Natural treatments for well-being

• DEFINITION: Treatment that improves a person’s overall sense of wellness through resolving specific medical conditions.
• PRINCIPAL PROPOSED NATURAL TREATMENTS: Ginseng, multivitamin-multimineral supplements
• OTHER PROPOSED NATURAL TREATMENTS: Ashwagandha, Astragalus, dehydroepiandrosterone, Eleutherococcus, garlic, maitake, “natural” thyroid hormone, reishi, Rhodiola rosacea, magnolia vines (Schisandra), selenium, shiitake, spirulina, suma, various alternative therapies, vitamin B₁₂, yoga

Introduction

It is one of the cardinal principles of natural medicine that treatment should aim not only to treat illness but also to enhance well-being or wellness. According to this ideal, a proper course of treatment should improve the sense of general well-being, enhance immunity to illness, raise physical stamina, and increase mental alertness; it should also resolve specific medical conditions.

While there can be little doubt that this is a laudable goal, it is easier to laud it than to achieve it. Conventional medicine tends to focus on treating diseases rather than on increasing wellness, not as a matter of philosophical principle but because it is easier to accomplish.

One strong force affecting wellness is genetics. Beyond this, commonsense steps endorsed by all physicians include increasing exercise, reducing stress, improving diet, getting enough sleep, and living a life of moderation without bad habits, such as smoking or overeating. However, it is difficult to make strong affirmations, and the optimum forms of diet, exercise, and other aspects of lifestyle remain unclear. They may always remain unclear, as it is impossible to perform double-blind, placebo-controlled studies on most lifestyle habits.

Principal Proposed Natural Treatments

Although no natural treatments have been proven effective for enhancing overall wellness, two have shown promise: multivitamin-multimineral tablets and the herb Panax ginseng.

Multivitamin-multimineral supplements. To function at their best, humans need good nutrition. However, the modern diet often fails to provide people with sufficient amounts of all the necessary nutrients. For this reason, the use of a multivitamin-multimineral supplement might be expected to enhance overall health and well-being, and preliminary double-blind trials generally support this view.

For example, in one double-blind study, eighty healthy men between the ages of eighteen and forty-two were given either a multivitamin-multimineral supplement or placebo and followed for twenty-eight days. The results showed that using the nutritional supplement improved several measures of well-being. Similarly, an eight-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of ninety-five people with careers in middle management also found enhanced well-being. Furthermore, several studies have found that multivitamin-multimineral supplements can support immunity in older people. General nutritional supplements may also help improve stress responses.

Panax ginseng. Asian or Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) has an ancient reputation as a healthful tonic. According to a more modern concept developed in the former Soviet Union, ginseng functions as an adaptogen. An adaptogen helps the body adapt to various stressesheat, cold, exertion, trauma, sleep deprivation, toxic exposure, radiation, infection, or psychological stress. In addition, an adaptogen causes no side effects, is effective in treating many illnesses, and helps return an organism toward balance. From a modern scientific perspective, it is not truly clear that such things as adaptogens actually exist. However, there is some evidence that ginseng may satisfy some of the definition’s requirements.

Several studies have found that ginseng can improve one's overall sense of well-being. For example, such benefits were seen in a twelve-week double-blind trial that evaluated the effects of P. ginseng extract in 625 people. The average age of the participants was just under forty years old. Each participant received a multivitamin supplement daily, but for one set of participants, the multivitamin also contained ginseng. The level of well-being was measured by a set of eleven questions. The results showed that people taking the ginseng-containing supplement reported significant improvement compared to those taking the supplement without ginseng.

Similarly, positive findings were reported in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of thirty-six people newly diagnosed with diabetes. After eight weeks, participants taking 200 milligrams of ginseng daily reported improvements in mood, well-being, vigor, and psychophysical performance that were significant compared to the reports of control participants.

