Holistic Health Practitioners vs Naturopathic Doctors

All you need to know about the similarities and differences between these two modalities

You might be wondering if there are doctors out there that can help treat you holistically and naturally instead of the conventional way. Well, there are approximately 6,000 licensed naturopathic doctors in America. These doctors use a holistic approach to help your body remember how to self-heal. 

Holistic medicine has been around for thousands of years and it is slowly becoming more popular around the world. Today, we are going to share with you the similarities and differences these two modalities have. 

What Are The Similarities Between Holistic Health Practitioners and Naturopathic Doctors?

Even though these two modalities have differences, there are also things that they have in common. 

Holistic health and Naturopathy, both use modalities to help heal the body through natural and holistic means. In other words, instead of treating a headache with a pain killer, these modalities will look at the cause of the headache. Is it something that you are eating? Does the headache stem from stress? They both try and treat the symptoms as well as find the cause for the disease or issue that you are dealing with at the moment. 

These two modalities are often used together because they both aim to treat the body, mind, and soul together to ensure that your body is working at its optimal. 

What Are The Differences Between Holistic Health Practitioners and Naturopathic Doctors?

The main difference between naturopathic medicine and holistic medicine is that naturopathic medicine is its discipline of medicine. It has its specific training rooted in natural remedies. Holistic medicine is practiced by physicians with conventional medical training who have a holistic philosophy that centers on a mind-body-spirit approach to medicine.

Holistic Health Practitioners use treatments that are focused on the mind, body, and spirit. They have an outlook that these elements are interconnected. The goal is to bring mind, body, and spirit into coherence. If you can bring these elements together, you can treat the diseases and your body can function at optimal health. 

A Naturopathic doctor uses nature to help heal the body. These doctors use natural remedies to enable the body to self-heal. They will focus on your diet, lifestyle modifications, detoxing the body, and other natural interventions that can help heal the body. Some naturopathic doctors will also use other modalities such as homeopathy and acupuncture to help ‘kick start’ the body’s natural ability to heal itself. 

A holistic health practitioner might use conventional medicine in conjunction with other natural medicines to help care for the body and provide a holistic approach to the healing process. The aim is for them to give you the best results possible and they will use conventional medicine when it is needed. A naturopathic doctor does not often like to use conventional medicine unless you are out of options. 

Conclusion 

TrueHealthcfm has said, “Holistic has now become more of a description of the practitioner’s style rather than a distinct approach to healthcare”. Most practitioners that like to treat their patient as a whole, often use a holistic approach. They turn to natural remedies and treatments to remind the body that it can heal itself. 
Do not forget to tell your conventional doctor what natural remedies you are taking. You need to ensure that you keep all your doctors in the loop of what each one is asking you to do and take.

What Is TMJ and How Can You Treat It

1 out of every 12 people in the United States is currently affected by a TMJ disorder. That means that 12% of the population suffers which equals about 35 million people. 

Your temporomandibular joint is an essential part of your everyday life. It is a complex hinge joint that connects your jawbone to your skull. It is responsible for:

  • Eating
  • Speaking
  • Chewing

If you have a TMJ disorder, this joint is inflamed and often causes a lot of pain. The pain is debilitating and can often be present in the joints, neck and ear area. When it gets worse, you battle to open your mouth and this will affect your lifestyle. 

Today, we will share with you TMJ symptoms, how you can treat the disorder and what can happen if the disorder goes untreated. 

TMJ symptoms 

Signs and symptoms of TMJ can include but not limited to:

  • Aching facial pain and neck pain
  • Pain or tenderness of your jaw
  • Pain in one or both of the temporomandibular joints
  • Pain in and around your ear,
  • Difficulty chewing or pain whilst you chew
  • Locking of the joint- this makes it difficult for you to open and close your mouth 
  • Headaches 
  • Clicking, grating or popping sounds in the jaw when you open and close your mouth 

What causes TMJ?

There are a few things that can cause TMJ. The joint is covered with cartilage and they are separated by a small shock-absorbing disk. This helps keeps the movement in your jaw smooth. Inflammation and injury can cause discomfort to the joint. Other causes include:

  • The joint’s cartilage is damaged by arthritis
  • Joint damage from an injury 
  • Stress and overusing the joint
  • Disk erodes or moves out of alignment 

How can you treat TMJ

Only about 50-60% of people who suffer will seek treatment. Those who do not, continue to live with painful side effects. It is estimated that those who do not treat the disorder, will develop a chronic TMJ disorder. 

