The Growing Field of Natural and Alternative Health Care. 

People from every walk of life are discovering the healing power of natural health care. Americans and people throughout the world are looking to natural health to find answers in both prevention and the treatment of disease. A 2010 article in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that 45% of Americans sought the advice and treatment of a holistic health doctor within the previous year. CNBC stated that 50+% of Americans see holistic providers each year and the number is growing. 70% of Americans surveyed stated they would seek the advice of a holistic provider if their medical doctor was unable to help them. The large majority (85%) of those who use alternative health care say they would return and continue this type of treatment.

Medical science has noticed this huge shift in public opinion of holistic health care. The National Institutes of Health have started testing the effectiveness of a wide variety of alternative practices including herbology, homeopathy, dietary therapies and acupuncture. Chiropractic was considered to main street to be included. Harvard even offers courses in natural holistic medicine. All of this is leading to a much deeper understanding of what health really is and how we can attain it naturally.

Health, according to natural health care providers, is a condition of wholeness and balance were body, mind and spirit work in harmony and in equal proportions. In this state the body is at optimal health and most capable of self healing. This form of health care is patient based. No one can create balance in another persons life. We must look at our lives and find our own imbalances and make corrections where needed. A holistic healer can help us find foods, herbs and treatments that can help, but at the end of the day, it is up to us to bring balance to our lives. I will be posting a series of articles on holistic remedies for various common conditions so stay tuned.