A twelve-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 120 people found that ginseng improved general well-being among women aged thirty to sixty years and men aged forty to sixty years but not among men aged thirty to thirty-nine years. This finding may support the traditional theory that ginseng is more effective for older people. Similarly, a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of thirty young people found marginal benefits at most, and a sixty-day, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of eighty-three adults in their mid-twenties found no effect.

In addition, ginseng has shown some potential for enhancing immunity, mental function, balancing blood sugar, and sports performance. These are all effects consistent with the adaptogen concept. Usually, between 100 and 600 milligrams of ginseng is recommended for well-being and is safe for daily use. However, some research indicates individuals taking ginging supplements should take a break from them for two to three weeks every few months. Ginseng is also available as tea, sweet treats, gum, and many other forms.

Other Proposed Natural Treatments

Besides P. ginseng, certain other herbs are regarded as adaptogens, including Eleutherococcus senticosus (Siberian ginseng), Rhodiola rosacea, ashwagandha, Astragalus, suma, Schisandra, and the Asian mushrooms maitake, shiitake, and reishi. Meaningful supporting evidence for their benefits, however, is scant. In one of the better studies, a small, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of R. rosacea, the herb seemed to improve physical and mental performance and sense of well-being in students under stress.

Although garlic is not generally regarded as an adaptogen, one study found that garlic powder (but not garlic oil) enhanced well-being. However, another study failed to find such benefits with garlic powder.

So-called green juices made from such substances as spirulina and wheat grass are widely marketed for enhancing well-being. A double-blind study found that the use of one such product improved general vitality, but so did placebo, and the differences between the outcomes in the two groups were marginal. Though green juice may be a health myth, improving one's diet by adding nuts, seeds, fatty fish, fruits, vegetables, and plenty of water while limiting processed foods and sugary drinks may improve one's overall health.

Levels of the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) naturally decrease with age, and for this reason, DHEA supplements have been widely hyped as a kind of fountain of youth. However, several studies have found that DHEA supplementation does not improve mood or increase the general sense of well-being in older people. Also, a smaller study failed to find evidence that vitamin B₁₂ improved the general sense of well-being among older people with signs of mild B₁₂ deficiency.

A relatively large (about five hundred participants) double-blind study also failed to find selenium helpful in older adults. However, further research found selenium helped maintain cognitive well-being by regulating hormones, aiding the immune system, and fighting oxidative stress. Too much or too little selenium negatively impacts well-being.

In some branches of alternative medicine, low levels of thyroid hormone are believed to be a common cause of impaired well-being. As part of this theory, it is said that the most commonly used medical form of thyroid replacement therapy (thyroxine, also called T4) is inadequate. Supposedly, better results are obtained when T4 is taken with the thyroid hormone known as T3, often in the form of “natural thyroid” extracted from animal thyroid glands. However, a double-blind study of 110 people designed to test this theory failed to find combined T3-T4 more effective than T4 alone.

Practitioners and other proponents of yoga have long claimed that its gentle stretching exercises, special breathing techniques, and deep meditative states enhance overall health. While research is conflicting, many well-designed scientific studies have found positive benefits for yoga in maintaining well-being, particularly in older adults. Yoga has been shown to aid in mobility and balance, maintain cognitive health, and limit cellular aging. It also provides a social outlet and supports mental health.

Various forms of meditation have been noted to improve well-being, such as mindfulness meditation, spiritual meditation, focused meditation, movement meditation, and mantra meditation. The American Heart Association recommends twenty minutes of meditation daily to help reduce blood pressure and stress and improve sleep. Further, research indicates that spending time outside in green spaces improves mental well-being, so practicing meditation outside or spending a dedicated amount of time outside each day exercising, relaxing, or socializing may improve overall health.

Numerous other alternative and complementary therapies are claimed to improve overall wellness, including acupuncture, Ayurveda, chiropractic, detoxification, homeopathy, massage, naturopathy, osteopathic manipulation, Reiki, Tai Chi, therapeutic touch, and traditional Chinese herbal medicine. However, there is little meaningful evidence to support these claims.

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