Redbridge For Mental Health

Herbal remedies are getting a lot of attention, especially nowadays that our prescribed pharmaceutical medicines carry along with them potential side effects and problems. A lot of “herbal” and “natural” health supplements and medicines are becoming more and more popular because of their known effects and advantages.

One of the advantage of using herbal remedies as supposed to your prescribed medicines is that they cost a whole less than pharmaceutical remedies. Since the herbs do not need to be manufactured or developed, they cost a lot cheaper, and are more convenient as well. You no longer need to get prescriptions from doctors in order to be able to use a particular drug or remedy, unlike the different herbal remedies which you can just purchase without any needed consultation from your doctors.

Another advantage of using herbal remedies is that the herbal medicines may sometimes prove to be more effective as compared to our traditional prescribed medicines. Our dissatisfaction for our current healthcare may be the reason as to why we seek some other alternative. One possible cause for the effectiveness of herbal remedies is its potency. Some herbal remedies may prove to be more potent than others, depending on a few varying factors that may affect the herbal remedy’s effectiveness, such as the growing conditions of the herbs like exposure to air, light and moisture, or even the way that it was harvested. The manner of preservation can also play a factor on the herbs’ potency.

Although using “natural” and “herbal” remedies may sound appealing to a lot of people, it is important to remember that not all “natural” and “herbal” remedies are safe. A lot of these “natural” herbal medicines are composed of elements that can cause potentially harmful side effects to people, especially those that suffer from very serious conditions.

Herbal remedies may have been used for centuries already, but it does not mean that they are safe, especially not if you just take them without consulting with your doctors or herbalists about it.

One disadvantage for using herbal remedies over prescription medicines are the side effects that they may cause on your body when you take them, especially if you use them for a long period of time. Some herbal remedies are known to cause high blood pressure in the vessels of the lungs, while others may even cause your immune system to weaken, making you more prone to sickness and diseases.

Another disadvantage for taking herbal remedies is that you are not entirely sure if you are only getting the ingredients that you want in every pack of herbal medicine that you buy. Although you get the ingredient that you need, there will be some other such as twigs, bark, and other plant materials that may find their way in there along with your herbal medicine. Sometimes, you don’t get the ingredients that you really need since the amount of the ingredient can influence its effectiveness on a person. Add the fact that sometimes your herbal medicine may contain some other ingredient at one point, and contain another ingredient at another.

Whatever your stand on herbal medicine may be, it is always important to consult with your doctor or herbalist before you decide to take anything. Also, make sure that the herbal remedy that you chose to use will not interact with your current prescribed pharmaceutical medicines that you are taking in order to avoid any complications.

Vanessa Arellano Doctor

http://primeherbal.com

Part 1.

It’s remarkable that rooster combs have provided the source of a frequently used treatment for osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Through a combination of research and serendipity, viscosupplements- a type of lubrication treatment for OA of the knee- originally derived from rooster combs, are widely used by both rheumatologists as well as orthopedic surgeons. But do they really work? This two part article discusses the evidence in the medical literature.

Viscosupplements are compounds that have been created to mimic the effects of normal synovial fluid. Synovial fluid is the lubricating liquid present in normal joints that permits gliding and also helps with cushioning. Synovial fluid is produced by cells that line the joints and is essential for proper nourishment of the cartilage that caps the ends of long bones. At low levels of shear force (standing and walking for instance), synovial fluid’s primary effect is a lubricating one. At high levels of shear force (running and jumping), synovial fluid has a more shock absorbing function.

The major component of synovial fluid is a substance called hyaluronic acid. (HA). All synthetic viscosupplements also have HA as their major component. In this article I will use the term viscosupplement and HA interchangeably.

The first question is do these compounds work for osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee? As with any treatment, there is the possibility of negative studies. Viscosupplementation is no exception. Lo concluded that HA products have only a small effect compared with placebo (Lo GH, et al. JAMA. 2003; 290: 3115-3121). Brandt stated that HA and placebo produce similar results (Brandt KD, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2000; 43: 1192-1203). And Karlsson posited that neither of two HA products did better than placebo at 26 weeks (Karlsson J, et al. Rheumatol. 2002; 41:1240-1248).

However, the majority of studies have demonstrated that there is a significant effect. But how well do they work? The interpretation of how effective these preparations are has been difficult because of a number of factors. These include:

Global use of these compounds with different measuring instruments and techniques in the research studies;

? Single versus multi-center studies

? Varying inclusion and exclusion criteria

? Different statistical outcome measurements

? Other study design issues

And comparisons have been made to treatments other than placebo. Two studies looked at viscosupplements compared with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). (Altman RD, et al. J Rheum. 1998; 25:2203-2212; Adams ME, et al. Osteoarthritis and Cart. 1995; 3: 213-216). They found that viscosupplements performed as well or better than NSAIDS. However, design issues of the studies make interpretation somewhat difficult. It must be pointed out that adverse events were noted in both treatment groups. Not surprisingly, systemic therapies (NSAIDS) had more systemic side effects and HA therapies had more local adverse events.

