Alternative Medicine Therapies
Introducing the most popular Alternative Medicine therapies
Introduction to Acupressure- Acupressure is a type of bodywork that involves pressing specific points on the body with the fingers, knuckles, and palms (and sometimes the elbows and feet) to relieve pain, reduce ...
- How Does Acupressure Work?
- Traditional Chinese medicine views health as the constantly changing flow of vital energy, or qi (pronounced chee) throughout the body. If that flow is hindered, sickness ...
- What to Expect from Acupressure?
- During a treatment, which can last anywhere from 15 minutes to nearly an hour depending on the severity of the problem, an acupressure therapist may have you sit or ...
- Acupressure: Health Benefits and Choosing a Practitioner
- Health Benefits Many people have reported success using acupressure to relieve pain, reduce muscle tension, and promote relaxation. A number have found the therapy ...
- Acupuncture
- Acupuncture is an ancient technique in which a skilled practitioner inserts hair-thin needles into specific points on the body to prevent or treat illness. Practiced for over 2,500 ...
- How Does Acupuncture Work?
- According to the principles of TCM, qi flows through the body via 14 primary meridians or channels. To strengthen the flow of qi, or remove blockages in the meridians, ...
- What to Expect from Acupuncture?
- On your first visit to an acupuncturist, the practitioner will take a thorough medical history, then may three pulses on each wrist, examine your tongue, take note ...
- Acupuncture: Health Benefits
- While scores of illnesses have traditionally been treated by acupuncture in Asia, its primary use in the United States has been to relieve chronic pain--caused by ...
- How To Choose a Acupuncture Practitioner
- There are an estimated 13,000 licensed and certified acupuncturists in the U.S. Most states allow physicians to perform this procedure, even with only limited ...
- Acupuncture: Cautions
- Hepatitis B and other contagious diseases can be transmitted from needles that aren't sterilized properly. A reputable practitioner will only use ...
- Introduction to ApiTherapy
- Apitherapy, or bee therapy, is the use of products of the common honeybee for therapeutic purposes. (The term comes from the Latin apis, which means bee.) Honeybee venom, ...
- How Does ApiTherapy Work?
- The five popular honeybee products work in different ways to treat various ailments and conditions. Bee venom is administered either by needle or by actual bee ...
- What to Expect from Api Therapy?
- Bee venom therapy is the most complex of the different types of apitherapy. Always have an allergy test before beginning a course of treatment and always consult a trained ...
- Api Therapy: Health Benefits and Choosing a Practitioner
- Api Therapy: Health Benefits There have been few controlled scientific studies proving the value of bee venom, bee pollen, raw honey, royal jelly, or propolis, ...
- ApiTherapy: Cautions
- Advocates say that most of the allergic reactions attributed to honeybee venom are actually to yellow jacket or wasp venom. However, if you are allergic to bee venom, you ...
- Introduction to AromaTherapy
- Has the scent of lavender ever made you sleepy? Does the aroma of warm apple pie bring back sweet memories of autumn afternoons in your grandmother's kitchen? If so, then you ...
- How Does AromaTherapy Work?
- A considerable body of research shows that smell, the most acute of our senses, has a powerful influence on our bodies and minds. The scents from essential oils are ...
- What to Expect from AromaTherapy?
- Aromatherapy can be a very useful addition to many treatment plans, but it is seldom the primary mode of therapy. Therefore, a consultation with an aromatherapist ...
- AromaTherapy: Health Benefits
- There is no evidence in the medical literature that aromatherapy on its own can prevent or heal disease. However, several studies have shown its ability to promote ...
- How To Choose an AromaTherapy Practitioner
- Although aromatherapy is simple and safe enough to be done at home, seeing a trained practitioner may help you choose the right essential oils for the effects you ...
- AromaTherapy: Cautions
- Essential oils should never be taken internally. To prevent allergic reactions, first test any essential oil on a small patch of clean skin. ...
- Introduction to Ayurveda
- Ayurveda is an ancient Indian medical practice that encompasses a range of treatments including medicinal herbs, changes in diet, meditation, massage, and yoga to maintain or ...
- How Does Ayurveda Work?
- According to Ayurveda, every person contains some of the universe's five basic elements: earth, air, fire, water, and ether (or space). The combination of these ...
- What to Expect from Ayurveda?
