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Natural medicine? Did you think all medicine is the same? There are so many terms out there such as alternative medicine, complementary medicine and natural medicine -- so what is the difference? "Alternative" medicine is a term used for healing modalities used in place of standard medical approaches. It is a practice such a ayurvedic, naturopathy, tradtional chinese medicine, chiropractic or osteopathy. This is not an intentional replacement but stems from the fact that a patient may be looking for an alternative to the standard approach of using medical drug related strategies. "Complementary" medicine is an approach where the patient uses and acknowledges both the guidance of the medical doctor and the perspectives of an additional modality approach to maximize their chances of gaining wellness and conquering their disease. For example a medical doctor will assess and treat a sports injury and then the patient may see a chiropractor to re-align their recovering body structure and nervous system and then may see a naturopath to learn tools and remedies to manage the stress, maximise nutrition or enhance healing of the injury. Ideally all modalities should work together and collaborate as a team applying their particular expertise for the best outcome of patient. So what is Natural Medicine? Well, it can be used by both a certified naturopathic practitioner and medical doctors if they wish. Medical doctors who prescribe natural medicine often call themselvs functional or integrative doctors offering drug based treatments in addition to natural medicine approaches acknowledging there are benefits of using both. "Natural medicine" however is the actual medicne or remedy used to assist in supporting and enhancing one's own inner healing abilities. It consists of natural plant based extract combinations that offer healing actions that are customised to the patients needs. It has also been named botanical medicine and herbal medicine and should be prescribed by someone with credentials and experience in using it just as a medical doctor prescribes drugs. Certified Naturopaths and medical Herbalist have studied each plant, its make up , and its physiological action to know how to apply it towards healing used in conjuction with or as an alternative to traditional drug based approaches. They have learned how to identify any incompatibilities with drugs and will only prescribe the safest options that have been studied and researched on their effectiveness. Evidence Based What is difference between a medical drug and natural medicine or medical herb? First let's state that medical drugs are one of the most amazing inventions of mankind. Their abilities have given us the great opportunity of extending our lives and health years beyond our ancestors. They give people who would otherwise have a miserable diseased life the opportunity to have normal lives without worry. But just as anything they aren't perfect and may be used with tradeoffs and side effects. Any new drug is introduced for use in the market after much research and clinical studies. The same goes for evidence based natural medicine where the plant's effectiveness has been proven and supported by research. A qualified naturopath or herbalist will be aware of the results behind the research giving them good reasoning and validity toward utilising that plant medicine for the patient. For example, clinical studies have shown that the extracts of the lovely Globe Artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) has liver and gall bladder protecting actions along with in more recent research showing potential to kill off breast cancer cells [1]. The extract root of the beautiful Peony flower (Paeonia lactiflora, L.) contains a make up to help with inflammation and women's hormone balance. [2]. ... and there are many more amazing plants that can be our medicine. "Constituents" - meaning "being part of a whole". That is the term used when referring to the individual active chemical substances contained in plants. A syntheisis of various constiuents in a plant will make up its healing abilities. For instance the constiuents making up the Chamomile (mmmsp) plant are bisop.....& ... It is the synergy of these working together that give Chamomile its soothing qualities to help reduce inflammation, assist in relaxation and be used on the skin for eczema. [3]. Sometimes there is only one constiuent that presents the healing action such as with the popular Tumeric root which has been researched to reduce inflammation and protect the liver. The single constituent that creates this healing action is curcumin. or curcmannoid... Now the beauty of working with so many constituents containing various healing actions is that the extracts or infusions of these plants can be mixed together to create one unique medicine to address various ailments. Reference: 1. 2016, Artichoke extracts are showing concentration-dependent hormetic and cytotoxic effects on breast cancer cell lines, http://studiauniversitatis.ro/pdf/26-2016/26-4-2016/6-%20SUVG-%20S.V.-%20423-433.pdf 2. Peony (Paeonia lactiflora, L.) Monograph http://cdn2.webninjashops.com/ariyahealth/product-download/hepae25_sl1.pdf

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