Alternative Medicine

Mimosa Hostilis Details

2011-06-06T20:18:00.000+07:00

Mimosa Hostilis Details. Also known as jurema, vinho jurema, jurema preta or black jurema in Brazil, Mimosa Hostilis is a completely natural dye that is created entirely without chemicals compared to traditional dyes used in the commercial setting that are created purely with synthetics, and since it is 100 percent biodegradable it is one of the safest types of dyes for use in clothing because you can wash it anywhere, even in the river while camping, making it one of the only natural choices for tie dye when looking at the modern market that is filled with chemical counterparts. The bark can be used to create a wide variety of pigments based on your needs, mostly with dark, natural colors as provided by the mimosa hostilis plant's natural colors; brown, deep purple and pink with dark reds mixed in.

Mimosa Hostilis, also known as mimosa tenuiflora in the scientific community, is an evergreen shrub which comes from areas in between southern Mexico along the coast down through Central and South America to the north-east regions of Brazil, Rio Grande de Norte and Pernambuco. For thousands of years, the native indigenous peoples originating in Central and South America have used mimosa hostilis to treat a wide range of medical issues ranging from skin lesions to toothaches to infections, because there are three different steroids actively working within the bark of the tree, acting as an anti-inflammatory to help reduce swelling, and since it is full of antioxidants it can be used to help fight off a variety of different conditions in the body. Plus, the high levels of tannins in the bark acts as an astringent to bind the wound and keep the skin from bleeding, protecting from further infection due to outside sources.

There are also a variety of non-medical uses for mimosa hostilis. Its high tannin content makes it useful when protecting wood posts for fences from rot, which also doubles as a necessary element when constructing wood-type dwellings, but mimosa hostilis is also known worldwide as one of the most powerful, all-natural pigments used in the arts and crafts, especially for creating tie dye used in creating shirts and other textiles. Since it uses only the bark of the mature plant it is not only completely natural, but also completely sustainable and balanced with nature. As the mature shrub grows a new layer of bark to replace the old whenever it is harvested.

Marijuana Facts: Ten Surprising Truths About Marijuana Medicine

2011-06-03T17:32:00.001+07:00

1. Healthcare professionals are in favor of medical marijuana.

In a survey of Medscape, an online community for doctors and nurses, it was found that three out of four doctors and nine out of 10 nurses favor decriminalization of marijuana for medical use.

2. The vast majority of medical marijuana prescriptions are for life-threatening conditions.

Many people think the medical marijuana movement is an excuse for stoners to get legal weed, but according to the Los Angeles Cannabis Resource Center, 90% of MMJ prescriptions are for AIDS or cancer.

3. Marijuana has a neurochemical effect on pain.

A National Institute of Mental Health study has shown that rather than just "relaxing" a pain patient or "intoxicating" them, the psychoactive ingredients in marijuana suppress the transmission of pain signals in the brain.

4. Pot can be used medicinally to treat mental health disorders.

Many people think of weed as a medicine for glaucoma and pain, but it is also approved in different jurisdictions to treat mental disorders as varied as Tourette's, depression, anxiety disorders, and even anorexia and bulimia.

5. Medical marijuana can be stored without losing its potency for up to 60 months.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse performed a study that proved that medical-grade pot can be stored at freezing temperatures for up to 60 months without losing any potency.

6. Medical pot could reduce the number of medication-related deaths by 1,000 or more each year.

The FDA recently released a report that shows that 17 drugs used for symptoms ranging from nausea to pain (which could be replaced with medical MJ) were responsible for 10,000+ deaths between 1997 and 2005, at a rate of about 1,000 a year.

7. The University of Mississippi has been growing medical cannabis for over forty years.

The US government has a long-standing contract with Ole Miss to grow a variety of marijuana products for medical research. Each year since 1968, researchers at Ole Miss have been growing between 1.5 and 6.5 acres of medical MJ.

8. Legal medical marijuana appears to reduce illegal marijuana use among teens.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has found that in eight of the ten states with legal medical pot laws, illegal use among teenagers has dropped an average of 3 percent.

9. Smoking grass may reduce your chances of contracting lung cancer.

Despite claims to the contrary, an in-depth study at UCLA found no association between smoking pot and contracting lung cancer, claiming instead that marijuana "may have some protective effect."

10. Ganja can improve the immune system.

Is there anything weed can't do? Dr. Donald Abrams found in a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine that medical marijuana patients had "improved immune function" compared with patients who received a placebo.

How Tai Chi Heals

2011-05-11T20:16:00.000+07:00

How Tai Chi Heals. Ask a typical American, about Tai Chi and chances are they'll tell you that Tai Chi is good for you. "It's like Yoga, isn't it?" Though most people are aware that Tai Chi has health benefits, few know much about exactly how the art is good for you.

Initially developed as a deadly martial art, the phrase 'Tai Chi Chuan' translates as "grand ultimate fist." It was not until the 20th century that people began to practice the art solely for its health benefits without attempting to apply it to combat. Yet the grand ultimate fist has always been good for its practitioners and continues to be so today.

First, proper Tai Chi practice requires proper spinal alignment. Students must pay attention to what is called the 'vertical axis.' The spine must be kept very straight and all the other parts of the body move around the spine. This is very good for the spine and the body in general. In some programs, the first thing taught is the basic posture called "Wu Chi." This basic posture aligns the spine so that it is straight and yet the body is at the same time relaxed. Many people have small spinal misalignment in their body which can actually cause a lot of pain over time. With proper instruction and practice people can learn to keep their spine properly aligned.

When most people think about Tai Chi, they think about elderly people, probably Chinese, doing a series of slow, dance-like movements, most likely in a park. This graceful set of motions can be beautiful to watch. Yet these motions are designed to do far more than simply look graceful. This set of moves is intended to circulate qi or energy through the meridians of the body. These moves expand the energetic pathways of the body. The movements in the form actually energetically cleanse the body including the circulatory and lymphatic systems.

Tai Chi also helps its practitioners to change body states. The art has what are called jings or expressions of energy. One such jing deals specifically with relaxation. The mental and physical states of people are highly interconnected. When people are stressed, they build up physical tensions. When people relax and release physical tensions of their bodies, the stress will often go with it. Tai Chi teaches people how to achieve that highly relaxed state. In fact, a part of that graceful and flowing look comes from the fact that it is practiced in that relaxed state. A lot of the wear and tear on the body comes from tensions that people unconsciously hold and Tai Chi helps its students to become aware of that tension and let it go.

Another jing is called rooting. It is about dropping the weight of the body downward toward and actually into the ground. Rooting jing is an excellent tool for those who are feeling unfocused. There are a total of 36 jings or expressions of energy as well as many different combinations and applications for the different jings. With enough practice martial artists can change body states very quickly and this can help people to handle the challenges of each day in a healthier way.

This article only covers a few of the ways in which Tai Chi heals its practitioners. If you want to learn about more of them, one good way to begin is to try it.

Chiropractic Care and You

2011-05-10T20:15:00.003+07:00

Chiropractic Care and You. Let me take you on a tour on what chiropractic is all about. In spite of its growing recognition, chiropractic treatment is still foreign to some people. The lack of awareness and misinformation is partly to be blamed.

A patient who seeks treatment for his medical condition must be made aware of the procedure or management to be given to him. Through this he will be pacified to know that he is indeed getting the correct medical attention.

In chiropractic management, a patient is given a briefing on how the treatment will go. The results will depend on the total health condition of the individual and his capacity to respond with the treatment.

So what can chiropractic care do for you? If you are thinking of submitting yourself to a chiropractor but do not know what you will get, I have listed some chiropractic care effects that may answer your questions.

Chiropractic Rectify Misalignments

This is basically what chiropractic care is all about -- rectify misalignments in a patient's joints and spine. This is termed as chiropractic adjustment or spinal adjustment. Chiropractors in the United States perform over 90% of treatments and manipulations.

The Psychological Effects of Chiropractic Care

The initial session may develop moderate uneasiness or pain to the patient. This is because the joints are habituated resulting to an increase of the patient's range of motion. However, as the management continues, the patient feels less pain in his joints and muscles. This then leads to the patient to regain his confidence in doing his usual activities. Patients felt relieved and they loosen up after undergoing chiropractic care.

Those who have had back and neck pains for quite some time become optimistic as they feel their range of motion going back to normal. In the end, the management has helped these patients to interrelate with their friends and family better.

No Adverse Effects

Chiropractic care has no adverse effects on the patients since it does not make use of any drug. Studies have shown that patients feel well after each session; thus reducing their visits to their chiropractor to once or thrice in a year. At times, patients see their chiropractor just for the sake of removing their tension and to loosen up. Concerns that signs and symptoms will recur is out of the question.

Advances in Technology

The advances in technology have further enhanced chiropractic techniques. Patients need not worry of getting harmed. New knowledge and expertise can assure you that chiropractic care is harmless, safe, fast and very effectual. Chiropractors use an extremely precise treatment approach. Patients who are beset with other health issues can recuperate faster with the help of chiropractic treatment.

Chiropractic care can be given to any person regardless of sex and age. Adults, babies, children, elderly and even expecting mothers can be treated by a chiropractor with issues on their musculoskeletal system. Alternative methods may also be recommended like acupuncture and massage therapy. These methods are advised to further augment chiropractic effects or to merely remove the stress which causes the healing process to slow down.