- A first visit to an Ayurvedic practitioner may last 45 to 90 minutes. The practitioner will ask a series of questions to determine your doshic (or constitutional) ...
- Ayurveda: Health Benefits
- Research has shown that individuals who practice Ayurvedic methods such as yoga are at decreased risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and stress, all ...
- How To Choose an Ayurveda Practitioner and Cautions
- There is no licensing for Ayurvedic practitioners in the United States. However, Ayurveda centers in the U.S. do offer training programs that are about a year long (...
- Introduction to Bio Feedback Therapy
- Biofeedback is a mind-body technique in which a practitioner uses a special monitoring machine to teach people how to control bodily functions, such as heart rate, blood ...
- How Does Bio Feedback Therapy Work?
- During biofeedback, the therapist uses electronic equipment to help you understand how your body responds physiologically to various situations--to stress, pain, or ...
- What to Expect from Bio Feedback Therapy?
- During a biofeedback session, you will sit comfortably in a quiet room. The therapist may tape sensors to your forehead or arm to measure the amount of tension in ...
- Bio Feedback Therapy: Health Benefits
- During the past 25 years, research has demonstrated biofeedback's significant health benefits. Studies show that the therapy can help people control headaches caused ...
- How To Choose a Bio Feedback Therapy Practitioner and Cautions
- Most biofeedback therapists are licensed physicians, clinical psychologists, or other healthcare professionals who have taken special training in this technique. The ...
- Introduction to Chelation Therapy
- Intravenous chelation (pronounced key-LAY-shun) therapy has been a respected and widely used medical treatment for heavy-metal poisoning--especially lead poisoning--for more ...
- How Does Chelation Therapy Work?
- Once the intravenous solution of EDTA enters the bloodstream, it is believed to attach itself to metal molecules. It then takes about 48 hours for the body to ...
- What to Expect from Chelation Therapy?
- At your first visit the physician will take a thorough medical history, review your previous medical records, and do a full physical examination. An ...
- Chelation Therapy: Health Benefits
- Although chelation therapy has long been an FDA-approved and widely accepted treatment for heavy-metal poisoning, most conventional physicians believe that current ...
- How To Choose a Chelation Therapy Practitioner
- The use of EDTA chelation therapy for any purpose requires a trained, certified practitioner with at least several years of experience in the field, and many states ...
- Chelation Therapy: Cautions
- Chelation should be administered only by a physician experienced in its safe use. Always check the practitioner's credentials. For anything ...
- Introduction to Chinese Medicine
- Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a system of health care based on the late-twentieth-century standardization of medical practices that originated in China some 2500 years ...
- How Does Chinese Medicine Work?
- Practitioners of TCM seek to promote or restore health by diagnosing and treating disharmonies or imbalances in the qi, or natural vital energy of the body. ...
- What to Expect from Chinese Medicine?
- A TCM examination is thorough, but noninvasive. The practitioner will take a careful medical history, noting your body's reaction to stress and your tendencies ...
- Chinese Medicine: Health Benefits
- The various techniques used in TCM can address a wide range of illnesses. Acupuncture has been shown to be particularly effective in relieving chronic pain--caused ...
- How To Choose a Chinese Medicine Practitioner
- In the United States, practitioners typically specialize in a particular component of TCM, such as acupuncture, herbs, or massage, rather than the entire discipline. ...
- Chinese Medicine: Cautions
- If you have a chronic condition or a new acute problem that is seriously disabling you, get a diagnostic evaluation from a conventional primary-care ...
- Introduction to Chiropractic
- The best known and most widely used alternative therapy in the United States today, chiropractic focuses on the manipulation of the spine and other joints to help treat a ...
- How Does Chiropractic Work?
- Chiropractic takes a structural, nutritional, and emotional approach to health care. The chiropractor aims to gently restore the natural and delicate balance that ...
- What to Expect from Chiropractic?
- After reviewing your medical history, the chiropractor will discuss your general health with you and conduct a thorough physical examination, which will include ...
- Chiropractic - Alternative Medicine: Health Benefits
- Chiropractic has been shown to be a particularly useful treatment for the relief of acute (or temporary) low back pain. In 1994, the United States Agency for Health ...
- How To Choose a Chiropractic Practitioner and Cautions
- Chiropractors are licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and must pass a certification exam with the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners. A ...
