Many people have to work harder, often trying to balance the conflicting demands of work and family, and suffer increased stress as a result. To help cope with the tension and overwork, more and more people are willing to explore holistic therapies to relax mind, body and spirit.

AVAILABLE THERAPIES

Acupressure, Acupuncture, Aromatherapy, Cupping, Kinesiology, Metamorphosis, Naturopathy, Reflexology, Reiki

• Acupressure.

Acupressure is an ancient Chinese healing method that involves applying pressure to certain meridian points on the body to relieve pain. The human body has fourteen "meridians" that carry energy throughout the body. These meridians start at the fingertips, connect to the brain, and then connect to the organ associated with the specific meridian.
Acupressure deals with all the aspects of a person as a whole: body, emotions, mind, and spirit as one, not as separate parts. It relaxes muscular tension and balances the vital life forces of the body.
Acupressure can help with the following:
1. Relieve stress and tension
2. Relax mind and body
3. Increase blood circulation
4. Aid in the removal of toxic wastes
5. Provide relief from head, neck and shoulder aches
6. Promote the healing of injuries
7. Increase energy levels
8. Increase overall feeling of well-being
9. Decreasing labour pains
 

The client lies fully clothed on a soft massage table while the practitioner presses gently on points situated on various parts of the client's body. The session is non-invasive and gentle. An average session lasts for about one hour. However, most clients normally require a number of sessions to complete a treatment.

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• Acupuncture.

Acupuncture is a technique of inserting hair-like, fine needles into known "acupuncture points" along "meridians". The intentions behind such treatments are those of balancing and tonifying the flow of Qi or vital energy throughout the physical, emotional and spiritual bodies.
Generally, there is minimal sensation. This is due to the extreme fineness of the needle, the sharpness of its point, and the dexterity of the practitioner in inserting it swiftly though the skin. Once the needle is in place, a sensation of a dull ache, a light electric current circulation along the treated limb, to a nice heat may be felt.
The sensation varies according to the body's constitution and the nature of the ailment or the pain. Some people don't feel anything. This sensation is always within bearable limits and is considered a sign that the acupuncture vessels are opening up to the flow of Qi and that healing is imminent.
The practice of acupuncture is at least four to five thousand years old, perhaps much older. The first systematic compendium on the subject was the Huang Ti Nei Ching Su Wen, or The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, written about 400 B.C.E.
Today's practitioners of Chinese medicine still look to the Nei Ching, as it is called, for guidance and instruction.
The practice of acupuncture is based on the meridian theory in which qi (pronounced chee) or vital energy, is believed to travel through precise pathways or meridians. There are twelve major meridians, each connected to a particular organ, plus eight special or "extra" meridians. There are also innumerable smaller meridians throughout the body.
The meridians connect the organs to each other and connect the interior of the body to the exterior. They actually form a sort of grid or road map of the entire bodily system. Acupuncture is the practice of placing extremely thin needles at special junctures or "points" along these meridians, in order to affect the energy and balance of the body. Needling is said to "reduce what is excessive, increase what is deficient, warm what is cold, cool what is hot, circulate what is stagnant, move what is congealed, stabilize what is reckless, raise what is falling and lower what is rising."
There are about 365 points on the body (not including the "special" or "extra" points or those which are part of the modern auricular or ear systems), although most practitioners only use about 150. The acupuncturist must be extremely sensitive and observant in determining exactly which of these points to use, and how. It is a very demanding, yet very delicate art, one which can bring about sublime and, at times, dramatic changes in one's energy level, healing capacity and even one's outlook on life.

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• Aromatherapy.

Historically aromatherapy has been used for thousands of years for healing and spiritual rituals. Aromatherapy and its various uses was a sacred practice in most traditional cultures including the Persian, Hebrew, Mayan, Greek, Egyptian and Chinese.
Today, aromatherapy is a very active movement in Europe, especially in France where it is now a recognized medicine reimbursed by medical insurance.
Plants from all over the world contain useful essential oils. These highly volatile oily substances to which the plant owes its perfume and flavour, are present between the cells and act as plant hormones, regulators, and catalysts. They may be considered as representing the vital elements or life force within the plant.
Extraction methods are of utmost importance with purity being imperative in order to obtain good therapeutic results.
Breathing in these essentials oils is what gets the required results.
Aromatherapy requires an extremely high quality of essential oils. Synthetic substances cannot replace the real product. There are hundreds of chemical components in essential oils. Most of them are in minute quantities, and yet it is the precise combinations and ratios of elements which render each oil powerful.
Because of that, solvents or preservatives are not used in the preparation of first-quality essential oils. A steam-distillation method of extraction is used instead. This process consists of sending steam throughout the plants, which evaporates oils.
The steam is then condensed and the oils separate from the water. This method yields a high quality oil. The best oils come from wild organic plants.

The amount of oils found in each plant varies greatly and this is reflected in the price.