Theminneapolischiropractors.com features videos on how chiropractic manipulation is performed. The site aims to bring to people a better understanding of chiropractic.

Chakra Test: Are Your Energy Centers Affecting Your Health?

2011-05-09T20:13:00.000+07:00

Chakra Test: Are Your Energy Centers Affecting Your Health? The disc of energy found in our body that represents spiritual dimensions of soul and different parts of our body is now widely known as chakra. Healing through chakra is also known as a kind of energy healing.

It is said that when your chakras are healthy and properly used, you are going to feel really powerful and the corresponding body part of the healthy chakra will be dynamic and extraordinarily healthy. Nevertheless, when a chakra is not performing well and its energy is not moving where it should be, there will be illness in the corresponding body part of that chakra and that part of your soul will be inanimate.

In this type of energy healing, chakra that has a blockage is being checked and observed. For example, a blockage in your throat chakra can seem like a disease in your vocal chords, thus, you encounter a problem in honestly and properly communicating yourself to other people. This type of blockage looks like a subtle hint of chakra problem, however, there are more obvious type which involves physical manifestations like throat ache, headache etc.

To facilitate energy healing on subtle manifestations of chakra problem, a chakra test should be administered. The test involves asking questions about energetic aspects of your life and physical history in order to identify problems.

Questions about health of your physical body as well as motivation and direction is dealing with your Root Chakra.

One the other hand, questions relating to Sacral Chakra is about your creative and sexual energies. It involves knowing how you feel about simple emotions as well as your reproductive system's health.

Topics about digestive system and spiritual ability is pointing to Solar Plexus Chakra while the ability to deal to form friendly relationships and other things dealing with your heart and breathing is associated with your Heart Chakra.

The Throat Chakra, as mentioned in the earlier part of the article, relates to communicating your thoughts honestly and fluently as well as physical illnesses like sore throat and jaw pain.

As for Crown Chakra, it brings up questions about your body's capability to regulate the lymph system and to connect to ideas of universal consciousness and enlightenment.

Lastly, the Third Eye Chakra questions check your ability to sleep well, also to tap into spiritual and creative insights.

After the chakra test, energy healing can start. You will be able to zero in on the energetic and physical issues and exact blockages that hinders your capability to function as a whole person.

Anxiety and Tinnitus

2011-05-08T22:24:00.000+07:00

Anxiety and Tinnitus. Tinnitus is sensation of buzzing, ringing, or some type of noise that really isn't present. There are many different causes of this condition. Stress and anxiety are common causes and will also help to worsen any symptoms that you experience.

Whenever you're stressed or anxious, your body undergoes physical and chemical changes. Your blood vessels will become constricted, which will reduce your heart and circulation rate. This can easily lead to problems with high blood pressure also known as hypertension.

It's common for everyone to experience some degree of stress everyday. However, it's not a good thing if this stress is continuous. As mentioned, anxiety can worsen your symptoms of tinnitus. It can make the sounds that you hear appear to be much louder than they really are.

Tinnitus can be very disturbing to your life. Since it can be caused and worsened by stress, you will need to find a way to handle it. There are various ways for you to manage your stress and help relieve the symptoms of the tinnitus.

One of the best ways to deal with anxiety-related tinnitus is to exercise. You should try to exercise on a daily basis, but at the very least a few times a week. Aerobic exercises like walking, running, or jogging are very helpful. Strength training is also a good way to help relieve stress and anxiety.

You may also experience relief if you change your diet. It's always a good idea to eat a balanced diet whether you have tinnitus or not. You should also try to limit your salt intake. This will certainly help reduce your high blood pressure.

There are also other techniques to help you deal with anxiety. You should try relaxation exercises, meditation, or yoga. Some people even find that learning martial arts is very helpful and helps them to relax.

If you find that you suffer from excessive stress, then you should try to limit your exposure to stressful situations as much as possible. This can be difficult if these situations occur at work however.

Stress and anxiety may lead to tinnitus, or even make it worse if you already have it. There are plenty of things that you can do to try to limit the amount of stress that you endure. One of the most common is to exercise on a daily basis. You could even try meditating or yoga to help you deal with stress.

Veterans Living With Post Traumatic Stress

2011-05-08T20:11:00.000+07:00

Veterans Living With Post Traumatic Stress. Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) is an agonizing pain that wears away at you, dulls your senses, and changes your reality. Constant dull pain has a detrimental effect on your daily life, relationships, your job, and family. You do not realize the toll it takes on your physical, mental, and emotional health until a family member or friend tells you. By then your behavior and mannerisms have already shifted. When you begin to see the following things occur within your life, you need to take action to turn them around:

• Bouts of depression
• Rapid mood swings
• Scheduled isolation
• Anger and raging

Turning your life or pain story around is about breaking the cycle of suppressing your pain. Your pain won't go away or lessen if you avoid it. Your pain will grow in intensity and aggressively drain more energy. This leads to spinning your life out of control and using depression, over eating, excessive sleep, anger, or isolation to numb the pain instead of dealing with your pain story. You can't turn your life around until you're able to turn your pain story around. Your pain story is who you have become. How often do you use depression, addictions, rage, or avoidance to suppress the pain with your story? Is it effective?

You may make inappropriate choices because of lack of information while you attempt to resolve your Post Traumatic Stress. Some choices you make could be due to not knowing how to start the process, accepting that there is no solution to your problem, not asking for alternative help early on, or not understanding that some of the answers are within you. We as a nation are faced with a Post Traumatic Stress crisis effecting over 17% of the US population. We are talking about the invisible wounds and broken hearts. There are no quick fixes and there are no external wounds that indicate closure and healing. This is a process that takes time, patience, understanding, compassion, and love.

This is where the rubber hits the road. Allopathic medicine, insurance companies, and the VA are unable and unwilling to deliver a solution. What they offer is:

• Prequalification and testing to be treated
• Clinical therapy with conditions
• Prescription drugs: antidepressants & pain pills
• Conditional treatment of veterans; no treatment for active duty personnel

If you do not meet their qualifications or are on active duty, treatment is denied. Also, if you desire treatment other than clinical therapy or drugs, treatment is denied. If you believe that you can wait for the government, allopathic medicine, and the insurance industry to do the right thing, they won't. Even though you put on the uniform and placed your life on the line and now want them to treat your Post Traumatic Stress, they are unable to. Post Traumatic Stressis a family issue that is resolved through alternative therapy and treatment.

Walking Back to Health: An Ancient Chinese Secret

2011-05-07T10:26:00.001+07:00

Walking Back to Health: An Ancient Chinese Secret. It's 6 o'clock in the morning but Heaven Park in Beijing is already alive and buzzing.

Everywhere, there is movement in this expanse of trees and grass and temples. All ages--from 9 to 99--are here, practicing Tai Chi and Sword Arts, swinging their arms, rubbing their kidneys, rotating their waists, and hanging from low-hanging tree branches (to stretch their spines).

Amid all this, is something that makes me rub my sleepy eyes and look again: groups of women are walking backwards up the lane. Just that: walking backwards, calmly and confidently.

This ancient exercise (yes! It is an exercise!) is one of the treasures of Chinese health practice, addressing issues of balance, leg strength, back strength, and posture. It may seem simple, but the reasons why it is a good practice are profound. Here are just a few:

1. As we age, our fear of falling makes us react wrongly. When babies fall backwards, they just plump down to a sitting position, but this tendency disappears as we get older. Many falls end up going backward because we arch our backs. Walking backwards rounds that part of our back that we arch, and encourages 'forward' muscle use.

2. Everything that is wrong about your posture came from walking forward! Slumping, slouching, rounding, arching...all those bad habits. Walking backwards reverses these habits.

3. From an energetics standpoint, walking backwards actually re-frames consciousness in our bodies. The simple explanation is that our attention tends to favor the front of our bodies to the exclusion of what is behind us. Chinese health and martial exercises both encourage 'whole body' awareness for 'whole body' health. Walking backwards creates a 'sensor' to integrate this area.

4. Walking backwards actually engages completely different sets of muscles. This is important especially as we age, since we lose flexibility and our range of motion often diminishes. By using different muscles we exercise parts of our body that need attention.

Interested? Let's try it!

Green Tea Fat Burner - Is It Worth a Try?

2011-04-29T22:30:00.000+07:00

Green Tea Fat Burner - Is It Worth a Try? You might be getting more and more confused about the different ingredients in weight loss supplements. It's not so strange though that they now picked green tea (extract) as the main fat burner ingredient.

Why?

Reasons To Burn Fat With Green Tea

Besides only carrying 4 calories per serving, this type of tea contains many ingredients that help in your fight to lose weight.

Caffeine: a potent stimulant used in many fat burners to boost your energy level and increase your weight loss; it also works as a natural appetite suppressant.

Catechins: (the most important one being EGCG): powerful antioxidants to protect your body against the free radicals in your body that destroy healthy cells. These catechins have several weight loss advantages, namely:

1. Speeding up your metabolism.
Catechins speed up your metabolism through thermogenesis - converting calories into heat - which in turn helps you body to burn fat and helps you to lose weight!

2. Regulating your digestive system.
What's more, the tea antioxidants regulate your digestive system, making you feel full faster and digest your food better. So, on the one hand you'll eat less and on the other hand, whatever you DO eat will be digested better.

3. Regulating your glucose production.
Research suggests that tea catechins may regulate your glucose by slowing the blood sugar level down after a meal.

