An effective and natural source for many health ailments is the ginger supplement. Ginger can be taken orally or used topically to treat inflammation, reduce pain, migraine headaches, nausea and heartburn, cold and flu treatment and prevention, menstrual cramp relief, and cancer. It is a root derived from the native Asian plant but is now cultivated worldwide.

Historically, ginger has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicines and Ayurvedic Medicines;  a traditional medicinal system in India. In India, ginger is often applied topically to relieve toothaches, headaches, and to improve limb circulation; as well as to treat nausea and other gastrointestinal conditions. In China dried ginger is used to treat cold symptoms characterized by pallor, poor appetite and digestion, cold limbs, diarrhea, and vomiting.

The following are the medicinal values attributed to ginger:

• antiemetic (anti nausea)
• antibiotic
• anti inflammatory
• carminative (prevents gas)
• choleretic (liver stimulant)
• stimulant (general)
• positive inotropic and chronotropic
• peripheral circulatory stimulant
• thermogenic (to generate heat)
• diaphoretic (induce sweating)
• rubefacient (treatment for redness of the skin)
• gastrointestinal stimulant (digestive aid)

Reviews for ginger consistently show exemplary satisfaction with its positive effects. The following are positive reviews:

Comment: For cold symptoms the ginger foot soak (slice ginger root into thin slices, boil in about 1 gallon of water for 1 hour, let cool until you can put feet in; about 30 minutes). I love this treatment method. The burning sensation from the ginger takes some getting used to but cold symptoms abate. Repeat for a couple of days if necessary.

Comment: When my stomach is upset from traveling I use ginger because my stomach sometimes rejects things like cucumber. A friend of mine used ginger when she was going through Chemo and found it really helpful. Its not sedating like the prescription medications. I prefer the holistic candy chews!

Comment: I have been taking ginger for several years as a headache reliever. I have suffered chronic headaches due to tension and stress most of my life and I was not comfortable taking over the counter medication on a regular basis. I am really happy with the pain management.

Comment: To help manage the menstrual cramps I get every month I mix brown sugar and ginger tea. It soothes my stomach muscles and helps relax my body. This also helps with bloating. I now give it to my teenage daughter for her discomfort. Ginger supplement is a safe and effective treatment.

Electroacupuncture:

This is a fairly new technique and has come into vogue only around the seventies of the last century. Here needles are inserted, as in traditional acupuncture, but these needles are attached to a device which will generate a series of continuous electric pulses. Nowadays more and more acupuncturists are beginning to practise this type, since they can control the flow of the current and stimulus, and thus vary it to suit each patient.

Acupuncture has been found to be particularly effective in relieving chronic pain and all the other problems associated with it. A study conducted in 1997 by NIH (National Institute of Health), USA concluded that this alternative healing method was very effective in controlling pain and inflammation. Specially, where it is used in conjunction with other healing processes such as allopathic medicines, the results have been impressive.

How does acupuncture work:

There are various points in the body which are considered to be acupuncture points. Putting needles into these points stimulates the system into releasing chemicals which further release endorphins and natural steroids. These then help to cure the body of the pain and other ailments. These are natural ingredients and unlike medicines and artificial steroids they do not lead to addiction and dependency.

How long does the treatment last?

As with any other form of treatment, this is totally dependent on the level of pain you are suffering from. The first visit to the acupuncturist will help him to determine how many sittings are needed in order to completely take away your pain and inflammation. Initially there may be two sessions a week, with the frequency being decreased as the healing process begins to take place. The sessions generally last half an hour.

How does acupuncture benefit your body?

As we have said earlier, acupuncture needles stimulate your nervous system. This helps to motivate the body’s natural healing processes to take over and begin their work. The blood circulation is improved, and this also helps in speeding up the recovery process. The muscles begin to relax and the inflammation also decreases rapidly. The relaxed body also helps in reducing stress and thereby taking away one of the main causes of body pain.

• Cow bezoar
• Toad venom

These ingredients are usually imported.

Western medicine can be more effective because it uses medicines that attack the symptoms, not the problem as a whole. For viruses which cause colds, you have fever reducers and anti-biotics. In addition to “pills,” western medicine has made many advances in surgical technology..