Complementary Therapies
AN OVERVIEW
First, choose a method that appeals to you. You will be more receptive and likely to benefit from the treatment if you are open to the concept. Otherwise, try one that has been recommended to you.
When you first meet the practitioner, ask what other therapies he or she uses. Inform them of all other treatments you are currently receiving. If you have allergies or other medical conditions of note, make them known.
If you encounter unexplained or harmful effects from the therapy, discontinue the treatment immediately. |
Whenever you begin a complementary therapy, you should be upfront and clear with each doctor or practitioner about all treatments you are receiving. This way you are most likely to avoid any contradictory effects of different therapies. You should always be aware of the possibility that mixing therapies may produce unexpected results.
Another thing to remember is that, in many instances, treatment is given to solve some specific problem realting to your condition, and not the condition itself. In other words, don't expect your condition to magically change as the result of any therapy or combination of therapies.
Acupuncture
This is the ancient Chinese healikng art that uses delicate needles inserted into the skin to treat disease. The doctor of acupuncture is skilled at inserting these needles painlessly. The idea is to effect changes in the body by reaching specific nerve endings or other sites. An acupuncturist is educated in the location and use of these sites.
These three similar techniques use pressure at certain points, rather than needles, but with a similar logic as acupuncture. These non-invasive therapies may use the hands, feet, or ears as the locations for gentle pressure or massage-like motions. Because of the way treatment is delivered, these methods are often mistaken for or used in conjunction with massage techniques.
No matter what you call it, these methods all involve the targeted use (or restriction) of foods to treat health problems. In the past, nutrition was considered preventative only; new research indicates that diet can actually be used to treat diseases.
Who can forget the smell of the doctor's (or dentist's) office? Aromatherapy is the use of scent to change a person's mood. The belief is that smells can create an environment in which healing can occur, by making the patient more receptive to treatment. It is also used to treat stress, hypertension, and similar disorders.
All three of these therapies influence breathing. While yoga and aerobics improve flexibility and muscle tone, it is their effect on breathing that is of primary benefit in treating cancer patients.
Chinese and Western herbal medicine both use preparations made from natural sources to treat disease. The major difference between the two is in the herbs used, but both use teas, tinctures, powders, pills, infusions, ointments and salves, to name a few. While herbs are generally weaker than most modern drugs in the treatment of diseases, they have virtually none of the disastrous side effects. Herbal medicine is also less expensive, because patients may buy or grow their own materials and apply the treatments themselves, with instruction.
Homepathy is founded on the belief that "like cures like." Homeopathic physicians know that materials that cause similar symptoms to a disease can be used to treat that disease. While this may seem unusual logic, homeopathy has been used with great success for almost two centuries. Doses are administered by tincture, granules, powder, or tablets, and are typically in such small amounts as to seem ineffective.
This family of therapies can take many forms: mineral baths, hot springs or salt water immersion, saunas, or even some kinds of hot tubs. Most hydrotherapy is ised for relaxation, but many believe that salts and other dissolved minerals in the water are effective at treating some disorders.
A Reiki treatment can last as little as a few minutes to one or two hours. Typically the Reiki recipient is fully clothed, and either sitting or lying down. The Reiki practitioner's hands lightly rest for several minutes at designated positiions on the recipient's head and body or just above the body. Subtle universal Reiki energy is drawn through the practitioner's body through the crown chakra and transferred through the hands into the recipient's body, releasing stress, fatigue, and pain while strengthening the immune system. [Courtesy of Bethney Steadman, Northampton, MA]