Ethnomedicine/Disease Prevention Practices/Disease Prevention Practices M-P

Meditation

Oftentimes people find themselves stressed out about one thing or another. A good way to help reduce stress is to use meditation. Meditation, when practiced in the correct way, helps to achieve a healthier state for mind and body in many different ways. Some examples of its affects: it decreases the heart rate and blood pressure, affects the metabolism by reducing chemical byproducts of stress (which can be detrimental to physical health) and it induces favorable brain waves. Essentially, meditation leads to what is called the “relaxation response” which is the body’s response to the act of relaxing: certain affects on the respiratory system, brain chemistry, heart rate, and blood pressure. These responses are extremely beneficial to the overall physical and mental health of a human in many different ways including the reduction of stress and strengthening of the immune system. Meditation in its many different forms is found across the global culture, the differences lie in its practices and the cultural understanding of its purposes. There are many different forms of meditation some involving complete stillness while others involve movement. Meditation is simple and inexpensive. It requires only your time and effort. Global Culture

There are different forms of meditation and prayer. Most involve sitting quietly for 15 to 20 minutes, focusing on a particular word or symbol, controlling breathing, and getting in touch with the inner self. Practiced by Eastern religious for centuries, meditation is believed to be an effective form of introspection and personal renewal, and great way of managing stress stress.

Menopause (Keeping It Under Control)

Menopause is something that occurs when a woman reaches her 40s. It sometimes can be a bother and with these tips, it can be kept under control. When experiencing Menopause, it is very important that you avoid caffeine. Instead of starting your day with a cup of coffee, try drinking a small amount of beet juice. Beet juice should be consumed 2 to 3 times daily. The beet juice is used to maintain Menopause and has natural sugars that help you start your day with energy. Not only should beet juice be consumed but also natural soy products. Soy products can be bought at any local grocery store; pure soy products help hot flashes and night flashes stay to a minimum. With these tips, Menopause can be halted and you can go on living as you want. Don’t let Menopause dictate you, you should dictate your own life and Menopause!

Milk

A Glass of Milk

Osteoporosis is a bone disease in which bones become so brittle, due to lack of calcium over time that they fracture or break. Although this disease seems to affect people later in life, actions to prevent osteoporosis can and should be taken before you are 30 years of age. If Osteoporosis is not prevented, the disease can lead to collapsing spinal bones, serious bone fractures, and painful intensive surgery. Just adding more potassium, magnesium and silica containing foods into your diet will save you from much pain and discomfort in the future. Dr. Kervran from France in his books, one of which is "Biological Transmutation", shows that calcium supplementation in the diet is not ever known to approach the inside of the human bones, but does plaque on the outside, causing bone spurs and knobs on ones fingers and other bones.

Although the research into using milk to prevent osteoporosis is fairly new and Westernized, the US Surgeon General’s report on Bone Health and Osteoporosis recognizes the role of nutrients such as calcium, milk has been proven to not help but hurt the formation of new bone. See Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine's research that shows that people who drink 3 glasses of milk a day have more osteoporosis than those who use no dairy. In countries where dairy is not used, there is no cancer, no diabetes and very little heart disease. Milk A-Z by Cohen is another book that shows how dangerous dairy is. One of the dairy executives is quoted in the book as saying that they wish that Cohen was on their side because of the damage his research is doing. All he did was gather the research that shows how many diseases are caused from dairy and publish them in his books!

Weight-bearing exercises, eating blended dark green leafies (not spinach), and not eating more than 4-6 ounces of protein each day will build up bones from the inside. Osteoporosis is not caused from a lack of calcium (we all eat enough, which lines the myelin sheath of our brains and nerves) but from eating too much cooked protein, which is so acid that it requires the buffering action of the calcium, which is withdrawn from our bones, to neutralize the negative aspects of the bone leaching protein.