Green tea possesses anti-diabetic activity, similar to insulin, as EGCG, the main fat burning ingredient, and other catechins slow down the digestive enzymes responsible for breaking down carbohydrates. This in turn decreases glucose production in the gastrointestinal system resulting in lower levels of glucose and insulin.

4. Reducing body fat and waist circumference.
Research performed by Dulloo (1999) shows that catechins reduce the waist circumference by 4.5% and body weight by 4.6%.

A 2005 study performed among Japanese men confirms this by suggesting the daily consumption of 690 mg tea catechins for 12 weeks reduces body fat as well as body weight, BMI, waist circumference, and body fat mass!

Green Tea Fat Burner vs Others
Burning fat with tea (extract) is safer than other substances often found in weight loss supplements. Most often contain lots of laxatives which will make you lose weight but will also dehydrate you and give you short-term results. As soon as you would stop taking these chemical supplements, you are most likely to gain weight again, if not more than when you started dieting! A high quality tea supplement, however, contains real tea extract and has no side effects. Only when used in excess side effects may develop.

Possible side effects
Some people using green tea fat burner have reported getting headaches, feeling dizzy, jittery, or dehydrated. These symptoms are related to the caffeine found in tea. To prevent these side effects from occurring make sure you read the instructions carefully and stick to the maximum dosage indicated on the package. Also, it's important to drink enough water to prevent dehydration and to consult your doctor before buying any supplements. Do not use green tea during pregnancy or when lactating.

Crystal Healing

2011-04-29T22:28:00.000+07:00

Energy and Protection

Everything in the physical world is made up of energy and information. Energy vibrates at different frequencies but we are unable to see this energy because it is vibrating too fast for us. Because our senses are too slow for these vibrations, we only receive chunks of information that allows us to perceive the chair we are sitting on, our body, other people and so on.

When you walk into a room and it feels like you can 'cut the atmosphere with a knife', this is referred to as negative energy and likewise, if you go to a party, you hopefully will feel excitement in the air - or positive energy.

In the same way, when we open up our energy centres in healing, meditation, prayer, visualisation or working with crystals, we are attracting energy vibrations to us (negative as well as positive). It is therefore necessary that we protect ourselves from the negative energy.

Grounding

Grounding is important to perform before you start to work with your crystals as it keeps you in touch with your earthly surroundings. Working with crystals will take you onto a higher plane and when you finish your work, if you have not grounded yourself beforehand, you may experience a floating feeling and be emotional (like a healing curve) as you have opened yourself up and could be susceptible to other's negativity.

To ground yourself, take three depth breaths, sitting with feet firmly on the ground and visualise that there are roots extending from the bottom of your feet. They are growing down through the floor, through the earth and right down through to the centre of the earth to ensure that you are fully grounded. To test your grounding, try to lift your foot from the floor. If you find this difficult, you know you have grounded yourself correctly.

Prayer

Dear Universe I ask that you surround me with the pure white light of your divine being. Remove me from all negative vibrations to be dispersed in the universe without harm to any living thing. Please place me in my own golden bubble of complete absolute protection.

Visualisation

Visualise yourself standing in a pink bubble and know that nothing can penetrate this bubble only divine white light and unconditional love.

White is the colour of divine protection and pink is the colour of unconditional spirit love.

Cleansing and Blessing your Crystals

There are many ways that crystals can be cleansed. However, not all crystals can be placed in water without being damaged so it is important that you are careful about the way you cleanse your crystals.

When crystals are obtained from Interactions all manual cleansing has been done. If your crystals were obtained elsewhere then you will have to cleanse them yourself.

With so much pollution and dust in the atmosphere, it is advised that a baby's hairbrush is used to brush the crystals, which not only removes the dust but also gently stimulates the crystal at the same time.

Crystals also need to be blessed before use. Once the crystal has been manually cleansed the following prayer is required so that the crystal is ready to work with you.

A Blessing

Dear Universe I give thanks to mother earth for giving these crystals up for the benefit of mankind. I ask that the crystals be blessed to release all negative vibrations to the universe to be dispersed without harm to any living thing.

Working with Crystals

Before working with your crystals follow the basic steps:

1. Protect and ground yourself

2. Cleanse and bless the crystal

3. Centre yourself by sitting with your eyes shut and concentrate on your breathing for a few moments.

If working with a single crystal, hold the crystal in your right hand with any point on the crystal towards your fingers, asking that you release all negative vibrations without harm to any living thing.

Now place the crystal into your left hand with the point towards your wrist and ask for the specific help you require. Work with the crystal in each hand for at least ten minutes.

Crystal Healing Techniques

Explore Your Crystal

When you first acquire a new crystal you should spend time exploring it. You will find that this develops your sensitivity to its energy field.

Step 1 Look at your crystal from different angles, close your eyes and hold it in both hands noting any thoughts you have.

Step 2 Hold the crystal in both hands and breath in imagining the air entering through the crystal and gently breath out over the crystal so that you have a cycle of breath going through the crystal, thus building energy.

Step 3 Sit quietly with your eyes closed and focus on the colour you can see, how the crystal feels in your palms and sense any vibrations or thoughts that cross your mind.

Step 4 Lie down and place the crystal on your solar plexus and sense how it feels, again visualise the colour of the crystal, the shape and any thoughts you pick up on.

Do this again with the crystal on your third eye, notice any changes.

As a Usui Reiki Master with a background in training, coaching and NLP, I have helped many people through periods of change and personal development within the corporate environment and on an individual basis.

I work with people who want to improve their well-being and to develop their abilities in order to create a healthy, empowered and positive future. I enjoy helping people to re-focus, re-energise and work towards their goals in a holistic way.

The training and workshops include crystal healing, meditation, visualisation and relaxation. As a Usui Reiki Master Teacher I train people in Reiki I First Degree (Shoden), Reiki II Second Degree (Okuden) and Reiki Masters (Shinpiden).

The Benefits Of Herbalism

2011-04-26T10:24:00.000+07:00

The Benefits Of Herbalism. Also known as botanical medicine, herbalism derives it strength from the power and medicinal value of plants. Its origins date back before history was written or known to man and is steeped in lore and myth dating back to the oldest civilizations. In fact, over five thousand years ago, the Sumerians would use plants for medicine purposes, and so too, would Egyptians, using things like opium, castor oil, garlic, mint, and coriander to cure common ailments. Many of these plants are still used today to perform the same deeds. Even in the Old Testament, there is record of the usage of many plants, like wheat, rye, and mandrake to cure ailments.

Spreading to China, to the Middle Ages in Europe, and all over the world, the power of plants to heal continues to be a strong philosophy today, and there are typically four different approaches to using plants for a medicinal purpose. For one, it is used as a sort of magical remedy, one related to a shaman or someone with divine, mystical powers. Usually a person who uses plants to cure the ill is seen as someone with extra powers that ordinary people cannot tune into, and thus, this shaman is able to use these herbs and plants to connect and affect the spirit of the one who is sick. This is a popular motif among many societies as people believe that those who bear the ability to do it must be mystical or magical.

Another approach is the energetic approach, where people think the power is not on the administrator but in the herbs themselves, seeing them as energy containing substances that have the power to heal and give life forces into those who consume or come into contact with them. Another approach is the functional dynamic approach, which believes that herbs have a specific and special function. And finally, the chemical approach believes that herbs and plants contain chemical devices that could be great if combined with other things that will give them real value, in the example of pharmaceutical drugs that sweep the market, all with the intention of curing the sick. These people believe that though these drugs are best in emergent situations, the herbs have a much better long term effect if taken in their stead.

There are many kinds of plant remedies and herbal forms, such as tisanes, which are hot water extracts of an herb, like chamomile tea. And then there are things like vinegars, which has a solution of acetic acid. Then there are the decoctions, which are boiled extract of roots and barks, and then there are the essential oils such as the salves, balms, creams, and lotions, the beeswax lip balm, the creams, the topical agents that are all derived from plants, like aloe, and other kinds of natural healing salves. There are also the poultices and compresses, which take whole herbs and then crush them and add water before making a sort of bandage compress pack. There are also the macerates, which are the cold infusion of plants with stuff like sage and thyme which are then cut and mixed with cold water.

The Best Healing Methods

2010-01-09T04:50:00.000+07:00

by: Sonny Julius

It’s disturbing to me that most people believe prescription drugs are the best healing cure. They will spend years subscribing to this method and still won’t resolve their ailments.

The reason they won’t solve their illness or disease is because prescription drugs are not the right answer. In fact, in most cases, you can create additional problems by using prescription drugs.

Don’t believe it? Then why is it, many times, that when you return to your doctor for another visit, you may get an additional prescription drug to resolve an additional problem?

Your body has a built-in healing system. It will do its job perfectly if you will only do your part by not abusing it. That means feeding it the proper food, exercising regularly, managing stress, adding additional nutrients to your daily regimen and eventually weaning off of any prescription drugs you may be taking.

I share this information with everyone in my articles, I write and submit to directories, on my web site and also on my blog. I also share this information with friends I know who have some major ailments.

What is very disturbing to me is some of these friends are so brainwashed by their doctors that they discourage them from believing the alternative method is not the best.

One friend I talked to about alternative methods has had a severe heart problem for 25 years. He has had by-pass surgery and several other minor surgeries over the years.

