Homeopathy is a difficult concept to grasp. How do you cure someone of an illness by giving them a tiny concentration of something that can actually cause the disease? One would think that this would simply make the person even more sick.
But, according to proponents of the science, homeopathy not only works, but is much more effective than conventional medicine. They claim that conventional medicine only suppresses the immune system and prolongs the illness.
There are actually quite a few homeopathic products in your local pharmacy. The FDA requires that homeopathic products indicate what kind of product it is somewhere on the packaging. The easiest way to tell what kind of product you are buying is by examining the list of ingredients on the back or the on the side of the packaging.
With homeopathy, all of the ingredients are diluted, so each ingredient in such a product has the letter "X" after it. So, if one of the ingredients is "Zinc 20X", that means the product contains Zinc that has been diluted 20 times. One of the most popular cold medicines on the market, "Zicam," is actually a homeopathic remedy that consists of diluted zinc in the form of a nasal gel.
There are homeopathic remedies available for almost every condition. Cold, flu, allergy, even bedwetting; there is a homeopathic remedy available for almost every condition.
Homeopathy is universally recognized as being safe, as the ingredients used are natural substances diluted many times over. Because there is such a small concentration of the ingredients, many opponents of the science, including the drug companies that make conventional medicines and are afraid of the growing popularity of natural medicine, claim that any relief an ill person receives after using a natural product is the result of the placebo effect.
Since the FDA does not require most natural products to undergo clinical testing before being sold to the public, the detractors feel that it does not actually work. So, who is telling the truth? Does homeopathy really work or is it a bunch of nonsense?
In my opinion, it works. There have been several clinical trials done over the years to test the efficacy of homeopathic products. Liddell Laboratories makes a product called Vital HGH. Vital HGH is designed to treat the symptoms of aging and/or a rundown condition.
In a small clinical trial performed years ago, a group of test subjects who were deficient in human growth hormone, ranging in age from 45 years and up, were given the Vital HGH formulation. The results speak for themselves. During the five month clinical trial, the levels of HGH in the blood increased in every test subject, and more than doubled the average level of HGH.
Homeopathy does work. I speak from personal experience. I used such a remedy to deal with the allergy attacks I was having, and the medicine not only stopped the attacks faster than the Claritin I had been taking previously, but it also prevented subsequent allergy attacks.
So, why is there a controversy? Well, there is a public perception that homeopathy is the same thing as holistic healing or faith-based medicine. This is simply not accurate.
Homepathy and natural medicine in general make big drug manufacturers worry that such products might be more effective for treating common illnesses as opposed to the more expensive prescription versions that make the pharmaceutical companies rich. Most natural products are incredibly cheap. A prescribed conventional medicine costs a lot more.
If the public began demanding natural remedies to treat their ailments, drug companies would have to make these kinds of products to stay in business, and then their profits would shrink. Imagine if Pfizer had to stop manufacturing Viagra, which they sell at $20-$30 per pill, and instead make a homeopathic product that would retail for only $20 for a one month supply.
This is why drug companies often spend significant amounts of money to debunk claims that homeopathy works, using a wide variety of misinformation tactics to instill a belief in the public that natural medicine is is not effective for treating common ailments.
I am not saying that you should discontinue the use of conventional medicines. But, next time you go to the pharmacy, take a look at some of the natural brands on the shelf and give them a try. For common ailments that are not life threatening, a homeopathic product is probably a cheaper and more effective alternative.
Banners up? Cookies distributed? No, I'm not inquiring about the success rate of your local church fair, but rather about the effectiveness of your online marketing strategy. Internet marketing is fast becoming one of the most important advertising mediums around and to miss out on the benefits of Search Engine Optimization could have dire consequences for your business. The simple truth is that a business which doesn't have an online presence in this digital age might as well be invisible.
Many business owners, particularly those with a brick and mortar presence in the market place, prefer traditional media like print, radio and television ads. The biggest factors deterring business owners from employing search engine marketing experts to optimise their websites include, respectively, distrust and cost. When you think about it, this does make sense in a way ? how much money would you be willing to fork out for an internet marketing campaign if you were told that the results could take up to three months to be noticeable? It would take some convincing to get your chequebook out, wouldn't it? The following facts might change your mind.
Let's explain it by means of an example. Say for instance XYZ Events Coordinators has a website lacking optimisation for key phrases web users would type in to get hold of their services i.e. ?wedding planners?. This will mean their target audience will be unable to find them online when researching the kind of service XYZ provides. Being invisible to search engines will mean that XYZ will have to spend a lot of money doing outbound marketing, pouring their valuable marketing resources into things like direct mailing, print ads or television and radio advertisements.
Although tried and tested, all of these traditional modes of advertising share a common denominator ? they are intrusive. When you use this kind of ?push? marketing you are forcing your message on your target audience, a tactic that is fast becoming redundant as consumers wise up to traditional advertising strategies. In contrast, when you spend your time and money making your website more search engine friendly you will be able to communicate directly to people who are already looking for the kinds of products and/or services you provide. This is good because you'll no longer have to influence your target audience's way of reasoning, you merely have to merge with their current way of thinking. In essence you are reaching the very people that are looking for the information you have. What could be better than that?
Furthermore, SEO represents a long-lasting approach to marketing that employs an actively evolving medium. An online marketing strategy is also a far more affordable option for small to medium businesses than traditional advertising mediums usually are. The costs for a direct mail campaign, for example, can significantly add up over time; while a single television advertisement can consume a small business owner's marketing budget for the entire year. On the other hand, if a small business starts off by optimising their website early on in their developmental phase they could run a good SEO campaign, a business blog and a PPC program for the same amount of money it would cost to run a single medium-size print ad for 20 days a month.
That said, traditional advertising media still has, and will probably always have, a firm foothold in the market place. The point is to be open to alternatives. If your current marketing campaign is not working, SEO could make a world of difference. If it is, a good internet marketing strategy could ensure you get an ever bigger slice of the pie. Why not give it a try?
Both Jim Pretin & Robert Thomson are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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