Turning Over A New Leaf With A Trip To A Health Spa

Posted on 16/11/2011 by C Samms

I recently took a visit to an alternative health spa in Florida called the Hippocrates Institute to do a 3 week detox in an effort to clear out all the internal junk my body has accumulated over the last few years. Being a bit of a party animal I’ve been guilty of smoking too many cigarettes, drinking on a regular basis, and eating a diet too high in fat and sugar.

Before arriving at the health spa I tried to clean up my act as much as possible. I quit drinking a couple of weeks before and switched a vegetarian diet. I even started using a smokeless cigarette to help get my off the deadly tobacco sticks I’m so fond of, but nothing could prepare me for the cleansing experience waiting for me when I arrived in Palm Beach.

The regime at Hippocrates is pretty strict and is set up to help people recover from a range of serious diseases such as cancer and diabetes so it’s not for the faint of heart. Your diet consists of green juices three times a day, a couple of raw vegan meals and plenty of fresh water. There are also a range of spa treatments available to help you relax, as well as a few pools, saunas, and an exercise gym.

For the first week I was there I felt incredibly weak and thought the diet here was having an adverse effect but once we got into the second week I really started to pick up and felt like I had far more energy than normal. By the time I had completed my three weeks I felt like a new person, I had even overcome my addiction to tobacco and was feeling good about started a nicotine free life.

Whether I’m manage to keep up my new lifestyle is another matter altogether but I’m certainly going to try and stick to the healthful diet I’ve leant about. There’s no doubt that eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables in the form of salads and green juices is good for your health so it’s certainly something that’s worth working into your life. If you are interested in learning about how to do so then I can definitely recommend you take a trip to the Hippocrates Institute to find out more about it for yourself.

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Can Exercise Relieve Upper Back Pain?

Posted on 13/11/2011 by Ericka L

The most common cause of upper back pain is poor posture, and most of the time this can be relieved by simple exercise. However, it is imperative to consult with a physician before attempting any exercise aimed at relieving pain. This is because in some cases an underlying disorder may be more severe than you suspect, and exercises which would otherwise be helpful can cause further damage.

For those who have suffered from a recent injury in the neck or in any upper part of the back, your doctor might recommend hot and cold therapy to lessen the inflammation, and after the inflammation has subsided then an exercise regimen can be followed. The next thing to consider is the kind of exercise to perform. This article will provide just a brief overview; here is an article which will go into more depth about which exercises are most helpful for relieving upper back pain.

The exercises you’ll want are a combination of strengthening and stretching exercises. Depending on the severity of your injury, these exercises should be prescribed and monitored by your physician or physical therapist. It is important to take it slow, especially since the neck section is quite vulnerable. 

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Spinal Decompression As An Alternative To Back Surgery

Posted on 11/11/2011 by Clayton

Spinal decompression is a non-surgical form of treatment for a variety of structural problems resulting in back pain. Spinal decompression takes the pressure off of the compressed discs which cushion the vertebrae by gently stretching the spine. This treatment has been gaining popularity due to its efficacy and non-invasive nature.

However, it is important to note that spinal decompression therapy is not for everyone and it cannot treat all kinds of back pain. There are specific spinal problems that should not be treated with spinal decompression since it might make the condition worse. Examples include certain types of spondylolisthesis, patients who have undergone spinal fusion, and patients who have had previous back surgery.

What are the common conditions that are treated with spinal decompression therapy? The most common of all is herniated disc. This is followed by degenerative disc disease, facet joint syndrome, and other kinds of spinal arthritis.

The newer methods of achieving spinal decompression are far more advanced that old-fashioned methods which utilized pulley and traction systems. Newer machines include the DRX9000, Vax-D, and Accu-Spina system.

If you have been seeking long term relief for your back pain, then you may want to consult with your physician to see if you might be a good candidate for spinal decompression therapy. It is arguably the best alternative to invasive back surgeries and in many cases delivers more long term pain relief than any other form of treatment.

 

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7 Simple, Effective Constipation Remedies

Posted on 09/11/2011 by S Soldner

These seven simple, yet effective constipation remedies can help you:

The tips listed below use natural remedies and treatments, although you may have to make some major lifestyle changes as well. Constipation can be a problem at any age and is the most common digestive problem there is.

1)   Liquids can help to eliminate toxins and waste from the body, although alcohol, coffee and soda can all make constipation worse. Try to drink eight cups of water every day, aincluding up to 20 ounces of water as soon as you are awake.

2)   Change to a high fiber diet, although you should switch gradually to avoid gas. If possible, try to eat between around 30 grams of fiber each day.