Morning Spit

Morning spit can cure the warts that grow on your body. A wart is a small, often hard, abnormal elevation on the skin, usually caused by a papomavirus. The morning spit is a key to the cure of warts because is has the fresh bacteria that is in your mouth when you wake up from your sleep. Brushing your teeth kills the bacteria. To make this effective, one must spit on the wart and let is dry before washing yourself every morning until the wart is gone. Within a week or so, one will see a big improvement on the cure to their wart. This is mainly apart of the Western culture because we come from a society that learns things from television and that is how I learned this culture practice. I saw this Western Practice to prevent warts on the discovery channel. No other medicines or practices worked for me, but the morning spit did.

Mouthwash

This liquid contains some alcohol and primarily is used to treat bad breath and also prevent certain bacterial diseases. In general there are three types of mouthwashes. There are antibacterial products that cut down the amount of bacteria in one's mouth. This type kills bad breath and provides a fresh taste in the mouth. The second type are fluoride mouthwashes that improve the fluoride level on tooth enamel. The third are remineralizing mouthwashes that help repair various lesions in the mouth.

Halitosis is the medical term for bad breath. It is estimated that over half the population occasionally has foul-smelling breath. It has been found that bad breath is mostly due to the amount of bacteria in an unclean mouth. It is to be taken once in the morning and once in the evening by the rinses and swishing in the mouth for about 30 seconds after brushing and flossing. It is not recommended to swallow as this can lead to vommiting and dizzyness.

Mouthwashes using tea tree oil (such as Essence's) can work quite well too.

Multivitamins

Multivitamins come in many shapes and forms. From the chewable children's vitamins that are shaped like cartoon characters to simple once a day capsules. Multivitamins help the body stay strong and healthy by supplying it with the vitamins it needs but may not always get due to poor diet. Multivitamins can contain a varied number of different vitamins. Most at least have Vitamin C, B and D vitamins, as well as iron supplements, to name a few. This prevention practice is used most often in more developed cultures such as Western society.

Music As A Mood Elevator

While being sad, or in a bad mood is not a disease, it is always more enjoyable to be happy. Good music, particularly music of your personal choice can have healing qualities in your daily routine. Certain melodies, beats and notes can trigger a mechanism in the ear that lets out endorphins into the brain with quite positive effects. Different songs respectively can either lower or elevate one’s mood. So when feeling stressed listen to some jazz or slower beats. If tired, music with a quicker beat can help to make one less tired. Experiment to find how different types of music will make you feel. There are no risks involved in this disease preventative process.

Nail Care

Ingrown toe nails can be a big problem. In order to prevent nail growth into the skin, make sure to take special care when clipping toe nails. If nails are cut to short they may become ingrown, so to prevent any problems make sure not to cut too close to the skin. Also, be sure that all footwear leaves at least a half inch room for your tootsies to move around. If nails are too close to the end of the shoe, it may also increase the risk of ingrown toe nails. Precautions should be taken on a daily basis, and clippings should be done weekly. These precautions and maintenance of nails have originated mainly in American culture where nail appearance is highly valued.

Soaking your nails in vegetable oil can help strengthen nails from creaking and teari

Nailpolish on the nails can be bad for the growth of the nail, inhibiting is down the road. It can make them weak and turn shades of yellow. Also, everyone likes to pick off nailpolish when it is on but at time is can be difficult and you end up removing parts of the nail. A way to pick off nailpolish, and doing little harm to the nail (except for the fact that there is nail polish on it) is to put a clear coat on first, then your color on top of it. It helps to when you need to remove the nailpolish from the nail, helping to prevent further damage to the nail.

Needles

Acupuncture is the practice of placing needles into the skin in order to heal illness and relieve stress. The needles are no bigger than a human hair and patients seldom feel the insertion. The needles are placed at specific spots along an individuals meridians to stop the blockage of chi that causes illness. The Western medical explanation for the effectiveness of acupuncture is that the needles trigger the nervous system to release hormones and chemicals to the spinal chord, brain and muscles that change how the patient experiences the pain they are feeling or jump starts the bodies coping mechanism with the pain.

Neem

The neem tree is a tree notable for its many preventive uses. Various usages of Neem can prevent diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and also build immunity against skin diseases. One must chew 8-10 neem leaves every early morning for 24 days, and this will protect your body from the above mentioned diseases. This technique has no adverse side effects or risks, and has been used to prevent diseases since ancient times. The neem tree has long been a staple in Indian Ayurvedic medicine, and its medicinal use and properties have been documented since ancient times.

