Category: Health and Wellness
These are becoming more common these days, things like reflexology, aromatherapy etc. Has anyone had any experience of alternative/complementary therapies? Do you think they helped? I'm interested because I'm considering having some reflexology done myself.
I would try it. I certainly don't think it could hurt, and it might help.
Out of true curiosity, what are these therapies?
Reflexology is where someone massages your feet. But it's not an ordinary foot massage. They believe that each area of your feet, toes and all, have a connection to every other part of your body and as each area of the foot is being pressed, massaged, whatever, it is stimulating the corresponding organ or body part.
Yes, I definitely recommend massage therapy, reflexology, aromatherapy, etc. I went to school to be a massage therapist. We learned about all kinds of different types of massage, including reflexology. As becky said, reflexology is where a therapist works on your foot to stimulate different trigger points, etc. It is believe that different points on the foot correspond with other parts of the body, so while a foot is being massaged, other parts of the body are being worked on at the same time. I had never had a professional massage before until I started the school, and now I can't go without one. They're fantastic, and definitely worth a try! It does absolute wonders for your body. There's also another type of therapy called Reiki, that's becoming mor popular as well. This particular therapy isn't necessarily massage, but just touch. It is a type of healing that is done by using a person's energy. A lot of massage therapist incorporate the Reiki into their regular massage sessions.
I've had reiki and a shiatsu massage both of which were wonderful. I also take st Johns wort for depression and although it has taken a while to work, it has done the trick with few nasty side effects, unlike the standard medications.
Hello! I would definitely say to consider alternative therapies, but beware. There are a lot of legitimate therapies and therapists out there, but also a lot of scams. Make sure you really talk with and get to know the therapist you choose. Also, insurance does not yet cover most alternative therapies, and they can get expensive. I'm not trying to sound discouraging. The two therapies I've found most helpful are massage, and Reiki. I am going to get trained in Reiki myself soon. Let us know what your experiences are if you try any of this.
Never heard of Reiki, so I did a google search and came up with the following:
"What Is Reiki?
A Brief Overview
Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the
idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one's "life force energy" is low, then we are more likely
to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.
The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means "God's Wisdom or the Higher Power" and Ki which is "life force energy". So Reiki is actually
"spiritually guided life force energy."
A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and
spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and wellbeing. Many have reported miraculous results.
Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. It has been effective in helping virtually every
known illness and malady and always creates a beneficial effect. It also works in conjunction with all other medical or therapeutic techniques to relieve
side effects and promote recovery.
An amazingly simple technique to learn, the ability to use Reiki is not taught in the usual sense, but is transferred to the student during a Reiki class.
This ability is passed on during an "attunement" given by a Reiki master and allows the student to tap into an unlimited supply of "life force energy"
to improve one's health and enhance the quality of life.
Its use is not dependent on one's intellectual capacity or spiritual development and therefore is available to everyone. It has been successfully taught
to thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds.
While Reiki is spiritual in nature, it is not a religion. It has no dogma, and there is nothing you must believe in order to learn and use Reiki. In fact,
Reiki is not dependent on belief at all and will work whether you believe in it or not. Because Reiki comes from God, many people find that using Reiki
puts them more in touch with the experience of their religion rather than having only an intellectual concept of it."
Sounds too much like magic for my synical mind. Thanks but no thanks. Looks like it could get expensive too.
Bob
Hate putting html in posts!
The link in the post above that doesn't work is:
http://www.reiki.org/FAQ/WhatIsReiki.html
Bob
I see a chiropractor a few times a year, and love it! With chiropractic, you have to be careful, too, because some of them want to mix chiropractic with alopathic, and that defeats the purpose. It's best to keep alternative and traditional medicine separate, but the two can work together. I just don't want my chiropractor prescribing me pain killers. Lol
Well, this past weekend, I got my certificate for the second level of Reiki. I got my certificate for the first level, when I was in massage therapy school. Honestly, it can sound a little strange, but I think that's just because it's something that many people don't know about. It's actually pretty interesting. I'll be able to go to a class for level three reiki in six months, and I'm looking forward to it. As for chiropractors, I've never been to one, but I want to start seeing one. It's very important to keep your body aligned, so I need to start going. also, I didn't know that chiropractors could prescribe medicine. I thought that wasn't allowed.
There are different types of chiropractors. Some have MD's, which allows them to prescribe medicine. These are the ones who the insurance companies love, because it doesn't put them out of a job.
The reason I've started looking at these different therapies is that I've lost faith in the mainstream medical community. Their answer is always more drugs to ease symptoms, while most alternative medical practicianers are about fewer drugs, and more ways to tap into the body's own healing resources.
