How to Use Holistic Medicine to Avoid Surgery

Surgery is a very invasive and traumatic procedure for the body. Holistic medicine may help you avoid it. By treating the whole person, including his or her emotional, spiritual and physical needs, and not just a condition, holistic medicine strives for a healing that's not so invasive. Follow these steps to learn more about the alternative or complementary medical treatments not often prescribed by conventional Western medicine.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer with Internet access
• Natural medicine reference book

Educate Yourself on the Facts

1. Use a good reference book on natural alternatives to surgery. Try Paul Barney's "Doctor's Guide to Natural Medicine: The Complete and Easy-To-Use Natural Health Reference from a Medical Doctor's Perspective" (see Resources below). It's fairly comprehensive. It provides an overview of alternative forms of treatment

2. Get a second opinion if you're advised to have surgery, unless it's an emergency procedure.

3. Treat skin disorders with alternative medicine to avoid going under the knife. There is some evidence that nutritional remedies can help you avoid surgery for skin disorders.

Prevent the Need for Surgery

4. Make foods rich in antioxidants and Vitamins A, C and E part of your daily diet. In case you do need surgery, these foods will help with a speedy recovery.

5. Avoid eating saturated fats. Saturated fats have been linked with many disease states, some of which are commonly treated with surgery.

6. Use stress management techniques to stop and prevent stress. Stress is implicated in many diseases and reducing it may help you avoid surgery. Stress, for example, can exacerbate chronic conditions like colitis that are sometimes treated with surgery.

7. Get involved in some form of exercise. Yoga and tai chi are often included in holistic health regimens. Learn more about tai chi at MayoClinic.com (see Resources below).

8. Visualize a healthy and happy you. There is some evidence that a positive attitude and visualization can play a role in reducing the incidence or severity of disease.

Tips & Warnings

• Holistic treatments are usually considerably less expensive than surgery. Not all of them may be covered by your health insurance plan.
• Don't avoid surgery if your symptoms require immediate medical attention. For example, if you're showing signs of a heart attack, or if you're having trouble breathing, get immediate medical attention.

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