Wellness Digest

Ancient Medical Science A Hidden Treasure

If you fall ill, you go to a doctor. The doctor will diagnose your ailment and prescribe treatment for it. You have to take the medicine regularly and it is expected that you will be cured. This is the regular health care process of our generation - some necessary medical tests and then medicines that you have to depend on to put you on the road to recovery. Suppose someone suggests to you to take some herbs instead of the regular medication. Do you think you will be strong enough to take a decision to not go to the doctor and swallow a few herbs or infusions of herbs instead? In all probability, no. But what if herbs could really cure? The traditional process of healing was medicine made of herbs, natural methods and conventional practices. In ancient days every culture had its own way of treating any disease.  In those days village medicine men were doctors to the entire community. Their followers or disciples learned this traditional healing from them and it was passed on from generation to generation. Natural medicine includes many categories of remedial methods. In this group are traditional medicine, complementary medicine, and alternative medicine. Natural medicine like herbal medicine, or phytotherapy, was common in Chinese, Ayurvedic (or Indian) and Greek medicine. But with the progress of modern medicine many doctors consider the old-world remedies to be old hat even though the basic ingredients of most medicines are herbs. Opium, digitalis, quinine and aspirin – all these medicines have their roots so to speak in natural medicine. It is however necessary to mention that not all natural medicines are acceptable. Only those medicines that have undergone thorough research are worthy of your trust. Many herbal medicines are available in stores. But it would not be wise to use them for all ailments. Only for minor diseases like coughs, colds, fever, skin rashes, and similar problems where there is very little chance of side effects. Fortunately, here is more and more research being done on natural herbs and medicines today as more doctors see the light and realize how effective these can be, while being safe. So one finds more herbal medicines accepted as cures. The only concern is that there could be a lot of false propaganda too. Which could result in not knowing how good or bad an herb could be for a particular ailment. Until herbal medicine becomes part of mainstream medical treatment, there would always be doubts about its efficacy. In many cases natural medicines are used as alternative medical treatment. Again not all of them are effective. Homeopathy, aromatherapy, acupuncture and other alternative medical treatments are now recognised as effective treatments. It is still always good to take the opinion of experts before saying yes to any of these treatments. Natural medicine can be taken as an additional support to traditional medicine. Today’s medical science says that natural medicine should only be used to add something more to modern medical help. So doctors recommend natural therapy whenever it is appropriate, and it is usually for the more minor ailments. Modern treatment aims at diagnosing an illness and prescribing a line of treatment. On the other hand natural medicine believes in an ounce of prevention being better than a pound of cure. It suggests that treatment be not necessarily given only when the person is sick. Rather the important thing is to focus on good healthy habits including a good diet and healthy living. A healthy lifestyle can protect us from illness. This is the main concept of natural medicine in all of its different forms like massage, herbal medicine, aromatherapy or many others. Interesting that these days science is studying the knowledge of sages past in search of new cures for common ailments. It sounds quite contradictory but it’s true at the same time. It is encouraging to find remedies in natural medicine for almost all possible everyday illnesses. It is good for our health as well as for our society to keep going forward in this quest for knowledge so that the lost treasures that are hidden in nature and been forgotten can be restored.

 

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