Our body is the single most important wealth everyone owns. Treat it nicely and responsibly. Every single part of our part is there for some reason and benefits ourselves in one way or another. Think twice before removing it by surgery. The most common examples are tonsil and gallbladder, which more and more studies realize their function and contributions to keep a healthy body. Tonsil is the first protection in fighting cold or some respiratory diseases. Without it, the bacteria/viruses/xie qi will go directly to respiratory organs, and often cause more severe symptoms. The gallbladder is even more important to our body. It stores and excretes bile, which helps our body to break down the fat in the food. In acupuncture, gallbladder channel is one of the major 12 channels in our body. Without it, the negative effects are apparent. For example, people who removed it will never be able to enjoy bacon.

Another example is replacement of certain part of our body with metal and/or plastic counterpart, e.g. knee-replacement, hip-replacement. This kind of operation certainly benefits people really need it. However growing percentage of such surgeries seems to be too seductive, especially among younger patients (< 65-year-old). People are often attracted by the so-claimed easy and promising procedures without first looking for other alternatives. Thus the benefits out of such procedures are far less significant in these patients than in those who really need such surgeries. Please remember such operations are not reversible, and think twice before making the decision. In TCM, there are various ways treating the conditions (e.g. arthritis) that may require knee- or hip-replacement, including herbs, acupuncture, Tuina and massage. Please consider such alternative ways before the irreversible surgery.

Useful links:

New York Times article about knee-replacement

Now a days, talking pills seems a thing as natural as having meals for some people. Do they really need that? Probably not. It’s not a doubt that certain drugs save lives. However this is mostly the case for acute diseases, for many chronic ones prescribed medicine is far from curing the disease rather than controlling the reading of some medical indices with side effects of potential damage to one’s liver and kidney. The more effective and safe way might be as simple as eating more vegetables. Well, it is actually not as simple as it sounds to be though. It means in some sense a change of one’s lifestyle. A strong mind is a must, and professional help is often needed to provide safety and effectiveness guidelines on a balanced diet.

In some cases, cancer can be cured by modifying one’s diets and lifestyle. Dr. John McDougall is one of the pioneer who strongly believe the effects of daily nutrients on diseases, and practice “diet and lifestyle medicine” on his patients. You can go to his websites to learn more about his way of curing. Ruth Heidrich is one of Dr. McDougall’s patient, and a survivor of stage IV breast cancer cured by proper diet changes and daily nutrient intakes. Consider to explore alternative medicine for your illness, and you may be surprised on the effects.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is another example of alternative treatment for some chronic health problems. Studies have shown that it can sometimes as effective as medication for reversing the deficits associated with chronic ailments. It is also shown that HIIT can be safe and more enjoyable as well as more efficient in preventing and treating the chronic illnesses.