- Introduction to Colon Therapy
- Colon therapy is the process of cleansing and flushing out the colon, or large intestine. Also called colonic irrigation or colonic hydrotherapy, the treatment is similar to an ...
- How Does Colon Therapy Work?
- As part of the digestive tract, the colon aids in digestion and the elimination of waste products. When the colon is packed with accumulated, hardened feces due to a ...
- What to Expect from Colon Therapy?
- During colonic irrigation, you will lie on your side or back. The therapist will insert a soft, disposable plastic tube into your rectum, which will remain in place ...
- Colon Therapy: Health Benefits
- There are no scientific studies to support any therapeutic claims for colon therapy. On an individual basis, people do report that colon treatments relieve the ...
- How To Choose a Colon Therapy Practitioner
- Colon therapy should only be performed by a therapist certified by the International Association for Colon Hydrotherapy (I-ACT) in San Antonio, Texas. You can ...
- Colon Therapy: Cautions
- If you have any questions about how colon therapy may affect your health, discuss them with your doctor first. Colon therapy is not ...
- Introduction to Color Therapy
- Color therapy is the use of color in a variety of ways to promote health and healing. The different colors we see in the world around us are the result of the eye perceiving ...
- How Does Color Therapy Work?
- Color is a property of light, which consists of many different electromagnetic waves of energy. When light falls upon the photoreceptor cells of the retina, it is ...
- What to Expect from Color Therapy?
- Visiting a color therapist should be an enjoyable and relaxing experience. The treatment room should be warm and the chair or couch should be comfortable. The ...
- Color Therapy: Health Benefits
- Although contemplating different colors, or being bathed in colored lights, may be quite relaxing, there have been few clinical studies of color therapy to either ...
- How To Choose a Color Therapy Practitioner and Cautions
- Color therapists are not licensed or accredited by any state or any professional organization. The originators of each method have established their own training ...
- Introduction to Craniosacral Therapy
- A gentle form of manipulation, craniosacral therapy is a hands-on healing technique typically practiced by physical therapists, massage therapists, and chiropractors. ...
- How Does Craniosacral Therapy Work?
- Craniosacral therapists believe that the movement of spinal fluid within and around the central nervous system creates a vital body rhythm, no less important to ...
- What to Expect from Craniosacral Therapy?
- In a typical session, the practitioner will ask the patient, who may be clothed or wearing a gown, to lie face up or down on a specially designed table. Lightly ...
- Craniosacral Therapy: Health Benefits
- Cerebrospinal fluid bathes the brain and central nervous system in a rich mixture of proteins, electrolytes, amino acids, and other essential nutrients. When the ...
- How To Choose a Craniosacral Therapy Practitioner
- Practitioners of craniosacral therapy are most likely to be physical or massage therapists or chiropractors. Look for a practitioner who has special training in the ...
- Craniosacral Therapy: Cautions
- While there have been few reports of injuries from craniosacral therapy, critics express concern that any manipulation could do harm to the delicate, ...
- Introduction to Dance Therapy
- Dance therapy (also called dance/movement therapy) is the use of choreographed or improvised movement as a way of treating social, emotional, cognitive, and physical problems. ...
- How Does Dance Therapy Work?
- Dance therapy is based on the premise that the body and mind are interrelated. Dance therapists believe that mental and emotional problems are often held in the body ...
- What to Expect from Dance Therapy?
- Your dance therapy experience will depend on your ailment, whether you work with a dance therapist in private practice or in the context of a treatment team, and ...
- Dance Therapy: Health Benefits
- Dance therapy has a broad range of health benefits. It has been demonstrated to be clinically effective at improving body image, self-esteem, attentiveness, and ...
- How To Choose a Dance Therapy Practitioner
- Dance therapists work independently or as part of a treatment team, which might include an M.D., psychiatrist, psychologist, and/or other health-care provider. ...
- Dance Therapy: Cautions
- If you have a physical or psychological ailment, consult your primary-care physician first. Your physician can refer you to a dance therapist or supervise ...
- Introduction to Fasting
- Strictly defined, fasting is abstinence from all food and drink (except water) for a limited period of time to maintain or improve health, or treat a specific illness. Juice ...
- How Does Fasting Work?
- Critics of fasting therapy often confuse fasting with starvation. In the fasting state, nonessential tissue, like fat, is used for fuel while vital organs are spared....
- What to Expect from Fasting?
