Do you believe in alternative healing practices? I do. I have personally benefited from acupuncture, chiropractic, and balneotheraphy/hydrotheraphy treatment.

Here are some alternative and complimentary healing practices for you to consider:

• Acupressure:  Practitioners use their hands, elbows or feet to apply pressure to points along the body’s “meridians.” Meridians are channels that carry life energy (qi or chi) throughout the body. This reasoning holds that illness can occur when a meridian is blocked or out of balance. Acupressure is thought to relieve blockages, so energy can flow freely again, restoring wellness. More research is needed, but some pilot studies have found positive results: Acupressure might decrease nausea for chemotherapy patients and reduce anxiety in people scheduled to have surgery.
• Acupuncture: Though “acupuncture” may immediately bring needles to mind, the term actually describes an array of procedures that stimulate specific points on the body. The best-known technique consists of penetrating the skin with thin needles. Some studies have found it helpful for chronic pain and depression.
• Aromatherapy: Aromatherapy uses essential oils (concentrated extracts from the roots, leaves, seeds or blossoms of plants) to promote healing. The oils can be inhaled, massaged into the skin or in rare cases taken by mouth, and each has a specific purpose. Some are used to treat inflammation or infections and others are used to promote relaxation. Some studies suggest aromatherapy might reduce pain, depression, and anxiety.
• Ayurvedic Medicine: Also known as ayurveda, ayurvedic medicine originated in India centuries ago. Practitioners use a variety of techniques, including herbs, message and specialized diets with the intent of balancing the body, mind, and spirit to promote overall wellness. Studies of ayurveda are few and far between because the practice includes such a wide variety of treatments, so it’s difficult to determine how effective it is.
• Balneotherapy: Also known as hydrotherapy, balneotherapy involves the use of water for therapeutic purposes. It’s based on the idea that water benefits the skin and might treat a range of conditions, including acne, pain, swelling and anxiety. Practitioners use mudpacks, douches, and wraps in attempts to reap water’s rewards. Proponents of the therapy cite findings that water might boost people’s immune systems, through research remains inconclusive.
• Biofeedback: Biofeedback techniques are intended to help people to control bodily processes that normally happen involuntarily such as heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension and skin temperature, in order to improve conditions including high blood pressure, headaches, and chronic pain. Patients work with a biofeedback therapist to learn relaxation techniques and mental exercises. In initial sessions, electrodes are attached to the skin to measure bodily states, but eventually the techniques can be practiced without a therapist or equipment. Researchers still aren’t sure how or why biofeedback works. It seems that it relieves stress. People who benefit from this practice have conditions that are caused or exacerbated by stress.
• Chiropractic: Chiropractic focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, including pain in the back, neck, joints, arms, legs, and head. The most common procedure performed by chiropractors is “spinal manipulation” or adjustment, which involves applying controlled force, typically the chiropractor’s hands, to joints that have become “hypomobile.” The idea is that joints’ movements become restricted when surrounding tissues are injured. Chiropractic adjustments of the affected area are intended to restore mobility and loosen the muscles, allowing the tissues to heal and the pain to resolve.
• Homeopathy: Homeopaths gather extensive background information on patients before prescribing a highly diluted substance, usually in liquid or tablet form, to jump- start the body’s natural systems of healing.
• Naturopathy: Naturopathic medicine is premised on the idea of the healing power of nature. Naturopathic doctors are trained in both conventional and alternative medicines, and seek to understand the cause of a condition by exploring its mental, physical, and spiritual manifestations in a given patient. Naturopathy typically involves a variety of treatment techniques including nutrition, behavioral changes, herbal medicine, homeopathy and acupuncture.
• Reflexology: Reflexology involves applying pressure to specific areas on the feet, hands, or ears. The theory is that these points correspond to different body organs and systems. Pressing them is believed to positively affect these organs and a person’s overall health. People often use the therapy to complement conventional treatments for conditions including anxiety, cancer, diabetes, kidney function and asthma.
• Reiki: Reiki is a form of energy healing based on the idea that a “life force energy” flows through everyone’s body. In a Reiki session, a practitioner seeks to transfer life energy to the client by placing his or her hands lightly on the client’s body or a slight distance away from the body. The purpose is to promote relaxation, speed healing, reduce pain, and generally improve the client’s well-being.

Source: Laura Newcomer

Do you believe in alternative healing practices? I’m interested in any thoughts or comments that you have.