I am a firm believer in finding an alternative way to cure an illness, whether it’s the common cold or a stubborn back that just won’t stop aching. I’ll lean on essential oils, certain foods, hot tea or some light yoga when I am feeling under the weather.

That’s why I think it’s interesting to consider consulting an alternative doctor when an ailment is out of my hands. Don’t get me wrong – conventional docs know their stuff. But they are also keen on writing on the Rx for pain killers or antibiotics.

The goal in finding an alternative medicine doctor is to ease stress and approach your health with complete well-being in mind. But choosing a doc can actually cause more anxiety – how do you know who to choose? What should you look for in a doctor? And so on.

I have learned there are a few tactics that can help cure some of that unease. Just like any doctor, you are going to want to do your research. Start by locating a few health practitioners in your area and checking their credentials. Make sure he or she is licensed or certified by a notable school, board, federation or organization.

A Few Things to Consider

*Chiropractors will be certified by the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Board.

*Look for Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCTMB) when consulting a masseuse.

*A homeopath will have a Certificate in Classical Homeopathy (CCH). If he or she is already a medical doctor, then you will see (DHt) from the American Board of Homeotherapeutics.

You can also rely on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to check up on a doc’s validity.

As always, use your intuition when choosing an alternative health doctor. If he or she starts offering a “miracle cure,” then you may want to consider someone else. Remember that there’s always a good reason why your gut is telling you to choose wisely. Lesson #1 in achieving total health? Trust your intuition.

{Source:Discovery Health}

[Photo by Luiza]

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I don’t know how you all feel about pimple treatments, but lately I have been doing some investigative work on getting rid of those unsightly little buggers.

The truth is, we read all kinds of crap-ola about this acne treatment and that boil buster, but very few of them take the time to discuss the ingredients that go into their brews.

That’s probably because so many acne treatments are loaded with not-so-earth-friendly (or face-friendly, for that matter) chemicals, like hormone-disrupting parabens, and harmful coal-tar dyes, formaldehyde and mercury. Look at the back of your ProActiv acne treatment system and you’ll spot magnesium aluminum silicate, tridecyl trimellitate and imidazolidinyl urea. Try pronouncing them, and then research what they actually do to your face and body system – they’re icky.

So, given all of this detective work that I have been conducting, I have decided to do a switcheroo on my face products to some more natural, organic ones.

Tried and Tested

Desert Essence - I love the entire line. The Thoroughly Clean Face Wash and Natural Cleansing Pads and Blemish Touch Stick all lean on tea tree oil to zap blemishes. I can feel it working right away. The Gentle Stimulating Facial Scrub is marvelous, too – it smells beautiful!

The Daniel Kern Starter Kit: I just ordered this baby and gave it a shot yesterday. It feels oh-la-la-luscious and it is about half the price of some of the other facial care systems out there.

Grain & Honey: The masks, including Pamper Yourself and Back to Youth, feel glorious on your face and leave it looking ravishing – no chemicals required. Made from raw, certified organic ingredients, like turmeric, dried berries, mung beans, and Japanese honeysuckle flower, all these powders require is a dash of water milk and honey to clear your pores in no time flat.

One thing you might notice: You can’t take the beauty product overload out of the beauty product obsess-ee. I love my beauty products and whether they are chemical-laden or au naturel – my new fave – I gotta have my beauty potions.

Photo by: Bill and Mavis

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Body brushing is a healing method embraced by alternative health gurus across the board. Not only will a natural-bristle brush slough away dead skin, leaving you looking smashing, but it will also help to improve circulation. Enthusiasts of the method say that it may also help with the drainage of lymph nodes, giving skin less of a puffy, I-just-ate-a-pint-of-ice-cream look. Hey, the light massage of a body brush also helps reduce the appearance of cellulite – that’s a win-win, huh?

Brush your whole body – under your arms, behind the knees and your bum, too – and you will see a marked improvement in the appearance of your skin and overall feeling of your body. And be sure to buy a long-handled brush for those tough to reach spots, like your back.

Your body will thank you.

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Search the Web for “detox” and you will come across a mind-boggling number of plans urging you to “drop pounds” with their lickety-split dietary rules.

But that’s not what a detox is intended to do – at least, that’s not why ancient alternative health healers came up with the flush-your-system plans.

“Fasting and cleansing to purify the body and mind were first embraced thousands of years ago as a pathway to connect with the divine and achieve higher levels of awareness and clarity,” Adina Niemerow writes in her book, Super Cleanse. “It’s more relevant than ever today.”

But “today” many people fail to interpret the spiritual elements of detoxing and instead focus on the weight loss aspects, choosing plans that can actually make them sick or have harmful effects on their health.

That’s why you need to lean on a detox plan that helps to cleanse your body and restore your health. A good detox can eliminate migraines, restore kidney function, get you a rosy-cheeked glow, increase energy and help you sleep like a baby – just to name a few.