3)   Exercise can help to alleviate constipation; any type of exercise is effective, although ideally you should try to work out for half an hour every day.

4)   In addition to a high fiber diet, consider taking fiber supplements to ensure you are getting the full amount of fiber each day. Health food stores sell these supplements; another beneficial option is a 20 ounce fiber and water drink.

5)   Try to avoid those foods which cause constipation, including whole milk, fatty meat, ice cream, pastries, cheese and various processed foods.

6)   Squatting can help to increase your chances of a natural bowel movement, and you can use a small stool to put your feet on, which can help.

7)   Try to keep as healthy and as fit as possible. Avoiding medication can help, as can taking natural supplements, probiotic foods and natural supplements.

Avoiding constipation need not be hard and hopefully, the above constipation remedies will help.

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Alternative treatments for nail fungus infection

Posted on 08/11/2011 by Ashlee

I like to always preface posts on health issues by saying that you should always discuss your specific condition with a qualified health professional.   So with that being said the paragraphs that follow are drawn from my personal experience with having a nail fungus infection on my big toenail. Instead of taking oral prescription antifungal medications and running the risk of side effects, I decided to take a different approach.  Here are some of the alternative strategies that I followed.

1)  For several weeks I soaked my big toenail in a warm bath containing a mixture of water and apple cider vinegar. I did this on a twice daily basis. After a few days I noticed that my nail seemed to be less yellow and discolored. My hopes went up about the potential of this treatment approach. Unfortunately however I came to realize that what I was witnessing was a bleaching effect rather than anything more permanent and real.

2)  After having read some reports about using Vicks Vapo Rub  to treat nail fungus infections I decided to give it a go. But despite sticking to this for several months I was not able to see any visible signs of improvement.

3)  My last attempt was using tea tree oil, an oil native to Australia that has long been understood as having strong antimicrobial and antifungal properties.   Finally I started to see some progress. Effectively the progress of the fungus across my nail stopped. It didn’t shrink but it didn’t get any larger either. So I knew that what I needed to do was wait for a healthy nail to grow out and I would be free of fungus. To make sure that this progressed as planned, I continued to treat the nail twice daily until every last speck of infection had grown out.

Check out this article if you want to dig a little deeper into your options.

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Consider Bamboo For Your Alternative Therapy Offices

Posted on 05/11/2011 by Ericka L

When you are putting together an alternative therapy office, especially when you’re working out of your home, you are going to want to make sure that the area is as relaxing as possible.  Giving your clients a place where they can relax and get away from their worries in the world will help give them the best possible chance at healing properly, and give your therapy a strong chance at success.  Achieving this environment is actually much easier than you may think.

Using natural products in your office, such as bamboo wood, will help create an aura that is going to be hard to achieve with manufactured products.  When you are considering what to decorate with you are going to want to think about using bamboo blinds, as well as smaller pieces of furniture that are not going to protrude out into the area where you are trying to perform your therapy.  A smaller corner desk is perfect for being able to keep your paperwork neat, and in order, while also avoiding taking up too much of your valuable floor space, giving you more area to keep your therapy table.  Both of these options are great for achieving a relaxing aura and giving your guests a feeling of peace while you are helping them heal.

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Creating a Tranquil Treatment Room at Home

Posted on 01/11/2011 by S Soldner

Like many alternative healers I work from home, and while being able to work in the comfort of my own home has its positives, it also has a few negatives. One of the problems I had been struggling for years with, was noise disturbing my clients – noise caused by my family going about their everyday business. So when it was time for my treatment room to have a new lick of paint, I decided to go a step further and do my best to create a truly tranquil space, free from the noisy distractions of my boisterous family!

This meant investing in some kind of soundproofing product but finding one to suit my purposes was not easy! The difficulties were that I didn’t have reams of cash to spend and also because it’s quite a small room, I didn’t want to use a very thick product as that would reduce the size of the internal space and make the room even smaller. 

Eventually, and after much research, I decided to use a technologically advanced wallpaper product called Wallrock. Wallrock is the brand name of a thermal and sound insulating wallcovering popular in the Europe and it has made a real difference to my treatment room by ensuring an even internal ambience and reducing sound disturbances from other parts of the house. My clients love it, I love it and my family loves it too!

The Wallrock went up as easily (if not even easier) as wallpaper, and at just over 3mm thick it didn’t encroach on the size of the room. So for all you alternative therapists working from treatment rooms at home, I would say first think about how tranquil your treatment room is and if it’s found to be lacking, try this product!

 

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