Topic: alternative medicine

Sick and Tired: Chronically Ill All My Life — But No Diagnosis

Sick and Tired: Chronically Ill All My Life -- But No Diagnosis

Me: Alex, I’ll take “Mystery Illnesses” for $1,000 please.

Alex Trebek: This elusive condition consists of chronic headaches, fatigue, insomnia, weakness, chemical sensitivities, irritability, gas, bloating, intolerance to heavy exercise, and requires excessive rest.

Me: What is…chronic fatigue?

Alex: No, I’m sorry, chronic fatigue is incorrect. Janice?

Janice: What is…hormonal imbalance?

Alex: Sorry no, that’s also incorrect. Oh wait, I’m just now getting word that answer may be partially correct. But not entirely. Ted, would you like to attempt to answer?

Ted: Uh, what is…actually, I’m sorry, I have no idea.

And so goes the game of my life. In reality, it’s not nearly as fun or glamorous as a game show, but it’s definitely as challenging.

My story really has two parts. And I’ll just tell you now that the first part has a happy ending. But I don’t want to spoil it all, so you’ll have to read through and find out how the second part ends. More »

Should Parents Go to Jail for Being Vegan and Choosing Natural Medicine?

Should Parents Go to Jail for Being Vegan and Choosing Natural Medicine?

We have a lot of opinions about nutrition, natural medicine, and drugs here at Blisstree, but we also assume that everyone has the right to make their own decisions about what to do with their bodies. Not in France: Last week, French couple Joel and Sergine Le Moaligou were sentenced to five years in prison for “neglect and deprivation” of their 11-month-old daughter, after prosecutors argued that homeopathic medicine, veganism, and breastfeeding killed their baby when they failed to take their doctor’s advice. Doctors are frequently sued for malpractice, but this case raises an unusual question: Should patients also be culpable for choosing unconventional treatment plans?

Sorry! This poll is now closed.

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Win a $50 Heavenly Acupressure Mat In Our 40 Days of Giveaways

Win a $50 Heavenly Acupressure Mat In Our 40 Days of Giveaways

Relax. And have we got a new 40 Days of Giveaways prize to help you do just that. (If you’re late to this spring fling: Blisstree is using the season of Lent to reward you for giving up your vices in favor of healthier habits. Each weekday from now until May 3, we’ll give away a different prize to one reader just for becoming our Facebook fan.) And today’s prize is all about relaxation, restoration, and rejuvenation. We’re giving away one (1) Heavenly Acupressure Mat (worth $49.99) to one reader who simply “Likes” Blisstree on Facebook. Time to really relax, people. More »

Morning Links: Is Actress Suzanne Somers Now a Cancer Expert?

Morning Links: Is Actress Suzanne Somers Now a Cancer Expert?

En Garde! – Meet your opponent, SwordFit, a new workout trend that combines double-handed swordplay, circuit weight training, aerobics, and stretching in a 90-minute class taught by two instructors. (The Globe and Mail)

Go Nuts for Pecans – New research shows that pecans contain naturally-occurring antioxidants that can strengthen the heart and help prevent diseases. (ScienceDaily)

When Hollywood Celebrities Become Self-Proclaimed Health Experts – Like former Three’s Company actress Suzanne Somers, a breast cancer survivor who rejected chemotherapy in favor of radical alternative methods, and now promotes them. (Well) More »

Red Wine, Garlic, Chamomile Tea and 7 Other Allergy Home Remedies

Red Wine, Garlic, Chamomile Tea and 7 Other Allergy Home Remedies

Bad news, allergy sufferers — your torture time is about to be seem even more interminable, and climate change is to blame. “A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows a link between warming temperatures and a longer ragweed pollen season,” according to TIME. As if there weren’t already enough reasons to be bummed out about global warming.

