There are many ways that you can look to maintain you and your body. As well as conventional medicines, plenty of people use complementary or alternative therapies to keep things as they wish – either alongside medication or instead of it. Whether you want to take good care of your body, or you’re dealing with a medical issue, alternative therapies may be something you have considered or are considering to explore.

Here’s a quick overview of what that means, and some of the options that may be available to you.

What are alternative therapies?

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The NHS in the UK says there isn’t a universal agreement on what complementary and alternative medicines are. However, it cites the terms used by the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH):

• Complementary: When a non-mainstream practice is used alongside conventional medicine.
• Alternative: When a non-mainstream practice is used instead of conventional medicine.

There are many different types of alternative therapies; some of which you may have heard of, others less so. The advantages and benefits of alternative therapies have been debated, although there are some therapies that are effective for treating certain conditions.

Below are some of the alternative treatments you may have come across. If you do consider these therapies, it’s best to speak to your doctor beforehand. This is because some of these items may interact with medicines you’re already taking.

Also read: Scientific Study Proves That Sipping A Cup of Tea Regularly Boosts Your Brain Health

Acupuncture

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This treatment is about stimulating specific parts of your body, and one of those ways is to penetrate your skin with thin needles. Electrical stimulation is another way of doing this.

Acupuncture can have a positive effect on certain conditions, such as insomnia and premenstrual syndrome (PMS), plus many types of chronic pain, including osteoarthritis and neck pain. A 2016 study found it may also be useful for chronic or tension headaches.

Chiropractic medicine

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This form of therapy focuses on the structure of the body (mainly the spine), and how it works. A trained chiropractor will manipulate the spine, or other parts of your body, to make sure it’s in alignment.

The aim of this is to make sure pain is eased, and the body works properly so that it can heal naturally. Much of the research on this practice has focused on the lower back, but there’s evidence that it can help with neck and joint pain, as well as headaches.

Also read: 4 Unhealthy Things We Mistook to be Healthy

Herbal medicines

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Herbs are the base for some of our modern drugs, with about 25% of pharmaceuticals coming directly from plants. What’s more, herbal remedies have been used for many hundreds of years.

Brands such as healthmonthly.co.uk offer herbal remedies that may help with certain conditions and ailments that you may be living with. They can be anything from digestive problems to high blood pressure, anxiety, and sleep disorders.

If you have any questions before starting a treatment, speak with your doctor first. They will be able to help you decide if it is suitable for you to start it, what the side effects may be or how it’ll affect any other treatments you have, plus other queries you may have.

Featured image source: Spafinder

A mother from California named Tabitha Frost is doing a great job. She is suffering from hyper lactation which means she can produce three times more milk than the average mother could. What’s more wonderful is that she is helping other mothers who can’t produce this much milk to feed their babies. Until now, she has donated approximately 15,000 ounces i.e. more than 117 gallons of milk and she has donated all of it.

She loves serving other mothers this way

 

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A post shared by Tabitha Frost (@tabithafrost) on Oct 24, 2019 at 7:33pm PDT

She loved her idea of donating her overproduced milk to other moms who can’t feed their child properly due to one or other reason. She says, “I’m happy to help,” Frost, a blogger from Carlsbad, California, told “Good Morning America.” “I do know of certain people who have had their babies prematurely and their milk hasn’t come in yet. I see this as my way of being able to serve my community.”

Frost is the mother of three children. She recalled that when her second child was born in 2016, a nurse at the hospital has commented on her higher milk production level.

She is suffering from hyper lactation syndrome

 

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A post shared by Tabitha Frost (@tabithafrost) on Apr 8, 2019 at 11:50am PDT

She can produce overabundant milk due to the hyper lactation syndrome which is the rare condition found in a very less number of women.

She got the idea of donating the excess milk to those in need

 

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A post shared by Tabitha • All Natural & Good (@allnaturalandgoodmama) on Jul 9, 2018 at 9:03am PDT

Frost used to be a nanny as well as a preschool teacher. She started to search where she could donate the excess milk that she produces. Se pumps every three hours and it has become a full-time job for her as when she doesn’t do this she gets a clogged duct or mastitis.

She says, “My routine doesn’t stop whether I’m on vacation, I’m not feeling well, or if I’m lacking in sleep. I’m always doing it.”

She pumps wherever she requires… Even at the restaurant

The zeal to help other moms those who are in need makes Frost goes on and on and that’s why she doesn’t stop or take a break from this duty. She has pumped even in restaurants, on vacation, on airplanes and even at a concert during a date night with her husband, Nick, 35. The funniest among the rest is the museum. She told. Even her husband supports her in doing this thing and he is fine if she does this at public places.

 

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A post shared by Tabitha • All Natural & Good (@allnaturalandgoodmama) on Jun 23, 2018 at 7:39am PDT

Keep up the good work Frost. She is indeed doing a great job and nothing could stop her from doing this nothing as it has become her usual routine and she loves helping other moms this way.

Due to the lifestyle and workload we have, we barely get any time to take some rest or to chill out ourselves. We work like 24*7 right from Monday till Sunday and this cycle goes on and on. According to a recent survey conducted by a fitness brand, Fitbit has come up with their findings that India is the second most sleep-deprived country with an average night sleep of 7 hours and 1 minute, while Japan is the most sleep-deprived nation globally with an average night sleep of only 6 hours and 47 minutes.

Fitbit has analyzed the data of individuals based on their device

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Based upon the aggregated user data analysis from different 8 countries including India, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Argentina, Australia, Italy, Ireland, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, Peru, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, the US, and the UK. Based on the data analyzed by the company for these countries, they have found out that Indians get 77 minutes of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is the lowest in the world as similar to that of Japanese.

Also read: 6 Bad Habits That are Not Good for Your Health and You Should Try To Avoid Them

REM was also the least for Indians

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REM (Rapid Eye Movement) which is one of the most essential parts of sleep also comes out to be the least among Indians and Japanese. On average, people in India and Japan get only 77 REM sleep.

The report also finds that people belonging to the age group between 75-90 years age group get the least sleep (6 hours and 35 minutes) as compared to other age groups. While the members belonging to the age group between 18-25 years age group go to bed more than an hour later than those belonging to the age group between 75-90 years.

Also read: How To Break 5 Bad Bedtime Habits

Fitbit found that Indians are less active

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Not only this, but Fitbit also has found out that Indians are the least active as they log in 6,533 steps a day which is 3,600 steps less than the average of the most active country, Hong Kong. The report findings are alarming, and the report is based on the people who are using their fitness band, Fitbit. The same information cannot be generalized for everyone in India who are using different brand’s fitness bands.

Also read: 7 Most Interesting Facts About Dreams That Will Leave You Stunned

Featured image source: Medical News Today