Western medicine frequently uses herbs like digitalis and even opium to treat many of the medical complaints and illnesses of the average, modern person. Digitalis is actually a plant from the Scrophulariaceae biological family and is closely related to the common English foxglove plant. Opium is used to create many pain medications commonly prescribed for hospital patients; it is created from seed pods of the opium poppy.

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There is some reason for caution on the part of the medical community: many of these herbal remedies have not been tested thoroughly by the FDA. However, many people claim that they will continue taking these herbal supplements despite the opinion of the FDA. So who is right? Many holistic practitioners feel that anything that seems to work does, in fact, work; therefore, there is no harm in drinking an herbal tea or taking a supplement to support and boost one’s immune system.

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There are many different diets that are commonly prescribed by alternative medicine practitioners for those patients with regular complaints. Patients with diabetes and acid reflux are often put on diets to help improve their conditions. For more serious illnesses like cancer, more strict diets are enforced. Many people have had incredible luck beating cancer by using a macrobiotic diet. Other people who have complaints of fatigue, weight gain, or just general poor health can often benefit from a detoxifying or cleansing diet. It is important to follow a medical professional’s advice when trying a diet, so be sure to check with your practitioner before starting any restrictive diet.

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More than one in nine children and teens try those remedies and other non-traditional options, the government said Wednesday in its first national study of young people’s use of these treatments.

Given that children are generally pretty healthy, the finding that so many use alternative medicine is “pretty amazing,” said one of the study’s authors, Richard Nahin of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

The sweeping study, made by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggests about 2.8 million young people use supplements.

Kids were five times more likely to use alternative therapies if a parent or relative did.  The same study showed that more than a third of adults use alternative treatments, roughly the same as in a 2002 survey.

The researchers included the following in their definition of alternative medicine: acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic, yoga, Pilates, deep breathing, massage, and even dieting – so their definition was quite broad.

Vitamin and mineral supplements are not considered alternative medicine, nor are prayer or folk medicine practices.

Herbal remedies are the leading type of alternative therapy for both adults and those under 18.  Among kids, such therapies were most often given for head or neck pain, colds and anxiety.  Body aches and insomnia were other top reasons.

Fish oil for hyperactivity and echinacea for colds were the most popular supplements.

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So how is this possible? Researchers have found that the way a person deals with stress greatly affects their ability to deal with illness and, as a result, they can successfully ward off severe chronic illness. It is thought that just by changing the outlook on everyday stressors � such as having a sense of humor about backing the car out of the garage with the door open � can improve a person’s overall wellbeing. This also applies to people who already have chronic illnesses: there is a better survival rate among patients with positive attitudes than in patients with depression.

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