Nose Bleed

A common ailment that many people are bothered by is a nose bleed. The reason that bloody noses occur, other than the obvious trauma, is that the membrane of the nasal passage dries out. The common seasons for the occurrence of the nose bleed are winter and spring/summer. The occurrence of the bloody nose increases in winter due to dry heating in buildings. The allergy season is the other high occurrence time when pollens are at their highest concentration. A simple and obvious way to prevent the bloody is to not allow the membrane to dry. A saline nose spray is an effective, inexpensive solution. If nose bleeds are more persistent another solution is to apply some Neosporin to the inside of the nose using a cue tip. A final more drastic prevention that is also available is cauterization. This can be done by a physician and is usually accomplished using silver nitrate.

Onions

Eating half an onion a day has proven to help kill certain germs in the body that can start to form cancerous cells. Raw onions have also shown to cure such things as gas pains, heartburn, and the juices have been used to treat water retention and stomach disorders. Studies have shown that the phytochemicals found in onions are what help to prevent this cancerous diseases. Using onions as a medicinal cure is nothing new but with new technology comes new discoveries for the vegetable. Other uses for onions include antiseptic wash for wounds. Side affects that may cause people to steer clear of eating half an onion a day include bad breath and self-conscious conversations.

Oranges

Annmarie Corbin's book "Food and Healing" shows that eating oranges decalcifies one's bones. If one would stop eating foods that cause colds (dairy and eggs enculture/breed the viruses and bacterias that cause colds and flu), then there would be no reason to eat a food that has citric acid (a preservative) which requires the calcium be withdrawn from our bones to neutralize it's action and prevent damage to our protective mucus lining. She shows that we should give up eating dairy so that our bones will have a chance to grow unimpeded. When we eat dairy, our body asks for the dangerous citrus in order to dissolve the phlegm which builds up, but in the process, a lot of other damage is done. It's much better, she writes, to give up eating citrus and dairy. One notes that citrus is usually paired with dairy foods, but the resulting curdling of the dairy and the stomach and intestinal pains and toxins that are released into the body, are not worth the combination.

Orange Juice

Why do you suppose that orange juice makers put calcium into their oj? Because oj decalcifies your bones. Read "Foods that Heal" by Annmarie Colbin. Just giving up dairy, eggs and flour will stop the growth of the adenovirus and rhinovirus in one's system that leads to colds and flu.

Organics!

Other than lowering the negative impact on our environment, as well as animals, eating organically also lowers the health impacts that the residual pesticides on the food we eat, may cause us. One of the side effects of ingesting these carcinogenic pesticides such as Diazonin, over a certain extended period of time, is that it inhibits the body’s ability to produce acetylcholinesterase, which allows the body’s nervous system to function properly. Studies have been done which indicate that this chemical can potentially lead to Parkinson’s disease. Eating organically all together can drastically reduce your risk of developing cancer, as it already drastically decreases the amounts of carcinogens that one accumulates in their body.

Playing music/Singing/talking aloud

Few things reduce stress like creating beauty, especially in such a physical way as playing a musical instrument or singing. Stress can lead to depletion of the immune system, making it easier to contract diseases and hindering one's body's ability to fight them. In addition to reducing stress, playing and singing music excercises the body; singing, for example, strengthens the diaphragm, stomach muscles, lungs, and respiratory system in general. The benefits of Excercise are laid out in the section above. Along with singing and listening to music talking aloud can help relieve stress through expression of problems. Though it looks weird talking to ones self can help relieve stress by organizing thoughts and just letting what is bothering you out. Talking to trusted individual such as a friend, family member or doctor about what is stressing you out can really help relieve the stress that is taking over your life. Letting what is bothering you out through talking an effective way to relieve stress. To read more about how this is incorporated into western society follow this link Western society.

Potato Slices

One proven way to prevent dark circles from forming under your eyes is to use potato slices. First peel a potato and cut up a few slices. Next close your eyes, and place the potato slices on top of your eyelids and let them sit for 15–20 minutes. The potassium in the potatoes is the key ingredient that pulls the dark color out from under your eyes. If you want a natural way to rid your eyes of those annoying dark circles, using potatoes is the perfect preventative trick.

