This post is intended to make us all think about our daily health maintenance - to make us think about how easy it is to just cover a health problem and not get to the source of it. As a child, my mother was committed to the use of herbs and natural resources for self-healing. I bet most of you haven’t tried the good onion syrup remedy to stop your coughs. Trust me I did!

Lately I have been studying liquid herbal extracts which I use frequently. I have been using liquid herbal extracts for the past 7 years and haven’t needed any medication or antibiotics during that time. I prefer Herb Pharm products which are made of 100% organic herbs. You can get them in liquid tinctures, capsules and soft gels or powder and oils. You can choose.

Go take a look at their website at http://www.herbpharm.com. Additionally, you can find more information on herbal uses and therapies at http://www.herbaled.org.

Herbal medicine has been with us for centuries. In fact, the Chinese Emperor Shen Nong (The Divine Farmer) wrote the first recorded herbal study, called the Shennong Bencaojing, around 2,000 BC. He is known for a multitude of innovations such as seed preservation and a dietary revolution (he advocated a vegetable-focused diet) and he tasted hundreds of herbs. The document contains descriptions and information for 300 plants. That is pretty impressive!

With tradition herbal medicine, the herbalist is concerned with treating the patient, not the disease, contrary to many modern scientific medical practices. Modern medical science classifies symptoms into collective categories and gives them names. It then tries to cure the patient by treating the symptoms. The herbalist approach seeks to improve the overall health of the patient and by identifying and removing the underlying causes of the disease.

Herbs are not a remedy by itself; they can only do so much. Like any other method of healing and healthy living, our lifestyle needs to be evaluated and adjusted if needed. The combination of a healthy diet, exercise, and proper rest are for sure the most favorable situation influencing our health and when coupled with herbal therapies can promote healing and better overall health where modern medicine may fail.

I am not saying to quit seeing your doctor, instead I am advocating we be responsible for acquiring valid health information and to choose alternatives where appropriate and to also recognize when professional healthcare is needed!

Harmony, Health, and happiness is my way of life!