Does Alternative Medicine Work?
A visit to the doctor usually includes prescribed medication, bed rest, and obvious advice we can simply find online. Alternative medicine can often be overlooked or ridiculed as a practice. From another perspective, it can be the solution to many diseases without any traditional medicine. For simple viruses such as a bad cold or deleterious diseases such as cancer, it is believed that homeopathic medicine can change a patient’s life, according to John Hopkin’s Medicine.
Most people do not turn to alternative medicine when looking to feeling better. It is often overlooked and not recognized enough. Practices such as acupuncture, herbal relief, homeopathy, and naturopathy are all types of reliefs that are scientifically and medically proven to help with symptoms and sometimes cure the ill. For example, some doctors believe that going on a strict organic juice diet can reduce the chances of obtaining cancer. Alternative medicine can also include massaging or excessive rubbing in one specific area in order to control the spread of cancer throughout the body. Also, swallowing sugar to cure hiccups is a type of naturopathic medicine. From minor to major medical problems, alternative medicine can be said to cure many diseases that traditional medicine can’t. However, practicing alternative medicine is not enough, some treatments require the patient to have faith in the practice because negativity is said to alter the progress of a disease and its treatment. Some may see alternative medicine as a waste of time and money, but it has been proven to be another route to maintain health.
College students can catch an illness and remain sick for a prolonged amount of time due to the stress and weak immune system. There are many ways students can cut a cold short. One way is to place half a lemon shell in boiling water and, then, inhale the vapor to clear sinuses and/or drink it to help cure the cold. In the case of voice loss, in a pan, heat honey and oil together , and then drink it warm to help clear the throat. Miniscule changes in lifestyle like these can help average students, like us, heal and get back to working hard in school. Aromatherapy can be used to solve simple issues such as the relaxing of muscles, or regaining the movement of a certain joint. Using different oils to rub against a certain area or smelling a certain scent is said to influence the body into a healthier form. For example, lavender and vanilla scents usually help with sleeping and rose and jasmine usually help with anxiety. Also, studies have shown that “neroli oil helps reduce blood pressure.” Although aromatherapy can simply be seen as smelling different odors, some people believe that different scents cause a different response in the body than regular transcribed medicine does.
Alternative medicine does not have to be coming up with a mixture of herbs or putting needles all throughout one’s body, it can simply be yoga or tai chi. According to Harvard Health publications, tai chi can help with the “patient’s functioning and quality of life.” Although these are more normal practices, these are still considered homeopathic remedies.
Traditional medicine is the accepted form throughout our society, but if people gave alternative medicine a look, it would be greatly appreciated. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, about 38% of adults in the United States use alternative medicine and they have stated that it has changed their life in a positive manner. As a result, some of these homeopathic medicines can be done by anyone and even by college students, like us. So why not try homeopathic medicine the next time you have a cold?