Types of Herbal Teas and Their Benefits

Following is a list of popular types of herbal teas which may be used for a variety of effects, including their sedative, stimulant, relaxing, or therapeutic effects.

Chamomile tea is one of the more popular types of herbal teas, and it is known to have sedative properties, which can both help a person to relax and to sleep better.

Ginger tea is an aromatic, spicy tea that is used to treat symptoms of nausea and to aid in digestion. Often, pregnant women use this tea to help fight morning sickness.

Peppermint is a popular aid for digestion and a remedy for minor stomach problems. In tea form, peppermint can help relieve stomach discomfort and indigestion, and the clear, sharp aroma and taste are pleasant.

Sage tea is used for its therapeutic properties, and it is often used to soothe sore throats or to treat laryngitis. Also, it can aid in digestion.

Rosemary Tea can be used to treat headaches and is also used for its natural anti-septic properties.

Cinnamon tea aids in controling blood sugar levels and insulin levels. It is thought to be very healthy for the heart, and may also be used to reduce menstrual cramps.

Sassafras tea has natural anti-blood clotting properties, and it is often used to treat respiratory problems.

Herbal teas can have a variety of beneficial effects - however, they also affect different people in different ways and at different levels. Some herbal teas could be dangerous to drink depending on a person's medical conditions or what prescription medicines they are taking.

Some herbal teas have been connected to premature labor and even abortion and thus should only be taken under the guidance of a physician during pregnancy.

Alternative Medicine Industry Growing

For many, the phrase “alternative medicine” conjures of images of quacks prescribing strange potions to treat health problems. Other people know that the broad phrase is better defined as a wide range of health care practices, therapies, and products which offer an alternative or complimentary component to conventional treatments.

The U.S. government’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine exists in order to do scientific research on alternative medicine options and to offer their findings to the health care industry and the public. NCCAM reports that 38% of adults and 12% of children utilize some type of complementary or alternative medicine (CAM). Practices such chiropractory and massage therapy are a couple of the most popular. Lower-back pain, which is an extremly common, yet condition which is hard to treat, is the main reason people seek relief through chiropractory, making the chiropractic industry worth nearly $10 billion a year.

NCCAM puts yoga, hypnotherapy and tai-chi into a mind-body classification, which focuses on utilizing the mind in order to affect the body and health. The idea that the mind is an important component of healing goes back more than two millenia to traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medical practices.

Acupunture, a practice which involves stimulating points on the body with needles, is a central component of ancient Chinese medicine which strives to achieve a balance of the body’s yin and yang. A recent survey found that 3.1 million Americans had tried acupuncture treatment.

Movement and energy therapies, such as light therapy, and therapies which are based on natural products were also part ofNCCAM’s research. The use of natural herbs, vitamins, and minerals in order to promote health and treat specific health problems is a popular practice that continues to gain popularity. The herb Echinacea is regularly prescribed for the treatment of urinary tract infections and to help bolster the immune system. Ginger is often utilized to relieve arthritis pain and to treat post-surgery nausea.

As health insurance costs continue to rise, a growing number of Americans are inquiring about CAM services as a solution to their health problems and, according to NCCAM, an increasing number of health professionals are now considering these options in conjunction with more conventional medicines and treatments.

Some polls have shown that those who have higher incomes and more education are more likely to seek and utilize CAM, and more women use such therapies than men. Pain is the main reason that people consider these alternative methods.

Source: Bay Net

Acupuncture to Treat "Lazy Eye"

The bothersome condition known as "lazy eye," which often forces suffers to wear eye patches, may be helped by an alternative therapy: acupuncture. The condition is formally known as amblyopia, and it is primarily characterized by poor vision in one eye. A new study has suggested that acupuncture may be effective in treating the condition.

When acupuncture was administered by certified practicioners, it resulted in an improvement for kids which as equal to that seen from the standard treatment option of wearing an eye patch for a period each day. The eye patch is placed over the sufferer's normal eye, which helps to exercise the muscles of the lazy eye.

The study showed improvement was made by both groups – the group that used the eye patches, as well as the group that had acupuncture.

Acupuncture is used for a wide variety of problems and disorders, and there now appears reason to hope that it may be an effective alternative therapy for treating lazy eye as well, which is among the most common problems of children, and a disorder which nearly 5% of the population of the world suffers from.

Source: MSNBC