Get A Career In Natural Medicine

           Natural medicine is a great career for those who wish to help improve the general health and well being of the world.
           Many sectors of natural medicine are specialized to the extent where education can be shortened, allowing natural medicine specialists to begin practice sooner.
           Natural medicine practitioners can bring home impressive salaries after building a reputation for providing health services that work.
           Natural medicine practitioners find that rest, nutrients, and the release of stress through meditation, yoga, acupuncture and aromatherapy can relieve medical conditions and promote healing and wellness. These practitioners are also critical of the side effects of many drugs commonly prescribed at health clinics. Though natural medicines sometimes have side effects, these are typically less severe and often only occur when natural remedies are used in excess.
           Herbalists specialize in the use of herbs for the curing of illnesses and general well being. Though there is no national system of licensing herbalists in America, many herbalists enroll in training programs that award certification such as the Clayton College for Natural Health.
          Herbology programs typically teach students about botany, herbal medicine manufacturing, the philosophy of herbalism, and the effects of herbalism on pregnant women and children.
          Herbalists must have a great knowledge of the nutritional values of herbs. These herbalists often sell herbs through natural health stores and online pharmacies. There are also many herbal supplements like ginkgo biloba that are sold at well known pharmacy chains.
         Herbalists also play a role in consulting others in the use of herbal medicine. Herbalists can be hired to consult patients privately and publish their research in herbalism to magazines and online publications.
         Acupuncturists are able to relieve pain and cure ailments by locating pressure points and inserting a needle into the pressure point. Acupuncturists can create their own business or work in a practice with other natural medicine specialists.
          Aspiring acupuncturists must be licensed by a school in the state that they are planning on practicing. Acupuncture courses take 2 years or more to complete. There are many studies that report the health benefits of acupuncture.
          Reflexologists relieve pain by massaging pressure points on the body. Individuals can find jobs at a reflexologist clinic after attending school and obtaining a certification.
          Massage therapy certification is also recommended since both disciplines overlap. Some reflexologists travel to their clients’ home, while other reflexologists work together with other alternative health practitioners. Reflexology certification increases an individual’s chances of finding work at health clinics and nursing homes.
          Working at these institutions can build a reflexologist’s credibility. Credible reflexologists will have an easier time marketing themselves if they ever enter into private practice.
          Aromatherapists use fragrant substances to improve the health of their patients. Several natural health schools like “Hands on Healing” provide training in aromatherapy.
           Aromatherapists give patients dosages of healing substances that are inhaled or applied to the skin. Aromatherapists can create and sell their aromatherapy products or set up clinics where they apply the aromatherapy treatments to their patients.
           Aromatherapy is often combined with massage therapy and reflexology, since a patient can benefit more greatly from receiving each of these treatments in one session.

Fatigue Busters for Women

             When are you most vulnerable to fatigue? There are a lot of different factors that influence women’s energy, affecting stress levels, sleep, metabolism and more. If you employ some different tips and tricks, you may be able to combat fatigue and even recharge your internal batteries so that you feel revitalized each day with mental alertness even in the late afternoon. And being able to get a good night’s sleep is a good possibility too.

Lighten and Wake Up

             While sleeping late may be a good idea on the weekends or your days off, this ritual can actually upset your internal clock, throwing off your circadian rhythms. Your hypothalamus gland helps set your sleep and wake cycles so if you go to bed later and/or sleep late, you body will want to reset itself. It is important to wake up at the same time every day, preferably around sun-up when possible. Bright light will help your hypothalamus gland reset your body to a normal daily routine and beat fatigue.
Reduce Carbohydrates and Increase Protein

             Carbohydrates may provide some energy to you initially but they end up slowing you down in the long run. Healthy carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables are quite beneficial. It is the starchy carb-rich foods however that presents a problem. Any flour-based products such as pasta and bread can make you feel sleepy and less alert during the day. Boost protein instead to beat fatigue. Protein is the building block of muscle and therefore, fuels your body. Lean meats, cheese, milk and eggs are just a few of many examples of protein.
Delay Drinking Coffee until the Afternoon

             Coffee is a stimulant and has caffeine which hinders adenosine, a chemical which induces sleep in the brain. Early to late afternoon, most people lag mentally and physically because this adenosine is being produced in the brain. Drinking coffee in the early to late afternoon will block this brain chemical long enough for you to get through dinner so you can go to bed on time. Drinking coffee in the morning means the caffeinated effects will wear off long before you really need it.
Reduce Stress