He isn’t convinced anything else can resolve his health problem except his doctor and multiple prescription drugs. Yet he has had several life threatening episodes since then.

Another friend I talked to with even more problems feels the same way about his doctor and his medications. Even though he listened to my presentation about my methods, he discussed it with his doctor who advised him to reject my ideas.

I find it hard to understand why a doctor would object to alternative healing methods for their patients which is, by far, the safer way to heal.

But then I guess I should understand because doctors get very limited education about nutrition in all their years in medical school.

Only naturopathic, osteopathic and holistic doctors understand the value of natural medicine cures and remedies for their patients.

The influence that Big Pharma has on this situation, the medical association beliefs and the U.S. Congress being brainwashed by both of these organizations contributes to the sad condition of the country’s health

The new administration of Obama probably will not solve this issue either. There is only one solution to this major health problem and it is “education”.

There needs to be legislation to set up some kind of an educational program to teach people how to become healthier individuals. If we get that done and we will have a healthier America.

However if this ever gets done it will be a “miracle”. You have to understand that by educating people to become healthier that means less dependence on drugs is needed.

Less dependence on drugs means less business for drug companies and even less business for doctors and hospitals. You see why I say if that ever happens it will be a “miracle”.

So what’s the answer to this major health problem here in America? Health researchers, alternative health newsletters written by concerned doctors and other concerned individuals convincing the general public to take personal charge of their health and practicing alternative methods of cures is the only answer.

This is the only way we will get this job done. And believe it or not it is beginning to happen even though it’s a slow process.

More and more people are learning that their doctors are not properly healing them and that prescription drugs are not their solution to wellness.

It may take years for this movement to finally solve our health problem, but I believe it will eventually happen.

Essential Oils For Aromatherapy

2009-12-30T11:28:00.000+07:00

By Carolyn Anderson

Aromatherapy has been an easy way to get relief from the common health problems we experience from day-to-day, and it includes overcoming too much stress, which affects our body, our mind and our emotions and hinders us to live a happy life.

If you want to explore the world of aromatherapy and enjoy its many benefits, you just have to learn the basics of the essential oils for aromatherapy and you don't even need to go out and go somewhere to enjoy aromatherapy. Sure, there are spas and salons that would offer this service but you can actually do it at home. You can avail of aromatherapy kits containing the essential oil fit for you and enjoy its benefits at home. You can even mix your own oils and enjoy a great variety of uses, or even put up your own aromatherapy business.

To learn some basics, here are some common uses of aromatherapy and the different essential oils that are appropriate for it.

For emotional well-being, or you want to get over with anger, anxiety, fear, irritability or you want to overcome fatigue and burnout, the essential oils that you can use are Bergamot, Chamomile, Rose, Rosemary, Sandalwood, Lemon, Frankincense and many others. Take note that there are specific essential oils good for a particular condition you want to overcome. If, for example, you are depressed and you want to seek consolation from these essential oils, Jasmine, Bergamot, Geranium, Frankincense, Rose, Sandalwood, Ylang-ylang, lemon, mandarin and Clary Sage are good for you.

Some essential oils for aromatherapy also have antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties that help fight common disorders and infections. Eucalyptus for example is good for colds and in fighting sinus congestion. Chamomile is also good for skin diseases and eczema and is also a good pain reliever as well.

Tea tree oil is also popularly used for bacterial, fungal and even viral infections and is a good essential oil to enhance the immune system. It can also be used in a variety of skin condition such as acne, burns, cold sores, athlete's foot, diaper rash, blemishes, warts, dandruff and in relieving a sunburnt skin.

Of course, aside from these common uses, essential oils for aromatherapy are also useful in improving your concentration and focus. They also lift up your mood, which is helpful if you are lonely or depressed, and are also great for calming your nerves and overcoming panic and tension. Indeed, they are useful for over-all well-being.

There may be many uses for these aromatherapy oils but it is important to take note that because these oils are extracted from plant parts, there may be some people who are sensitive to some of these aromatherapy oils. To be safe in using them, avoid applying them directly to the skin. You have to also dilute them and add a carrier oil with them before putting them into use, especially if you are using them for massage.

You have to be careful and make sure also that these oils do not get in contact with your eyes, and you may also want to seek advice in using them if you are pregnant.

Being informed about the essential oils for aromatherapy and how to use them will indeed help you a lot in enjoying the benefits of this alternative healing - for your health, emotional well-being and for a happy and healthy life as well.

Carolyn Anderson enjoys aromatherapy at home to help relieve everyday stress. For a great guide to help you explore the wonderful benefits of essential oils and aromatherapy, check out this guide to the power of aromatherapy. Also check out Tennis Elbow Secrets Revealed, where you can learn a great way to solve your tennis elbow problem.

Wellness Medicine

2009-12-28T06:12:00.000+07:00

THE SCIENCE OF OBESITY: FATS & CHOLESTEROL

For years we heard that a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet would keep us healthy and help us lose weight. And many of us jumped on the bandwagon, eliminating fat and high-cholesterol foods from our diets. Well, unfortunately, we were doing it all wrong.

Instead of eliminating fat completely, we should have been eliminating the "bad fats," the fats associated with obesity and heart disease and eating the "good fats," the fats that actually help improve blood cholesterol levels. Before we examine the good fats and bad fats, let's talk about cholesterol.

Cholesterol - It's been ingrained into our brains that cholesterol causes heart disease and that we should limit our intake of foods that contain it, but dietary cholesterol is different than blood cholesterol. Cholesterol comes from two places--first, from food such as meat, eggs, and seafood, and second, from our body. Our liver makes this waxy substance and links it to carrier proteins called lipoproteins. These lipoproteins dissolve the cholesterol in blood and carry it to all parts of your body. Our body needs cholesterol to help form cell membranes, some hormones, and Vitamin D.

You may have heard of "good" and "bad" cholesterol. Well, high-density lipoproteins (HDL) carry cholesterol from the blood to the liver. The liver processes the cholesterol for elimination from the body. If there's HDL in the blood, then less cholesterol will be deposited in the coronary arteries. That's why it's called "good" cholesterol. Low-density lipoproteins (LDL), carry cholesterol from the liver to the rest of the body. When there is too much in the body, it is deposited in the coronary arteries. This is not good. A build-up of cholesterol in our arteries could prevent blood from getting to parts of our heart. That means that our heart won't get the oxygen and nutrients it needs, which could result in heart attack, stroke, or sudden death. So, if your LDL is higher than your HDL, you're at a greater risk for developing heart disease. It may come as a surprise, but recent studies have shown that the amount of cholesterol in our food is not strongly linked to our blood cholesterol levels. It's the types of fats you eat that affect your blood cholesterol levels.

Bad Fats - There are two fats that you should limit your intake of--saturated and trans fats.

Saturated Fats - Saturated fats are mostly animal fats. You find them in meat, whole-milk products, poultry skin, and egg yolks. Coconut oil also has a high amount of saturated fat. Saturated fats raise both the good and bad blood cholesterol.

Trans Fats - Trans fats are produced through hydrogenation--heating oils in the presence of oxygen. Many products contain trans fats because the fats help them maintain a longer shelf life. Margarine also contains a high amount of trans fats. Trans fats are especially dangerous because they lower the good cholesterol, HDL and raise the bad cholesterol, LDL. Unfortunately, most products do not tell you how much trans fat it contains, but you can find out if it's in a product by looking at the ingredient list. If the ingredients contain hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oils, then it contains trans fats. Fortunately in 2006, manufacturers will be required to list the amount of trans fat in their products on the nutrition labels, so it will be easier for you to find.

Good Fats - Some fats actually improve cholesterol levels.

Polyunsaturated Fats - Polyunsaturated fats are found in sunflower, corn, and soybean oils. These oils contain Omega-6, an essential fatty acid. However, most people get enough Omega-6 in their diet and instead need more Omega-3. Omega-3 is a fatty acid found in fish and walnuts.

Monounsaturated Fats - Monounsaturated fats are found in canola, peanut, and olive oils. Both types of unsaturated fats decrease the bad cholesterol, LDL and increase the good cholesterol, HDL.

Now, just because the unsaturated fats improve your blood cholesterol levels, you don't have the go-ahead to eat all of the olive oil, butter and nuts you want. Fat of any kind does contain calories, and if you're trying to lose weight, eat fat in moderation, and stay away from saturated fats.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR WEIGHT

A pound of fat represents approximately 3500 calories of stored energy. In order to lose a pound of fat, you have to use 3500 more calories than you consume. Although this seems like a simple formula remember that your body is a thinking organism designed to protect itself. If you were to try to reduce your intake by the entire 3500 calories in one day, your body would register some type of alarm and think that there is a state of emergency. Immediately your metabolism would slow down and no weight loss would be achieved. It's better to spread your weight loss out over a period of a week, so that you aim to reduce your caloric intake by 3500 to 7000 calories per week, resulting in weight loss of one to two pounds per week. It's generally not recommended to try to lose more than two pounds in a week. Attempting to do so may cause health risks, and on top of this you're unlikely to be successful.

