When I began the course work to complete my degrees in alternative medicine, I was required to study herbs — their actions and the healing power they can exert on the body.  I was amazed to learn there is something in nature for almost any malady that mankind might suffer.

In addition, when you correct wrong living habits, add a nutritious whole foods diet along with cleansing and building herbs, you would be surprised how fast your body can heal from most chronic diseases.

Let me list a host of reasons why herbal remedies work both effectively and efficiently for chronic disease states — and in many instances, over time, will allow you to come off some, if not all, prescription drugs:

• Herbs support living cells offering the body nourishment it does not always receive.
• Plants are not static inorganic objects, but living, breathing evolving beings like we are.
• The healing constituent of plants can come from the leaf, fruit, bark, flower or root.
• As medicine, herbs are balancers that work with body functions so the body can heal and regulate itself.
• The body will always try to work toward homeostasis (balance) as long as there are living cells and proper nutrients provided.
• Herbal medicines can be broad based for overall support of a specific problem — not just going to the symptom, but addressing the cause of a particular problem.
• Herbs provide a variety of healing agents with almost no side effects.  However, like food, they should be used in moderation.
• Herbs in their whole form ARE NOT DRUGS!  Herbal medicines work differently. They are foundation nutrients, working to normalize, balance and support.  This means that results can take longer — but even so, improvements from herbal treatments can be felt in 3-6 days.
• Herbal combinations (2 or more herbs blended together synergistically) are not addictive, but they are powerful nutritional agents. A combination remedy allows inclusion of herbs that can work at different stages of need.
• All herbs have several actions — they don’t do just one thing.
• Herbs are food.  They have their own source of enzymes and work with the body’s natural enzyme activity.  Herbs let your body do its own work.

You may not be aware that two thirds of the drugs on the US market today are based on medicinal plants.  But, herb-based drugs are NOT herbs by the time the pharmaceutical companies get through with them.  They are chemicals! Even when a drug is derived from an herb, it is so refined, isolated and purified that only a chemical formula remains.

If you are interested in beginning a program of herbal remedies, it is important to speak with a professional in the field of natural health.  He or she can guide you on which herbs should be used for certain conditions, how much to take and for how long, and whether they will interact with any prescription drug.

Just as with prescription drugs, alternative treatments are highly individual.  But all herbs work better when combined with a healthy whole foods diet.  Subtle healing activity is more effective when it doesn’t have to labor through excess waste material, mucus, or junk food accumulation.

[Ed. Note: Candace Booth holds a Doctor of Naturopathy degree and a PhD in nutrition. She has a natural health consulting practice In Mt. Dora, Florida. Contact her at 352-735-2966 or link to www.naturalhealthplus.biz.]

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