Oh yes, I agree. It seems that nowadays, some doctors just tseem to want to shove a pill down your throat, and the pill just causes more problems than the one you had in the first place. I do believe that people should give alternative therapies a chance. If there is a prescription that a person must take, alternative therapies can be added, and can do wonders. Dont' get me wrong, I know that there are many people out there who have to take a particular medication, and that's fine, but like I said, they can add these alternative therapies to that medication, and it could possibly help them even more. Sometimes, a person may not need a prescription at all. Trying a particular alternative therapy, could help drastically, but many doctors won't recommend it, because that's taking business out of their pockets. I'm not saying that all doctors are like this, but there are those who dont' seem to really care about their patients. I had a primary care physician, and I switched, and started seeing another one, because he didn't seem to care at all about what he was doing. I think that doctors need to have a compassionate and caring personality.
Maybe that is also what I need to do. My Primary Care Physician sees so many people, and all he'll give anyone is five minutes before rushing on to the next customer...I mean, patient. The problem with HMO's, however, is that most of the doctors are like that.
I'd rather pay $32 for a chiropractic adjustment that I know my insurance won't cover, but will make me feel better, thn go to my PCP and get his five minutes, and a prescription for something else that will kill my body.
Oh yeah, well, I felt like my doctor didn't care. He was rude to me. I didn't like his attitude and personality at all. It didn't seem like I was a patient to him, just a customer. Even though I have insurance, I still felt like all he cared about was getting my insurance money, rather than being a doctor to me.
Hi, all. I see a chiropractor as well. He uses what's called the "activator method." The activator is a small instrument that is used to do the adjusting, instead of the doctor using the hands, and putting all the weight on your body, etc. I really like it, and it's done awesome things for my back, neck, and even for helping relieve headaches!
Oh, and talking of doctors. One of the things I look for in an MD is, do they take time to answer my questions? I am a curious mind, and like to know how and why things work the way they do. It's my body, I figure I have a right to know that. So if a doctor can't or won't explain things to me, I don't see them. The one I have now is really good about that. I like her a lot.
Bob, I too was very skeptical of Reiki. But nothing else was working for me in traditional medicine, and the way I figured it, Reiki couldn't harm me. At the worst, it wouldn't do anything at all, and I'd just be out the money for that one treatment. as it turned out, I found Reiki very helpful to me. It sounds all new-age, but it's really a cool thing. Have any of you guys ever heard of Celtic Reiki?
No, I don't believe I've ever heard of that particular type of Reiki. What is it? and, I agree with you, about how it is your body, and your right to know what's going on with it. This was one thing that I couldn't really talk to my last doctor about. He didnt' seem to want to listen, or answer any questions I may have had. I didn't like that at all, and I switched doctors immediately. The one I have now, is great. Very nice, polite, helpful, and listens.
The problem for me is I'm a bit of a medical ystery. Hardly anyone I've seen in the general everyday medicine fields, even my endocrinologists, have been able to fully explain what causes things to happen in my body. I've called someone who has been recommended to me by one of my University notetkaers, a friend of hers, who does reflexology, and she is getting back to me about arranging a first session, so we'll see what she says!
Hi, Financial Accountant. good to see you posting in your own thread again! Don't you love being a textbook case for your doctors? Grin. Keep us posted on what the reflexology person has to say. I'm very curious to learn.
I tried reflexology a couple of times, and it did absolutely nothing for me, except make my wallet a little thinner.
But, that's just me. I was once a subject for every new-age (good adjective SisterDawn) therapy that came along. I wasn't particularly ill, just curious.
I finally came to the conclusion that "there is nothing new under the sun". So, I don't even see a doctor except in the direst of situations.
financial_accountant let us know how it goes.
Bob
Doctors are programmed to treat symptoms. They view the body as a machine, and if a part breaks, just fix the part that broke. The body isn't a machine though, because it has the power to heal itself of almost anything, including terminal cancer, all by itself. The thing you have to figure out though, is what triggered the symptoms in the first place, and work to fix the root of the problem, rather than just the symptoms. It is actually well documented that natural medicine has cured cancer. All conventional medicine can do is hope for remission.
I agree with massage therapy i have found it to be helpful. I enjured myself seven years ago in gym class and now I am in constent pain. I enjured my neck and shoulders. I went threw physical therapy that didn't work and I was also told to take the regular pain killers but they didn't work I have found massage therapy to be the only thing to give me any relief. I have also tried a kyropractor but I had to stop because I was leaving feeling a lot worse then I did going in. After I see my massage therapist I have relief for sometimes a few hours or a few days it depends but what ever amount of relief I get from my massage is better then nothing to me. I am looking in to schools for massage because I want to become a massage therapist so I can help and relate to my clients who come to me with constant pain. I feel that I will make a better massage therapist because my clients will have someone they can relate to.
I absolutely loved going to massage therapy school. It was so enlightening. I learned about so many different techniques, as well as other complimentary therapies. there's so much to learn out there, and I'm one who enjoys learning very much. I have graduated from massage therapy school, and I'm now studying to take my national licensing exam. I meant to take the test sooner, but some things have come up, and I wasn't able to do so. I hope that I can get as much studying in as possible, and I hope very much to pass the test. I'm so anxious to get out there and help others.