Here are a few tips to help you get in detox shape

Eliminate all of those “triggers,” like caffeine, alcohol, soda and refined sugars. It might seem like a contradiction, – seeing as how all of these things give you an energy boost – but the truth is all of these triggers, like coffee or your favorite candy bar, only give you a temporary energy spike. When you eliminate them from their diet, you will experience a type of “withdrawal,” leaving you with headaches and mood swings. Hang in there, when the symptoms subside, you’ll feel glorious.

Take away red meat and poultry. And if you can swing it, even fish, choosing beans, raw and unsalted nuts, legumes, nut butters, and leafy greens to get your nutrients instead. If not, pick a wild, unfarmed fish, like salmon or halibut to get your fishy fix.

Honey I love you. If you need a dash of sweetness in your life, pick a little honey, maple syrup or brown rice syrup to fix your sweet tooth instead of choosing a refined or artificial sweetener.

Take away processed foods made with white flour. You know all that brown, icky stuff manufacturers pull away from foods like flour? Yeah, that’s actually the part that makes a whole grain, well, “whole.” Choose foods made with whole grain flour instead.

Eliminate packaged foods. Choosing fresh foods over canned or packaged foods means you are consuming whole, unprocessed food items – the best kind you can get.

Remove eggs and all dairy. Your body will thank you. Replace milk with almond or rice milk – not soy, it can cause allergies, too – and replace scrambled eggs with a bowl of whole grain oatmeal or cereal. You’ll stay full until lunchtime.

Seeing is believing

Taking these steps will detox your diet for the better. Enhance your experience by choosing 100 percent organic foods and mixing things up with a multitude of vegetables and fruits on your plate. Spice things up with flavorful herbs instead of condiments, and drink loads of water.

You may also want to start a food journal – writing down how you feel throughout the detox will help keep you motivated when your determination falters – you know, like when that chocolate cake looks, oh-so-yummy. Right about then you’re going to want to crack open that journal.

And remember you’re gonna feel great.

Photo by she’s a renegade.

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When we think of health, our body comes to mind – fitness, mind-body connection, taking your vitamins, avoiding a heat attack and so forth.

But what about the environment by which you are surrounded? It’s true, a healthy you is important, but to achieve complete well-being you must also consider the way you are living – literally. Yes, that’s right: Your home sweet home must also get a routine physical.

In her book, Super Cleanse: Detox Your Body for Long-Lasting Health and Beauty, author Adina Niemerow discusses a number of cleansing options to fine-tune your body. But she also shares with readers a plan for total home rejuvenation with a “detox” called “There’s No Place Like Home.”

Serious Health Risks

Niemerow explains that a multitude of common household and beauty products include ingredients, like alkylphenoxpolyethoxy (yeah, try pronouncing that one) ethanols, formaldehyde, sodium hypochlorate and dioxins, that have been linked to breast cancer, birth defects, immune disorders, reproductive problems and neurological damage – just to name a few.

Following are a few changes you can make to get your house – and beauty arsenal– in order:

Swap your laundry detergent

According to Niemerow, it’s one of the greatest pollutants of our nation’s waterways, including your homes. Change it in for this eco-friendly option: Mix one cup of grated Ivory bar soap, 1/2 cup washing soda and 1/2 cup borax in a small bowl, storing it in a resealable glass jar or container. You can find borax and washing soda at your local health food store. A little dab’ll do ya – you only need one tablespoon for a light load of laundry and two tablespoons for a heavy load.

Trade in your conventional lip shimmer

Sure, your favorite lipstick makes your pout look gorgeous, but it’s also loaded with nasty chemicals that dry out your pucker. Mix 1/8 ounce of shea butter, a small pinch of Stevia and one drop of an essential oil, like peppermint or lavender, in a small, leakproof glass jar.

Get sparkling windows

Mix one cup white vinegar and two cups warm water together in a bucket. Wipe down windows with a clean rag and dry with newspaper to avoid that lint that is often left behind after cleaning glass.

Be sure to stock up on earth-friendly glass pumps, jars and containers, so that you always have the right equipment on hand.

You might be surprised by how much getting your house in healthy working-order can motivate you to continue with your quest for total-body health as well. Like momma always said, “Cleanliness is next to …” Well, how about you insert whatever you want there? After all, who are we to tell you how a clean home should make you feel? Still, we think you’ll feel pretty darn good.

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That’s right we’re talking about the healing powers of bees and that tasty stuff they produce – honey.

Here’s how becoming a member of the hive might improve your health:

Bee Pollen

Unless you are allergic to bee stings, bee pollen’s high B12 and protein properties can boost immunity. Pop a few spoonfuls of wildflower bee pollen in your next smoothie or yogurt, and you’ll be buzzing with energy in no time.

