A to Z of therapies

HOLISTIC THERAPIES Acupressure Acupuncture Alexander technique Applied Kinesiology Aromatherapy Auricular Acupuncture Ayurvedic medicine Bach Flower Remedies Bowen Technique Chiropractic Chinese Herbal Chiropody Colour therapy Counselling Craniosacral Therapy E.M.D.R. Herbal Medicine Homeopathy Hopi Ear Candles Hot Stone Massage Hypnotherapy Indian Head Massage Magnotherapy Massage Therapy Naturopathy Nutritional therapy Osteopathy Oxygen Therapy Reflexology Reiki Healing Rolfing Shiatsu Spiritual Healing Tai Chi Yoga Other

Acupressure
Acupressure is the name given to the technique of stimulating the same points as acupuncture but with hand pressure alone (NO NEEDLES ARE USED). It is believed that a life force known as chi should flow unhindered through the body’s meridians. Chi has two forms of expression known as Yin & Yang. Sometimes a blockage may occur which produces an imbalance with Yin and Yang, a balance being necessary for harmony. The object of the treatment is to restore the normal flow of Chi and hence restore good health.

Acupuncture
For thousands of years the Chinese have mapped channels or meridians of energy running through the body. These channels are said to carry energy through cells and tissue. They believe that any blockage in this flow can effect well-being.

Acupuncturists go through rigorous training, there is much to learn and acupuncture points are precisely located around the body. Very fine sterile needles are inserted along the meridians at set points, to unblock obstructions and re-establish a regular flow of energy. Needling the acupuncture points is thought to stimulate the nervous system to release chemicals in the muscles, spinal cord and brain, and encourage the body back to health and emotional well being. These needles are often stimulated by gentle rotation or warming with a smouldering herbal bundle.

Alexander Technique
These days, many people suffer from back, neck and shoulder problems. Many of our aches and pains are caused by poor posture. The Alexander Technique is an approach to retraining the body so that the load on the muscular-skeletal system is balanced and stresses and strains are released. This can enhance the overall sense of balance and well-being.

Applied Kinesiology
Applied Kinesiology (AK) is a system that evaluates structural, chemical and mental aspects of health using manual muscle testing with other standard methods of diagnosis. The therapist finds a muscle that is unbalanced and then attempts to determine why that muscle is not functioning properly. The therapist will then work out the treatment that will best balance the patient's muscles. Treatments may involve specific joint manipulation or mobilization

Aromatherapy
Essential oils are extracted from plants and used mainly with massage to bring about beneficial effects. Many plants have medicinal properties, and others can effect our emotions. The aromatherapist has to follow a rigorous training programme to learn the properties of all the essential oils, and how to use them safely.

Ayurveda
This is a traditional approach to healthy living from India. It encompasses a holistic approach to everyday life, using natural oils, herbs, breathing techniques, yoga and massage.

Bach Flower Remedies
38 Flower remedies were developed during the 1930s by Dr Edward Bach. They were formulated from the flowers of wild plants and trees to treat different emotional states. Dr Bach believed that illness could be brought about by emotional and personality problems and his remedies are specifically matched to a patient’s state of mind.

Bowen Technique
This innovative holistic bodywork was developed by Tom Bowen in Australia in the mid-1950s. It is a very gentle form of vibrational healing, working over nerve pathways, with the belief that ‘less is more’. It is believed that this gentle treatment allows the body to reset and heal itself.

Chiropractic
This is a manipulative technique which records the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of biomechanical disorders of the muscular-skeletal system. The practitioner uses various moves to realign the spine and limbs to bring about relief and healing to aches and pains in the joints and muscles.

Chinese Herbal Medicine
Plant material is used, often as a drink, to treat many conditions. The Chinese have been using these remedies for thousands of years and a great deal of expertise is used to prescribe the right concoction for a disorder.

Chiropody
Rigorous training has to be undertaken before a chiropodist can qualify. Chiropody can bring about great relief to many foot disorders, from fungal infections, in-growing toenails, to problems with the bones and muscles in the feet. In fact, diabetics need to have regular treatment to avoid the danger of skin damage, resulting in gangrene.

Colonic Irrigation
A trained therapist will have a nursing qualification and be expert in the field of colonic irrigation. Purified warm water is gently introduced into the large intestine to flush out toxic waste, gas, accumulated faecal matter and mucus deposits. Many people carry around pounds of waste material in their gut, often causing poor health.

