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Over the past several years, there has been
an exciting change happening in America...a movement toward using more and
more natural therapies and remedies to help treat health problems either in
place of, or in addition to conventional Western medicine. The natural
healing world is gaining increasing acceptance by the world at large, and many
skeptics are finding that it's not all just "snake oil" after
all! Scientific studies are finally being conducted on herbs and other
natural forms of treatment, and one can find articles or reports on news shows
about "alternative healing" just about every day. Most people
have heard of herbs like Echinacea, St. John's Wort, Ginseng, and Golden Seal,
and the ads abound on TV, radio, and in magazines for these products.
While it is wonderful that we have finally
rediscovered the natural healing wisdom of our ancestors on a broad scale, it
can also get very confusing to sort through all of the information (and
misinformation) available to the general public on this topic. The average
person doesn't know where to begin or what to believe when it comes to trying to
help themselves with natural methods. This is not surprising, when even
the "experts" in this field don't always completely agree with each
other about methods and treatments for disorders! And since the research
is still so new, there are many conflicting studies reported in the news by
reporters who have no education or experience on this topic, and the science
behind the herbs is still inconclusive in many ways. The fact is that they
still don't know why or how the herbs work, even though they may isolate certain
chemical constituents from these plants, theorizing that these are the chemicals
that are the "most" important, it is only theory. Just as they
have still not identified all of the hundreds of health-promoting chemical
constituents in fruits, vegetables, and grains, the same holds true for the
health-promoting properties of herbs.
Yet people are interested in learning more
about the use of herbs; just about everyone has either used some herbs
themselves, or know someone who has. Some have been very successful, some
have gotten no results at all, and unfortunately, some have even made their
health worse by using herbs that are not right for them, or by using inferior
quality brands. In this field especially, the old saying, "you get
what you pay for" could not be more apt. There are hundreds of
natural brands and products popping up every day, pharmaceutical companies
cashing in on the wave of popularity (they advertise these herbs as being so
incredibly helpful, well then, how come they didn't offer these choices a long
time ago?), and thousands of other individuals trying to make the quick buck,
and generally, the cheaper they are in cost, the less effective they will
be. Indeed, random tests of some of these products indicate many
discrepancies between what is printed on the label and what is inside of the
bottle. There may not be the same milligrams of the herb that is presented
on the label, all of the chemical constituents that the herb should have may not
be present, or might be in lower concentrations than what should be there,
indeed, sometimes they find that the herb listed on the label is not present at
all! The product could contain all kinds of fillers and synthetic
materials, dirt, and worse, they have even found toxic substances such as lead
and arsenic and other pesticides! So, some of these brands that people are
using to help them get well could actually be harmful to their health.
It is very important to use high-quality
brands and high-quality bulk herbs, and for this you generally need to be
willing to pay a little more. Treating something like endometriosis requires an
investment of money that would be higher than just trying to treat a cold or
flu, but it can be well worth it in the long run. The "cheaper",
lower quality herbs will really end up being a total waste of money in the long
run, because you will not get anywhere near the same results, if indeed you get
any results at all, and as stated above, you might even end up feeling worse!
"Dietary supplements", as most of these herbs are labeled in
accordance with the FDA, are not regulated by the FDA or any other governmental
agency at this point, hence, the many unscrupulous business practices mentioned
above are rampant in this field. Personally, I do not WANT the government
involved, as I don't think that they do a very good job with what they allow in
to this country and what they don't. Just one of the hundreds of examples
would be aspartame (nutra-sweet). This product is simply poisoning the
American public, causing many different health problems and even death, it
contains neuro-toxins that are extremely dangerous to consume. It does not
help anyone to control their weight either, as it increases your cravings for
carbohydrates, it would be better to use white sugar than to use this toxic
substance! But, the FDA just pushed it right on through, despite testing
and research that indicated it was dangerous, and this is just one of many
dangerous substances that they have "okayed" for the general public to
use, while denying us access to other drugs and substances that have been found
to be very useful, saying that "not enough research" has been
conducted, they don't "trust" other countries and their ways of
scientific testing. In reality, it's really just a matter of politics and
power, and the American people suffer in the meantime.
So, when people are beginning to use herbs,
it is important to know something about them first. Just because a product
is "natural" doesn't necessarily mean that it's totally
harmless. Anyone with high blood pressure, heart problems or
irregularities of any kind, diabetes, or in extremely weakened body conditions
should generally stay away from "stimulant" herbs, such as Ma Huang/Ephedra
and caffeine-containing herbs such as Guarana and Kola Nut. It is also
recommended to avoid these kinds of natural stimulants if you are taking
prescription medications like anti-depressants or thyroid medications. If
you are taking blood thinning medications, then you would also want to avoid
herbs such as kelp, alfalfa, barley greens, wheat grass and other
"green" kinds of foods and herbs that have a high content of Vitamin
K, as this will work against the medication, as you would also want to avoid
herbs like White Willow that also have a thinning effect on the blood, and this
might be too much when combined with the medications. Women who have
extremely heavy periods or extended periods should generally avoid herbs like
Dong Quai, and Damiana, at least during period times, as these can cause some
women to bleed even more, but (logically enough) these herbs are generally very
helpful for women who are not having enough periods or scanty
periods. People who use prescription anti-depressants that want to
switch to natural anti-depressants like St. John's Wort, Kava, and 5HTP (derived
from the Griffonia bean) should be aware that a gradual weaning off from the
medication is in order to allow time for the natural substance to "take
over". If one were to just abruptly stop taking the medication, and
then begin to use the natural version, they would probably find that they will
"crash" mentally!