In the example of attempting to lose two pounds per week, you can use a basic method of calorie counting to help you accomplish your goal. To do so, you need to figure out how many calories a person of your age, sex, and weight usually needs in a day, subtract 500 from that amount, and follow a diet that provides you with that many calories. For example, if you would ordinarily need 3000 calories in a day, you would follow a 2500-calorie a day diet. Next, figure out how much exercise a person of your weight would need to do to burn 500 calories per day, and engage in an exercise plan that will help you achieve your goal. The result is simple: 500 fewer calories consumed and 500 more calories expended equals a 1000 calorie per day deficit, which, over the course of a week adds up to 7000 calories, or two pounds. Although individual results may vary, the bottom line is if your body is consuming fewer calories than it's expending, then weight will be lost.

WellnessMedicine.info contains a collection of Health & Wellness Ebooks at your finger tips.
About the Author

Editor of several Ebooks on Health and Wellness. Obesity Guide, Hair Loss Guide, Perfect Diet, Acne Management, Muscle Building, Quit Smoking, Cholesterol Management and many others.

Natural Medicine Approach to Beauty

2009-12-27T05:05:00.000+07:00

The Maharishi Ayurveda Approach to Beauty and Skin Care

The Three Pillars of Beauty

Maharishi Ayurveda (MAV), the modern, consciousness-based revival of the ancient Ayurvedic medicine tradition, considers true beauty to be supported by three pillars; Outer Beauty, Inner Beauty and Lasting Beauty. Only by enhancing all three can we attain the balanced state of radiant health that makes each of us the most fulfilled and beautiful person we can be.

Outer Beauty: Roopam

The outer signs of beauty - your skin, hair and nails - are more than just superficial measures of beauty. They are direct reflections of your overall health. These outer tissues are created by the inner physiological processes involved in digestion, metabolism and proper tissue development. Outer beauty depends more on the strength of your digestion and metabolism, the quality of your diet, and the purity of your blood, than on external cleansers and conditioners you may apply.

General Recommendations for Outer Beauty

As we will discuss, the key to skin care is matching your diet and skin care routine to the specific skin type you have. Meanwhile, there are some valuable recommendations for lustrous skin, hair and nails that will be helpful to everyone, regardless of skin type.

1. Diet: Without adequate nourishment, your collagen layer thins and a kind of wasting takes place. Over time, your skin can shrivel up like a plant without water from lack of nourishment. To keep your skin plump and glowing:

A. Eat fresh, whole organic foods that are freshly prepared.
Avoid packaged, canned, frozen, processed foods and leftovers. These foods have little nutritional value and also they are often poorly digested which creates impurities that localize in the skin. The resulting buildup of toxins causes irritation and blocks circulation depriving the skin of further nourishment and natural cleansing processes.

B. Favor skin nourishing foods.
1. Leafy green vegetables contain vitamins, minerals (especially iron and calcium) and are high in antioxidant properties. They nourish the skin and protect it from premature aging.
2. Sweet juicy fruits like grapes, melons, pears, plums and stewed apples at breakfast are excellent for the skin in almost everyone.
3. Eat a wide variety of grains over different meals and try mixed grain servings at breakfast and lunch. Add amaranth, quinoa, cous cous, millet and barley to the wheat and rice you already eat.
4. Favor light, easy to digest proteins like legume soups (especially yellow split mung dhal), whole milk, paneer (cheese made from boiling milk, adding lemon and straining solids) and lassi (diluted yogurt and spice drinks).
5. Oils like ghee (clarified butter) and organic, extra virgin olive oil should be included in the diet as they lubricate, nourish and create lustre in the skin.
6. Use spices like turmeric, cumin, coriander, and black pepper to improve digestion, nourish the skin and cleanse it of impurities.
7. Avoid microwaving and boiling your vegetables. They lose as much as 85% of their antioxidant content when cooked in this way. Steaming and sautéing are best.

Caring for outer beauty through knowledge of skin type

Besides these general recommendations the key to Outer Beauty is to understand the difference in skin types so you can gain the maximum benefit from your individualized skin care regimen. MAV identifies three different skin types based on which of the three main metabolic principles (doshas)- present in everyone, but to different degrees- is most dominant in your body.

Vata Skin

* Description: Vata is composed of the elements of air and space. If you have a vata skin type, your skin will be dry, thin, fine pored, delicate and cool to the touch. When balanced, it glows with a delicate lightness and refinement that is elegant and attractive. When vata skin is imbalanced, it will be prone to excessive dryness and may even be rough and flaky.

* Potential problems: The greatest beauty challenge for vata skin is its predisposition to symptoms of early aging. Your skin may tend to develop wrinkles earlier than most due to its tendency to dryness and thinness. If your digestion is not in balance, your skin can begin to look dull and grayish, even in your 20's and 30's. In addition, your skin may have a tendency for disorders such as dry eczema and skin fungus. Mental stress, such as worry, fear and lack of sleep, has a powerful debilitating effect on vata skin leaving it looking tired and lifeless.

* Recommendations for care
With a little knowledge, you can preserve and protect the delicate beauty of your vata type skin. Since your skin does not contain much moisture, preventing it from drying is the major consideration. Eat a warm, unctuous diet (ghee and olive oil are best) and favor sour, salty and sweet tastes (naturally sweet like fruits, not refined sugar) as they balance vata. Avoid drying foods like crackers. Drink 6-8 glasses of warm (not cold for vata types!) water throughout the day and eat plenty of sweet, juicy fruits. Going to bed early (before 10 PM) is very soothing to vata and will have a tremendously positive influence on your skin. Avoid cleansing products that dry the skin (like alcohol-based cleansers) and perform Ayurvedic oil massage to your whole body (abhyanga) in the morning before you shower.
Pitta Skin.
* Description: Pitta dosha is composed of the elements of fire and water. If you have a pitta skin type your skin is fair, soft, warm and of medium thickness. When balanced, your skin has a beautiful, slightly rosy or golden glow, as if illuminated from within. Your hair typically is fine and straight, and is usually red, sandy or blonde in color. Your complexion tends toward the pink or reddish, and there is often a copious amount of freckles or moles.

* Potential problems: Among the many beauty challenges of pitta skin types is your tendency to develop rashes, rosacea, acne, liver spots or pigment disorders. Because of the large proportion of the fire element in your constitution, your skin does not tolerate heat or sun very well. Of all the three skin types, pitta skin has the least tolerance for the sun, is photosensitive, and most likely to accumulate sun damage over the years. Pitta skin is aggravated by emotional stress, especially suppressed anger, frustration, or resentment.

* Recommendations for care
Avoid excessive sunlight, tanning treatments and highly heating therapies like facial or whole body steams. Avoid hot, spicy foods and favor astringent, bitter and sweet foods which balance pitta. (Again, naturally sweet, not chocolate and refined sugar!) Sweet juicy fruits (especially melons and pears), cooked greens and rose petal preserves are especially good. Drinking plenty of water helps wash impurities from sensitive pitta skin. Reduce external or internal contact with synthetic chemicals, to which your skin is especially prone to react, even in a delayed fashion after years of seemingly uneventful use. Avoid skin products that are abrasive, heating or contain artificial colors or preservatives. Most commercial make-up brands should be avoided in favor of strictly 100% natural ingredient cosmetics. And be sure to get your emotional stress under control through plenty of outdoor exercise, yoga and meditation.

Kapha Skin.
* Description: Kapha dosha is composed of the elements of earth and water. If you have a kapha skin type your skin is thick, oily, soft and cool to the touch. Your complexion is a glowing porcelain whitish color, like the moon, and hair characteristically thick, wavy, oily and dark. Kapha skin types, with their more generous collagen and connective tissue, are fortunate to develop wrinkles much later in life than vata or pitta types.

*Potential problems If your skin becomes imbalanced, it can show up as enlarged pores, excessively oily skin, moist types of eczema, blackheads, acne or pimples, and water retention. Kapha skin is also more prone to fungal infections.

* Recommendations for care
Kapha skin is more prone to clogging and needs more cleansing than other skin types. Be careful to avoid greasy, clogging creams. Likewise, avoid heavy, hard to digest foods like fried foods, fatty meats, cheeses and rich desserts. Eat more light, easy to digest, astringent, bitter and pungent (well-spiced) foods as they balance kapha. Olive oil is the best cooking oil and a little ginger and lime juice can be taken before meals to increase your characteristically sluggish digestive fire. Take warm baths often and use gentle cleansers to open the skin pores. Avoid getting constipated and try to get some exercise every day to increase circulation and help purify the skin through the sweating process.

Inner Beauty: Gunam.

Happy, positive, loving, caring individuals have a special beauty that is far more than skin deep. Conversely we all experience the quick and deleterious effect on our skin from fatigue and stress.

Inner beauty is authentic beauty, not the kind that shows on a made-up face, but the kind that shines through from your soul, your consciousness or inner state of being. Inner beauty comes from a mind and heart that are in harmony, not at odds with each other, causing emotional confusion, loss of confidence, stress and worry. Inner peace is the foundation of outer beauty.

Maintain your self-confidence and a warm, loving personality by paying attention to your lifestyle and daily routine and effective management of stress (I highly recommend the TM technique for its scientifically-verified benefits on mental and physical health and reduced aging.) You will also be healthier and feel better through the day if you eat your main meal at midday and make a habit of going to bed early (by 10 PM is ideal.)

Remember, kindness, friendliness and sincerity naturally attract people to you. On the other hand, being uptight or tense makes people want to walk the other way, regardless of your facial structure, body weight, or other outer signs we associate with attractiveness.

