Natural Therapies have a place in assisting well being, even if they are not the cure that some practitioners claim.
The ones that I have personal experience in and have had great results are the only ones that I recommend, that’s not to say that others don’t work.
For example: ‘Breath Therapy – or Breathing Techniques for Stress, Reflexology for Relaxation, Cranial Osteopathy, Autogenics – to control stress.
Ayurvedic Medicine & Traditional Chinese Medicine are both ancient forms of health care that may not be as advanced as Western Medicine from a science point of view, but from an observation of what benefits human health and prevents disease
it was way ahead of it's time and still informs us today. In fact modern medicine is only just waking up to the real benefit of many of the ancient remedies.
The key is to find the one that suits you and makes you ‘feel’ better. Half of the success is finding the practitioner that you are comfortable with and trust, you may need to try out a few before you find the right one.Walking through beautiful parks can have an extremely positive affect – especially the Spring, the colours act like therapy.
I highly recommend acupuncture as a complimentary therapy it is now widely used and accepted all over the world. I have had this therapy many times and if you find the right practitioner it can be truly healing.
Acupuncture practitioners look at the whole person, and will observe your energy levels via your pulse – they are trained to be able to pick up variation in the pulse and look at your toxic load via the tongue. They will ask you questions on your medical history that will help them decide which acupuncture lines are best used to support and help you.
It can be relaxing or stimulating. The Chinese use it as a major health care system in China, and their practitioners are classed as medical professionals. Many people study here and become acupuncturists. It is advisable to make sure when choosing a practitioner that they have the correct qualifications.
The site just below is a good place to start looking for a practitioner in your area or see contact details for acupuncturists whom I recommend.
www.acupuncture.org.uk
Herbal remedies
An ancient and very effective form of medicine. In fact many major life saving drugs are derived or based on herbs. I especially like to use adaptogenic herbs as these can be very helpful as targeted therapy. For example Milk thistle, Rosemary and Shisandra are extremely good at supporting the detoxification process in the body as they support and protect liver function. Withania Somnifera (Also known as Ashwaganda) is a brilliant anti-stress therapy and Chaste Tree Berry is used very successfully to support female hormones and can also help improve sleep through stimulating melatonin production, the hormone that is vital for sleep and is one of our major antioxidants
in the body.
Other herbs like Urv Ursi, Oregano and Cats Claw act as antibacterial, anti fungal and are used as part of a therapy to reduce gut dysbiosis where there is an imbalance in good and bad bacteria, Candida overgrowth or other infections invariably caused by over use of antibiotics. See ‘Digestion’ for further information on gut dysbiosis. Many more people are turning to herbal therapy as they are becoming increasingly aware that pharmaceutical drugs are damaging to health and are not always necessary.
www.mediherb.co.uk for further information on research and science based evidence.
It is best to consult a professional herbalist, nutritional therapist that has training in herbal support or a naturopath, before taking herbal preparations as herbs can react with medications and should be used with caution in pregnancy.
National Institute of Medical Herbalists: http://www.nimh.org.uk See contacts for my recommended Herbal practitioners in London.
Milk Thistle – Liver Support Herb
Massage
Massage has been used as a stress therapy and for other health reasons for thousands of years. It improves circulation, muscle and joint health and increases well-being. Migraine sufferers find regular massage can help reduce episodes as the muscular tension in neck, head, back and shoulders that can trigger headaches is reduced.
It can be deeply cleansing as the lymph fluids that travel around the body via the lymphatic system which consists of vessels much like veins and capillaries, rely on movement to be efficient. Massage speeds up this process which is why it’s so important to drink water after a massage. Massage can also help protect against disease as the deep relaxation that can be achieved through massage has been shown to support the body’s immune function.
In conclusion never feel guilty about spending money on a massage, or taking time out to have a massage.
Yoga Nidra - ‘Yoga Sleep’.
It was designed to take a person to place between awake and sleep, where you are literally blissfully relaxed. if practiced regularly You are supposed to be able to get closer to the self. Whether you do or not is for you to know, but one things for certain, you can’t help but relax through the meditation. The best way to practice this is by buying a disk or downloading from iTunes onto your MP3 player one of the many Yoga Nidra recordings. Listen to a few to decide whose voice you will feel comfortable with listening to again and again. They generally have a 10 minute session, a 20 minute, or 30 minute and you can use these depending on how much time you have.you will mostly be lying down, but you can do it sitting up at you desk. If you can manage to stop from falling asleep as the aim is to always be aware and conscious, but in a state of deep relaxation. The reason why I like it so much is because I tend to suffer with mind chatter like most people and find proper meditation hard to do, but because someone is talking to you all the way through, your mind focuses on that only. Leaving you to float away to wherever you want to…….