Herbs take time to start seeing any effects
for the most part; they work by gradually cleansing, building, and strengthening
the body systems and this does not happen overnight. They do not store in
the body like drugs do, and they do not work by suppression as most drugs do, so
one must be very patient and committed to sticking with a product for at least a
couple of months to begin to see any positive changes. You generally need
to take them every single day, a few times a day for them to work properly in
the long run. It can be very hard in the beginning to try to remember to
take all of the herbs as you should, but the more you commit yourself to
sticking with the program, the more the positive results will start to occur,
and this makes it much easier to remember your herbs! Before you know it,
it will just be second nature and part of your lifestyle.
Allergies to herbs are also something to consider when starting an herbal
program. For instance, anyone with really bad ragweed allergies should
generally avoid chamomile, Echinacea, and golden seal. People can be
allergic to any substance under the sun, whether it's natural or synthetic, and
unfortunately, sometimes the only way to find out if you have an allergy or
sensitivity to an herb is to simply try it! The good part is that if you
do find that you develop a lot of side effects or negative effects from using an
herb, you can just stop taking it, and the herbs will be gone from your system
within 24-48 hours and you will return to "normal" again. If you
are a more sensitive individual and tend to have a lot of allergic reactions to
things, it would be advisable to start very slowly with any herbs that you might
decide to do, and try starting with weak tea forms of the herbs, as this is the
most diluted form of herbal products to use. Try just one cup a day for a
week or two to make sure that it will be something that you can tolerate before
you start gradually increasing the amounts and then eventually move on to
stronger forms such as tinctures, liquid extracts, and capsules and tablets.
While I strongly advise anyone considering
starting an herbal program to consult with qualified health care professionals
first, this may be difficult to do. Many conventional doctors still do not
know the first thing about herbs, and many are still advising their patients not
to use ANY herbs or natural products as the scientific research is still not
conclusive, and these natural substances could be very dangerous and
harmful. This is absolutely outrageous when we all know that many
prescription drugs are much more harmful and even deadly, yet these same doctors
warning against the dangers of herbs seem to have no problem prescribing these
synthetic substances for people! The fact is that there have been no
reports of death or toxicity from the PROPER use of herbs, although as stated
above, there are a few that certain individuals have no business using, and some
that should not be used in excessive amounts. Thankfully, there are some doctors
out there who are open to the use of herbs, and are gradually educating
themselves on the use of natural therapies, so if you can find one of these
"holistic" doctors, by all means consult with them before you start
using any herbs. You can also find help from practicing herbalists,
naturopathic doctors (N.D.'s), homeopathic practitioners, holistic nurses,
ayurvedic practitioners (the oldest form of healing from India), and TCM/acupuncturists
(another extremely old healing practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine).
You can also learn a lot by talking with owners of health food stores for the
most part, although there are some that really don't know a whole lot, again,
these would be individuals that are only in it for the money. Talk
with others who have used herbs successfully and see where they go to buy their
herbs, and you will generally find reliable help there.
But, what I would really like to see is
people taking charge of their own health, and this means doing a lot of research
yourself. It is so easy to put our health in other's hands, giving them
all the responsibility and just following what they recommend, whether it's
advice from a conventional doctor or advice from an herb store clerk! Then
if it doesn't work, we can blame them and despair in our suffering. And what I find even worse is that if their advised treatments DO work, we
assign that healing power to that doctor or store clerk and they become
"gods" to us, never learning or tapping into the healing power that
lies within each one of us, always vulnerable, always powerless to change our
own health in our own ways. It is becoming increasingly obvious that
the ways that most of us have been brought up to just go to the doctor when we
are ill and they will take care of us is just not effective for the most part
anymore. There are more and more cases of immune system breakdowns
happening than ever before (endometriosis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue
syndrome, arthritis, diabetes, allergies, asthma, etc.), and Western Medicine
just does not have very effective methods for treating these problems, hence,
the return to more natural methods which do tend to be very effective in helping
to treat these problems. So, it would be in our own best interest to find
out about EVERY treatment that might be available for us to use for our own
health, whether it's conventional or natural, and this means reading and
studying as much as you can on the topic from both sides of the coin. YOU
are the one who is ultimately responsible for your own health, and you must make
the choices about what you will or won't do when it comes to healing and
preventing illness. While this initially may be a scary thought for some,
the more you allow yourself to learn about your particular health conditions,
the more empowered you will become. When you finally learn that you have
this power of knowledge, your mental outlook will improve dramatically, which
will also be beneficial on your total health.
I hope that this helps to shed some light on
the world of natural healing, and as always, if you would like to find more
information on the use of herbs for endometriosis and related health problems,
please visit my website at www.terrakenherbals.com
and go to Carol's Corner. There are also many natural and some
conventional healing sites and endo sites listed under Links. You
can also join my "endonatural" mailing list by going to the Carol's
Corner page and clicking on the "join endonatural" icon there. Once
you join this mailing list, you have access to reading through the endonatural
archives which contain loads of information from myself and others who have used
natural therapies and the continuous sharing of knowledge and experiences with
dietary changes, yummy healthy recipes, questions and answers about herbs,
nutritional supplements, natural therapies like massage and acupuncture, and
much, much more.
Good luck and good health to all!
This information is not intended to prescribe or diagnose in any way. Please
consult a health care professional before using any of the herbs mentioned above.
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