One question that clinicians often wonder about is, “What about corticosteroid injections?” How do they compare? These preparations are used to reduce pain and inflammation, especially in acute knee osteoarthritis flare-ups and are relatively fast-acting

However, there are shortcomings. They include:

? Duration of efficacy may not last

? Frequent injections (more than 3 per year) may cause cartilage damage

? Local adverse effects

? Post-injection flares of pain

? Skin atrophy

? Osteonecrosis (dead bone)

Studies have evaluated the effects of viscosupplements vs intraarticular glucocorticoids. These include the following studies:

[Leardini G, et al. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 1991; 9: 375-381 (both equivalent until day 28 when divergence favored Hyalgan)]

[Caborn D, et al. J Rheum. 2004; 31:333-343 (both worked @ 1-4 weeks post injection; Synvisc better @ 5-13 weeks post injection)]

[Tekeoglu I, et al. J Rheumatol and Medical Rehab. 1998; 9: 220-224. (For first 4 weeks Orthovisc and methylpredsolone acetate similar; @ 5-13 weeks post injection, Orthovisc better)]

Most studies show this divergence of effect occurring at 5-13 weeks post injection.

(Raynauld JP, et al. Osteoarthritis and Cart. 2002; 10: 506-517). This is an interesting study from Canada where they looked at the difference between usual care, meaning all the things you would do for a knee OA patient except viscosupplementation versus another group where viscosupplementation was added. And they found that the usual care group + visco supplementation did better.

So what about repeating treatment? This was one study that looked at patients receiving 5 injections of viscosupplement every 6 months for a total of 25 injections. While the results showed that good safety and positive outcomes, design issues made this study a bit difficult to interpret. (Scali JJ. Eur J Rheumatol Inflamm. 1995; 15: 57-62).

One important bit of information that we can glean from many of these studies, regardless of viscosupplement used, is that the period of maximum onset of relief is @ 5-13 weeks post injection.

Part 2 of this series will discuss more about what the medical literature can tell patients about “rooster comb” treatments.

A simple gallstone flush is all your need to do to avoid having your gallbladder removed. However, only a fraction of the people who have a gallbladder surgery try a gallstones alternative treatment!

If you are scheduled for a cholecystectomy and you recently have been diagnosed with cholesterol-based gallstones, you can try to pass them with a simple, yet effective gallstone flush!

Avoiding Gallbladder Surgery

Unfortunately, surgeons are a lot like dentists! A lot of people dread them! However, gallbladder surgeries have been one of the most popular surgical treatments in the past 20 years. Because of gallstones blocking the bile ducts, millions of people have listened to their doctor’s recommendation and have removed their organ, the gallbladder.

As a natural health expert, I am a little biased about surgeries. I will admit that in some cases a cholecystectomy is the right decision for a few people. But in the majority of patients (especially for those who have only had a few gallstones), a gallstones alternative treatment is a far better choice.

One reason is because you get to keep your God-given organ, the gallbladder. Another reason is because those people who have gotten their organ removed have regular diarrhea because of the excess bile. And thirdly, removing the gallbladder increases your risk of bowel and colon cancer because of the dripping bile that your gallbladder once caught.

Before you go under the knife, you should try a simple gallstone flush!

Secrets for an Effective Gallstone Flush

These secrets for a gallstone flush are intended for patients with a confirmed history of cholesterol-based gallstones. About 80-90% of gallstones are cholesterol-based!

1. Oral Dissolution Therapy- This treatment uses medicines ingested orally to dissolve gallstones. The medicine is actually made from the acid naturally found in bile. The acids work to break down the gallstones in the same way your body would if it was functioning properly.

2. Liver Cleanse – A very effective gallstones alternative treatment is the liver cleanse. This natural remedy works by rewarding your liver for its filtering role of the body. This cleanse will help alleviate the stress being placed on the gallbladder with the excess cholesterol and bile salts that can accumulate with a poor-working liver.

3. Colon Cleanse – A colon cleanse works to flush toxins from the colon. The most effective way to perform a colon cleanse would be to use an enema kit using distilled water and lemon juice. You can purchase a kit at your local drug store.

4. A Water Flush – An extremely effective way to get rid of gallstones is through a water flush. You should drink about 10 – 12 tall glasses of water every day for a period of 2 weeks. The flush will be cleansing your liver and also diluting the bile secretions that can build up and cause gallstones.

Prevention is the Best Medicine

For more gallstone alternative treatments, please visit our website. We have helped thousands of sufferers avoid surgery and pass their gallstones from the comfort of their home.

Our 24 hour, step by step Gallstones Remedy is 100% guaranteed to flush gallstones. As a natural health leader, we encourage you to try a gallstones alternative treatment and keep your gallbladder. To have our report sent to your computer in minutes, please check us out today!