Alternative Health
If you want the latest news and advice in the world of natural and alternative health, then the Doctors Health Press is what you need. Whether it’s one of our monthly alternative health newsletters, hot-off-the-press natural and alternative health reports, a book that focuses on any aspect of alternative health or our free daily e-letter, The Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin, you can depend on the Doctors Health Press to provide you with the latest and best in natural and alternative health news and advice. Our team of doctors, editors and researchers are always finding and reporting on the latest in the world of alternative health remedies, so you’ll never feel “out of the loop” when it comes to maintaining your good health without harmful prescription drugs and chemicals. If you love the benefits of natural and alternative health and healing, then we welcome you to The Doctors Health Press.
Whether you’re concerned about preventing breast cancer, lung cancer or any other form of the dreaded disease or you want to know how to prevent the onset of diabetes or properly maintain your diabetes or you simply want to maintain your healthy blood pressure, our views are that you can combat all of these ailemnts and diseases using alternative health remedies that we deliver every day through the Doctors Health Press.
New Alternatives for Brain Tumor Patients
Brain tumors are, sadly, incurable. In times of strife, people seek out the sorts of treatments that will improve their quality of life and hopefully stall the disease. A new study has found that many patients are turning to alternative therapies — such as taking vitamins and visiting a homeopath – to complement their conventional treatments.
That study was published last week in “Neurology.” Researchers found that about 40% of brain tumor patients in the study took to alternative medicine. The leaders were homeopathic remedies, vitamin supplements and psychological therapy.
The researchers believe the use of such treatments may be largely overlooked and underestimated by doctors. They encourage physicians and oncologists to be aware of patients’ desire to seek alternative treatments. Everyone deserves to know all the options on the table. And guidance from a doctor will help a lot when patients start to try and help themselves.
In the study, 621 people with incurable “gliomas” completed questionnaires about their use of alternative therapies. Alternative therapy was defined as methods or compounds not used in routine clinical practice and not scientifically evaluated. Younger people, women, and those with more education were more likely to use alternative treatments than older people, men and those with less education.
Most are turning to alternative medicine, not because they dislike conventional care, but because they want to add something beneficial to their care. They want to be a part of it. They want to feel that they are helping to defeat the disease that is hurting them. Alternative medicine, as it stands, can do more than simply make someone feel they are partaking in their own treatment. Many studies have found that, at the very least, alternative medicine can significantly improve one’s quality of life and reduce symptoms.
Why were the patients seeking alternative treatment? The most commonly chosen responses were “to support conventional therapy,” “to build up body resistance” and “to do something for the treatment by myself.” The least commonly chosen responses were “because I am afraid of the conventional methods” and “because the physicians don’t have enough time.”
Of those who used alternative treatments, 39% used homeopathy, 31% used vitamin supplements and 29% used various psychological methods. Homeopathy is a system of medicine that arose in the 1800s, based on taking a tiny amount of a toxic substance, diluting it, and using it to treat the very same symptoms it would normally cause in a high amount.
In dire situations, a cancer diagnosis, feel empowered by seeking alternative medicine.
Tags: Free Health Advice, Health Articles
Dairy Ingredient Could Help Prevent Diabetes
Researchers have found a natural substance in dairy foods that may slash your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. That substance is called “trans-palmitoleic acid” and it’s a fatty acid found in milk, cheese, butter and yogurt. It is not made in the human body, thus dairy is the one place to find it.
The news comes from Harvard University and is published in the “Annals of Internal Medicine.” It helps explain that trans-palmitoleic acid may be the reason why recent studies have found that diets rich in dairy foods are linked to lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Health experts generally advise reducing full-fat dairy products — but this runs a bit contrary, as trans-palmitoleic acid is found in dairy fat.
Researchers looked at 3,736 participants in a national study who have been followed for 20 years to evaluate risk factors for heart disease. But they also checked out risk factors such as blood sugar and insulin levels, which are acutely involved in diabetes.
At the start, higher levels of trans-palmitoleic acid were linked with less blood cholesterol, less inflammation, and healthier insulin levels. Following up, they found further proof that levels of trans-palmitoleic acid led to a much lower risk of developing diabetes. It was about a 60% lower risk among people in the highest one-fifth of trans-palmitoleic acid levels.
The researchers call that number “striking.”
It is an almost three-fold difference in risk of developing diabetes among individuals with the highest blood levels of this fatty acid. This type of acid is nearly exclusive to naturally-occurring dairy and meat fats, which in prior studies have not been linked to higher heart disease risk.
This is the first time that trans-palmitoleic acid has been evaluated with respect to type 2 diabetes. Why it helps protect us from the disease is not known. Still, the researchers write: “This is an extremely strong protective effect, stronger than other things we know can be beneficial against diabetes.”
While they move forward with further research, know that dairy is not just brimming with calcium, but also with hidden agents that may combat diabetes.
Tags: Dairy, diabetes, Milk, Type 2 Diabetes
How Going Online Could Lower Your Blood Pressure
—by Cate Stevenson, BA
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is without question one of the most common and well-known causes of heart disease. A staggeringly high number of people have it — estimates peg it at around 50 million — except about 30% of them don’t know it yet. This is dangerous, because, if you have hypertension, you won’t know that you need to change your habits and work on lowering it.
It is extremely important to treat high blood pressure as soon as possible, because it can have drastic consequences over time. Kidney disease, stroke, and heart disease can all result from hypertension. What causes high blood pressure? There are many factors that can influence your blood pressure to rise beyond safe limits. There is no one particular cause, nor is there one complete cure for high blood pressure. If you have any questions about your own blood pressure, consult your doctor. This is one condition that you should not ignore or put off until later. Some common causes of hypertension include obesity, stress, family history, lack of exercise, high intake of salt, alcohol abuse and certain diseases such as diabetes.
Reducing high blood pressure will likely mean addressing a number of the common risk factors. Monitoring your blood pressure is also a very important piece of the puzzle when it comes to protecting your heart. Knowing that your blood pressure is high (or low) gives you the opportunity to take immediate action. It can also help to determine your triggers — those particular things that cause a change in your blood pressure. With this in mind, you might be interested to know that an online blood-pressure monitoring program can significantly help in the battle against hypertension. According to researchers, online blood-pressure monitoring made a major difference in health management for patients with uncontrolled hypertension.
A U.S. research team studied more than 350 patients, aged 18 to 85, who had uncontrolled high blood pressure. The study participants were randomly assigned to two groups: one that received ordinary treatment and one that took part in a monitoring program in conjunction with the American Heart Association’s www.Heart360.org web site. This web site helps people manage their heart health at no cost.
Study participants who took part in the online program transmitted blood pressure readings via a home computer to their physicians. After six months, the research team found that 58% of those in the program had lowered their blood pressure to healthy levels, compared to just 38% of those in the other group.
Talk to your health-care provider if you want to learn more about online blood-pressure monitoring.
Tags: blood pressure, Free Health Advice, free medical advice, Health News, High Blood Pressure
