Holistic Medicine Articles

How Holistic Medicine Helps Fibromyalgia Syndrome
The American College of Rheumatology defines Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) as a condition characterized by widespread pain in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons that has persisted for at least three months, with specific pain in at least 11 of 18 "tender points."

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Most people are familiar with carpal tunnel syndrome, which results when the median nerve on the underside of the wrist and forearm becomes compressed, causing tingling, numbness, odd sensations, and/or pain in the first three fingers and the thumb of the hand.

PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome)
Depression, frustration, anger, irritability, headaches, breast tenderness, abdominal pain and bloating--these are some of the symptoms that often occur in a woman suffering from PMS (premenstrual syndrome).

Excessive Sweating
Excessive sweating is one of those conditions seen as more of an annoyance than anything else. Yet it is a sign of imbalance in the body.

Endometriosis, Cysts and Fibroids
In recent years there has been an upsurge in non-cancerous female reproductive growths, with girls as young as 12 now being diagnosed with endometriosis. (Endometriosis is the presence of normal uterine tissue in other areas of the pelvis.)

Digestive Difficulties
One of the most common ailments seen in the clinic is digestive dysfunction. Fortunately, the digestion is an area particularly amenable to natural treatment and holistic therapy.

Insomnia
Getting a good night's sleep seems to be harder and harder for the average American to do these days. We know that within the course of a year, up to 30 percent of the population will suffer from insomnia, but since September 11th, that percentage has skyrocketed.

Infertility and Oriental Medicine
Infertility is an area that has become increasingly high tech in the realm of conventional Western medicine. We have all heard about in vitro fertilization and how it has often been a Godsend to childless couples.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a disorder of the entire gastrointestinal tract that produces abdominal pain, constipation, or diarrhea. It is estimated that over 20 percent of the adult population has experienced IBS at one time or another, with women affected three times more often than men.

Menopause
Contrary to popular belief, menopause is not a disease! It simply is a term to describe the ending of female menstruation.

Back Pain
One of the most common afflictions of mankind, back pain strikes some 20 million Americans at any one time.

Women and Smoking
Most of us think that smoking is equally damaging to both sexes, but the results of several recent studies are showing that cigarettes are deadlier for women than men.

Treating Depression with Acupuncture and Other Holistic Therapies
In most cases of mild to moderate depression, an underlying cause--physical, emotional, or a combination--can usually be detected.

Alleviating Asthma
Asthma involves recurring attacks of shortness of breath, wheezing, and expectoration of phlegm. In terms of Chinese medicine, asthma can not only involve the lungs, but also the adrenal glands, especially in chronic cases. We say that the adrenals fail to "grasp the Qi (energy) of the lungs," so coughing and wheezing result.

Effects of Acupuncture on Arthritis and Other Inflammatory Ailments
Acupuncture is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as millions of grateful individuals, for its beneficial effect in relieving arthritis pain.

Musculoskeletal Disorders in Women
When we refer to musculoskeletal disorders, we are referring to disorders of the muscles that are attached to and move the skeleton. Because a woman's body chemistry is different from a man's, the way her musculature responds is also different.

Meniere's Syndrome
Blakiston's Pocket Medical Dictionary defines Meniere's syndrome as "a disease of the internal ear characterized by deafness, vertigo and tinnitus (ringing in the ears), frequently accompanied by nausea, vomiting and nystagmus (an oscillating movement of the eyeballs)."

Dealing with a "Bad Pap" (Cervical Dysplasia)
As most women know, a Pap test is performed by scraping cells from the surface of the cervix to check for possible cancer. This test is considered very reliable and identifies four stages, ranging from pre-cancer to cancer: 1. Minimal cervical dysplasia (abnormal, pre-cancerous cells) 2. Severe cervical dysplasia 3. Carcinoma in situ (cancer confined to the outermost layer of the cervix) 4. Invasive cancer.

Sinusitis
Sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinuses that can be acute (short-term), lasting less than a few weeks, or chronic (long-term), sometimes lasting years.

Facial Pain or Trigeminal Neuralgia (Tic Douloureux)
Trigeminal neuralgia is a condition characterized by facial pain along any one or more branches (three in all) of the "tri"geminal nerve.

Treating Bone Spurs with Acupuncture
When I was in my last year of acupuncture school, I noticed a bump on the palm of my right hand. Curious, I poked around and realized it was a bony protrusion on the joint.

Acupuncture Helps Patients Recover from the Paralysis of Stroke
Numerous studies in recent years have all consistently shown the same results: Stroke patients receiving acupuncture in addition to traditional therapy improve significantly more than those who receive traditional therapy only, and there is a significant, positive, long-term effect.

Holistic Medicine is Ideal in Treating Chronic Fatigue
Chronic fatigue is one of the most common complaints heard in the clinic. Unfortunately, many people with chronic fatigue have gone to their primary physicians, had numerous tests run, only to be told that there is nothing wrong with them.

All That Noise in Your Ears Might Be "Tinnitus"
The medical condition known as tinnitus is a hissing, buzzing, or ringing in the ears that can have a sudden onset or develop gradually over the years.

Improving Your Body's Immune Function
The immune system is your body's defense against invasion by foreign substances, such as bacteria and viruses.

The Pain of Sciatica
The term "sciatica" refers to pain caused by compression of the sciatic nerve, which begins in the low back area, extends through the pelvis, goes down the leg, and ends where it branches into the foot.