The Chinese people apparently do not believe in taking a lot of drugs. They use a lot of herbs in their foods to prevent diseases and stay healthy. Their Doctors treat them with herbs and massages instead of prescribed drugs and surgery. They in fact believe that the body is able to cure and heal itself.

For years the Chinese have used herbs and the story is told of a Doctor Hua Tuo who anesthetized a patient with a mixture of wine and powdered marijuana. You can see that a mixture like that would surely put one out of touch or in a deep sleep.

You only have to look at the Chinese people and see that they are in better physical shape then most Americans. You will have to search really hard to find a Chinese person who is obese. It also seems that rice is in their diet every day.

The basis for the mixture of the Chinese herbal treatments derives from the ideas of Yin and Yang. They believe that the body must be in harmony with the universe in order to be healthy. Therefore it is all in the state of mind one is in which will determine how well the herbs will work for them. The Chinese have come a long way in their treatment and cures with herbal medicine and they use a variety of treatments. They use acupuncture, and dietary treatments along with the herbs. So they know that a healthy body starts with what it is fed.

Some people seem to get sick more often than others, which may be caused by a weak immune system. Building a strong immune system will reduce the amount of time and money that sick days can cost. For starters, pump up your nutrition by eating three meals a day, including breakfast. Five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, foods high in fiber, appropriate portion sizes, and drinking plenty of water are keys to a balanced diet. Drinking 100% fruit juices is a good way to increase your vitamin intake.

Getting adequate sleep is vital to an immune system that functions well. Sleep helps our concentration and ability to remember. Plan to get eight hours of sleep a night and try to maintain a regular sleep schedule. Habits like smoking, overeating, and excessive alcohol drinking all weaken your immune system and can put you at risk for other diseases.

A key strategy for dealing with stress is to "get moving." Regular exercise can help you deal with stress, keep your weight down, sleep better, increase your energy level, and battle a cold or the flu. Research has shown that getting outdoors for at least 20 minutes away from recirculated air and heat energizes us.

Perhaps the single most important thing you can do to prevent illness is to wash your hands frequently. If you work with children, work in the service industry, use public transportation or restrooms, washing your hands frequently is the simplest and most effective piece of advice to receive and pass on to others.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the best way to prevent illness is by practicing good health habits. The Center states that "the single best way to prevent seasonal flu is to get vaccinated each year." Modern medicine can be a miraculous thing, especially when we take advantage of its benefits and get the vaccines that are available.

Traditional Chinese medicine has been in existence for thousands of years. It includes herbal medicine, acupuncture, dietary treatment, massages of several kinds and keen observation of bodily functions. All of these are derived from the idea of the body has an intimate relationship with the environment on all levels.

In America, traditional Chinese medicine is considered an alternative medicine and is not totally accepted by the medical field. In many countries in the Far East, it is accepted as the common practice of medicine and highly regarded by many. TCM doctors in America must be licensed. Some colleges are in the United States such as the Dallas Oriental Medicine School in Dallas, Texas and the Pacific Oriental School in California. Arkansas, Florida and several other states also offer training.

Traditional Chinese medicine encompasses a great deal of material. Doctors must know the correct herbs to treat different parts of the body. It must be noted that herbs and synthetic medicines will sometimes conflict with each other so the doctor has to understand the basic chemistry of the herb he is using. Acupuncture (Zhen Jiu) is a type of TCM that helps to work in harmony with the body's natural healing ability through the use of fine needles placed in various places on the body. Foods are classified by their energetic values rather than the caloric or fat value. TCM works with this knowledge for dietary healing. The various massages offered by traditional Chinese medicine fall in the acupressure (Zhi Ya) category. Doctors may specialize in one form of TCM rather than try to do all of the types. Tai chi is an ancient form of exercise that helps the body stay in "synch" and is also another form of TCM.

Every day we are exposed to millions of germs. Oftentimes we neglect to wash our hands before preparing food or when near someone who has a cold or cough. These are times when we become exposed to bacteria and viruses that can make us sick, but most of the time we don't become ill and can fight off illness because of our incredible immune system.

Cancer is a disease that manages to defeat the immune systems of some people. The body's immune system is a very complicated system made up of many different kinds of cells. Your immune system is a network of cells, tissues, and organs that has a job to defend you against infectious invasions or bacteria. Even though we possess this amazingly designed immune system, sometimes things go wrong and we still get sick.

Most cancer risk factors are lifestyle related or come from our environment, and therefore cancer is a preventable disease. More than 30% of all cancer is preventable by avoiding risk factors such as smoking, obesity, low fruit and vegetable intake, physical inactivity, alcohol, sexually transmitted infection, and air pollution.

Good nutrition is necessary to build up the immune system while poor nutrition tends to cripple the immune system. Researchers believe that eating large amounts of protein such as found in animal products can contribute to a weakened immune system. Fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, mushrooms, freshwater fish such as salmon and mackerel tend to increase the production of antibodies that protect the body. Paying attention to good nutrition is important and sensible.

For a long time researchers have observed the positive effects of exercise on the immune system. On the other hand, it is well known that high levels of stress suppress the immune system and reduce the body's ability to defend or repair itself. Meditation, relaxation techniques, and yoga along with other exercises are believed to strengthen the immune system.

There are two main kinds of disease known as chronic and acute. Chronic diseases do not appear over night rather they take time to appear, they can be either serious or mild, and often reappear. The acute diseases develop quickly with serious or mild symptoms but they remain only for a specific amount of time. There are various way to prevent terminal illnesses but all are associated with leading healthy lifestyles.

Exercising for at least 15 minutes daily, eating healthy, reducing your junk food intake, monogamous relationships, going easy on alcohol consumption, quit smoking, including additional fiber in your diet to 14 grams per 1000 calories eaten, getting plenty of sleep, and other common sense practices. Associate with others who elevate your spirits and maintaining a positive outlook on life increases your life’s longevity. Finding out your family medical history and ridding the chronic inflammation issues one by one. Avoid air pollution both in and out doors. Annual physical checkups are important and finding a doctor who believes in prevention and natural health assists you in monitoring your own health.

One preventative measure as well as a healing source is your vitamin C intake. Typical vitamin C intake should be 4 to 15 grams every day for those who have good health. People with serious illnesses need to increase the vitamin C to 200 grams per day or beyond to obtain your bowel tolerance level. Those who are terminally ill must use 80 to 90 percent dosages of vitamin C. Your bowel tolerance stool needs to be formed and not runny. As you begin to heal then you decrease your vitamin C intake. Vitamin C is safe and not toxic at most every dosage level and eradicates the free radicals and restores your health.