Have you ever tried a natural or herbal remedy to cure a condition or possibly for everyday usage? Some people think of herbal remedies are a ruse to lure people in and buy products. However now a days even medical doctors are realizing the benefits of natural herbal remedies. Herbs have been in use for over 5,000 years with several different cultures including Sumerian, Greek, Egyptian, Arabian, Roman, German, Swiss, and English.

The western culture has been using herbal medicine for thousands of years making herbalism one of the oldest forms of medicine. Additionally it is possibly one of the most widespread medicines with about 80% of the worlds population still using herbal medicine. Herbal medicine unlike conventional medicine is not only used for treatment of symptoms or conditions. Herbal medicine advances illnesses and illnesses, maintains proper daily body functioning and improvements mental attitude, appearance and performance. Herbal remedies can be used to help in areas such as digestion, respiratory, circulation, immune, endocrine, nervous system, detoxification, and externally for the skin, hair and nails. Herbal experimentation has been the basis for both Indian herbal medicine known as Ayurvedic and Chinese herbal medicine.

Chinese herbal medicine reflects Chinese belief that the universe is made up of energy called chi. Additionally human beings have an innate relationship with the world and environment surrounding them through chi; the human body is a small universe within itself made up of complex systems of energy and matter that works to maintain health of body and mind. Chinese herbal medicine is the primary therapeutic modality for internal medicine in China. This is used in conjunction with external modalities such as acupuncture, acupressure, massage, tai chi, meditation, dermabrasion and food therapy. With over 500 Chinese herbs, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) combines herbs to create specific formulas to fit the individual patient.

Indian herbal medicine also known as Ayurvedic medicine and is the oldest organized system of medicine. Today we classify it as a complementary and alternative medicine but to Indians is known as the divine medicine due to its long history. Ayurvedic is grounded in the understanding that the universe and the body are composed of five great elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether. Additionally Ayurveda stresses the importance of balance through three elemental energies. Everyone owns these energies or doshas as they are known. These doshas are important because when they are balanced within the body, then you are healthy, but when they become imbalanced the body possesses diseases. Ayurveda stresses the importance of a healthy metabolic system, proper digestion, and proper excretion to lead to vitality. In addition exercise, yoga, meditation and massage keep the external body. Therefore, Ayurvedic medicine addresses the body, mind and spirit as a whole for perfect health.

Herbal medicine no matter where it is being used derives from the earth's plants. A natural remedy can use any part of that plant, the root, the stem, the flower, the seeds, even the liquid inside the plant. This is why there are so many herbs that exist because from each plant there can be several different herbs extracted and several different uses as well. Herbal remedies come in all types of forms such as a pill, capsule, gel, ointment, cream, liquid, oil, or tea. Many common herbal remedies can be found right under our noses in our very own kitchens. Such as garlic, cinnamon, ginger, peppermint, tumeric, and chamomile tea. Herbal supplements can be taken togetherly or mixed together to achieve a specific result. Common conditions that have found relief through herbal remedies include angina, arthritis, skin care, thyroid, urinary tract infections and many more. New products are coming out that help for additional problems such as smoking cessation, removing unwanted hair, and eliminating wrinkles.

The switch to herbal and natural medicine has been a long and slow process, however the population as a whole has shown a shift from traditional medicine with prescriptions and nasty side effects to natural, organic products. With more and more healthcare practitioners promoting more natural ways to relieve symptoms, herbal medicine is making its official debut into modern medicine. Why wait to go see a doctor to get a prescription that costs outrageous amounts of money that could cause them additional symptoms? Natural herbal remedies can be bought at the local store or you may already have it in your kitchen cabinet. So why not try a natural herbal remedy to treat your problem? It may change the way you live your life.

Source by Sarah Labdar

The prevalence of "Autism" is increasing day by day. Autism spectrum disorder is only detected after 1-2 years of age and there is no indication that your child might be autistic before this age. Some of the factors that are increasing the chances of the child becoming Autistic may be due to changing lifestyle, imbalanced diet, canned processed food, stress, vaccinations, also increased habit of smoking and drinking especially in women. As old belief goes "PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE" Autism can be prevented by being little cautious and leading a healthy life style.

