Tendinitis is a common cause of knee pain and other joint discomfort. It is essentially an inflammation of the tendons which results in discomfort and stiffness. Conventional medical treatments include over-the-counter anti-inflammatory...
Head lice is not an uncommon problem among children and even adults. It is spread from host to host via clothing, hair accessories and casual contact. Conventional treatments that have proved effective include pyrethrin and permethrin,...
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), one in four adults suffer from a mental illness each year. Additionally, 14.8 million American adults suffer from some form of depression. Chronic or severe depression is typically...
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Certain holistic and alternative health practices, such as tai chi, may be helpful in alleviating some of the symptoms or...
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), one in four adults suffers from a mental illness each year. Additionally, 14.8 million U.S. adults suffer from some form of depression. Chronic or severe depression is typically treated...
Drugs not endorsed by Western medicine that promise miracle cures surface frequently. Dimethyl sulfoxide, more commonly known as DMSO, falls into this category. An industrial solvent used as a topical treatment for various types of arthritis,...
Aromatherapy is a type of holistic or alternative medicine in which practitioners use essential oils from certain plants to benefit the human body--along with the mind and spirit. Holistic medicine encourages healing without the need for standard...
Apple cider vinegar has been advanced as a popular folk remedy for everything from diabetes to warts. There have been a few scientific studies showing documented positive effects in laboratory studies with rats. These include a lowering of...
Bach flower remedies were developed by Edward Bach in the 1930s as a holistic alternative method for treating disease. Bach believed all disease resulted from one or more of seven different emotional states, and developed a total of 38 different...
Proponents of foot massage for pregnant women claim it has undeniable powers over the pregnant body, while opponents range from cautious and skeptical to adamantly opposed to the validity of these claims. Others remain ambivalent and look at the...
If you've ever meditated and felt refreshed afterward, you've experienced what practitioners of guided imagery believe you can also achieve in a physical sense. The power of the brain, they claim, can unlock the healing power of the body to defeat...
Homeopathic remedies may help calm nerves, stress and anxiety, which often trigger erratic mood swings. Homeopathic remedies are designed to introduce components into the body meant to help the body heal itself. While homeopathic remedies can be...
Organic apple cider vinegar, a versatile liquid believed to have many health benefits, works as a remedy for a variety of conditions. Organic apple cider vinegar is made by fermenting crushed organic apples in a wood barrel. While there is no...
Grapefruit is known for its many health benefits. According to "The Doctors Book of Food Remedies" by Selene Yeager, eating grapefruit can help prevent cancer, heart disease and stroke. The essential oil that is extracted from the peel of the...
Aromatherapy, as its name implies, uses fragrant portions of plants to facilitate physical, mental and spiritual healing. As a holistic or alternative medical practice, aromatherapy seeks to prevent and treat illnesses by initiating responses from...
The tummy tuck, called an abdominoplasty, is a common surgical procedure that reduces hanging skin on the midsection or waistline. Good candidates for the abdominoplasty are within 30 percent of their ideal body weight, have maintained their...
Acne is a common, noncontagious skin condition that affects adolescents and sometimes women during menopause. Acne causes pimples to form on the skin. There are a number of holistic treatments for acne, including herbs and vitamin therapy. As with...
Rene-Maurice Gattefosee, a french chemist, coined the term "aromatherapy" in the 1930s after using essential oils to recover from a burn. Holistic and alternative medicine use aromatherapy to treat a range of medical conditions--psychological and...
With obesity and lifestyle-related diseases on the rise, holistic nutrition is a field that is emerging to meet the demand of individuals wanting to know how to eat for their health. As a whole, society is increasingly aware of the dramatic impact...
Heparin is an anticoagulant medication prescribed for people with blood clots or at risk for blood clots. According to MayoClinic.com, heparin decreases the clotting ability of the blood and helps to prevent harmful clots from forming in the blood...
Vitamin B17, also called amygdalin or laetrile, may prevent or even cure cancer, according to some studies. A special report by the "New England Journal of Medicine" found insufficient data to support this claim. However, many health experts still...
A sluggish or slow metabolism can result in weight gain and make it difficult to lose weight, even when following a proper diet and exercise regimen. Your body's metabolism can slow for a variety of reasons, including aging, stress, lack of sleep,...
Although studies indicate that colon cleansing is not essential--and may actually be detrimental--to maintaining overall health, many holistic and alternative practitioners believe that it is beneficial. According to "Prescriptions for...
Colon cleansing removes bacteria and waste from the large intestines. This detoxification process is supported by holistic and alternative medicine advocates. In conventional medicine, most doctors do not recommend colon cleansing for the purpose...
The leaves of the senna plant are more potent than the pod when used as a medicinal herb. The pod is the part of the plant used as an ingredient in laxative pills and other preparations, according to "National Geographic Desk Reference to Nature's...
Calcium stearate is an additive used as an anti-caking agent. In commercial meat tenderizer, keeps the powder from clumping and sticking together. In the amounts found in meat tenderizer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture classifies calcium...
Depression affects more than 20 percent of the American populace, and medications to treat this disorder are often over prescribed or misprescribed. Holistic remedies offer a safe alternative to prescription drugs, which can be expensive and...
Willow bark is one of the world's most trusted and time-honored botanical medicines. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, physicians have relied upon willow bark as a treatment for pain, fever and inflammation since the time of...
Most memory loss is part of the normal aging process, according to the "Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine," but that doesn't make it any less frustrating. Herbal remedies for treating memory loss are a form of naturopathic medicine,...
