Natural Health Remedies

Natural Remedies for Common Health When it comes to illness, you cannot make a wise choice about treatment options unless you first know the cause of your problem. Despite this fact, the most common approach to healthcare for Christians, as well as the general population, is modern medicine; also known as the allopathic model. Allopathic medicine is popular because it emphasizes quick fixes and symptom relief, even though it typically neglects the real underlying cause.

Biblically speaking, we should always look for solutions on the road less traveled which leads to life, as opposed to the easy road which often leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). Allopathy is the broad road, while the natural approach to healthcare is the narrow road because it emphasizes personal responsibility, a change in habits, and sometimes suffering along the path to true healing and wellness. Here are a few natural solutions to some very common health problems which take into consideration how God designed your body.

Poor Digestion: Indigestion, Heartburn, Gas, Bloating and Constipation
Bad digestion is a worldwide epidemic, and becomes more common as people get older and produce fewer digestive enzymes. Overeating, eating highly processed foods, and poorly combining foods all cause digestive challenges. Also, if you have ever taken antibiotics without following up with a good probiotic to replenish healthy bacterial cultures in your gut, you will have chronic difficulties with digestion. Here’s the simple solution: cut down on processed foods. Eat more whole, live foods. Don’t eat too much of any one type of food (protein, carbohydrates or fat) at any meal, as to not overtax your digestive capabilities. Also, take a good digestive enzyme supplement and DO NOT use antacids as they will destroy your health. Instead, try celery to neutralize acid reflux.

Fever, Colds, Flu
Feed a cold, starve a fever? The truth is you should fast in both circumstances. Not eating allows the body to garner all of its resources to help you recover. Fevers, runny nose, coughing, sneezing, vomiting, etc. are all detoxification symptoms. Symptoms are actually your body’s solution to the problem, not the problem itself. For instance, when your body needs to clean itself from infection, it raises its internal temperature to “burn off” the offending bacteria. If you reduce the fever with medications, you reduce your body’s ability to heal. Rest your body by fasting and DO NOT suppress the naturally occurring healing symptoms by using drugs.

Weight Gain: Overweight and Obesity
This is the number one health risk in America today. It affects over two-thirds of adults and, if you are one of them, puts you at high risk for dying prematurely. One cause is the overeating of nutritionally deficient foods which never satisfy the body’s needs. This leaves the body starving for nutrients and thereby always “hunting” for food. The other main contributing factor is a diet that is too high in bad fats, like trans-fats, oxidized fats and unnatural animal fats, and not high enough healthy fats from nuts, seeds, coconuts, fish, organic eggs, raw butter and grass-fed beef. Decades ago, the media push for a low-fat diet had no scientific basis, and has led our entire population to develop problems burning fat as well as maintaining energy and hormone balance. The solution is a diet high in whole foods and healthy fats and low in processed carbohydrates, along with a consistent exercise program.

Low Energy: Hormone Imbalance, Depression, Anxiety and Chronic Fatigue
Hormones are the chemical messengers produced by the endocrine system. They work by activating specific receptors that trigger desired responses. The heavy burden of environmental toxins to which we are all exposed has caused a dramatic insensitivity of these receptors to your natural hormones; in many cases natural hormone production is disrupted. The most common hormones affected are thyroid, testosterone and progesterone. On the other hand, estrogen effects have increased due to a mimicking effect of toxins. These hormone imbalances contribute to so many health issues including depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue and low energy. The solution is to detox the body from environmental toxins, and add to a sufficient amount of healthy dietary fat which is required for adequate hormone production.

Chronic Pain: Headaches, Migraines, Back and Neck Pain
Various types of headaches and back pain are so common that nearly 100% of all people living in the western world suffer from them at some point. Of course, there is a broad range of types and causes but, as a general rule, the vast majority can be managed or permanently remedied by natural chiropractic care. The simple explanation is that chiropractics help improve the structure and health of the spine, which enhances function of the central nervous system which then, in turn, regulates the entire body so it can remain in balance the way God created it.

Diabetes
Adult onset diabetes is almost entirely caused by poor lifestyle choices. There is some genetic predisposition to the disease, but even then it only expresses itself after a lifetime of diet abuse. The number one cause is a diet too high in processed carbohydrates. As you age and continue to barrage yourself with processed carbohydrates and sugars, you become less sensitive to insulin, which means you need more to do the job. High insulin levels cause high fat storage and obesity. Then the pancreas eventually burns out from overworking and thus produces insufficient insulin. The solution is a diet high in healthy fats that will provide the clean source of energy you need, as well as the appetite satisfaction that will help you stay away from those bad carbohydrates. Add a consistent exercise program and you are well on your way to solving your diabetic problem. Yes, most diabetes, especially Type 2, is curable; so don’t just believe that you need to be on medication the rest of your life!

Arthritis and Osteoporosis
The overwhelming cause of inflamed joints and bone loss is a body that is too acidic. The Standard American Diet (S.A.D) yields primarily acid byproducts in the blood. Acids cause a leaching of calcium from bone and joint inflammation. Too many processed foods, too much white flour and sugar, and way too many chemicals all contribute to acid stress. Plus, the combination of too much protein and far too few alkaline minerals are both very damaging to the bones and joints. Finally, a diet loaded with inflammatory Omega 6 fatty acids and too few Omega 3 fatty acids (which combat inflammation), all contribute to the typical American profile: weak bones and joint pain. The solution is a whole food diet that is filled with fresh fruits and veggies, with few processed foods and lots of healthy fats. Add in a good source of ionic minerals and exercise and you have the recipe for healthy bones and joints.

Have you noticed throughout this article that your diet and lifestyle are both the cause and the solution to most common health problems? The broad road leads to destruction, while the narrow road leads to life. It’s time to take personal responsibility. Go natural and take the road less traveled, the narrow road to true health.

Dr. Jeff Hazim is a Chiropractor and nutritional counselor practicing in Ft. Lauderdale (www.TheBrowardCenter.com), and Executive Director of “Biblical Health Television,” the only TV network devoted to Biblical Health (www.BiblicalHealth.tv). Weekly Radio Broadcasts: www.BlogTalkRadio.com/BiblicalHealth

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