              Reducing stress is easier said than done when it comes to busting fatigue in women. While long meditation sessions can help, shorter time-outs throughout the day are more beneficial. Whether it is just a few deep breaths, imagery or simple body stretching exercises, your body will boost endorphins at each mini de-stressing session. Choose a quiet area for your sessions because interruptions are not only a hassle but they will divert your attention away from reducing stress.
Avoid Naps When Possible

             Afternoons, particularly an hour or two after lunch, can be quite tiresome. Energy dips and your body craves sleep because it is just a few hours away from bedtime. Instead of indulging in a long nap or even a power nap, take a walk, run an errand, make a phone call or even daydream for a few minutes. Physical or mental activity will brush away the cobwebs so you can function without fatigue until bedtime. You will have to practice this before naps or nodding off are a thing in the past.
              While bright lights and activity such as exercise will help you avoid fatigue by day, getting a good night’s sleep is one of the best fatigue busters for women. Do not drink alcohol or caffeine before bed as these can stimulate or depress your brain cells, preventing you from relaxing and preparing yourself for bed. Choose darker, quieter activities such as reading a book or soaking in a hot tub. Avoid bright lights from the television and computer screen.

Study Indicates Cranberry Juice Does Not Interfere with Two Antibiotics Women Take for Recurrent Urinary Tract Infecract Infectionstions

             About 50 to 60 percent of women are diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (UTI)at least once during their lifetime. Many experience multiple recurrences. Cranberry juice, a popular home remedy for UTI, is often taken along with low-dose antibiotics as a preventive measure. Because little is known about the potential of cranberry juice to interact with drugs, NCCAM-funded researchers at the University of Washington studied cranberry's effects on two antibiotics frequently prescribed for UTI: amoxicillin and cefaclor.

         Two parallel studies were conducted, one for amoxicillin and one for cefaclor. In each study, 18 healthy women took a single oral dose of the antibiotic, with either water or cranberry juice cocktail. The procedure was repeated after a week, in a "crossover" design that allowed researchers to evaluate cranberry juice in each participant. The drugs were tested at commonly prescribed dosages: 500 mg for cefaclor in one study; and 500 mg, as well as 2 g for amoxicillin in the other study. Participants drank 8 ounces of juice or water with amoxicillin, 12 ounces with cefaclor; those who drank juice also drank it twice daily for 2 days before the treatment, to approximate real-life consumption. Researchers took blood and urine samples at 2-hour intervals for 6 to 8 hours after treatment, and then tested drug concentrations at each point.
           The data showed that cranberry juice did not significantly affect either antibiotic's oral absorption or renal clearance (i.e., how completely the body processed the drugs in the intestine and kidneys). Absorption took somewhat longer with cranberry juice, but the delay was small, and the total amount of antibiotic absorbed was not affected.
          Based on these results, the researchers concluded that cranberry juice cocktail, consumed in usual quantities, is unlikely to change the effects of these two antibiotics on UTIs. They noted that the same may or may not be true of other antibiotics, or when people who take antibiotics also drink a large quantity of concentrated cranberry juice.

Can Vitamin D Cure African American Ailments?

Harvard Medical School Doctors JoAnn Manson and Jule Buring are launching a study with 20,000 test subjects that aim to explain why African Americans have higher occurrence rates of cancer, strokes, and heart disease when compared to people with pale skin.
Researchers currently think the explanation may lay in skin color, due to the fact that darker skin is not able to absorb as much Vitamin D from natural sunlight.
Thus, the study will include a trial of Vitamin D and fish oil to see if dietary D supplements can help alleviate the problem.
The study will include 5,000 African Americans and 15,000 white skinned individuals all of which will be women over 65 and men over 60 who do not have any past history of cancer or heart disease.
Participants will be split into four groups in which some are given placebos, some are given Vitamin D, and the remaining two groups will be given half of a real supplement and half placebos together.
Manson said that the information needs to be approached with caution and a final word from the test trials as many other Vitamins that were thought to be wonderful disease preventers did not pan out according to plan including Vitamin E, C, and folic acid.
Vitamin D has been tested in a large control group of women previously but it was at a much lower dose and was combined with calcium instead of fish oil.
Fish oil has also been tested previous to this study, but it was in a control group of those who already had a history of cardiovascular disease or diabetes.