Lasting Beauty: Yayastyag

In order to slow the aging process and gain lasting beauty there are two additional key considerations beyond those already discussed,

1. Eliminate toxins and free radicals in the body: The main deteriorating effects of aging come as toxins and impurities (called ama in Ayurveda) accumulate throughout the body. These toxins may begin as free radicals in the body, or over time may become oxidized into free radicals, all of which contribute to premature aging in the body. For lasting health and beauty it is essential to avoid and neutralize free radicals, to prevent impurities of all kinds from accumulating and to remove those that have already become lodged in the body.

The most powerful cleansing therapy in Maharishi Ayurveda is "panchakarma" therapy, a series of natural treatments ideally performed twice yearly, that involves 5-7 days in a row of massage, heat treatments and mild herbal enemas. Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of undergoing this cleansing program once or twice a year to prevent impurities from accumulating, localizing and hardening in the tissues. Just as we change the oil in our cars regularly for optimal performance and lifespan, Ayurveda recommends that we cleanse the "sludge" from our tissues on a regular basis through panchakarma treatments.

Best of all, panchakarma treatments are luxurious, blissful, and make you feel (and look) completely rejuvenated in just a few days time. I have had many a patient who told me that friends asked them afterwards if they had gotten a facelift, they looked so fresh and youthful!

Other free radical busters include: reducing mental stress, eating antioxidant foods like leafy green vegetables, sweet, juicy fruits and cooking on a daily basis with antioxidant, detoxifying spices like turmeric and coriander.

2. Add rejuvenative techniques to daily living:

The daily activities of life in the modern world systematically wear us down and speed up the aging process. Ayurveda maintains it is crucial to practice daily rejuvenative regimens to counteract the stressful wear and tear of everyday life. According to Ayurveda the most important rejuvenative routines for your life are:

a) Going to bed by 10:00 PM. This simple habit is one of the most powerful techniques for health and longevity, according to MAV.
b) Meditate daily. Any meditation that does not involve concentration (which has been shown to increase anxiety) can be very helpful. I highly recommend the twice-daily deep rest and enlivenment of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique, whose benefits have been verified by over 700 published research studies.
c) Eat organic, whole fresh food that is freshly prepared. There is an Ayurvedic saying: "Without proper diet. medicine is of no use. With proper diet, medicine is of no need." Be sure to avoid those leftovers, processed and microwaved foods for better nutrition and vitality.
d) Perform Ayurvedic oil massage in the morning (abhyanga). Morning oil massage purifies the entire body, reduces anxiety and stress, helps prevent and heal injuries and supports circulation. It is especially helpful in creating a radiant complexion and keeping your skin youthful. Research shows it may also help prevent skin cancers.
e) Practice yoga asanas. Maintaining flexibility and circulation is key to health.
f) Practice pranayama (yoga breathing) techniques. Pranayama enlivens the mind and body. Ideally practice the following sequence twice a day. Asanas, pranayama and meditation.

Summary

Everyone's unique beauty shines forth when they have radiant health and personal happiness. Beauty is a side effect of a balanced, fulfilled life. Supreme personal beauty is accessible to everyone who is willing to take more control of their health in their day-to-day life through time-tested principles of natural living.

For most of us, beauty is not a gift but a choice. Every woman can be radiantly beautiful simply by beginning to lead a healthier life. You will be rewarded by the glowing effects you will see in your mirror each day and the powerful, bliss-producing effect your special beauty has on everyone in your life.

About the Author

Nancy Lonsdorf M.D. received her M.D. from Johns Hopkins and did her postgraduate training at Stanford. She is currently the Medical Director of The Raj Ayurveda Health Center in Vedic City Iowa

Medicine From Recommended Pharmacies

2009-12-26T07:42:00.000+07:00

With prescription medicines, there are so many choices to choose from and it is not easy finding cheaper and effective alternatives. Does your Government pay for all your healths cost, or are you uninsured and you have the burden of 100% of the cost for your family's health care. If you have health care coverage, what percentage do you have to pay?

Once you decide what category you fall under, you need to decide which medicine is right for you. Trying to save money on your prescriptions may not be for you but for the vast majority of us who are not well off, we have to shop around for a cheaper source of quality prescriptions.

This brings us to the internet with even more questions. A recent Google search for the word "pharmacy" came up with over 29 million possibilities. So out of the 29 million WebPages. Which pharmacies have good quality prescriptions, which ones are fly-by night and which ones have good customer service? That is where an online pharmacy review site comes in.

A good pharmacy review site will first find quality online pharmacies. Do background checks on the medical pharmacies and contact them to see if they respond in a timely matter. Some good websites will go to the extent of ordering prescriptions from pharmacies to see if the right prescriptions arrive on time and as prescribed.

There are thousands of online pharmacies to choose from and an online pharmacy review site can help users to start choosing their prescriptions from recommended pharmacies. This makes it easier for online users and starts them in the right path. Not only can they find good pharmacies from such a review site, they can also find medicine that are competitively priced and within their budget range. How often do people take their friends' recommedations in trying out Lose Weight programs and medicine anyway?

About the Author

Bobby Stark works in an established US pharmacy for 10 years and spends his spare time on his Online Pharmacy Review site to guide buyers in choosing their medical products. http://www.cheaprxmedsonline.com/ He enjoys outdoor activities like swimming, running and pilates.

Vibrational Medicine

2009-12-25T05:59:00.001+07:00

Vibrational medicine attempts to treat people with various forms of pure energy. The influence of alternative medical systems such as Chinese, Ayervedic or Tibetan medicine have led in part to the development of machines that can 'image energy'. Heat energy imagers are an accepted part of our technology. We readily accept imaging heat, even though we can't see it, because heat is something we can sense through touch. With the 'energy body' it is not so straightforward. Very few of us have experienced this for ourselves and there is apparently no sensory backup to tell us it is there.

Experiments in 'electro-acupuncture' and Kirlian photography have led to an energy map of the body identical to that shown in traditional Chinese medicine. The meridian system is seen as an interface between the physical body and the energy body. Applications of resonant energy to the meridian system promote healing in a number of dis-eases, by altering the energy of the 'root system' concerned in the dis-ease. Much of this work seems to be 'undercover' and information and the manufacture of equipment for treatments of this nature is actually suppressed through legislation.

The etheric body, acupuncture meridians, chakras and nadis and other multi-dimensional aspects of the human are described by ancient schools of healing throughout the world. Western medicine in its reductionist stance, ignores these aspects because they can't be studied under a microscope. Only now, at the beginning of the 21st century are some doctors starting to catch on.

Vibrational medicine interfaces with subtle energy fields that underly the functions of a physical body. It is based on the idea of resonant frequencies, similar to a tuned string on a musical instrument resonating with anything tuned to the same frequency, or an opera singer smashing a glass by singing at a certain pitch. Some sciences and philosophies have recognised vibrational elements as an important part of the universe. It is proving difficult to link these new sciences with the dogma of Western medicine. Even as long ago as 1928 Thomas Sugrue recognised vibrational elements at work in the human body:

"The human body is made up of electronic vibrations, with each atom and elements of the body, each organ and organism, having its electronic unit of vibration necessary for the sustenance of, and equilibrium in that particular organism. Each unit, then, being a cell or a unit of life in itself has the capacity of reproducing itself by the first the law as is known as reproduction-division. When a force in any organ or element of the body becomes deficient in its ability to reproduce that equilibrium necessary for the sustenance of physical existence and its reproduction, that portion becomes deficient in electronic energy. This may come by injury or disease, received by external forces. It may come from internal forces through lack of eliminations produced in the system or by other agencies to meet its requirements in the body."

Edgar Cayce (1928) from There is a River by Thomas Sugrue.

Experiments in high-energy particle physics and the new field of quantum physics show us that nearly all matter is energy. In some sense we are made from 'frozen light'. As beings of energy we are influenced by and can be treated by energy and modern medicine is all too slowly realising this.

Medical science, alternative medicine and quantum science are merging in a few specific places. For example M.R.I. (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) as mentioned previously, places the patient in a strong magnetic field that passes waves through the body. The computer creates an image by analysing changes in the magnetic alignment of the hydrogen protons in our cells. This is essentially an 'energy imager' but is used only for physical diagnosis.

A key principle behind M.R.I. is that the atoms under study (hydrogen) are being stimulated by the transfer of energy of a specific frequency. The energy is only absorbed by the atom if it is of a particular resonant frequency. Systems which produce frequencies that resonate with the biological phenomena being studied have the greatest chance of successfully imaging indicators of disease. M.R.I. promises much new diagnostic information about the body, showing even more detailed cellular pictures of structure and function. It is still looking at only physical molecular imaging - a sophisticated application of a Newtonian philosophy.

Cancer is already treated by radiation therapy, the application of gamma rays which can be focused at certain depths within a patient. This is used in a 'Newtonian science' way - primarily to destroy the lump. Any notions of vibrational levels that resonate with the patient are unresearched, because this aspect of us doesn't exist to Western scientific medicine.

What is needed now are imaging systems that allow healers to look to the level of energetic causes of illness and not just the biochemical abnormalities accompanying established disease. Truly preventative medicine awaits an imaging system that will prove to doctors that there is more to human beings than mere flesh and blood.

Devices capable of sensing vibrations in a person are appearing, one such uses voice analysis to identify missing frequencies. Practitioners are astounded at the accuracy of their findings and the speed of results in supplying that frequency to a patient. This tool is allowing switched-on energy workers to heal without having to diagnose, because the treatment gets to the energy root problem directly.