Here are some natural ways in which you can help reduce the symptoms of TMJ.

  1. Avoid overuse of the jaw muscles. This will help the joint and muscles rest and recover. 
  2. Eat soft foods and stay hydrated. 
  3. Stretch the muscle and massage can help. A trained professional like a physiotherapist can show you exercises.
  4. Internet between heat and ice. This will help bring down swelling and help increase the healing time. 

A 2010 study shows that TMJ exercises can increase the mouth opening range more than using a mouthguard. 

Conclusion 

In some cases, TMJ disorders can go away on their own. If the symptoms get worse, you should go see a doctor to help relieve the pain and discomfort. 

It is estimated that for every 100 million working adults in the United States, TMJ disorders contribute to 17.8 million lost workdays annually. It is best that you treat your symptoms as soon as possible so that it does not stop you from doing your daily activities like talking to people, eating and drinking. 

To learn more about natural ways to help with your pain, continuing reading the next article: How To Manage Your Chronic Pain Without Popping Pills.

The Benefits a Sauna Has on Your Body and Skin

Everything there is to know about the benefits of sauna, what it does for your skin and how it can help with weight loss

No one is sure when the first sauna was built but the tradition is thought to originate somewhere in Northern Europe around 2 000 BC. It has remained an important part of cultural life to this day and is now becoming part of the natural ways in which we heal our body and maintain a healthy and natural lifestyle. 

A sauna experience is great because it does not only help to relieve sore muscles, it also helps you relax and destress. This will result in a better mental state of mind so you can tackle your hard days ahead. 

In this article, we will share with you the health benefits sauna sessions can provide for your body as well as share some research on how it can help with weight loss and also give you that glowing, younger-looking skin you have always dreamed of. 

What is a sauna?

A sauna is a small room that is heated to temperatures between 150°F and 195°F. Some of them might include rocks that are heated and water is poured over the rocks to help heat up the room as well. Many different types of saunas can be found around the world. The two main ones are:

  • Finnish saunas- These use dry heat
  • Turkish saunas- These saunas have more moisture. They are the ones that will use the rocks to create the steam in the room. 

Are saunas safe to use?

Generally speaking, a sauna is safe for you to use. With that being said, there are times whereby using a sauna is not recommended. You must keep in mind, your body sweats to help maintain a steady core temperature. The longer you stay in the sauna, the more you will sweat. You need to ensure that you stay hydrated. 

Drink water before and after you go into a sauna to help replenish the liquid that you have lost during your sauna session. 

How to use a sauna safely

To ensure that you get the best health benefits from a sauna, you need to know how to use it correctly. This will help keep you safe and make sure that you get the best benefits. 

  1. Length of time
    Most people recommend that you stay in a sauna for 15 minutes at a time. This length will depend on your comfort zone. You might want to start slow and work your way up to 15 minutes. As soon as you start to feel lightheaded, dizzy or dehydrated, remove yourself from the sauna right away. Drink some water and go sit in a nice cool spot until your body temperature goes back to normal. 
  2. Normal temperature ranges
    The recommended temperature for a dry sauna is between 150°F to 195°F.
  3. Cooling down period
    It is important that you give your body a cooling down period. If you are doing more than one sauna session in a day, you need to ensure that you remember this step. Step out of the sauna after 15 minutes. Sit in a nice cool spot, relax and drink plenty of water before you go back into the sauna for your next session. 

There are a few other things you should follow and be aware of:

  • Check with your doctor to make sure that it is ok for you to have a sauna session.
  • Drink at least a full glass of water before and after your sauna session.
  • Do not drink alcohol before, during or after your session 
  • Do not eat large meals before entering the sauna
  • Do not fall asleep in the sauna
  • Get out of the sauna if you feel dizzy or ill

The benefits of a sauna on the body as well as skin 

There are a lot of studies out there trying to prove the benefits of a sauna and how it can help your bodies physically as well as mentally. Some people believe that a sauna helps with their chronic pain and arthritis but this has not yet been proven. Culturally, people believe that adding essential oils to the sauna helps to cleanse the spirit and soul of the person who is in the sauna. They believe that this will result in their illness going away and their body’s feel rejuvenated and restored back to full health. 

