Health and Vitality Naturals

The questions to ask and possible answers are: Are we getting enough nutrients for health maintenance, protection, promotion and wellness during the life-course? The answer is NO.  And how do we know? Extensive literature indicates that there is a strong association between ill-health (especially chronic diseases) and nutrient inadequacies, imbalances or excesses. Are there solutions to the nutrient-health associated relationship? Yes. The most realistic and reliable approach to the nutrient-health puzzle is to supplement good eating habits with nutritional supplements especially micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Food alone is not enough.   How you feel is the best indicator of the need for supplementing your nutrient requirements. Considerations on supplementing our nutritional requirements  can be based on our own informed decisions, recommendations from our health care providers, or decisions from our guardians . T his can come about at any stage through...

In some of my previous posts, I presented the main distinguishing features on comparative overview of the two main medical and health care paradigms, and also why people are increasingly using alternative approaches for their health and well-being. Revisiting the table which I presented on comparison of the two main medical and related health care paradigms, you will note that under objectives of each paradigm, the focus on the conventional medical approach is to cure and mitigate disease (requires trained professionals), and the focus of the alternative/holistic health approach is to promote optimal health and as a by-product, to prevent and treat disease(Inputs can be from trained professionals as well as personal-driven/individual-driven). With the alternative/holistic approaches, people are empowered to take charge of their own health, a practice not realized in the conventional medical approaches. The big deal The reason why modalities in alternative/holistic approaches to he...

Exploring the Reasons There is a growing interest or need in the use of alternative/holistic approaches to health and here we present some of the reasons for this trend. People use complementary and alternative medicine because: A sizable portion of the general public now believe that a lternative /holistic  medicine or health care is frequently safer and often just as effective as conventional treatment options. Alternative/Holistic approaches  give patients choices. A health conscious choice allows patients to make life style changes, understand medical alternatives to care, and be an active participant in their healing process . When we make a choice we have decided to change and th at  power of positive change in our lives is the most important step in healing. Yet another  reason alternative /holistic  medicine  or health care  is rising in  popular ity  is that the public is  realizing that it doesn't have to be used exclu...

Understanding the two distinct major paradigms of medicine and related health care systems and their roles in our health.  When it comes to our health issues, the two main distinct paradigms of medicine and related health care systems are the Modern/Conventional Medicine and a number of various forms of Alternative Medicine (e.g. Naturopathic Medicine, Integrative Medicine, etc.) also often  classified under the umbrella name “ Holistic Medicine ” . As one of my introductory posts, I will provide a comparative outline of the major facets of the two medical paradigms, to help us understand the options we have for our health care. I will be referring back to this comparison table as we proceed with the natural health conversation on this blog. Modern/Conventional Medicine Holistic Medicine/Alternative Medicine Philosophy The philosophy of medicine is a field/scientific discipline that seeks to explore fundamental issues in theory, research, and practice within the health ...

Turtles and tortoises are some of the most long-lived members of the reptile family . There are a few theories, including the slow rate of their metabolisms, naturally healthy lifestyles and evolutionary theories regarding reproduction  considered for explanation of the longevity. The longest-lived of all the turtle species, the Galapagos giant tortoise, eats a strict vegetarian diet that's full of greens , minimal carbs and free of fat and cholesterol.  Many of these animal species don’t invite challenges in the wild, they stay clear of trouble and generally lead a stress-free life .    While scientists know longevity increases as metabolic rate drops, there is still some debate  as to why. Many believe that ageing is linked to the production of free radicals, reactive particles that are released into the body as it burns fuel. "There's plenty of evidence to suggest that free radicals damage proteins and DNA,"  and are associated with  many of the chr...

When most of us are under the weather, the first thing that comes to mind is to find out where the emergence rooms are ,  for a doctor ’ s prescription for an antibiotic. However, in the present day, there is a considerable section of the society embracing natural approaches to dealing with infectious diseases, and I am proud to be among this part  of the society.  In my case, this inclination towards use of  natural approaches to tackle  infectious diseases came about accidentally, while I was using natural approaches  (vitamins, mineral supplements, medicinal herbs in the form of nutritional therapeutic/healing approaches)  to deal with my own non-communicable ill-health conditions that had befallen me. The biggest surprise to me was that, not only did the natural approaches help me to recover from the ill-health chronic condition s , but also kept me off infectious diseases, and noticeably, in particular the co mmon cold and flu, from the time I...

Most current human health problems are man-made lifestyle diseases and are also extended to animals. I f lifestyle- related diseases are man-made, it then follows that by common sense, they can also be “ man-prevented ” . The ill-health related man-made risk factors are broad and include modern unwholesome foods,  chemicals in personal care and cleaning products, and a wide range of air and water pollutants. The existence of the ill-health risk factors entangled in our environment makes it a challenge for us to fend off their potential threats and harms. It demands that we don ’ t look for salvation solely from our healthcare providers, but ensure that we get involved in determining our own health - Taking Charge of Our Own Health. There are a couple of facts we can put forward to justify why we need to take charge of our own health: t he experts can ’ t fix everything ; healthcare systems are imperfect; affordability limitations; we deserve service satisfaction and we need to be...