About The Author
Simon Mitchell
Don't Get Cancer' http://www.simonthescribe.co.uk/don'tget1.html

Herbal Medicine

2009-12-24T04:36:00.000+07:00

Herbal Medicine, also referred to as Herbalism or Botanical Medicine, is the oldest healthcare known to mankind. Herbal medicine is the utilization of herbs for therapy or medicinal purposes. Derived from plants, herbs are used for their medicine, aroma and spice. Herb plants produce and comprise a mariyad of chemical substances that interact with our bodies. From food, to clothing, to medicine and even shelter; plants have proven invaluable throughout the history of mankind. Through trial and error and based on observations of wildlife, plants have been developed for medicinal use. Over the centuries, mankind has documented the medicinal value of herbs.

Most of our medicines used today are derived from native cultures. Approximately 25% of prescription drugs in the US contain at least one active plant material ingredient. Currently, over 4 billion people or 80% of the world population use herbal medicine for some forms of healthcare. Ayurvedic practitioners, homeopathic practitioners, naturopathic practitioners, traditional Oriental practitioners and Native American Indians commonly utilize herbal medicine. Today, pharmaceutical companies are extensively researching rain forest plant materials for their medicinal potential.

Herbs remain the foundation for a large amount of commercial medications used today for treatment of heart disease, blood pressure regulation, pain remedies, asthma and other health problems. A prime example of herbal medicine is the foxglove plant. Used since 1775, this powdered leaf is known as the cardiac stimulant digitalis which preserves life in millions of heart patients in modern society. From Aloe to St. John's Wort, herbal medicines are mainstream in modern civilization. To learn more about the benefits of herbal medicine, peruse our site for the latest holistic health remedies today.

Herbal Medicine
© All Rights Reserved
by C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot in conjunction with Holistic Junction

About the Author

C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot is the Public Relations' Director &
Writer for Holistic Junction -- Your source of information for Herbal Medicine Schoo

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

2009-12-23T05:43:00.001+07:00

There are over 50 Acupuncture Schools in the United States. Acupuncture laws differ from state to state, therefore, each acupuncture school entails its own philosophy and instruction outline. Acupuncture School education and training is approximately 3,000 credit hours. Because there are varying therories of Acupuncture, some schools teach the 5-Element style of acupuncture as opposed to the more familiar TCM style. While some acupuncture schools have mandatory herbal curriculum, other acupuncture schools list this course-study as an option.

The main purpose of attending an acupuncture school is to be educated and trained to be healers in the art, to learn the science and philosophy of acupuncture, and to be instructed in herbal and Oriental medicine. Attaining a professional license as an acupuncturist is rewarding in many ways. One not only learns to heal others but also learns to heal himself - spiritually, mentally and physically.

Fundamentally, all aspects of traditional Oriental medicine are introduced in the first year of academic instruction. This includes acupuncture, herbal medicine, anatomy, body therapy, biosciences and Tai Chi. This prepares the aspiring acupuncturist for clinical apprenticehsip. During the second year at an acupuncture school, classroom experience teaches in-depth philosophy of acupuncture practice, Oriental medicine and advance needling techniques.

Apprenticeship begins with licensed acupuncturists in a clinical setting. During the third year of acupuncture school training, students begin practicing on their own patients as interns. Acupuncture school classroom instruction is mainly comprised of clinical case discussions; thus, deepening acupuncture therapy understanding. If you'd like to learn more about acupuncture schools, please visit the link below or click on the directory button at the top of the Holistic Junction homepage for more targeted search by category and state.

©Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
by C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot in conjunction with Holistic Junction

About the Author

C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot is the Public Relations' Director & Staff Writer for Holistic Junction -- Your source of information for Acupuncture Schools

Holistic Medicine

2009-12-22T07:08:00.000+07:00

Holistic Medicine involves natural treatment options like holistic nutrition, herbology, environmental medicine, energy work, mind-body medicine, anatomy, and many other holistic medicine practices.

Holistic medicine allows an individual to be treated naturally and establishes a positive balance between body, mind and spirit. Holisitc medicine encourages self-healing. Holistic medicine promotes detoxification by utilizing cleansing herbs. Holistic medicine also teaches nutritional guidelines that enhances proper diet and longevity. Furthermore, holistic medicine means utilizing recommended vitamins, minerals and other nutritional supplements to make one's body function more effectively.

Holistic medicine encompasses preventative and maintenance programs. But it also enables us to learn alternative healing methods like Yoga, Reiki, Tai Chi, acupressure, acupuncture, herbal and plant remedies and so much more. There are well over 100 medical conditions like cancer, migraines, chronic fatigue syndrome and many others that can be helped with holistic medicine today.

In modern society, there are countless advantages to holistic medicine. If you or someone you know is interested in learning about the benefits of holistic medicine or would like to contact a holistic medicine practitioner, Holistic Junction has a directory listing of many, professional holistic medicine specialists. Simply go to "Directories," click on Business Directories and we'll help you find one close to you.

NOTICE: Article may be republished free of charge as long as Author Resource Box (above) is included, and ALL Hyperlinks REMAIN in tact and active.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot is the Public Relations Director & Writer for Holistic Junction

Traditional Chinese Medicine

2009-12-21T05:31:00.000+07:00

Traditional Chinese Medicine, over 2000 years old, is an ancient form of medicine. Consisting of acupuncture, moxibustion (moxibustion - using material made up of "moxa-wool," in a form of a cone or stick; moxibustion is used to treat and prevent disease by applying heat to pints or certain locations of the human body), herbal medicine, acupressure, cupping, therapeutic exercise and nutrition, traditional Chinese medicine is notated by its principle of internal balance and harmony, or "chi," (life force) regulation through energy channels.

In essence, traditional Chinese Medicine is widely known for its acupunture techniques and herbology. Founded on the Yin and Yang principle, the five elements and Zang Fu, Traditional Chinese medicine is an evolutional treatment in modern Western civilization. Traditional Chinese medicine also uses Qi Gong and Tai Qi Chuan in its methodology. Incorporating supplemental elements in a nutritious diet such as vitamins, minerals, herbs and other supplements are fundamental treatments in traditional Chinese medicine as well.

Overall, traditional Chinese medicine can be utilized to treat allergies, arthritis pain, weight control, quitting smoking, back injury pain, musculosceletal pain, fatique, stress, TMJ and PMS. Other illnesses and conditions that can be helped with traditional Chinese medicine are digestive problems, menstrual problems, and urinary problems.

If you are interested in obtaining more information about traditional Chinese medicine and its benefits, feel free to peruse our business member directory for accredited, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and schools today!

Traditional Chinese Medicine
© All Rights Reserved
by C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot in conjunction with Holistic Junction -- Your source of information for Traditional Chinese Medicine Schools and Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners

About the Author

C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot is the Public Relations' Director &
Writer for Holistic Junction

Complementary Medicine

2009-12-20T06:02:00.000+07:00

Complementary Medicine is the use of natural therapy and medicines to restore and maintain health in addition to conventional medicine. Dating back to 420 B.C., around the time of Hippocrates, complementary medicine is also considered a practice beyond the realm of conventional modern medicine - naturopathy, chiropractic, Ayurvedic, homeopathy, acupuncture and so many other complementary medicine treatments are steadily in demand and on the rise.

Because our bodies are composed of chemical and physical reactions, holistic practitioners affirm that illness is not directly caused by pathogens such as viruses or bacterium; instead is the consequence of the body's reaction (in an effort to shield and heal itself) to a pathogen. Naturopathic and holistic doctors assist potential clients through complementary medicine by plainly alleviating symptoms of disease. Complementary medicine can treat most conditions like headaches, sore throats, flu and cold, indigestion, ear infections, dermatitis, urinary tract infections, sprains and strains. Some chronic conditions such as migraines, autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, cancer, muscle-skeletal pain, depression, stress, and even pregnancy and childbirth may be treated with complementary medicine as well.

Complementary medicine teaches proper nutrition in conjunction with vitamin and mineral supplements. Plants and herbs are commonly used in alternative medicine to treat illness, as well as remedies produced from animals and minerals. Hydrotherapy and hypnotherapy are also utilized in complmentary medicine for maximum benefits. All in all, complementary medicine improves mental, emotional, and physical health. It encourages psychic and spiritual growth, and an overwhelming sense of wellness.

You can read more about complementary medicine here at Holistic Junction where you will find a broad spectrum of complementary medicine articles, information and complementary medicine directories.

© All Rights Reserved
Complementary Medicine
by C. Bailey-Lloyd / Lady Camelot in conjunction with Holistic Junction

About the Author:
C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot is the Public Relations Director & Writer for Holistic Junction -- Your source of information for Holistic Practitioners; Complementary Medicine Practitioners, Complementary Medicine Schools, and Massage Therapy Schools; Alternative Healthcare; Insightful Literature and so much more!

NOTICE: Article may be republished free of charge as long as Author Resource Box (above) is included, and ALL Hyperlinks REMAIN in tact and active.

About the Author

C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot is the Public Relations Director & Writer for Holistic Junction -- Your source of information for Complementary Medicine Practitioners and Complementary Medicine Schools.

