Health – Intro
Health care costs and availability were already major problems for many millions of people in the United States. And that was in the good old days before the economy collapsed.
Now it’s worse. So anything you can do to look after your own health—and that of your family members—is vital. Of course it was always a good idea to look after your own health, and to treat minor problems in a healthy natural manner, but now it’s imperative. In many cases, if you don’t do it, it won’t get done. And if you don’t do it now, it can turn into something that you can’t deal with.
If you still have access to standard, mainstream medical health care, congratulations. Make the most of it. But for those of you who don’t, or who prefer to supplement, or replace, mainstream modalities with alternative methods, you’ll find many ideas here.
Millions of Americans use natural and alternative methods of healing. Not all of the methods work, at least not for everyone. And there no doubt exists quacks, and frauds, and pseudo-science treatments. But so what? What we’ll talk about here are inexpensive or free methods of self-healing. We’ll try to pick ones that are safe, but remember that any treatment, even natural herbs, can have negative effects with some people or in excess (whatever that means) quantities.
A number of popular, and apparently successful, forms of healing are done by trained practitioners. Many of these probably will cost you money, unless you run into some particularly caring and compassionate practitioners who don’t need the money. But remember also that you have skills, services and things that you might be able to offer in trade. Trade is, and will remain, a major factor in the new reality.
Most of the self-health ideas provided here involve low-cost, readily available items. Some require specialized, though relatively inexpensive, equipment. We are unable to know what might or might not be available in your area, but we’ve done what we can to suggest a wide range of options.
We have not included a large number of alternative methods such as acupuncture, reiki and others, because those require specialized training. We do not encourage novices to stick needles in themselves. If you have access to alternative healing practitioners, great. Use them if they’re available and you can afford them. For the rest of us, we provide techniques that you can do on your own or with a few instructions. For example, you may initially not be an aromatherapy expert, but you can at least start working with basic principles and techniques on your own.
Some of the methods given here may provoke great passions. Some people will think highly of some of the suggestions, and consider other techniques to be outrageous quackery. If you see a health technique you don’t like, please don’t let us know. We don’t care. If you don’t like it, don’t use it. Somebody else might find it useful.
Because, like cockroaches after a nuclear war, lawyers still exist in this new reality, we must provide the usual cover-your-ass statement declaring that we are not prescribing any form of medical treatment or advice, that we are merely providing information for educational and research purposes, and that you should always check with your physician before embarking on any health treatment program, even one performed solely by yourself.
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A community dental care manual designed to help people care for their teeth and gums. [book]
A community health care manual. Vital information on diagnosing and treating common medical problems and diseases, giving special emphasis to prevention. Includes sections detailing effective examination techniques, home cures, correct usage of medicines and their precautions, nutrition, caring for children, ailments of older individuals and first aid. Translated into more than 90 languages. [book]
