As a patient it is normal to expect a prescription from your doctor that would lead you straight up to a pharmacist. But in some ways, it turns out that not every sickness that makes you stayed glued to your sick bed actually requires some needles or something oral in order for you to get back on your feet. In a crazy kind of way, some doctors have gone extra mile from what would be regarded as a normal method of prescription to a more bizarre forms. Methods that seem ridiculous but actually are a saving grace to many patients.Â
Bibliotherapy
"Bibliotherapy" has been a very effective but not yet a very common method of medical prescriptions. It involves the use of books to treat ailments most especially mental or psychological disorders. In this form of therapy, patients are usually recommended to read a particular type of book prescribed specifically by the doctor in order to server as a method of treatments. They are advised to either read the full book or some specific chapter that would be healing to them. It goes without saying that at times when we feel depressed or stressed, reading some specific books can be very soothing and can brighten our mood.
Gardening
Have you ever taken out time to ask why that old man or that old women in your neighborhood likes farming? do you think is all because of food? maybe or maybe not. Study have shown that gardening is not only a good form of exercise but may also have added benefits. According to experts, working and being in green spaces provides cognitive rest that can help reduce feelings of stress, anxiety, and depressions. Most doctors usually advice patients who have gardens to continue gardening in other to improve their health.Â
Nature
Can anything be more relaxing and soothing than bonding with nature? Nature has a beneficial effect on the human mind and body. Staying alone in the wild while listening to the chirping sounds of birds or the burbling sound of waterfall or the gentle sound of a falling leaf, can be so relaxing and healing that doctors even prescribe it as a form of treatments. It has been known for a while that experiencing nature can help treat an existing condition or reduce the risk of developing several ailments including high blood pressure, stress and anxiety disorder.Â
Placebo therapy
So many patients have recovered from ailments without even realizing they've been on sham drugs. This process is known as the placebo effect or placebo therapy.Â
Whenever you make a complain to a chemist and you are convinced that he/she understood your plights, there is a probability that your health will be restored even when the drugs administered may have no medical effects on your situation.
Placebo is any form of therapy that involves the use of inert substances or treatments even when they have no therapeutic value. The effect of placebo has been shown to work with the patient's trust and how they perceived their condition, that even when the patient is given a drug that has no medical effect or any therapeutic value, the patient still recovers.
So many patients have taken capsules filled with chocolates thinking it was Prozac, yet they recovered.
Studies have shown that having pets around can boost the immune system and can help patients recover faster. Pets in a kind of way are as important as any member of a family. There are several benefits attached to having them around, which includes less stress, increased comfort, a strong willingness to get well, a more relaxed and more receptive attitude to treatment. That is why most doctors urge patients to spend as much time as possible with pets, because these little creatures have a lot to contribute to our lives.