Chinese Medicinee

2009-12-19T20:52:00.001+07:00

Chinese Medicine, over 2000 years old, is an ancient form of medicine. Consisting of acupuncture, moxibustion (moxibustion - using material made up of "moxa-wool," in a form of a cone or stick; moxibustion is used to treat and prevent disease by applying heat to pints or certain locations of the human body), herbal medicine, acupressure, cupping, therapeutic exercise and nutrition, traditional Chinese medicine is notated by its principle of internal balance and harmony, or "chi," (life force) regulation through energy channels.

In essence, Chinese medicine is widely known for its acupunture techniques and herbology. Founded on the Yin and Yang principle, the five elements and Zang Fu, Chinese medicine is an evolutional treatment in modern Western civilization. Chinese medicine also uses Qi Gong and Tai Qi Chuan in its methodology. Incorporating supplemental elements in a nutritious diet such as vitamins, minerals, herbs and other supplements are fundamental treatments in Chinese medicine as well.

Overall, Chinese medicine can be utilized to treat allergies, arthritis pain, weight control, quitting smoking, back injury pain, musculosceletal pain, fatique, stress, TMJ and PMS. Other illnesses and conditions that can be helped with Chinese medicine are digestive problems, menstrual problems, and urinary problems. If you are interested in obtaining more information about Chinese medicine and its benefits, feel free to peruse our business member directory for accredited, Chinese medicine practitioners or schools today!

© Chinese Medicine
by C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot in conjunction with Holistic Junction

About the Author

C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot is the Public Relations' Director &
Writer for Holistic Junction -- Your source of information for Chinese Medicine Schools

Naturopathic Medicine

2009-12-18T04:44:00.001+07:00

Naturopathic Medicine is an holistic approach that relies on natural remedies. Sunlight, air, and water are thought of as natural healers; this, along with nutritional supplements and massage therapies are all part of naturopathic medicine.

Naturopathic medicine is founded on the principles that bodies are capable of self-healing. Naturopathic medicine emphasises healthy environments and is part of a belief that the natural body is one with the Divine on a cosmological viewpoint. Combining harmony or balance, naturopathic medicine is comprised of herbal supplements and remedies that enrich the immune system.

Theoretically, naturopathic medicine is also based on the principle that one can use his or her mind to enhance the immune system, overall improving health and well-being. Naturopathic medicine is a conglomeration of alternative medicines wrapped into one.

Commonly -- acupuncturists, Ayurvedic practitioners, and other alternative therapies utilize naturopathic medicine in their various treatments. Colonic irrigation, vitamin and mineral supplements, detoxification, proper diet and exercise, and a mariad of other holistic therapies are almost always used to bring about natural healing through naturopathic medicine therapy.

If you are interested in naturopathic medicine and how it may benefit you and your well-being, feel free to check Holistic Junction's business member directory for a naturopathic medicine practitioner or school today.

©Naturopathic Medicine
by C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot in conjunction with Holistic Junction

About the Author

C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot is the Public Relations' Director &
Writer for Holistic Junction -- Your source of information for Naturopathic Medicine Schools

What Is Herbal Medicine? Is It Safe?

2009-12-17T19:38:00.001+07:00

Herbal medicine is the use of plant and herb extracts for their therapeutic value. Most plants contain and produce chemical substances that aid in healing and other physical treatments.

Herbal medicine is the oldest form of healthcare and constitutes a key role in the development of modern medicine as we know it today. Back when technology was still unheard of, primitive men utilised the vast flora around them to the fullest extent, observing both plant and animal life and their components, eventually giving birth to herbal medicine. In a study by the World Health Organization on herbal medicine use, about 80f the world's populace still rely on herbal medicine to cure certain ailments and about 74 of the drugs we use today contain at least one botanical element. For instance, Chinese Herbal Medicine's use of ephedrine to cure respiratory conditions still exists in the present time. Ephedrine remains an active ingredient in most of the commercial drugs that are being prescribed to relieve asthma symptoms.

Herbal medicine is defined by three schools of thought: Ayurvedic Herbalism, Traditional Chinese Herbalism and Western Herbal Medicine. While both Ayurvedic and Chinese herbal medicine have moved on to advanced forms, western herbal medicine remains a part of folk treatments. Herbal medicine is, first and foremost, holistic. It aims to address not just a particular symptom, but also to help the whole body rejuventate strengthen itself. And while there is no scientific evidence that all herbal medicines claiming to have healing powers are actually effective, the number the herbal medicines that have been placed under clinical testing have proved their worth. The list of known kinds includes echinacea, which is used to temper colds, St John's wort, used to treat mild depression (without using Prozac), and hawthorne berries, which help in the recovery process from mild heart failures.

Is herbal medicine a direct substitute to modern medication? It depends. While herbal medicines are extracted naturally from plants, not all are safe to use; particularly if they are taken with other types of treatments that may not be complementary. Also, herbal medicine is often used only for mild ailments. If the symptoms are more serious, it is best to consult a trained practitioner of herbal medicine who can tell you which ones are appropriate and recommend dosage levels and frequency. Presently, most of the recommended herbal medicines fall outside of standard drug regulations, thus, not all of their claims to fame are guaranteed and true. And even as common sense tells us that herbal medicine has been around for thousand of years, giving an impression that it is quite an authority, it is not recommended to self-diagnose.

Always keep in mind that herbal medicines are still medicines and, therefore, share the likelihood of having side effects as regular commercial drugs. Some of us have this misconception that because herbal medicines are natural, they are 100afe. This is not true all the time. The best defense against the possible side effects herbal medicines might give is to educate ourselves with the basics on the herbal medicine in question and to use it with caution.

About the author:
Charlene J. Nuble 2005. For up to date links and information about herbal medicines, please go to: or for updated links and information on all health related topics, go to:

The True Meaning of Alternative Medicine

2009-12-17T18:43:00.000+07:00

Many people who are suffering from disease or pain have thought about trying the alternative medicine route. Before you try alternative medicine, you may want to learn a bit about it. There are a lot of different types of alternative medicine and they all may not be right for you.

Alternative medicine is a type of therapeutic practice that is not considered to be a part of traditional or conventional medical treatment. People use alternative medicine instead of using traditional medical treatment. This is often because they feel it is a natural way to get better.

There are many types of alternative medicine. Some are covered by medical insurance, but most are not. Some forms of alternative medicine that may be covered are chiropractic and osteopathic therapy. These forms of alternative medicine are widely used.

There are other forms of alternative medicine that are not as widely used, but are becoming more popular by the minute. These are: massage therapy, therapeutic touch, folk medicine, herbal medicine, special diets, homeopathy, music therapy, aromatherapy, naturopathy, faith healing, and new age healing. There are also some non-western forms of alternative medicine such as: Chinese medicine, gi gong, reiki, and ayarveda.

There are some less commonly practiced forms of alternative medicine as well. One is called biofield therapy. This is a form of alternative medicine that works with your so called "energy fields" to heal you. Another is bioelectrical magnetic therapy. This alternative medicine uses pulse and magnetic fields to heal you.

Alternative medicine is quite popular for people who are terminally ill. Many AIDS and cancer patients prefer it. An example of this is a cancer patient who uses alternative medicine instead of receiving traditional chemotherapy or radiation therapy. People also use alternative medicine to heal ailments such as back pain or migraines. Instead of traditional painkillers, the patients would use aromatherapy, sound therapy or herbal therapy. Alternative medicine is even used on animals. Have you ever seen the movie "The Horse Whisperer?" That was about a form of alternative medicine used on an animal. Acupuncture, herbal therapy, and others have also been used on animals.

The last thing you should know is that there is no scientific evidence that alternative medicine is effective. There have been no scientific studies to prove if they are safe or if they work for the diseases or ailments they are used for. Before using an alternative medicine, talk to your doctor, make sure your doctor feels it is safe and will not harm you.

There are many different kinds of alternative medicines to choose from. Now that you understand it a bit better, you can decide if it is right for you. For more information talk to your doctor or research it online. With careful research, you may find one that is right for you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.medsonlinecenter.info a blog focusing on the Medical, resources and articles. This site provides detailed information on medicines. For more info on medicines visit: Medicine

The Secret Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

2009-12-17T18:19:00.000+07:00

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) has been used for thousands of years for a variety of healing purposes. In fact, there are references to it in the Bible as a powerful healing agent. ACV contains a perfect balance of 19 vital minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur, potassium, chlorine, sodium, iron, fluorine and silicon to name a few.

In addition to the minerals, it also contains 93 different healthy components that can even help your body regulate blood pressure and support your immune system. It also acts as a natural germ fighter as well as a powerful cleansing agent.

ACV also has some great external benefits as well. Not only does it maintain healthy skin, it also soothes sunburn and prevents dandruff. Researchers claim it can prevent baldness if used as a topical solution as opposed to being ingested. One of the most sought after qualities of ACV today are for it's weight loss properties.

Studies have shown that the nutrients, enzymes, and organic acids found in ACV act as a weight loss component by safely suppressing the appetite and increasing the body's metabolic rate.

There are some weight loss suppliers that have formulated an all natural weight loss supplement that contains a careful mixture of ACV that can be taken daily.

The one supplier I have found to be extremely helpful in understanding the benefits of ACV and all natural weight loss remedies can be found at www.NaturalDietSystems.com.

Ted is an accomplished Marketer with more than 12 years of Market Research, Trends, and Lifecycle Product Development experience in the telecommunication industry. He holds a BBA in Marketing from Kennesaw State University. He is currently the President of Business Consultants Group, Inc.