Precaution starts from day you start planning for a child. The moment you start planning start Folic acid supplement (dosage as per your physician's advice), folic acid is one of the major vitamin which helps prevent neural defects. Next utmost important step to be taken is STOP SMOKING AND HARD DRINKS. Avoid junk food, canned processed food, aerated drinks and canned juices. Avoid red meat and minimize non vegetarian diet, include fresh water fish to other sources of sea food. Drink plenty of water minimum 2.5 to 3 liters of water a day. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Include nuts and seeds like Brazilian nut, hazelnut, walnut, pecans, almonds, flaxseeds, sesame seeds, black dates in your daily routine.

Once you conceive, make sure you eat a balanced diet in terms of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Of course need for each nutrient increases and is different in different trimester of pregnancy. Consult a Qualified Nutritionist who will guide you through your pregnancy. Try to do activities that keep you happy and help you sleep well, take care of your self, avoid high heels – be careful not get into an accident. And DO NOT FORGET "NO SMOKING AND HARD DRINKS".

Post delivery; make sure you BREAST FEED your child for one year. As Breast Milk is the best and a complete Nutrients available to your infant. Do not self diet to lose weight and get in shape, while you are breastfeeding feeding your child. Eat a well balanced diet, consult a Nutritionist she will advise you. Remember what you eat will go to your child through breast milk. When your child is six months old introduce food in their diet along with Breast feeding; your child is growing and only breast milk will not suffice their needs. A Qualified Nutritionist will be the right person to advise the food that suits your baby.

Feed your child a balanced home cooked food till they are 7 year old. Do not introduce junk food, aerated drinks, canned, ready to eat processed food till the age of 7 years. This will help improve their immunity and help build a strong healthy base for a healthy life ahead.

Source by Dr Varsha Patel

According to Wikipedia, it is a brain development disorder that impairs social interaction and communication and causes restricted and repetitive behavior, all starting before a child is three years old.

Another definition states that it is a neurodevelopmental disability, which in normal language is a condition that affects the normal growth of the brain so that the individual has difficulty with day-to-day living.

Autism is one of the five pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), which are characterized by widespread abnormalities of social interactions and communication, and severely restricted interests and highly repetitive behavior.

Asperger syndrome is another and is a milder form of autism. The main difference in autism and asperger syndrome is that asperger syndrome has no substantive delay in language development.

Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors, which may or may not be evident in infancy (15 to 24 months). Usually these behaviors will be more obvious during early childhood (24 months to 6 years).

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) lists some behaviors that might indicate further evaluation is recommended.

These are:

• Your child does not babble or coo by 12 months
• Does not gesture (point, wave, forgive) by 12 months
• Does not say single words by 16 months
• Does not say two-word phrases on his or her own by 24 months
• Does not want to cuddle or be cuddled

Below you will find some of the Characteristic Behaviors that are more obvious in children 24 months and older.

Significant difficulties with social interactions:

• Has difficulty developing relationships with peers
• Lack of interest in playing with other children (prefers being alone)
• Has difficulty making eye contact with others
• Shows little body language or facial expressions when interacting
• Seems uninterested in sharing experiences
• Engages less in give-and-take social interaction with others
• Inability to share with others

Speech, language, and communication impairments:

• Lack of conversational reciprocity
• Inability to understand or use facial expressions and body language
• Lack of speech, impaired speech or unusual speech
• Echoes words or phrases (echolalia)

Significant difficulties in the development of play:

• May use only parts of toys
• Lines up or stacks objects
• Obsessive attachment to objects
• Lacks the ability to pretend play

Unusual responses to normal environmental sensory stimulation (hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity), involving sight, hearing (auditory), taste, smell, touch (tactile), proprioception and vestibular senses are quite common and predominant in automatic children.

