I Told You I Was Sick

As the body ages, its way of handling various kinds of medicines and surgery is markedly different from how we handle and respond to it when we were younger. Aging bodies increase in fat and decrease in body water. Also in decline are lean body mass, metabolism, the body’s capability to bind protein, and various alterations to tissue sensitivity and regeneration. And all of these are subject to one’s personal diet, environment, disease processes, and medications.

Since the aging physiology varies from one individual to the next, some are more vulnerable to a drug’s effects, and others tend to be more resistant, rendering questionable the effectivity of several drugs. To remedy this, several have gone and sought alternative treatment.

Studies show that 70% percent of older Americans gravitate towards, and swear by, alternative medicines for treatment of their health problems. Surprisingly enough, the reasons for which are of a more basic nature: that they tend to be cheaper, more natural, and appeals with the nostalgic efficiency of home remedies.

Here are a couple of common ailments for which alternative treatments have thus proven effective:

Depression

The elderly are among the most hard hit when it comes to depression; old age is not very forgiving in its blows; it combines the chemical imbalances that form clinical depression with the personal and environmental factors that inevitably come with being elderly.

Acupuncture is one treatment that is a go-to for depression; the World Health Organization has listed depression for which acupuncture as treatment is effective. The carefully, specifically inserted fine needles increase, regulate and stimulate blood flow depending on where they are placed, effectively altering the chemical formula that forms depression, lessening its symptoms.

Biofeedback is another, albeit being a surprisingly simple approach, by using simple mental control, to regulate unconscious or involuntary bodily processes like heartbeats or brain waves.

Prostate Cancer

Although the cause of prostate cancer is unknown, what is instead affirmed is that is linked to a combination of hormonal, genetic, and environmental factors. Studies also show that it is reflected in very unhealthy lifestyle factors. The alternative and relatively economical remedy for this is exercise.

Exercise or physical activity, counteracts the inactivity which is also linked to prostate cancer for old males. Now, the specific mechanisms by which this exerts a protective effect aren’t clear. Theories do point out though to the physical activities’ effect on hormones, immunity, body composition and psychological well being. Started early on, it may be a prevention before cure kind of treatment, and if started later helps to maintain a more balanced lifestyle.

Hyperacidity

Hyperacidity is caused when the stomach excretes more than normal amounts of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, and the excess acid tends to rice and envelop and damage the stomach lining. it is also called as acid dyspepsia, acid reflux, or stomach ulcers.

In Spain, the treatment of hyperacidity involves steeping some celery leaves  in some boiling water, to make celery tea.  Celery is one of the most alkaline-rich vegetables, therefore making it especially useful in balancing out acidity.

Milk and other dairy products are also  efficient in neutralizing hyperacidity, if not consumed in large amounts that is (overconsumption would further aggravate the acidity). The dairy gives the stomach lining a protective coating to help protect from the acidity.

The simplest alternative treatment for hyperacidity is alkalized water. Because, logically, alkali balance your body’s acid levels, so if you drink it in water, the acidity  gets toned down.

Arthritis

One of the most common ailments of the aged from around the world, arthritis is a joint pain or a joint disorder wherein inflammation occurs in various joints. You see this in almost any senior citizen you encounter, and you will have childhood memories of your favorite grandparent and his  pitifully painful-looking  arthritic twisted hands and fingers. Being so common, it helps that anybody from any part of the world, will have some kind of remedy to it.

In India, they used the gum of the Bosswellia tree, extracting it  to apply to arthritic joints. scientific study has proven that the Bossweillic acids contained within the herb are able to stop the growth of leukotrienes, the  immune cells that are primarily responsible for inflammation. With regular use, the blood supply to the joints is maintained, allowing the soft tissue to be soft and viable.

Dementia

Dementia is also a common ailment among the elderly, rendering them easily forgettable regarding usually mundane tasks such as remembering, registering face and recognition, and most of all forgetting names.

Huperzine A. Made from Chinese club moss, huperzine A appears to work in ways similar to prescription cholinesterase inhibitors. However, because of an increased risk of toxic side effects, don’t take huperzine A if you’re also taking a prescription cholinesterase inhibitor.

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Guest Post by: Marc Webster is a Parts and Components Specialist at All Time Medical, a supplier of durable wheelchairs and walkers. He is also a believer in the science behind alternative treatments.