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Alternative Medicines That Work For Me |
By:
Steve Gillman |
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There is a lot of hype about alternative medicines, and some of
them are certainly without much value. Of course there is a lot
of hype about regular medicines, many of which do as much harm
as good. The fact that natural remedies and treatments rarely
hurt people as much as prescription drugs is one reason to at
least try them. Here are a few that I can vouch for from
experience.
Tea Tree Oil
I had a lump on the side of my nose, growing slowly, bleeding at
times. I had it for years, and the one time I asked a doctor
about it, he wasn't sure if it was actually cancerous. I read
somewhere that tee tree oil might work. I bought a bottle at a
health-food store for $6. I applied a drop to the lump each day,
and in less than six weeks, the lump was gone completely.
Coincidence? After having the growth for years? I don't think
so. In fact I had another growth years later on my neck, and for
several years, I couldn't remember what I had used the first
time. When I found a clue in some old notes, I used tea tree oil
on that growth, which was even larger than the first one. It was
gone in about six weeks.
St. John's Wort
When hiking in Canada, I cut my foot. The gash was deep. I found
St. John's Wort (Hypericum perfolatum), which has been proven to
have anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. I
mashed up a few leaves and bandaged them to the cut, replacing
them occasionally. I have honestly never seen a cut heal faster.
St. John's Wort is one of the better known alternative medicines
now. It is used as an anti-depressant, with numerous studies
showing it's effectiveness. It is also used by some as a
temporary mood-elevator. This effect isn't proven yet, but
whenever I've had tea made from the plant, it tasted awful and
left me happy for two hours. Anecdotal and subjective evidence
(I'm not even entirely convinced), but interesting.
Valerian Root
When my wife has cramps and pain, nothing works better than a
cup of tea made from valerian root. You can get the tea in many
stores now. I wouldn't try driving after having valerian root.
This is a powerful relaxant.
In fact, valerian root is too strong for some people. A gentler
herb that will relax you is chamomile. You can find this as tea
too. It makes a great drink with honey, just before you are
ready to go to bed.
There are so many alternatives out there. I have stopped a
headache just by chewing on willow twigs. I have stopped
diarrhea with oak bark (careful - this can hard on the liver in
large doses). I have watched a friend's poison ivy rash
disappear overnight with the application of jewelweed juice.
I am sure that I have tried just as many alternatives that
didn't work, too, but you know what? Put all the ineffective
ones together and the cost probably doesn't add up to the cost
of one visit to a doctor. As for the effective ones, well, no
doctor yet has introduced me to one of them. You have to do your
own research on alternative medicines.
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Article Source: http://www.PopularArticles.com/article10390.html |
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