Find The Alternative Therapy And The Alternative Course Therapy That Suits You

Acupressure

Acupressure is a combination of finger pressure and acupuncture and is considered by some to be the forerunner to acupuncture. Acupressure comes from China and from Japan and is still used widely in homes there today by many families.

Acupuncture forms a large part of traditional Chinese medicine, which also incorporates herbalism, dietary therapy, t`ai chi and moxibustion.

Moxibustion, in case you didn’t know, is a small cone of powdered Moxa, a drug derived from the dried herb lugwort.

It is applied to an acupoint, either at the top of an acupuncture needle or directly on the acupoint itself. The Moxa is ignited, giving off an aromatic smell and sending warmth and stimulating the acupoint beneath.

The theory behind acupuncture embraces the concept of “CHI” the life force in your body, in the air that you breathe and the water that you drink. An invisible but all powerful, all sustaining energy, the unseen force all around and within us.

According to this line of thought, dual flows of energy exist in the body, the Chinese call them yin and yang.

Essentially acupuncture involves inserting extremely fine needles into the skin at specific points known as acupoints, which can be used to alter the balance of energy throughout the body.

It can be both a holistic treatment designed to alter the body’s own natural healing energy and bring about well-being, good health and long life.

Or it can be used more specifically, as in Western acupuncture to treat particular complaints, such as pain, arthritis or insomnia. The acupuncturist assesses the condition of your internal energy grid by feeling two radial pulses on the arm near your wrist, checking your tongue, your eyes and many other visual clues.

In this way the acupuncturist can detect any disturbances or imbalance in your body. Once the therapist locates the meridian that needs rebalancing and thus the actual points, a needle is inserted into that acupoint to stimulate or soothe the energy.

The acupuncturist usually places needles into a few points, leaving them for various lengths of time or twirling them, depending on your condition.

It is only mildly uncomfortable and there is little pain, nowhere near as it looks or sounds.

Acupuncture has been used for the cure of nearly every condition known, producing very immediate and dramatic results in some cases.

The Alexander technique was developed by Frederick Mathias Alexander who was an Australian actor working at the very beginning of the twentieth century.

He developed a chronic voice problem that affected his performance on stage. Alexander sought medical help but to no avail.

Intrigued as to why this was only a problem when he was on stage, he carried out detailed self-investigation to discover the cause. Using mirrors to watch what he did when he spoke, he came to the conclusion that it was his posture that was at fault.

He came to believe that the relationship between a person’s head, neck and spine was the key to how the rest of the body functioned. He called it the “Primary Control” and when it worked in balance and harmony it had an invigorating effect on the whole person. He concluded that mind and body are connected and interdependent, always affecting one another.

Do you sit with your legs crossed? Are you slouched down on your chair? Do you throw your head back when talking? Or forward when walking.

By correcting negative compensating patterns of attitude and physical movement, we can treat and prevent all sorts of conditions.

Alexander realized that unless you discovered the root cause, the unconscious bad habit behind your ailment, treatments would only alleviate the symptoms temporarily. The Head, Neck and Back are the essential indicator of a persons overall state of psychosomatic health and well being.

When tension, strain and stress occur, the natural reaction is to tense the muscles, pull the head back and narrow the back. A sort of primeval response designed to prepare us for a Fight or Flight.

The Alexander technique teaches pupils to inhibit this response in order to maintain perfect balance.

The technique involves learning a complete discipline of postural control, which can over-ride what our senses may falsely be telling us, and abolish chronic bad habits.

The Alexander Technique also involves appreciating the impact of stress and tensions engendered by modern lifestyles and taking steps to modify these to prevent further problems. A bad habit like crossing your legs or a slouching posture, with your weight on one leg more than another, are so long standing and unconscious that they feel absolutely natural and easy to you.

The Alexander Teacher teaches very subtle adjustments and positions to encourage correct co-ordination, posture, poise and alignment.

You simply learn how to change harmful positions into healthy ones. How to use your muscles with maximum effect and minimum effort.

Aromatherapy is currently the fastest growing of all the complementary therapies, and the sale of aromatic oils is a very big business.

Aromatherapy is not a modern invention; it has been found that the ancient Egyptians regularly used oils, also by the ancient Greeks and the Romans.

In to-days modern world we have rediscovered the beneficial effects that can be induced by inhaling the potent fragrances of plants and flowers, or applying them to the skin. Aromatherapy literally means “treatment using scent.” The therapy exploits the various healing capacities of essential plant oils, which may be derived from petals or other parts of the flower, from twigs of trees, from fruit, bark, seeds or grasses.

The plant oils consist of tiny droplets in the plant material, which are given off in greater concentrations in particular seasons, and at certain times of day or night. These are called “The Essential Oils.”

Each essential oil is thought to possess certain individual properties capable of producing a useful therapeutic effect in us. The oils are divided into three main categories: Uplifting, Balancing and Calming.

The basic principle of aromatherapy is that it is a holistic therapy. It is designed as a treatment to enhance psychological and physical health, and to promote emotional and somatic well being. The oils are usually applied by massage but can also be used in inhalation therapy, in baths or in the form of cold compresses applied directly to the skin.

Aromatherapy is one of the most important components of a health programme and regular treatments will help to encourage an experience of sublime well being in a way few other therapies can.

An alternative medicine I am becoming very interested in is an ancient healing method called Reiki.

Reiki, The Ancient Alternative Therapy