These senses are known as sensory integration dysfunction . In sensory integration dysfunction also known as the sensory processing disorder (SPD), the senses are not correctly interpreted by the nervous system. In this situation, the world is perceived differently for this child than it actually exists for neurotypical individuals.

Because the nervous system tells the body how to react to this incorrect information, the behaviors are inappropriately for the given situation.

Some examples of these might be:

Vision:
(Hypersensitivity)

• lack of eye contact
• distracted by clutter
• agitated with patterns or too many colors

(Hyposensitivity)

• needs a visually stimulating environment (objects that spin and move)
• tends to look directly into the lights

Hearing (auditory):
(Hypersensitivity)

• Easily bothered by noises that may even cause an experience of intense pain

(Hyposensitivity)

• May not respond to sounds, including hearing their name when called

May make lots of noises (humming, tapping, etc.)

• Might be insistent on the TV or radio being very loud

Taste:
(Hypersensitivity)

• Gags easily
• Prefers not to mix foods
• Has difficulty with certain textures

(Hyposensitivity)

• Tends to constantly have something in the mouth (fingers, objects, or food)

Smell:
(Hypersensitivity)

• May cause nausea, vomiting, and headaches
• May cause agitation

(Hyposensitivity)

• Desires strong aromas
• May sniff people and other objects inappropriately

Touch (tactile):
(Hypersensitivity)

• Needs large personal space
• May be sensitive to some fabrics, seams and even tags
• May have a dislike of touching certain textures
• Dislikes being touched
• If bumped or pushed, could become unusually angry

(Hyposensitivity)

• Prefers small spaces
• May not notice if they are hurt or injured

Proprioception:

• Seems clumsy and uncoordinated

Vestibular:
(Hypersensitivity)

• Due to gravitational insecurity, will have difficulty on stairs or escalators
• May develop motion sickness easily

(Hyposensitivity)

• Will seek movement and be in constant motion (rocking, spinning or swinging)

Repetitive stereotypic behavior known as stimming (may involve any or all of the senses to various degrees in different individuals)

• Shows interest in very few objects or activities and plays with them in repetitive ways
• Performs repetitive routines and resists changes in these routines
• Spends time in repetitive movements such asaving a hand in front of his / her face, rocking, spinning, or pacing

Below are some examples of these:

• Visual – staring at lights, blinking, gazing at fingers, lining up objects
• Auditory – tapping fingers, snapping fingers, grunting, humming
• Smell – smelling objects, sniffing people
• Tactile – scratching, clapping, feeling objects, hair twisting, toe-walking
• Taste – licking objects, placing objects in mouth
• Proprioception – teeth grinding, pacing, jumping
• Vestibular – rocking, hand waving, twirling, spinning, jumping, pacing or other rhythmic, repetitive motions

Difficulties in managing the child:

• No real fear of dangers
• Tantrums or no apparent reason
• Aggressive behavior
• Self-mutilation / abusive behavior such as head-banging, self-biting, and self-fitting
• Laughing and / or crying for no apparent reason
• Showing distress for reasons not interested to others
• Apparent insensitivity to pain
• Inappropriate response or no response to sound
• Non-responsive to verbal cues – acts as if deaf

The child's development and abilities will seem very uneven – very poor skills in some areas, and exceptional abilities in others, such as music, memory, arithmetic, calendar arithmetic, drawing or manual dexterity – in the manipulation of puzzles and mechanical objects. Those displaying such skills are sometimes referred to as Savants.

There are two other characteristics found in children with autism. These children will tend to have issues with sleep and with stomach problems that can cause chronic constipation or dirrhea.

Now, having any of these characteristic behaviors does not mean your child has autism. It is, however, recommended that a child displaying any of these behaviors should be seen by a professional who is knowledgeable about autism.

For more information on Autism, please visit my website, found below. You will find pretty much everything you will want or need to know about autism and how to deal with it via the many resources, articles as well as videos found there.

Source by Saylor Niederworder