Honey

Grandma always said a dab of honey in your tea was good for soothing a sore throat, and she was right. But honey is more than just a cure for scratchy tonsils. Pick up some raw, organic honey through Local Harvest or check out your local health food store for a jar of the sweet stuff. Use it in a mask to shed dead skin cells and renew that healthy glow, on wounds for its natural antibacterial properties and slip it in that tea – it will relieve that sore throat and enhance immunity.

You might also want to invest in a few bee-enhanced products, like Honey Gardens’ Propolis Salve or Burt’s Bees Naturally Nourishing Milk & Honey Body Lotion. Both can help solve dry skin or chapped-lips woes.

Any creative uses of honey that we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments.

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[Editor's note: OK, this one's not directly about the healing properties of pollen and honey, but it is a great way to explain to your kids why bees (and honey) are so important to our ecosystem...]

Photo by teddy llovet.

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Perfect health, for Chopra and several other alternative health gurus, is one that relies heavily on the more than 5,000-year-old practice of Ayurveda. In the simplest of words, Ayurveda leans on principles that help an individual to find balance between environment, body mind and spirit.

Ayurveda establishes that there are three operating principles that make up the mind-body connection, and they are called “doshas.” They are: Vata, which represents wind and controls movement; Pitta, the maker of fire and controller of the metabolism; and Kapha, a representative of Earth and the regulator of structure. Each person has a dominant dosha that helps him or her to determine the principles that will help establish perfect health.

Following are the characteristics that identify each dosha, according to Chopra’s Perfect Health:

1. Vata. This dosha has a light, thin build and performs activity quickly. Vatas have irregular hunger, interrupted sleep that can sometimes lead to insomnia, they are enthusiastic, moody, anxious and worrisome, tire easily due to overexertion and have energy that comes in bursts. A Vata is known for his unpredictability, making this dosha’s theme “changeable.”
2. Pitta. People who fall in this dosha have a medium build and like challenge. They are sharply intellectual, have a tendency toward anger and stress and like to avoid the sun. Pittas typically have fair and/or ruddy skin, they do not do well when they skip meals, are always on time and walk with determination, making this dosha “intense.”
3. Kapha. Known for his or her solid and powerful build, the Kapha is known for his or her ability to maintain steady energy. Kaphas sleep heavily, have a tendency toward obesity, slow digestion, and an ability to be affectionate, tolerant and forgiving. This dosha is best defined as “relaxed.”

It’s important to understand that doshas are not always so clearly defined, and that some people are a mix of two. I, of example, am a Vata-Pitta, making me creative, quick, imaginative, chatty, passionate, irritable and direct – just to name a few. That sounds like me! Want to find out your dosha? Take this quiz on the Chopra Center Web site.

Next week, we’ll talk about how you can use your dosha to help define the way you approach fitness.

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Call it hippie-like, snicker at the idea of granola eaters thinking “Omm…” can make them feel better, but the truth is many of these alternative health options are proving to be better healers than your Ibuprofen. Here are a few of the hottest ones around:

Deep Breathing Exercises

If I had a nickel for the number of times my mother has told me to breathe in and breathe out, I’d be a freaking millionaire. But while I may sometimes roll my eyes at this tried-and-true wisdom, many health experts, including Dr. Andrew Weil, author of several alternative health books such as Eight Weeks to Optimum Health, say that simple breathing exercises can help to ease stress and anxiety. Try one of Weil’s recommended yogi-like exercises called “The Stimulating Breath:” Keep mouth closed, rapidly inhaling and exhaling through your nose. Breaths should be quick, but equal. It will seem silly, – you’ll feel like a panting dog – but after just 15 seconds you’ll feel renewed.

Meditation

Sure, quieting your mind might seem like an impossible feet when you have dinner to make, a project for work, Johnny’s soccer game and…Shhhh. It’s tough to achieve a pure meditative state, but when you take a peek at the long list of benefits it’s tough to ignore. Just to name a few: It increases blood flow, slows the heart rate, creates a deeper level of relaxation, decreases muscle tension and headaches, helps with PMS, aids post-operative healing and enhances the immune system. To help achieve a meditative state, try adopting a mantra – a phrase or sound that you repeat in order to tune out other noise – light calming incense or aromatherapy oils and make sure you are comfy because you will be sitting for a while. Consider investing in a mediation book or tape, like Meditations for Manifesting: Morning and Evening Meditations to Literally Create Your Heart’s Desire by Dr. Wayne Dyer.

Diet-based therapy

So many people lean on diets to help them get slim quick, but there are also a number of food plans that can help ease some of your worst bodily woes. Alternative health gurus back diets like veganism, macrobiotics and the Okinawa diet, claiming that eliminating, adding or controlling certain types of foods can help to improve health. Many of these diets focus on eliminating certain trigger foods, like processed sugar, caffeine or animal products, in order to help boost not only the immune, but all of the body’s systems. Take a look at The Hip Chick’s Guide to Macrobiotics and Becoming Vegan. You may also just want to do a quick Google search of “diet-based therapies.”