- If you'd like to try a fast of one to three days' duration, it is probably safe to do so on your own--as long as you are healthy and not pregnant or breast-feeding. ...
- Fasting: Health Benefits
- Published research into therapeutic fasting first appeared in the late nineteenth century. Since that time articles have appeared in conventional medical journals in ...
- How To Choose a Fasting Practitioner
- Because fasting is not included in conventional medical training, the number of physicians utilizing this therapeutic tool remains very small. While your primary-...
- Fasting: Cautions
- Even healthy individuals should not undertake an extended fast of more than three days without medical supervision. Pregnant or breast-...
- Introduction to Guided Imagery
- Guided imagery is the conscious use of the imagination to create positive images (healing visualizations) in order to bring about healthful changes in both the body and the ...
- How Does Guided Imagery Work?
- Practitioners say that guided imagery works because, in terms of brain activity, picturing something and actually experiencing it are equivalent. Brain scans have ...
- What to Expect from Guided Imagery?
- Although you can learn guided imagery techniques on your own from books, it is best to work with a practitioner or purchase an audiotape dealing with the issue ...
- Guided Imagery: Health Benefits
- While there is no scientific evidence indicating that guided imagery by itself helps to heal disease, this technique has been shown to promote relaxation and to ...
- How To Choose a Guided Imagery Practitioner
- There is no certification or licensing for practitioners of guided imagery, although many professionals who practice it are licensed in other areas of health care, ...
- Guided Imagery: Cautions
- Guided imagery generally is a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone, from children to the elderly. However, people who suffer from some form of mental ...
- Introduction to Multivitamins
- Why Everyone should Take a Multivitamin There's nothing like a sound, low-fat diet full of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to supply the vitamins and ...
- Multivitamins: Special Needs
- Women of all ages need at least 1,200 mg of calcium daily, through supplements or diet, to slow bone loss. Most multivitamins ...
- Introduction to Hellerwork Therapy
- Hellerwork is a type of bodywork created by Joseph Heller, a former NASA aerospace engineer. Like Rolfing, Hellerwork uses deep-tissue massage to help reduce stress and ease ...
- How Does Hellerwork Therapy Work?
- Like Rolfing, Hellerwork is based on the premise that physical and emotional stress--as well as gravity--can throw the body out of vertical alignment and cause the ...
- What to Expect from Hellerwork Therapy?
- Hellerwork usually consists of 11 sessions, lasting an average of about 90 minutes each. Sessions one through three, known as the superficial sessions, typically ...
- Hellerwork Therapy: Health Benefits
- Proponents of Hellerwork claim that it can relieve respiratory conditions and problems related to muscle tension and stress, as well as treat sports injuries, carpal ...
- How To Choose a Hellerwork Therapy Practitioner and Cautions
- There are more than 300 official Hellerwork practitioners in the United States. To obtain certification, a person must undergo a 1,250-hour study and training ...
- Introduction to Homeopathy
- Homeopathy is a comprehensive system of medicine in which practitioners use solutions containing minute amounts of animal, vegetable and/or mineral substances to promote healing....
- How Does Homeopathy Work?
- A homeopathic remedy is made by crushing a plant, animal, or mineral substance then putting it into a solvent such as grain alcohol. The extract is then further ...
- What to Expect from Homeopathy?
- If you'd like to be treated homeopathically for a chronic illness, it is best to seek out a licensed naturopath, osteopath, or medical doctor who includes homeopathy ...
- Homeopathy: Health Benefits
- While many mainstream physicians believe that the much-diluted homeopathic remedies are at best placebos, homeopaths argue that the remedies do work--for all types ...
- How To Choose a Homeopathy Practitioner
- Homeopaths are licensed in only three states in the U.S. (Arizona, Connecticut, and Nevada), although some practitioners may hold other medical licenses. Naturopaths,...
- Homeopathy: Cautions
- Because the practice of homeopathy is only minimally regulated in the U.S., a homeopathic practitioner may be a self-educated person with minimal training. ...
- Introduction to HypnoTherapy
- The word hypnosis is derived from the Greek hypnos meaning sleep. Actually, you're not asleep when hypnotized, but rather are in a trancelike state of restful ...
- How Does HypnoTherapy Work?
- How hypnosis actually works is debated, but the commonly accepted theory is that the mind has two parts, the conscious and the subconscious. During hypnosis, ...
- What to Expect from HypnoTherapy?
