With the growing popularity of Ayurveda worldwide, an many people are discovering the herbs that play essential roles in this millennia-old system of healing. Herbalist Omar Cruz reviews the properties & benefits of six of the most commonly used Ayurvedic plant medicines.
Over the last decade, yoga has emerged as a favored adjunctive modality at cancer centers across the country. Studies presented at the Society of Integrative Oncology’s annual meeting show that carefully tailored yoga programs can reduce anxiety, improve sleep, reduce the need for meds, and improve flexibility.
There are more than 30 institutions in the US offering professional training in Ayurvedic medicine. But since Ayurveda is not yet established as a recognized and regulated health care discipline in this country, there is not yet a standardized credentialing system.
Ayurveda, India’s 4,000 year-old “science of life” is quietly but steadily moving out of the margins and toward the forefront of modern health care. Advocates say it has the potential to remedy much that has gone wrong in American medicine.
Essential oils of Sage, Lavender, Rosemary and a number of other aromatic medicinal plants contain compounds that have direct stimulatory effects on memory formation, while at the same time helping to reduce stress, a major contributor to memory loss.
In the US, most people use aromatic essential oils for relaxation and other forms of aromatherapy. In France, they have a long history of internal use for the prevention and treatment of common infections. Corinne Andrion-Israelsen, who trained in the French tradition, explores the history and clinical application of plant essential oils.
According to Marilyn Youngbird, a Native American healer from North Dakota, fear is the root of most illnesses. Fear, guilt and self-judgment induce chemical changes in the mind and body that result in sickness. She and other Native American medicine people believe that healing the soul pain underneath the physical symptoms is the key to long-lasting health.
Many medical clinics are drab, joyless environments. But they don’t have to be this way. Dr. Barry Sultanoff shows how the principles of Feng Shui, the Chinese art of environmental design, can be easily applied to health care settings, transforming them from sterile and depressing treatment rooms to energized healing spaces.
Tibetan medicine is one of the world’s oldest medical systems, providing insight into the ways consciousness and the physical body are inter-related. It has survived the tests of time, political upheaval, warfare and exile. Can it survive the American health care system?
Heart disease and diabetes were virtually unheard-of among Alaskan Eskimos, until the 1970s, when they abandoned their hunting and fishing lifestyle, and their marine diet. They began eating a lot of processed foods and saturated fats, and living in more sedentary ways. Thirty years later, these diseases are rampant. Dr. Sven Ebbeson is working with Eskimo communities to reverse these deadly trends.
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