter Travel aromatherapy.
| Fatigue-- general or mental | deep-breathing and muscle-relaxation techniques, massage and healing touch, acupuncture, and movement therapies such as stretching, yoga and tai chi. (These can benefit people with chronic fatigue syndrome by reducing anxiety and promoting a sense of well-being.) Aromatherapy: peppermint oil. Also helpful for mental fatigue. | Fibromyalgia | acupuncture, aromatherapy, ayurveda, chiropractic, feldenkrais, homeopathy, massage, naturopathy, reflexology, reiki, qigong, tai chi, yoga; exercise: low- to moderate-intensity aerobics, strength training, and stretching. |
| Fluid retention | Aromatherapy oil: fennel |
| Gout | Vitamin C; cherries; celery; increasing liquids; devil's claw; quercetin; diet; folate; olive leaf |
| Hayfever | Aromatherapy oil: hyssop |
| High Blood Pressure | Chi Gung form of Tai Chi; Aromatherapy |
| Insomnia | yoga, homeopathy, melatonin, valerian; aromatherapy oils: chamomile, marjoram, rose |
| Joints - stiff, aching | Aromatherapy oils: benzoin, chamomile, sage, and vetivert |
| Memory - poor | Aromatherapy oils: petigrain and rosemary |
| Migraine and tension-type headaches | Ananda yoga, chiropractic care, homeopathy, relaxation techniques, biofeedback; vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and the herb feverfew; aromatherapy oils: lavender, peppermint |
Note:
The alternative treatments above are often used for headaches that have begun already. To prevent tension-type headaches, you may want to try- neck muscle stretches
- relaxation techniques
- scalp massage
For a page including info and tools for migraine and tension-type headaches, see Headache Page.
| Nausea/vomiting | acupuncture; Aromatherapy oils: fennel, lavender, sandalwood |
| Nervous tension | Aromatherapy oils: benzoin, jasmine, sage (Note: sage is toxic in high doses; use with care or supervision.) |
| Psoriasis | Yoga, progressive relaxation, omega 3s; Vitamins B, C, and D; fresh or flash-frozen berries |
| Rheumatism | homeopathy; aromatherapy oils: hyssop, sage |
| Skin dry and mature or itchy/dermatitis | homeopathy; Aromatherapy oils: (dry) jasmine, benzoin, rose (in a carrier oil of almond) (itchy) benzoin, chamomile, geranium, sandalwood |
| Sore throat | Aromatherapy oils: clary sage, geranium, lavender, thyme |
| Stress/Tension | Chi gung (also spelled Qigong) form of Tai Chi; aromatherapy oils: juniper, petigrain, sandalwood, vetivert, verbena, ylang-ylang; diet: limiting sodium, alcohol, tobacco products, caffeine and saturated fat; deep breathing; meditation; yoga; massage; weight loss that results in less than 40 inch waistline for men and 35 inches for women. |
Effective Alternative Treatments
Discovered all the Time!
Studies by Mayo Clinic and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine continue even as you read this. With over 60% of Americans using health alternatives in addition to traditional, conventional methods, the scientists and doctors are very interested in what works.
Here's a short list of sources for the charts above:
- Mayo Clinic’s Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program
- Aromatherapy by Julie Sadler
- Healing Therapies for Headache Relief by Peter Van Houten, M.D. & Rich McCord, Ph.D. © 2003
- “Body and Soul” magazine, October 2007
- Homeopathy for Women by Dr. Barry Rose and Dr. Christina Schott-Moncrieff
- NCCAM (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine—a division of the National Institutes of Health) completed studies found at: www.ClinicalTrials.gov
- Alternative Treatments for Fibromyalgia and CFS by Mari Skelly and Helen Walker, (c) 2006
As I continue to do research, I update this chart...
just today, (October 24th), I added two new medical issues: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia...
...and the chart "Therapy to Benefits"--which lists alternative therapies and their correlating health benefits. To go there from Malady to Treatment, see
Return from Malady to Treatment Chart
to Healthy Alternatives home page.
