Archive for the ‘Mental Health’ Category

Herbal Medicine

History

Herbal medicine has been around since before recorded history. Cave paintings in France, radiocarbon-dated to before 13,000 BC, show the use of plants as healing agents. Herbalism was intimately connected to religious practices, and was frequently the jealously-guarded preserve of shamans, or “witch doctors”. The use of herbs as medicine pervades all cultures. The earliest written records date back over 5000 years in Western culture to the Sumerian civilization. In the East, the Siddha, Unani and Ayurvedic systems from India arose long before the Christian era, and are still practiced today. And traditional Chinese herbology is still thriving as well. Africa has a long history of herbal remedies, strongly influenced by its links with trading partners from both East and West. Native Americans hold to the belief that illness is caused by a disturbance in one’s balance with nature, and can be cured by rituals that often include the use of herbal medicines. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 80% of the world’s population uses herbal medicine for some aspect of primary health care. Many pharaceuticals being used today by physicians were originally used as herbal remedies, including aspirin, digitalis, and quinine. In recent years, scientists have been searching all over the world for natural sources of phytochemicals that might be developed into treatments for various diseases. The WHO estimates that 25% of drugs presently in use in the U.S. were derived from plants.

Philosophy

Despite the fact that herbal medicines have a long history of use, the fact that in most cases their effectiveness has not been scientifically proven has led to a controversy between herbalists and mainstream medicine. In Western culture, the rise of modern medical practice brought with it a decline in the use of herbal medicines. This gave rise to the notion that such remedies were nothing more than “old wives tales.” In recent years, however, herbalism has come to be recognized by many as an alternative, or sometimes complementary method of treatment. In my research for this article, I discovered that there are basically four groups, each espousing differing points of view regarding the use of herbal remedies:

1) herbalists.

2) pharaceutical manufacturers, sometimes aided by physicians.

3) vitamin and mineral supplement manufacturers, with some help from herbalists .

4) governmental institutions.

I will try not to take sides here. There is no need for animosity between these factions. In all that I have read, there is a concern for the safety and well-being of those who would use herbal remedies. But each group has its own vested interest which slants its perspective to more or less of a degree.

To be continued

In the next installment, I will describe the viewpoints of the four factions above. References will be given to websites which illustrate the ideas presented.

Tips on How to Live a Neurologically Normal Life

With the increase stress levels in the present competitive world, neurological problems are on a steady rise. Such problems are not only common amongst adults, but are soon catching up with innocent children. This is true everywhere, even in Australia.

This can be because of extreme peer pressure, lack of attention due to working parents, high expectations of parents, imposed career prospects, etc. stress and peer pressure is residing every kid’s life. However, the degree and intensity might vary. Many parents are oblivious to the facts what their kids are under going and many do not know how to handle it. That is the reason why a timely intervention of a skilled Child Psychologist Sydney is critical.

Adults might suffer from anxiety, stress, restlessness, depression, insomnia, etc due to increasing competition at the work place, frantic working schedule, undue pressure to perform well in their career strained relationships, and many more reasons. Reasons can be many but solution is just one, and that is treatment by a skilled Psychologist Sydney.

Following are few tips for stress management, which can be implemented in daily lives and can have great effects:

Tip 1: try to avoid stressful situations. It might not be possible to avoid all such situations, but make it a habit to be away from stressful circumstances.

Tip 2: another way is to prepare your inner self for any stressful situation. If you are aware that you are soon going to confront a stressful situation then be alert and prepare yourself before hand. This way you will be able to respond better to the situation and will not come under stress easily.

Tip 3: try to get used to people who are generally the source of stress for you. This way you will get accustomed to the stressors and will be able to find a hold over your stress.

Is Yoga Right for You?

A lot of women perform yoga exercises not just to lose weight or maintain proper body weight but also because they want to be healthy emotionally and mentally. Yoga is also known to contribute to the decrease of a number of problems during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. There is research to prove this, but it’s easy to see the physical, mental, and emotional benefits evident on those women who practice yoga.health

Yoga Helps You Cope with a Busy Lifestyle

If you are still undecided about yoga, then there are a number of things about it that will help you decide. One of these is its relevance to today’s world, even if it is one of the most ancient practices of all times.

Yoga Styles:

1)Vini Yoga. This is a personal practice that could be developed through the incorporation of meditation, proper breathing, and posture as well as prayer and rituals. The amount of all these aspects that could be incorporated into your yoga practice will have to be changed though as a woman and her needs change and develop. Therefore, if you are still a student or a young professional, then the physical aspects of yoga might be more important for you, while older women might focus more on the spiritual, mental, and emotional aspects.

2)Ashtanga Yoga. Also considered as the power yoga, this style is known to be flowing and athletic. Breathing is very important in this yoga style as a woman flows through a series of postures. This is able to generate a lot of sweat and body heat, thus helping women detoxify their bodies.

3)Ananda Yoga. This yoga style makes use of temperate poses. This is gently meditative and perfect for those who would like to practice a yoga style that helps them to look inwards so they can focus on making their emotions better.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Staying Competitive

We do more than just cover health care needs when members are sick. We help members prevent illness and identify problems before they become serious. One way we work to achieve this goal is to provide our members with health-related resources and information.

Health

Its one of the industry most comprehensive health services programs.

Preventive Care

Recommendations for precautionary Screening, Immunizations and Counseling for Anthem Blue Cross Members and Guidelines in preventing Influenza

Health Programs

Health Management Programs offer an innovative approach to help members better self-manage serious chronic conditions such as asthma, congestive heart failure, and diabetes. Health professionals provide members with a variety of health education resources depending upon their health status and condition. The health professionals serve as a “health coach” motivating and encouraging members to adopt behaviors that lead to a healthier lifestyle.

Health Resources

Anthem Blue Cross is pleased to share valuable information with you and your family on how to live a healthy lifestyle. We encourage you to visit the “Healthy Living” health resource list and health articles section within the Goodhealthquotes.com website to learn more about your overall health. With these resources you will be able to take the next steps in living a well-balanced life. In addition to the Healthy Living information, please contact your local hospital, medical group, YMCA, health club and/or community parks and recreation for further information on local wellness services in your area.

KICK Program

Kids in Charge of Kalories is a free of charge program for Anthem Blue Cross members who want to help their families learn about eating healthy and the benefits of exercise. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, good nutrition and exercise are the best ways to keep kids healthy. They may prevent childhood obesity.