A huge part of traditional Chinese medicine that has gained popularity over the years is the use of herbal medicine. What this means is that people can drink a combination of herbs as a tea, using a mixture of seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark or flowers to combat a multitude of issues and help restore balance to the body. Many might question drinking herbs because it isn’t exactly normal to eat bark or flowers, but the benefits are amazing. Think of all the foods you put into your body or other teas you drink- greens, leaves, many organic substances. Herbal medicines take the nutrients from the things you don’t necessarily want to chomp your teeth into and put them in an easier form to consume so you can take in all of the benefits. According to Acupuncture Today, over 40% of adults in America use herbal medicine, and in other countries that rate can increase to 75% of adults or greater. In India, those who practice Ayurvedic medicine often rely on herbal medicines. For more of a reference to Ayurvedic medicine, Deepak Chopra has a few books you could read up on, such as Quantum Healing.
Pharmaceutical drugs often carry with them severe or lasting side effects, so while fixing one issue another could easily arise. With herbal medicine, one mixture can be used to work on multiple issues, and it is rare to find any of the side effects found with pharmaceutical drugs. Once the right mixture is made for you, you’ll notice that the targeted issues will resolve. Say one has an issue sleeping, depression and mood swings, and even a severe lack of appetite. While many of these symptoms feed off of each other, herbal medicines target all of them, instead of targeting one and hoping that the others will disappear with it. While some issues may need stronger medications prescribed at their doctor’s office, saying hello to a homeopathic remedy could help the issue before it progresses and worsens. Livestrong.com states, “scientists have chemically analyzed medicinal plants to break down the active ingredients and understand how they work in the body. In fact, that’s how the first drugs were created — by using plant compounds.” The Virginia Society of Medical Assistants discussed the use and possibilities in using herbs, and mentioned that, “herbs aid bodily functions to help normalize imbalances, thus enhancing the body’s ability to heal itself.” Many people don’t understand how amazing our bodies are on their own- they were created to take care of themselves and to regulate all their functions. However, with illnesses and the stresses we endure in life, a little help is never a bad thing. Lucky for us, herbs are becoming not only for affordable, but more accessible as well. Here at Boulder Sports Acupuncture, we work with you to find the right solutions to get you on track to being the best you can be.
For more information, you can visit our resources:
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancers-in-general/treatment/complementary-alternative/therapies/herbal-medicine
http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/herbcentral/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/442973-advantages-disadvantages-of-herbal-medicine/
virginiasocietyofmedicalassistants.org/hand-outs/the-pros-and-cons-of-herbal-use.doc
