(WellnessPursuits.com) – We all know the benefits of modern medicine, like antibiotics helping with infections and vaccines helping with viruses, but there are times when modern medicine alone isn’t enough and can benefit from the addition of tried and true age-old supplements.
For some common conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart health, weight loss or digestion, natural medicines may enhance your results when taken properly and/or in conjunction with medicine recommended by your doctor. Keep in mind that you should always check with your doctor before starting or adding any of these alternatives to your regimen. Here are some examples of natural options your doctor may recommend for these conditions.
High Blood Pressure
If you’re on high blood pressure medication, you may be surprised to learn that there’s more you can do to help boost their effectiveness naturally. Six common herbs that may help lower your blood pressure include basil, cinnamon, cardamom, flaxseed, garlic and ginger. In addition to possibly helping with blood pressure, they’ll also make your cooking more interesting without having to resort to excess sodium.
Heart Health
This is one area where prevention is significantly better than a cure. To keep your heart healthy, supplements and natural options, such as omega 3 fatty acids, green tea, pomegranate, magnesium and potassium may help with heart function.
Weight Loss
Herbal medicines for weight loss can be safe and effective supplements to standard medical care, with your doctor’s approval. For example, cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, which may boost your metabolism and reduce hunger hormones. Similarly, studies have shown that fenugreek supplements may increase feelings of fullness and decrease daily fat intake. Other herbs that may help you lose fat and/or weight include ginger, turmeric, black pepper, ginseng, cumin, cardamom and cinnamon.
Digestive Health
Have you ever had a doctor prescribe probiotics along with antibiotics when you’ve had an infection? This is one of the best examples of how natural medicine, in combination with modern medicine, can provide impressive results for digestive health in some circumstances. The antibiotics fix the illness, while the probiotics help with the GI issues they cause. Other examples of this are doctors suggesting ginger to patients with nausea or peppermint tea for an upset stomach.
The first line of defense should always be checking with your doctor and following his or her recommendations for treating your condition. But it’s quite common for those recommendations to include natural medicine. The reason? Some of them really work!
~Here’s to Your Healthy Pursuits!
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