Need Alternative info (doctor, prescription, diet, vitamins)

[florida.bob]

Need some suggestions from this board as to what you might consider reliable Alt Med options people have to protect or even repair their health. I have very little knowledge on the subject and need some direction as to where to learn. And thank you Boss for your earlier submission, but I apparently broke some posting rules and that thread is no longer open. If you would please pass that info along to me again, I would appreciate it.

[Miborn]

What kind of alt med are you talking about modalities or medication type?

[florida.bob]

I feel the best form of health care is prevention thru diet and lifestyle and the best way we can treat diseases when they arise is thru a combination of traditional medicine and complementary alternative medicine. Currently the only source of what seems to be reliable info on the alternative side is nccam.nih.gov web site. It appears to be somewhat limited in scope and I think some of the readers of this board could direct me to info sources that I can research.

[6 FOOT 3]

Do you mean like specific web sites for general info or just general talk on city data forum here with different members??

Numerous Alternative Medicine health sites listings.
American Alternative Medicine Listings and USA Healthcare Source

[florida.bob]

I am trying to keep the information on the site as reliable as possible. Thus far I have not been able to find very many supplements that provide much reference to independent evidence based support of their specific product. Some do borrow research from general studies on the value of some of their ingredients, but I would like to be able to feel some confidence that those nutrients are active and viable. So any info you all can provide, would be appreciated.

[ShepsMom]

You need to do research on knowledgeable herbalists, and go from there. There are tons of books on alt. medicine, you just have to look for them. As far as if they work or not, that's another question, i'm sure they do and many people go alt. rout vs. medication.

[florida.bob]

I do think Traditional Medicine and Complementary Alt Medicine can be effective, but certainly not one to the exclusion of the other. Certainly if you have a need for specific drugs you need to be aware of any conflict with any herbal option you are taking. You and your doctor should discuss that. Getting specific evidence based evaluations on herbal products, at least I have found, is difficult to get.

[Niners fan]

A good place to start is a book called Prescription for Nutritional Healing. It is very commonly used in the industry and is available at most health food stores. It has a ton of info about herbs, vitamins, minerals, aminos, specialty ingredients and recommendations for many different conditions.

[max's mama]

Gosh, actually there is a lot of alternative type of medicine outthere:

Naturopathic Doctors
Homeopathic Doctors
Chiropractors
Acupuncturists
Herbalists (usually specialize in Traditional Chinese Medicine)

It depends on specific conditions. Some of them are more knowledgeable and reliable then others. You need a good referral.

If you want to just improve your diet and overall well-being without treating any specific conditions, you can consult Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioners. They don't specialize in treating diseases, but they are great in just improving overall health.

There are sooo many books I want to recommend, depending on what you are looking for. Actually I will second "Prescription for Natural Healing", that's a good very informative book, but there are many others too.

[rubyskye]

Originally Posted by florida.bob

Need some suggestions from this board as to what you might consider reliable Alt Med options people have to protect or even repair their health. I have very little knowledge on the subject and need some direction as to where to learn. And thank you Boss for your earlier submission, but I apparently broke some posting rules and that thread is no longer open. If you would please pass that info along to me again, I would appreciate it.

I'm recommending the book "Nutritional Almanac" by Gayla J. Kirschmann and Jonh D. Kirschmann.
Here's a little blurb about it (link below) that speaks about the content and value of this book and also recommends that you get the 4th edition because apparently the 5th edition has not gotten favorable reviews.
I've had the second edition (or it may be the 3rd ... not with me at the moment) for many, many years and it is a wealth of information.
Nutrition Almanac
Another excellent book that you may want to find is "Healing With Whole Foods" by Paul Pitchford. I don't know which edition is preferable ... i think that i have the first one.
Amazon.com: Healing With Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition (3rd Edition): Paul Pitchford: Books