But before you start building yourself a hermetically-sealed bubble to keep out that nasty pollen, try one of these ten allergy home remedies that are all available over the counter, if not in your very own kitchen. (As always, consult with a health care practitioner before embarking on any new herbal regimen.) Sure, seeing a doc may defeat the purpose of exploring at-home allergy remedies, but you could be thankful when your face doesn’t swell to the size of a Mardi Gras mask due to a medicinal interaction. More »

The Healing Code: Complete Mental and Physical Health, Success, and Inner Peace In 6 Minutes or Less. Or Not.

The Healing Code: Complete Mental and Physical Health, Success, and Inner Peace In 6 Minutes or Less. Or Not.

This is author Therese Borchard’s debut post for Blisstree, and we’re happy to announce that she’ll be blogging for us on a weekly basis about all kinds of mental health, depression, and therapy issues. Have a question for Therese? Leave it in our comments section.

I admit it: I am one skeptical chick when it comes to health solutions, because I read so many self-help books a week that my bookshelves can no longer hold their weight. I’ve spent close to $40,000 on therapy, outpatient treatment programs, and psych visits. I’ve also explored almost every single alternative health treatment on the market today, from acupuncture to expensive Chinese herbs.

I spend an incredible amount of time each day pursuing good emotional and physical health. I’ve been called many things, but “health slacker” is not one. If I don’t swim 150 laps before 7:30 am, then I run seven miles. I eat plenty of roughage and vegetables, keep processed foods to a minimum, and take six omega-3 capsules a day, plus vitamin D, folic acid, and calcium supplements.
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Dogs Can Sniff Out Colon Cancer

Dogs Can Sniff Out Colon Cancer

Not only are dogs furry and (usually) friendly best pals, but they also may be a new secret prevention weapon in the battle against colon cancer. According to a new study published last week in the medical journal Gut, an eight-year-old Labrador retriever trained in scent detention was able to sniff out colon cancer in breath and stool samples.

In the study, the pooch sniffed samples five at a time and was instructed to sit in front of the one that had cancer. She correctly distinguished between cancerous and benign polyps 33 out of 36 times in breath samples. When given watery stool samples to smell, the dog was accurate in 37 out of 38 tests. The canine cop was also able to ID early-stage cancer, detecting polyps from malignancies, which unfortunately, a colonoscopy can’t do. More »

Multivitamin Scams: Do Your Research

Multivitamin Scams: Do Your Research

There’s this disturbing story about a woman who took her multivitamin and it came out the other end looking exactly as it did when it was in the bottle. (No, this not a personal story about me wrapped up in a fake urban legend.)

However, I admit that for years, whenever I stopped in a GNC or took a stroll down vitamin row at my local drugstore, I’d become so paralyzed with confusion and anxiety, I worried that I might be using up vital nutrients.

I’d stare at the calcium chews and think: “there’s osteoarthritis in my family.” During flu season I wondered if I should geek myself up with vitamin C and zinc. I invested hope in the purported wonders of B-12 when I felt run down and lethargic.

Then I’d usually leave the pharmacy empty-handed. Well, except for that candy bar and can of Coke Zero. More »

Morning Links: 5 All-Natural Remedies for Headaches and Migraines

Morning Links: 5 All-Natural Remedies for Headaches and Migraines

Winning Workout Gear – 5 of the best sports bras on the market, for all types of cleavage. (Real Simple)

No Pain, Just Gain – Scientists from New York’s Stony Brook University are developing a hardcore painkiller (a la morphine) – with no side effects or addictive properties – that may be on the market next year. (ScienceDaily)

Head Start – 5 all-natural remedies for headaches and migraines. (Quick & Simple) More »

10 Facts About Acupuncture and Your Health

10 Facts About Acupuncture and Your Health

I’ve had such positive health experiences with acupuncture over the years, that it makes me sad when I hear people dismiss the idea that this ancient Chinese practice actually has powerful healing properties. After all, you skeptics, Eastern medicine has been around a lot longer than Western medicine. (And I’ve been able to manage my genetic skin disease called Hailey-Hailey, thanks in large part to regular acupuncture treatments.) So I asked my acupuncturist, Anne Mok, Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and co-owner of Cornerstone Healing in New York City, to debunk these ten common myths about acupuncture and your health: More »

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