- People who have been hypnotized usually say it's a much more subtle process than they expected. A hypnotist, for instance, cannot make you quack like a duck or do ...
- HypnoTherapy: Health Benefits
- Clinically, the hypnotic trance is mainly used to change unwanted behaviors, such as smoking, overeating, or overreacting to stress. Studies are controversial, ...
- How To Choose a HypnoTherapy Practitioner
- Because very few states regulate the practice of hypnosis, almost anyone can call himself a hypnotist. Choosing the right practitioner is extremely important because,...
- HypnoTherapy: Cautions
- Hypnosis doesn't work for about 10% of the population, so there's a small chance it won't work for you. Although hypnosis is a safe practice ...
- Introduction to Iridology
- Iridology is the study of the colored part of the eye (called the iris) to determine potential health problems. Iridologists believe that changing patterns and markings in the ...
- How Does Iridology Work?
- The basis of iridology is a holistic concept well accepted in other fields of alternative medicine, namely that when examined correctly, each part of the body ...
- What to Expect from Iridology?
- The iridologist will examine the irises of your eyes using either a slitlamp (an expensive piece of equipment also employed by optometrists and ophthalmologists) or ...
- Iridology: Health Benefits
- Because iridology is not a treatment therapy, but rather a way of detecting underlying signs of developing disease, iridologists will let you know about your overall ...
- How To Choose a Iridology Practitioner
- In the United States, the practice of iridology is totally unregulated or licensed by any governmental agency or professional organization. Anyone can claim to be an ...
- Iridology: Cautions
- Iridology is generally safe, noninvasive, and painless. However, it has not been proven to be an effective health-care treatment and shouldn't be used as a ...
- Introduction to Light Therapy
- Light therapy is the use of natural or artificial light to treat various ailments, but primarily depressive and sleep disorders. It may be administered by a physician, physical ...
- How Does Light Therapy Work?
- While some of the claims for the health benefits of light therapy are as yet unproved, it is known that adequate light is vital to many aspects of healthy living. ...
- What to Expect from Light Therapy?
- Before you use light therapy for depression or for any other ailment, you should talk to your doctor. (Indeed, if you suffer from any type of depression, you should ...
- Light Therapy: Health Benefits
- Bright-light therapy has been used very effectively since the late 1980s to help those suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Studies show that people ...
- How To Choose a Light Therapy Practitioner and Cautions
- Light therapy is usually administered (or recommended for home use) by a physician, physical therapist, or psychologist. Look for a well-trained, experienced ...
- Introduction to Magnet Therapy
- Magnet therapy involves the use of a magnetic device placed on or near the body to relieve pain and facilitate healing. The magnetic products on the market today come in many ...
- How Does Magnet Therapy Work?
- The theory behind magnet therapy is that the magnetic fields produced by magnets (or by devices that generate electromagnetic current) can penetrate the human body ...
- What to Expect from Magnet Therapy?
- It is believed that magnets must be placed precisely to have an effect (they work best when placed over a body area that has some degree of intact circulation). ...
- Magnet Therapy: Health Benefits
- Magnetic therapy is used most often for pain, usually of the joints and muscles. Magnets have also been applied to relieve post-surgery pain. Some advocates suggest ...
- How To Choose a Magnet Therapy Practitioner
- Magnet therapy may be practiced by a doctor or bodyworker or may be self-administered. It's best to work with a reputable and experienced practitioner who is ...
- Magnet Therapy: Cautions
- If you have a pacemaker or an implanted defibrillator, do not use magnets. Also, do not use magnets near a person who has a pacemaker or defibrillator, as ...
- Introduction to Massage Therapy
- Massage is the manipulation of the soft-tissues of the body. It helps to ease stress and muscular tension, relieve pain from injuries, and speed healing from certain acute and ...
- How Does Massage Therapy Work?
- Most types of massage affect the body in a similar way. When muscles are overworked, body waste products such as lactic acid can accumulate, causing soreness, ...
- What to Expect from Massage Therapy?
- Here's what you can expect from a Swedish massage: On your first visit, the massage therapist will probably begin by asking you about your medical ...
- Massage Therapy: Health Benefits
- Massage is believed to positively affect everything from circulation to the body's metabolism. Swedish massage in particular has been shown to relieve muscle pain, ...
- How To Choose a Massage Therapy Practitioner
- Thirty states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation regarding the licensing of professional massage therapists and defining what level of education ...