Cranio-Sacral therapy
This therapy was developed from the work of an American osteopath, Dr William Sutherland in the early 1900s. As a result of detailed clinical observation it became clear that intrinsic movements of the bones in the head and different rhythms of the body, are a direct expression of health and offer a way of working with the physical as well as the more subtle aspects of life.

It was also found that these movements are also linked with mental and emotional health. Restriction of movement in the skull corresponds to a reduction of the natural capacity to self-heal. Using the hands to feel these movements allows craniosacral therapists to facilitate change in areas of restriction and bring about improved health.

Homeopathy
Known as 'the way of similars', homeopathy involves giving the patient a minute dose of a substance which in large doses would cause illness in a healthy person. However, by using minute quantities of a potentially poisonous substance, an illness can be cured. Because of the minute dosage no side-effects or addiction will result.

Homeopathic remedies work by stimulating the body's own healing power. This power is very great and many complaints heal themselves unaided; but when the healing process is faulty, blocked or slow, the homeopathic remedy acts as a stimulus to the curative powers of the body. To provide this stimulus your homeopath must prescribe the right remedy and the right dosage for you.

Hopi Ear Candles
These long thin wax tubes are gently inserted into the ear canal and allowed to burn gently. They produce a warm current which draws out wax and eases ear problems such as tinnitus, sinusitis, vertigo and Meniere’s disease. Treatment is followed by a face massage, and can be very soothing and beneficial.

Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapists are trained to induce a trance state in order to access the subconscious mind of the client. The subconscious can harbour many negative feelings which can effect health. By accessing this area of the mind the therapist can suggest a change for the better and re-programme the client’s way of thinking.

Indian Head Massage
This type of therapy has been practiced in India for hundreds of years. Whole families practice this treatment and it is a very sociable event. Oil is rubbed into the hair and scalp and various massage moves are used to stimulate the scalp, massage the shoulders, neck, face, upper arms and upper back. It increases circulation, releases tension, eases headaches and neck tension and brings about a feeling of relaxation.

Magnotherapy
Magnotherapy is the application of a magnetic field to a living body. It has been used for hundreds of years to help relieve pain and accelerate the natural healing process. In recent times magnotherapy has become more popular as a complementary remedy and a natural. It has been proven that the blood’s ability to carry oxygen and dispose of waste products appears to improve and this could account for some of the remarkable benefits that have been experienced by people and animals.

Massage Therapy
Medics have known the benefits of massage therapy for years and it is unfortunate that therapeutic massage has been labelled as ‘naughty’ in recent years. The skin and nervous system are very closely connected and massage is very calming, having the ability to lower blood pressure and ease anxiety. It also has medical benefits in that it disperses toxic waste from muscle tissue, increases blood flow to aid healing, loosens joints and improves skin condition. It also encourages the flow of lymph, thus helping the body to eliminate waste products.

Naturopathy
Naturopathic Medicine is the practice of assisting in the health of patients through the application of natural remedies. Most naturopaths consider their care complementary, not supplementary, to the care a traditional medical professional. Traditional naturopaths believe there is a crucial relationship between the body, mind, and spirit and by using methods and practices that they believe have been successfully applied for centuries and in many societies, traditional naturopaths attempt to empower individuals to regain ability to live in the best possible state of health. Traditional naturopaths and medical doctors can work with the same individual cooperatively in order to help the patient recover

Nutritional Therapy
This type of therapy is a way of using food and supplements to encourage the body’s natural healing. If correctly followed it can detoxify the body, correct vitamin and mineral deficiencies and restore healthy. The therapist needs to know about all aspects of your health and well being including medical history, dietary history, family history, menstrual problems, digestion, energy levels and exercise. This can identify food allergies, nutritional deficiencies, toxic overload or general nutritional problems. Tests are used, such as hair mineral analysis, hormone tests or food intolerance tests in order to get a better understanding of your current health status. Progress is monitored as you follow the programme and if necessary changes can be made to encourage your body to continue healing.

Osteopathy
Osteopathy (including Cranial Osteopathy) takes advantage of the body's natural tendency to strive toward a state of health and homeostasis. Osteopaths are trained to palpate (feel) the body's "living anatomy" (i.e. flow of fluids, motion and texture of tissues, and structural makeup). They address health problems with a non-invasive system of medicine called, "Osteopathic Manual Medicine" in order to restore normal function in areas impaired by trauma, chronic illness and acute health problems.