Another way to reduce or get rid of dark circles around the eyes are to place cool tea bags under the eye. First, you would have to soak the tea bags in cool water until cool enough then place under eyes for about 10–15 minutes. Other ways that may prevent dark circles under eyes are to drink water daily. Drink a good amount of 8-10 glasses of water a day, get a good amount of sleep (most intend to get about 8 hours of sleep), avoid caffeine and alcohol (or consume less), and do not gain much stress which causes lack of sleep as well.

Some natural assessments that can reduce the darkness of circles are to use cucumber slices that are really cool and place it under the eyes for about 10–15 minutes. Also use moisturizers with avocado oil and/or with Vitamin K or E. Dark circles are a natural cause due to lack of sleep or even stress. Natural looking make-up like concealer may help take the circles away. Each skin tone is different sp if shopping for concealer, it is always good to experiment with different shades and find the right color.

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Prayer

Many religious groups, such as the Christian Science church use prayer to attempt to cure diseases. Other Christians groups, notably televangelists, such as Pat Robertson, regularly use faith healing in their programs. The effects of prayer are often claimed to be therapeutic, and many claim to have been cured of incurable diseases through prayer and faith.

Prayer is one type of meditation meditation is an act o communion with God, or the act of making a relevant petition to God, another object of worship. Silent or spoken petition made to God or a god. Prayer has been practiced in all religions throughout history. Its characteristic postures (bowing the head, kneeling, prostration) and position of the hands (raised, outstretched, clasped) signify an attitude of submission and devotion. Prayer may involve confessions of sin, requests, thanks, praise, offerings of sacrifice, or promises of future acts of devotion. In addition to spontaneous private prayer, most religions have fixed formulas of prayer (e.g., the lords prayer), often recited in group worship. The four prophetic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Zoroastrianism) prescribe a daily set form of individual prayer, such as the Shema, to be recited twice a day by every male Jew, and the Islamic salat, performed five times a day. Prayer can be different when it comes to each and everyone out there, depending their religious beliefs. Having that honest petition time will help overcome stress, be peaceful with self and others.

Prayer Chain

The Lutheran Religion, believes in a practice called Prayer Chain After you become a member of the church you are put on a prayer chain. This chain links all members together and when someone is stricken ill the pastor calls someone underneath his name (usually the studying pastor) and says who is ill and what they have and asks to pray for them. The Studying pastor then calls the person underneath their name to keep this prayer continuum going. The last person on the list calls the pastor. This is an efficient way to get easy 200 people all praying to one God for a person's health. Lutheran rely heavily on this process of faith and prayer. The following Sunday it is made widely known to the church who is sick and then a general prayer is said.

Anointing the Sick

Catholic priests in Rome. Only priests can perform this sacrament.

Throughout the world, as a part of global culture, the Catholic Church, as one of its seven Sacraments, recognizes the rite of Anointing the Sick, which is believed to lift up the sick to God, allowing their illness (of body, mind, or both) to be cured. This ritual is a liturgical and communal celebration, which means it is very ritualized and involves more than one person. The celebration consists of many aspects, but three particularly principal elements: The priest silently lays his hands on the sick; the priest then prays over them as the Church dictates; and then they are anointed with oil. Each time a Christian becomes seriously ill, s/he may receive this sacrament and also when, after s/he has already received it, the illness worsens. It is also seen as a way to bless the dying and absolve them of their sins, so it is commonly performed just before death.

Proper Diet

It prevents you from being susceptible to illness. It's a prevention technique that must be done routinely on a daily basis. The typical times this would kick in are during the morning (breakfast), afternoon (lunch), evening (dinner), and the in between with snacks. The type of diet is dependent on the person and includes multiple factors such as sleeping patterns and exercise routines. It requires knowledge of ones body and an understanding of what healthy food is. Something to consider is conducting restraint because without knowledge one is capable of harming themselves through dieting rather than helping themselves. As far as people who utilize this preventative practices athletes and celebrities are the first to come to mind.