- Massage Therapy: Cautions
- Avoid massage if you have a high fever, inflammation, infection, phlebitis, thrombosis, jaundice, or an infectious skin condition. Do not have ...
- Introduction to Music Therapy
- Music therapy is the use of music to induce relaxation, promote healing, enhance mental functioning, and create an overall sense of well-being. Individuals doing music therapy ...
- How Does Music Therapy Work?
- Most people tend to experience a visceral reaction to music: a burst of energy upon hearing an upbeat song or a sense of calm during a soothing classical piece. ...
- What to Expect from Music Therapy?
- Because music therapists work in many different settings and with many different kinds of patients, treatment programs and durations vary. If you consult ...
- Music Therapy: Health Benefits
- Studies have found that music therapy is effective at promoting relaxation, relieving anxiety and stress, and treating depression. Music therapy allows people with ...
- How To Choose a Music Therapy Practitioner and Music Therapy Cautions
- Music therapists work in private practice, in institutional settings, and as part of treatment teams that can also include psychiatrists, psychologists, ...
- Prayer
- Prayer is an address to an entity thought to be greater than oneself (the word prayer comes from the Latin precarius, which means obtained by begging). The practice ...
- How Does Prayer Work?
- Like many aspects of spirituality, exactly how prayer works is a mystery. Several theories exist. The easiest physiologic explanation is that prayer helps people ...
- What to Expect from Prayer?
- There is no correct or incorrect way to pray. Your conception of the deity or entity you pray to and how you choose to talk to that entity are very personal ...
- Prayer: Health Benefits
- Numerous scientific studies have evaluated the therapeutic effects of prayer. Generally, the research has shown that people who pray regularly are less likely to ...
- Introduction to Reflexology
- Reflexology is a technique in which pressure is applied to specific points on the feet (and sometimes the hands) to promote relaxation and improve overall health. Proponents of ...
- How Does Reflexology Work?
- Exactly how reflexology works remains unclear, although several possible explanations have been put forward. One is that the body contains an invisible life force, or subtle energy, ...
- What to Expect from Reflexology?
- When you see a reflexologist, you will probably begin with a conversation about your general health and lifestyle. The practitioner may inquire about chronic health ...
- Reflexology: Health Benefits
- Reflexology is recommended as an adjunct therapy, and is never the main treatment for a condition. Proponents say that it is particularly useful for stress-related ...
- How To Choose a Reflexology Practitioner
- The best way to find a good reflexologist is to get a referral from your primary-care physician or from a physical therapist or other bodyworker you know and trust. ...
- Reflexology: Cautions
- Reflexologists are not qualified to diagnose or treat specific diseases. If you have a foot injury, blood clots, thrombosis, phlebitis, or other ...
- Introduction to Reiki
- Reiki (pronounced ray-kee) is a therapeutic technique in which healing energy is channeled, or conducted, through a practitioner's hands into the person receiving the ...
- How Does Reiki Work?
- Proponents of Reiki believe that when one's ki is blocked, sickness can develop. By gently laying hands on a person, a Reiki practitioner helps to break up blockages,...
- What to Expect from Reiki?
- Receiving Reiki is a gentle, soothing experience (some people even fall asleep during a treatment). Because it is a spiritual tradition, before beginning a session, ...
- Reiki: Health Benefits
- Reiki should not be regarded as a substitute for conventional medical care. However, many practitioners and patients have found the therapy to be an effective ...
- How To Choose a Reiki Practitioner
- There is no national or statewide licensing for Reiki practitioners, although many who practice it may be licensed as physical therapists or massage therapists. Ask ...
- Reiki: Cautions
- Reiki does not cure disease and is not intended to be the primary treatment for any health problem, but rather is a complementary therapy meant to support ...
- Rolfing Therapy
- Rolfing is a form of deep-tissue, structurally oriented bodywork that was created by Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D., a Columbia University trained biochemist in the 1930s. When she developed ...
- How Does Rolfing Therapy Work?
- Rolfing is based on the premise that physical and emotional stress--as well as gravity--can throw the body out of vertical alignment and cause muscles and the ...
- What to Expect from Rolfing Therapy?
- When you first meet with a practitioner, you will probably begin with a discussion of your medical history, including any former injuries, such as broken bones. The ...
