Natural Cures For Dummies. Joe Kraynak

not only supports the use of natural medicine, but it also drives its development. Many reputable nutraceutical manufacturers now have their own research departments to develop and test products. (A nutraceutical is a food-based product that’s used as a medicine.) Among other advances, this research has helped to develop vitamins and minerals that are more easily and fully absorbed by the human body, probiotics that survive stomach acid exposure so more live microorganisms can populate the gut, and formulations that provide the right mix of nutritional supplements to support the proper function of various systems in the body, including the digestive, cardiovascular, and immune systems.

      

Buy products only from reputable manufacturers that have researched their products for effectiveness and that adhere to strict quality-control standards and practices; look for those that are Good Manufacturing Processes (GMP) certified. I’ve been treating patients for 33 years and practicing functional medicine for over 20 years. I’ve seen many fly-by-night nutraceutical companies and poor-quality products come and go. Take the supplements in the form I recommend from reputable manufacturers. Otherwise, your body may not absorb them properly, and they may simply not work.

Knowing what to expect from natural medicine

      Natural medicine requires that you become an active participant in your own health. It requires commitment and sacrifice. You may need to eliminate from your diet some of your favorite foods and beverages. You need to exercise at least 30 minutes every other day. Most importantly, you need to invest time and effort in exploring what makes your body tick and figuring out what’s causing certain symptoms or what your body needs and isn’t getting to achieve optimum health.

      The payoff is good health and vitality. Inflammation, at the root of many chronic illnesses, dissipates. You feel less congested and bloated and achy. You’re less susceptible to infections and chronic illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. You add years – quality years – to your life. And if you do become ill, you know exactly what your body needs to kick its self-healing powers into high gear.

      Recognizing Natural Medicine’s Many Benefits and Its Few Drawbacks

      Before investing time, effort, and money in any endeavor, it’s a good idea to weigh the pros and cons so that you can make a well-informed decision regarding the type of healthcare you want. In this section, I highlight the potential benefits and drawbacks of natural medicine as compared to conventional medicine.

Highlighting the benefits

      A natural cures approach to health and healing offers numerous benefits, including the following:

      ✔ Provides a user-friendly alternative to the typical doctor-patient interaction. Natural medicine practitioners tend to treat people instead of illnesses. You’re more likely to get personalized care.

      ✔ Treats the cause, not just the symptoms. The natural cures approach attempts to identify and eliminate illness instead of merely suppressing symptoms. This approach is more likely to result in a cure.

      ✔ Empowers you to take control of your own health. A good natural healer is an educator, teaching you about your body and what it needs to be healthy. She doesn’t just hand you a prescription and send you on your way.

      ✔ Eliminates or reduces prescription medication side effects. One goal of natural medicine is to reduce or eliminate prescription medications from your daily regimen. Less prescription medication means fewer medication side effects. No prescription medication means no medication side effects.

      ✔ Improves your overall health. Natural medicine doesn’t merely eliminate illness; it strengthens the body overall. A body that’s in optimal condition is better able to fight infection and cure illness. Being healthy is far more desirable than merely being not sick.

      ✔ Strengthens your immune system. Your digestive tract accounts for 70 percent of your immune system. Conventional treatments often undermine gut health by killing beneficial microbes that reside in the gut. Natural medicine promotes gut health by enhancing digestion and nurturing a healthy environment in which beneficial microbes thrive.

      ✔ Enhances your mood, energy, and endurance. Conventional medicine screens people for illness. Natural medicine screens for deficiencies, allergies, and sensitivities to find out what to eliminate that’s making you sick and what your body needs for optimal function. As a result, natural medicine improves how you feel overall.

      ✔ Saves money and time, due to fewer doctor visits. Natural medicine teaches you how to be healthy so that you can develop the knowledge and skills to prevent illness and heal yourself. You may spend more time getting up to speed on the basics and more money on groceries and supplements, but preventing very costly chronic conditions that degrade your quality of life will likely save you much more in doctor bills, prescription costs, and time off work due to illness.

Acknowledging a few drawbacks

      Admittedly, natural medicine has a few drawbacks, including the following:

      ✔ It’s not always easy. Natural medicine isn’t as easy as popping a pill. Overhauling your diet, exercising regularly, reducing stress, and learning about your body all require time and effort.

      ✔ Sometimes, you have to fly solo. If you can’t afford a doctor and your insurance refuses to cover alternative healthcare options, you may need to fly solo with information in books and magazines and online.

      

Be careful when conducting online research. Snake oil salespeople run rampant on the Internet, and product reviews are often fictional. Stick to reputable sites run by reputable organizations, such as the Institute for Functional Medicine (www.functionalmedicine.org), the American College for Advancement in Medicine (www.acam.org), and Dieticians in Integrative and Functional Medicine (www.integrativerd.org).

      ✔ Sometimes, natural treatments don’t work. Whether you’re receiving conventional or alternative treatments, you may need more than one trip to your healthcare provider to narrow down the root cause(s) of an illness and find an effective treatment or combination of treatments. Don’t let this discourage you; illness often involves complex interactions within the body, along with numerous environmental factors.

      

Keep a log of what works and what doesn’t work for you so that you don’t have to engage in a trial-by-error process the next time you come down with the same affliction.

      ✔ Natural cures may take longer. When treatment requires changes to diet and lifestyle, expect to see improvement in weeks and months, not overnight. Your body is composed of numerous interacting systems and billions of cells that need time to adapt to the changes you’re making.

      ✔ Insurance may not cover some treatments. Natural medicine isn’t cheap, and insurance may refuse to cover the costs of doctor visits and supplements. Paying a steep health insurance premium and then having to pay out-of-pocket for healthcare is enough to discourage just about anyone. Hopefully, enlightened lawmakers may someday require insurance companies to cover the costs of nutritional supplements and visits to natural medicine practitioners.

      

To take some of the sting out of the costs, look into whether you can pay for consultations, testing, and supplements with pre-tax dollars from a health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA).

      ✔ Some “natural” cures are scams. Because dietary supplements aren’t regulated as carefully by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as are pharmaceuticals, charlatans have an easier time producing and selling products with questionable benefits. To reduce your exposure to scams, I recommend that you purchase products only from reputable manufacturers and sellers. Visit