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More and more people are choosing to take greater responsibility
for their own health
rather than relying on doctor to step in with a cure when
something goes wrong. We now
recognise that we can inuence our health by making an
improvement in lifestyle-a
better diet, more exercise and reduced stress. People are also
becoming increasingly
aware that there are other healing methods some new, some very
ancient that can
help prevent illness or be used as a complement to orthodox
medicine.
My purpose of writing here is to give you clear, comprehensive,
straightforward
information about drugless complementary therapies.
Acupuncture
!cupuncture is performed by stimulating designated points
on the body- through the
insertion of needles. "he is a network of energy called #chi$ or
#%i$ that ows through
the body and connects acupuncture points through di&erent
channels called meridians.
"hese channels are related to speci'c internal functions,
and any imbalance in the ow of
energy will cause a disease process. !ny imbalance of energy
detected through
comprehensive assessments is then corrected by the application
of acupuncture atcarefully selected points. "his restores the body
to normal health. "he very thin sterile
needles are inserted and are rarely painful.
Acupressure
!cupuncture and !cupressure use the same pressure points and
Meridians, but
!cupuncture employs needles, while !cupressure uses gentle to
'rm 'nger pressure.
Cupping
(upping therapy is an ancient (hinese form of alternative
medicine in which a local
suction is created on the skin and this mobili)es blood ow in
order to promote healing.*roadly speaking there are two types of
cupping+ dry cupping and bleeding or wet
cupping controlled bleeding .
Moxibution
Moxibution is a traditional (hinese medicine techniue that
involves the burning of
mugwort, a small, spongy herb, to facilitate healing. "he
purpose of moxibution as with
most forms of (hinese Medicine is to strengthen the blood,
stimulate the ow of %/, and
maintain health.
Refexology
0eexology is based on the principle that the whole body is
reected through the
peripheral nerves in the hand feet and ears. Where there is lot
of tension, the
metabolism goes out of balance and there can be excess creation
of calcium urates
which y to the feet and crystalli)e round the nerve endings
causing congestion and
further organ malfunction. 0eexologists work on feet with ob1ect
of breaking down the
crystals to their primal elements so that they can then be
scavenged by the blood. "he
reexologists stimulates more than 2,333 nerves when touching the
feet, and
encourages the opening and clearing of neural pathways.
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Gua sha
4ua sha meaning 5scraping sha-bruises5, is a traditional (hinese
medical treatment in
which the skin is scraped to produce light bruising.
Practitioners believe gua sha releases
unhealthy elements from in1ured areas and stimulates blood ow
and healing.
Thai yoga massage:
"hai 6oga Massage is a holistic therapy where a person is
seen and treated as an ever-
changing network of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual
aspects that all inuence
each other."he bene'ts of "hai 6oga Massage are several. *y
releasing the tension in the
body, "hai Massage can improve posture, breathing, exibility,
digestion and circulation.
Muscles are stretched, inner organs toned, and emotional and
nervous tension is
reduced.
Shiatsu
7hiatsu is a dynamic body therapy in which the therapist
interacts with the receiver to
restore balance in the energy system. /mbalance, that is, too
little or too much chi, can
manifest in various ailments . /ts a holistic healing art
developed in 8apan and based on
traditional 9:33-year-old oriental medical wisdom while
incorporating the principles of
anatomy, physiology and pathology.
*ene'ts of these therapies in brief+
"hese therapies can bring instant relief from everyday
ailments, help to boost ; maintain
positive health ; mental wellbeing. "hese therapies e&ect
the circulation of blood ;
lymph, as well as the muscles, nerves and digestion. !nd since
mind and body are
intertwined, imbalance in one system inuences overall physical ;
emotional well being.
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D. *rings increased self-awareness, which often leads to early
recognition of stress
signals both physical and psychological and an understanding of
the need to
incorporate regular relaxation sessions in life.
"hese being drugless therapies, eliminate the
possibilities of side e&ects and 1ust leaving
the bene'ts behind.
#Maintaining order rather than correcting disorder is the
ultimate principle of wisdom. "o
cure disease after it has appeared is like digging a well when
one already, or forging
weapons after war has already begun.$