The benefits of infrared sauna

Unlike traditional saunas, infrared saunas use lamps to warm your body directly. This means that the lamps will heat up your body long before it heats up the room. 

An infrared sauna works at a lower temperature between 120˚F and 140˚F. People who use these saunas say that: “the heat penetrates more deeply than warmed air. This allows you to experience a more intense sweat at a lower temperature”.

Some of the supposed benefits are but not limited to:

  • Clearer and tighter skin
  • Relief from sore muscles
  • Better sleep
  • Aids relaxation
  • Weight loss
  • Improved circulation 
  • People believe that it helps clear their minds and puts them in a better headspace
  • Can help with anti-ageing treatments  
  • Helps people who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome

A small study was conducted on people who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome. The study found that these people benefited from using an infrared sauna as part of their overall treatment. 

The benefits of using a sauna after your workout

Before you use the sauna after a workout, you should take a quick shower to ensure that the sauna stays hygienic throughout the treatment. 

Using a sauna after your workout will enhance the muscle recovery process. The recovery is enhanced because you increase the blood circulation and carry oxygen-rich blood to oxygen-depleted muscles. Heat also helps the muscles to relax more which will relieve any muscle pain and tension that you might be feeling right after your workout. 

A 2007 study was conducted to see the effects the sauna has on endurance abilities in athletes. The study found that the athletes increased their running endurance after 3 weeks on the sauna program. The researchers assume that the increased blood volume from the heat exposure was responsible for the improved endurance. 

The benefits sauna usage has on your skin

Did you know that your skin is the biggest organ in your body? It is important that we look after our skin for numerous reasons, one being that your skin is a barrier between you and unwanted germs. 

When you sweat in the sauna, it has a cleansing effect on your pores and glands. This will help flush out toxins and impurities in the skin. This results in healthier looking skin that is less prone to acne, pimples and blackheads. 

It has been proven that heat enhances collagen production in the skin. This helps to strengthen and rejuvenate your skin. The heat also helps the skin get rid of unwanted dead skin cells and promotes the growth of newer and healthier skin cells. Collagen also helps to slow down the ageing process. You will look younger for longer. 

The benefits of sauna for weight loss 

Many people turn to sauna treatments to help them with their weight loss journey. This does not mean that you can quit the gym and working out altogether. You can use sauna sessions with your workout routine as a way to help you lose weight. 

 When you sweat, you get rid of unwanted toxins in your body and this can help you lose some excess fat and water weight. The sauna can help your body increase its metabolic rate by up to 20%. This will make your body burn more calories and result in weight loss. 

A two-phase sauna weight loss study was conducted using infrared saunas. The study revealed that by increasing the core body temperature, there was a decrease in body fat. The study said that the participants dropped an average of 4% body fat over four months.  

Using a sauna as well as a healthy diet and exercise can result in weight loss that can be maintained. This is a healthy and holistic approach that you can take to help you during your weight loss journey. 

Sauna precautions and safety tips

  • Get up slowly to avoid getting dizzy. If you feel dizzy or faint, sit down and let your body cool down before you try to get up again.
  • Exfoliate after your sauna session to help get rid of unwanted dead skin cells 
  • If you feeling ill, do not go into the sauna
  • If you are pregnant, it is not advised that you use a sauna
  • If you take medications that aid in body temperature control, do not go into a sauna
  • Take a damp towel in with you to help wipe down your body during your session 
  • Do not shave before your sauna treatment 

Conclusion 

Even though there is a lot of evidence that suggests sauna sessions are healthy for you and provide your body with a lot of benefits, you should always consult with your doctor before you start to take on sauna sessions. 

Make sure that you only use facilities that are clean and well-maintained. Drink plenty of water before and after your sauna sessions and remember to relax and concentrate on your breathing when you are in the sauna to get the mental benefits as well as the physical benefits. 

Takeaways:

  • Always drink a lot of water before and after your sessions
  • Check with your doctor before you start using a sauna
  • Shower before and after you enter the sauna 
  • If you start to feel faint, dizzy or unwell, exit the sauna, sit down and let your body cool off

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