Oxygen Therapy
Oxygen is essential to human life, without it we cannot survive. Oxygen therapy introduces oxygen into the body via the digestive tract or blood stream in a pure form of hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is broken down into oxygen and water. When consumed it kills harmful bacteria and fungus (candida) and the oxygen is absorbed into the blood stream to boost energy and aid healing.

Reflexology
Reflexology is the technique of applying gentle pressure to the reflexes on the feet or hands in order to bring about a state of deep relaxation, stimulate the body's own healing processes and help the person to return to a state of balance and wellbeing. Systems in the body can easily be thrown out of balance by a wide variety of factors including prolonged illness, stress, long working hours and diet. The resulting imbalances prevent efficiency of vital body functions. These imbalances can be detected on the feet, where corresponding parts of the body can be identified, and pressure applied to specific reflexes to restore the body to a state of equilibrium.

Reiki Healing
Discovered in Japan by Dr Mikao Usui and brought to the west in the 1930s, Reiki (Japanese for universal life force energy) is a gentle, non-invasive healing technique using energy channelled through the 7 major Chakras to treat physical and emotional ailments. Treatments are very relaxing and particularly effective for helping to rebalance all the body's systems.

Rolfing
Unlike massage, Structural Integration or Rolfing focuses not on the muscles but on their protective layer, called fascia (also known as connective tissue). Muscles are contracting tissues that give the body and organs physical movement. The fascia surrounds the muscles, bones and organs in the body. The fascia gives muscles their shape and the body its structure.

Structural Integration aligns and balances the body by lengthening and repositioning the fascia. As fascia is lengthened it allows the muscles to move more efficiently. The practitioner will apply pressure to the body, working the entire fascial system in a systematic way. When restricted fascia is released and lengthened the body can return to its structurally optimal position

The continuing pull of gravity, the stress of daily activities and physical injuries can pull the body out of alignment. The fascia gradually shortens, tightens and adjusts to accommodate the misalignment. When the body is out of alignment it creates inefficiency and imbalance resulting in stiffness, discomfort and loss of energy.

When a body is aligned and balanced it moves with greater ease. It requires less energy to function. Good posture is effortless and breathing is easier. The body becomes more flexible, more coordinated and athletic performance improves.

Shiatsu
Shiatsu literally means finger pressure. Natural body weight is used when pressure is applied on special points on the body to bring about a rebalancing of the body. Shiatsu is similar to acupuncture except no needles are used. Through this pressure the energy flowing in the meridians is influenced. This energy is called chi.

Spiritual Healing
Spiritual healing has been practised for thousands of years and is also known as faith healing or laying on of hands. A natural energy flows through the healer’s hands as they are placed on or near the patient. Most clients report a soothing feeling of great warmth as the healer moves his hands around them. It is a gentle, non-invasive form of treatment which can be surprisingly effective at relieving pain and assisting natural healing to take place.

Tai Chi
Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese system of slowly flowing movements and shifts of balance that strengthens the legs while conditioning the tendons and ligaments of the ankles, knees, and hips, increasing their range of motion and making them more resilient, less prone to injury. The constant weight shifts train balance and body awareness, leading to confident ease of movement within the form and in everyday life. Tai Chi is a physical exercise that focuses the mind, while conditioning the body. Practicing twenty minutes a day dissipates stress and reduces stress-related debilities, increases stamina, and strengthens the body and will.

Yoga
Yoga is an ancient art of exercise and breathing. Hathayoga is very practical. The stretching exercises loosen joints and stretch muscles to improve posture and maintain strength and flexibility. The exercises improve circulation and have a wide range of therapeutic benefits. Breathing exercises boost energy, calm the mind and the nervous system and improve the efficiency of the bodily systems. Relaxation counteracts the effects of stress and allows the body to recharge. Over time, yoga will make you more supple, stronger and relaxed, and promote health and well-being.

Western Science recognizes the following benefits of practicing Tai Chi: increased oxygen uptake and utilization (more efficient breathing), reduced blood pressure, slower declines in cardiovascular power, increased bone density, increased strength and range of motion of joints, greater leg strength, knee strength, and flexibility, reduced levels of stress hormones during and after practice, improved immune function, and heightened mood states.