People and Nature

 by Svetlana Konnikova

HealthNewsDigest.com ((North Andover, Massachusetts) recently published an article “Tips for Trading Out Conventional Products for Natural Medicines.” As more and more Americans turn to “greener” options to meet their family needs, the article states, they should not forget to take a closer look in their medicine cabinets. Is it a discovery or just a statement? If you have any minor health problem, don’t you look at first in your medicine cabinets to find some helpful medicine before you rush to your doctor? Of course, you do. It’s important to have there right stuff.

I thought our ancestors have been looking for “greener” options many centuries before that. No doubts, many common natural medicines can replace the older, more conventional versions and provide you with an option of a natural and effective treatment. I am not sure you can find many of them in your medicine cabinet. Do your own research, pre-planning stock there your chosen natural medicines or make them yourself.

Open your medicine cabinet. Take a closer look. What do you have inside? Probably you have many common medicines and a set of the First Aid too. According to the above mentioned article, you should “replace the older more conventional versions with many common medicines.”

It was also suggested that one proven alternative is homeopathy to turn to “greener” options. Is it a safe and affordable method to the relief of common problems without worry of side-effects? Are they organic, 100 % natural? For many years various explanations have been proposed as to how homeopathy might work. However, none of these explanations have been scientifically verified. Do you know what homeopathy is all about and what it can do for you?

The term homeopathy comes from the Greek words homeo and means “similar” and “pathos” or suffering from disease. Homeopathy is considered as an alternative medical system built on theory and practice. Homeopathy takes a different approach from conventional medicine in diagnosing, classifying, and treating health problems. Maybe this is a reason that research studies on homeopathy have been contradictory in their findings. Some studies did not find any strong evidence supporting homeopathy as effective for any clinical condition. Other scientists have found positive results from using homeopathic treatment.

Brief history. Homeopathy is an alternative system of health care that was developed in the early 19th century by a German physician Dr. Hahnemann. Homeopathic medicine gained its popularity in the United States in the late 19th century. At that time 15% of the American doctors were homeopathic practitioners commonly called homeopaths. Later modern medicine became a dominant force in health care system for almost a century. Since 1980s homeopathy was back in favor again in the United States, UK and other countries because  its mission was to minimize the usage of non-natural medicines in medical treatment of different diseases. 

A key point in homeopathy is that every person has energy and self-healing ability. When his vital force is out of balance or disrupted,  health problems develop. Homeopathy aims to stimulate the body’s own healing abilities.

As a form of health care, homeopathy is based on the folowing  concepts: the law of similars, the single medicine, and the minimum dose. The law of similars states  that homeopathic treatment based on giving very small doses of substances called remedies that would produce the same or similar symptoms of disease in healthy people if they were given in larger doses. This approach is called “like cures like.”

The concept of the single medicine, and  the minimum dose is based on undestanding that a single medicine should treat all the symptoms the patient is experiencing, including his physical, emotional, mental, lifestyle, and other factors. Homeopathic practitioner would not prescribe to his patient one medicine for a headache  and another for allergy. He would select just one medicine tailored to each person that covered both symptoms and will prescribe the homeopathic medicine in extremely small doses. Then he’ll wait to see what effect it has on this individual patient.

I don’t know how many patients can afford this luxury of waiting. What if they are seriously ill and cannot wait? How many doctors will be patient enough for this waiting period? They have to serve so many patients.

So, now back to our greener option. What we can stock in our medicine cabinets? Thank you to the above mentioned article from HealthNewsDigest.  We are given  a list of gel, creams, Clikpaks for the temporary relief of fever, chills, headaches, body aches, sore throat, rough skin, minor cuts and combating seasonal allergies. All these products are produced by Nelsons USA, a leader in natural medicines since 1860. It looks like Nelsons company  turned to “greener” options in … ninetheenth century, 148 years ago (in 1860), and still going strong-green in the 21st century. It means that for almost one and a half centuries many clever families  have been constantly searching for “greener” options.

Is homeopathy the only one perfect solution to meet all your family needs in going green or “greener,” as it was suggested in the article? Do you have other alternatives? Yes, you have, your green kitchen pharmacy.

There is so much talking and writing about go green or even greener. There are so many different products claiming to be a green panacea of everything. But nothing can bit the endless, 100% natural gifts that Mother Nature can give you. Bring them into your pantry and start using these wonderful herbs, plants, vegetables and fruits as your food and medicine. They are great helpers in preventing and healing various ailments.

Want to find fresh organic fruits and vegetables right from a green field? Start your search now. Use keyword Green People and find a farmers market anywhere in the country or enter www.organicconsumers.org   

Copyright 2008.  All rights reserved.

Source: National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine: www.nccam.nih.gov