Progressive muscle relaxation

Yes, it works exactly like it sounds. According to the Mayo Clinic, this technique involves the slow tension and release of muscles throughout your body. If you have ever been typing for hours on a computer only to realize your shoulders are hiked up to your ears, then you know how good the “release” part of this method can feel. Try it by squeezing the muscles in your toes and feet for five seconds, and then relax for 30 seconds. Repeat, making your way to each one of your muscle groups.

Biofeedback

This is where we tap into the mind-body connection that we hear about so often. Biofeedback is an alternative therapy that leans on the idea that we can use our thoughts and mind to control our bodies, and specific conditions and illnesses. The controlling of brain activity, blood pressure and heart rate have been shown to help ease symptoms related to headaches, asthma, epilepsy, nausea caused by chemotherapy and low back pain – just to name a few. Right now, I am reading The Brain that Changes Itself, by Dr. Norman Doidge. This book relies heavily on other people’s experiences with concepts similar to those of biofeedback.

Now, of course, these are only five of the several alternative therapies that are out there, just waiting to help you. Chiropractic therapy, Reiki massage, yoga, herbal supplements and several others are all options to consider before going for all-to-common over-the-counter medicines. At the very least, give them a try.

Just be sure to do the breathing exercises in private – your neighbors already think you’re weird enough.

And of course, if you have suggestions of your own, leave them in the comments below.

Photo by Shutr.

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If my parents had chosen a few adjectives as my middle name rather than Marie, then perhaps they would have selected: Ambitious. Impulsive. Can’t-Take-No-for-An-Answer-Type-of-Gal. I would have changed my middle name ASAP…which would be a dead give away of one of my worst characteristics.

I admit that these tendencies of mine lead to an issue I have with working toward small goals. I have this all-or-nothing approach when I set goals or, say, see a new workout system on infomercials. My fiancé recommends that I just try using one of the 800 workout tapes I already have… I shake my head and tell him that, “If I only had this (insert money-wasting-piece-of-machinery-here), then I really would be in great shape. Don’t you understand?”

But, whether it be going green, getting in shape, finding my spiritual calling or getting rich, working in small bits has proven to be a better method of achieving the things I want from life.

5 Small Things You Can Do For Big Results:

1. Just run to the next mailbox. I should have recognized this lesson a long time ago. When I first began to run more than ten years ago, my mother taught me to “just work toward the next mailbox.” What she meant is that when I was running, it was much easier to say, “OK, I just have to make it to that mailbox down the street, and then I can stop.” What I found is that I often kept running to just one more mailbox, completing a few miles before I realized it.
2. Go the extra mile. According to Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano, “Plastic bags are made from petroleum derivatives, so the manufacturing process is unsustainable and extremely polluting. They will love for thousands of years in a landfill, and they do not biodegrade, and they are a menace to marine life.” Uliano says throwing your plastic bags in your curbside recycling bins is not enough. Instead, being them along with you on your next grocery trip. Most states have a mandated bin at local grocery stores that is specifically made for plastic bags. Toss them in there, so they can be taken to a suitable facility.
3. Take five minutes to just breathe. Research shows that a few calming breaths can ease nerves and nix stress. I need to do this at least 25 times a day for it to be effective.
4. Talk to your pets. It sounds crazy—that’s because it is—but chatting with a pet can make you feel better about certain issues that have been weighing on your mind. There are no rebuttals, only sympathetic head cocking. Now, just make sure no one is around.
5. Start small. In this materialistic, propaganda-loaded world it is so easy to give in to the gotta-have-it-all-now approach. But starting with small changes can make a huge difference. If you cannot squeeze in 45 minutes of exercise, take ten. If you cannot save every pet in the shelter, feel good knowing you helped that one.

This last approach reminds me of the Starfish Story, adapted from The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley. The story highlights a wise man, walking along the beach when he comes across a young man who is throwing starfish into the ocean, one at a time. When the wise man asks the young man why he is throwing the starfish, he replies that he does not want them to die. The wise man says, “But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”

In response, the young man bends down, picks up another starfish, throws it into the water and says, “It made a difference for that one.”

That’s the thing about life. So many of us—including me, me, me!—stick to a notion that things have to be big, grandiose, larger-than-life in order for them to count. But the truth is, working toward just small bits can make a huge difference. And wouldn’t you at least like to know you did a few things rather than nothing at all?

I would. Even if it does mean skipping out on that Fluidity program that totally would have given me the rump I have always wanted.

. . . . . . .

Photo courtesy of *clairity*

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