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Why Alternative Medicine Can Do Wonders for Seniors

March 8, 2010 by admin

Alternative medicine has been credited by many as doing amazing things, but it should not be considered a cure-all by seniors. What is this particular form of medical treatment, and why is it called alternative?

It goes under the descriptive name alternative medicine because it is not officially embraced as true medical treatment by the medical profession. This opinion also includes about half of professional physicians.

This having been said, this more natural form of medical treatment may fall outside professional acceptance, but that in no means proves its failure as an effective method of treating pain and illness.

If you are considering embarking on the use of any form of alternative medicine, follow several courses of action first.

1. Do not accept the recommendation of a friend, or an item in the newspaper, or a remark on television as being the final word on the subject. Search the computer or library and make the final decision on any medical treatment one that you reached personally from your own private research. Don’t accept hearsay as fact…it never really is!

2. If you are on a medicine regimen regulated for you by your personal physician, don’t vary it, or cease it, without the advice of your doctor.

3. Look upon any form of alternative medicine that you personally decide to utilize, as complementary to the medicine and program set up for you by your physician. Use it in addition to, and not in place of what you’re presently taking on medical advice.

4. Finally, run your decision by your personal doctor! Some herbs, minerals or vitamins can adversely affect other medications, and physicians can head off any bad reactions.

The National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, has nominally designated five types of complementary alternative medicines that encompass the entire category.

” Manipulation.

” Energy Techniques

” Healing Techniques

” Diet Supplements

” Mind/Body Interactions.

There are many claims made by many people as to the amazing cures wrought by alternative medicine. Some individuals loudly proclaim that they discarded all of their physician designed medicines and replaced them with herbs and vitamin supplements.

Never, ever stop following your personal physician’s advice regarding medication. Take the time to educate yourself about more natural treatments than those developed by pharmaceutical manufacturers.

But always consult with your doctor before taking any such action. It’s an interesting fact of life that many of modern day medicines were first manufactured in nature’s own laboratory, living plants.

Most people have heard about the botanist that brought back to America a specimen taken from a rare tree in Brazil. Analysis performed on the specimen revealed it could actually cure various forms of cancer in humans.

Rushing back to Brazil, the botanist found to his chagrin that a poor farmer had cut the tree down and torn out its roots and burned them. All done to increase the size of his small farm.

As the tale goes, never has another tree of that type ever been found again. But there are new and exciting finds being made every day by scientists and non scientists.

Take the time to search the internet and libraries about complementary alternative medicine and the many changes and additions being made to the field. Don’t depend on word of mouth and health claims being ballyhooed by others.

Your computer can do more than display news items and play games. It can take you to the distant parts of the earth and show you new medical discoveries. Take charge of your own health in concert with your physician.

Who knows? You may discover that there is really a fountain of youth out there.

Raymond Angus is a widely published author of articles and books about how seniors can be healthy and prosperous in today’s world. Do you want to live a healthy life and prosper while doing it? Visit>= http://www.theseniorslife.com

Diabetes And Vision Problems

March 8, 2010 by admin

Back in 1950 and 60 years most people do not rate of diabetes as a major problem. At that time, all the focus was on how to deal with more diseases such as polio and tuberculosis. If diabetes was thought, it is more under the cup sugar in your coffee, rather than as a serious threat to your sight or your life.

That’s all changed. It is no exaggeration to say that diabetes has now reached epidemic levels in most of the Western world. According to the American Diabetes Association there are more than 20 million diabetics in the USA alone, with a staggering one third undiagnosed. It is also underway to get much worse with another 41 million Americans are already showing signs pre-diabetics.

Diabetes is a disease that mostly affects blood vessels and in its extreme forms can lead to serious heart disease, stroke and kidney damage. It is obvious that these life-threatening diabetic vascular diseases deserve priority attention, but at the top of the list critical for diabetics is the risk of serious eye diseases and vision loss.

Vision is one of our most critical and, in this “need for speed” information age, over 70% of our sensory information passes through our eyes. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, diabetics are 25 times more likely to lose vision than those who are not diabetic. With diabetes already the leading cause of blindness in the USA, it is not surprising that eye care professionals are devastating foresee an increase in the loss of vision that the epidemic of diabetes is growing alarmingly.

Newly diagnosed diabetics have often nothing more than minor vision changes that regulate when blood sugar levels improve with treatment. From the outset it is easy to believe everything is fine. After a few years, however, still high blood sugar can gradually damage the blood vessels in the back of the eye in the retina. This causes a problem called diabetic retinopathy and the more you have diabetes the more likely you are to have retinopathy. The risk increases again when it is poor glycemic control. More than 70% of diabetics develop some changes to their eyes in 15 years of diagnosis.

The retinopathy is classified as non-proliferation or proliferative. Non-proliferation retinopathy is the benign form, the retina where small blood vessels break and leak. It May be some slight swelling the retina, but it rarely requires treatment unless it causes blurred central vision or straight lines appear distorted.

Proliferative retinopathy is the less frequent but more serious when new blood vessels grow abnormally in the retina. If these vessels scar or purge they can potentially lead to serious vision loss, including blindness. Launch of laser treatment can seal leaking vessels and slow the progression of diabetic retinopathy, but can not reverse the loss of existing vision.

For the moment there is no “magic pill” to eliminate the risk of eye damage diabetics, but you can do two important things to help prevent more serious complications. Poor blood sugar is a leading cause of severe diabetic retinopathy. The critical first step is making sure to stabilize and control your blood sugar with a healthy diet and regular exercise. The second step is to make sure you have a diabetic an eye examination. An experienced professional eye care can pick up subtle changes diabetic eye long before you notice a change in vision and, more importantly, sufficient time to do some good.

If you or your family is affected by the increase sign of diabetes: take action now to reduce your risk of vision loss. Do not be a victim!

Want to find out about gestational diabetes symptoms and diabetes facts? Get tips from Diagnosing Diabetes.