- Rolfing Therapy: Health Benefits
- There are few controlled studies of Rolfing that compare it with other therapies or with no treatment at all. Proponents, however, firmly contend that Rolfing can ...
- How To Choose a Rolfing Therapy Practitioner and Cautions
- The Rolf Institute of Structural Integration oversees the certification of Rolfers, although there are practitioners who do Rolfing without certification. The basic ...
- Introduction to Shiastu
- Shiatsu is a Japanese form of massage therapy (the word shiatsu means finger pressure in Japanese). Advocates say the practice promotes health and healing by correcting energy ...
- How Does Shiastu Work?
- Shiatsu is based on some of the same principles as acupuncture, tai chi, and other forms of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). According to TCM, illness is caused ...
- What to Expect from Shiastu?
- A shiatsu session usually lasts between 45 minutes and an hour. The number of sessions you'll need depends on the nature of your ailment. It may take about four to ...
- How To Choose a Shiastu Practitioner and Cautions
- Look for a therapist who is certified by the American Oriental Bodywork Therapy Association (located in Voorhees, New Jersey). Because shiatsu involves touch, be ...
- Introduction to Taichi
- Tai chi (pronounced tie chee) is an ancient Chinese discipline that integrates mind, body, and spirit. Practitioners use meditation and deep breathing as they move through a ...
- How Does Taichi Work?
- It is believed that tai chi, a component of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), increases strength and promotes calm and ...
- What to Expect from Taichi?
- You can learn tai chi privately from a tai chi master or in a class setting. If you are unable to find an instructor or do not have access to classes, you can learn ...
- Taichi: Health Benefits
- Tai chi can be used as a preventive health measure, as a way to maintain good health, or to help with a specific ailment. While tai chi cannot cure disease, it is ...
- How To Choose a Taichi Practitioner and Cautions
- Tai chi teachers are not medical professionals and therefore are not licensed. To find a class, try your local YMCA, YWCA, or health club. Colleges, universities, ...
- Introduction to Therapeutic Touch
- Therapeutic touch is a healing technique in which a practitioner's hands are passed in wavelike motions inches above a person's body. (Despite the name, the practitioner ...
- How Does Therapeutic Touch Work?
- Those who have had success with therapeutic touch believe that the treatments work through manipulation of the energy that pulsates in and around all living beings--...
- What to Expect from Therapeutic Touch?
- Therapeutic touch sessions generally last 20 to 30 minutes. They can be conducted in a practitioner's office, or in a hospital, nursing home, or other medical center ...
- Therapeutic Touch: Health Benefits
- Therapeutic touch advocates believe that this therapy can reduce stress, promote relaxation, relieve pain, and stimulate healing. It is usually used as adjunct ...
- How To Choose a Therapeutic Touch Practitioner and Cautions
- Therapeutic touch practitioners are not licensed or certified. There are several organizations, however, that train clinicians in this therapy. Dolores Krieger, the ...
- Introduction to Wheat Grass Therapy
- Ever since the genesis of civilization the cosmic laws governing the universe always baffled the human race. The curiosity to unravel the mysteries of life was always there in the innermost ...
- Wheat Grass Therapy: Natural Resistance Power Of The Body
- The people of tropics firmly believe in fate. This irrational belief blurs the matter vital for our health. Until and unless we pay heed to the unorthodox principles of health requirements ...
- Introduction to Yoga
- Yoga is an ancient philosophy of life as well as a system of exercises that encourages the union of mind, body, and spirit. In fact, the word yoga is derived from the ...
- How Does Yoga Work?
- What sets Hatha yoga apart from some other forms of yoga and general exercise programs is that it places an equal emphasis on mental and physical fitness. This mind-body ...
- What to Expect from Yoga?
- Hatha yoga can be learned from books or videotapes, and easily lends itself to practice at home. However, beginners initially will be better served by taking classes with a ...
- Yoga: Health Benefits
- A substantial amount of research has been conducted on the health benefits of yoga, and further studies are ongoing. In addition to improving the body's strength, flexibility, ...
- How To Choose a Yoga Practitioner
- Most health clubs, YMCAs, YWCAs, and community centers offer Hatha yoga classes. Among the more popular types of Hatha yoga classes are: Iyengar, which ...
- Yoga: Cautions
- Before starting a yoga class, be sure to tell your teacher about any concerns or physical limitations you may have. Always warm up gradually and work ...
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