Basil: a nerve tonic.. for insomnia, congestion and colds.
Clove Oil: an antiseptic...used for toothaches, wounds and respiratory infections.
Eucalyptus Oil: clears respiratory passages...good for skin infections.
Frankincense: for all catarrh conditions, ulcers, boils, skin care, and laryngitis.
Geranium: calming effect on the nervous system, kidney stones, skin care.
Lemon: counteracts stomach acidity, powerful bactericide.
Mint: headaches and vomiting, fevers and colds.
Orange oil: sedative, slightly hypnotic, indicated for cardiac spasms.

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• Cupping.

Cupping is an ancient therapy which was widely used in folk medicine around the world and is still used by modern practitioners. Cupping is a particularly useful therapy for the treatment of muscular aches and pains such as back ache, frozen shoulder and so on.
Cupping involves the application of glass cups to specific areas of the body, this is achieved by holding a small flame inside the cup to create a vacuum. The cups are then placed quickly on the skin over the point or area to be treated and left in place for up to 15 minutes. This causes the skin to be sucked up into the cup encouraging the flow of Qi and blood and clearing local stagnation.
Occasionally moving cupping will be applied, This requires a layer of oil to be applied to the Skin before the cups, this allows the cups to slide over the skin, applying suction to a large area to draw out the 'evil Qi'.

Cupping causes blood to be drawn into the small blood vessels just below the skin and may cause
purple wheals or bruises to form for a short time.

Cupping is particularly useful for moving stagnant Qi and blood and expelling exterior pathogens such as wind and damp. It is used for musculo-skeletal problems and often for conditions such as asthma, colds and flu.

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• Kinesiology.

Kinesiology is a science which investigates and analyzes human motion. It is a form of biomechanics. Kinesiology (pronounced kin-easy-ology) uses your body's bio-feedback system, whereby precision muscle testing is specifically applied to your own unique and individual physiology - thereby eliminating "guess-work."
Kinesiology uses muscle testing to identify imbalances in the body's structural, chemical, emotional or other energy, to establish the body's priority healing needs, and to evaluate energy changes brought about by a broad spectrum of both manual and non-manual therapeutic procedures.
This technique uses the body's own biofeedback system via muscle testing to promote health. The aim is to restore balance where there are nutritional deficiencies and to create wellness at a physical, emotional and spiritual level.
Applied Kinesiology is a form of chiropractic introduced in 1964. It is a diagnostic method for determining health status through muscle testing and also a therapy wherein the practitioner applies light finger-tip massage to pressure points on the body or head in order to stimulate or relax key muscles.
Nemo-Link a newly introduced therapy also includes a muscle test for diagnosis then disciplines the brain to assess and restore balance of the body and skeletal structure.
Clinical Kinesiology was developed by an Alan Beardell 20 years after applied kinesiology was introduced. Precise manipulations called hand-modes are performed on the skull or arm muscles to heal musculo-skeletal injuries, sports injuries, back and spinal pain.

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• Metamorphosis.

Rather than continue to focus on the symptoms of our disturbances Metamorphosis addresses our underlying, unconscious patterns of stress that create imbalance, disharmony and illness. This allows the person to relax and not have to re-enter or interpret events of the past. By doing this the unconscious mind is un-conditioned rather than re-conditioned. This is the beginning of operating from our own inner guidance rather than from our prenatal and external influences. This is the freedom we all desire!
Metamorphosis addresses the underlying stress patterns that arrived at conception via our genetic and karmic patterns. Within the genetic and karmic patterns is the initial stress pattern of humanity. In working this way we are creating permanent change, for we are addressing tension at its origin.
Our underlying stress patterns influence how we view and experience life. We are either in response to life, which is a spontaneous, healthy interaction with life and all living things or we are in reaction. Reaction to life is expressed in an array of mental, emotional, physical and behavioural symptoms. We react to life from our underlying, often unconscious, stress patterns. Because we address the underlying pattern rather than the symptom, Metamorphosis brings about permanent change and is helpful to anyone. I have listed symptoms below so that you can recognize the depth of working in this way. Metamorphosis is truly a gift to humanity as it assists with all levels of discomfort and dysfunction.
We work on the feet and spine to address the primary patterns behind the discomfort and dis-ease in ones life. We work on the head to address tension in relation to thinking. This is often experienced as headaches, analyzing, worrying, over thinking, can’t stop thinking, unclear thinking or mental illness. We work on the hands to address our executive ability, the ability to 'do' things as well as handle or cope with our patterns, emotions or life itself!

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• Naturopathy.

Naturopathy is a distinct system of medicine that is based on a belief in the healing power of nature--and especially in the body's innate ability to fight disease and heal itself. Practiced by naturopathic doctors (also known as naturopaths or N.D.s), it incorporates a wide range of natural treatment methods, rather than drugs or surgery, to stimulate the body's own healing powers. Among the therapies many naturopaths frequently prescribe are diet and lifestyle modifications, nutritional supplements, homeopathy, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, detoxification, spinal manipulation, and more.
Although the term "naturopathy" wasn't coined until the late 19th century, it is one of the oldest forms of medicine known to mankind, tracing its roots to the healing traditions of ancient China, India, Greece, and to Native American cultures.
Naturopaths have a different approach to symptoms than conventional doctors do. In their view some symptoms are actually evidence of the body's self-healing abilities, and thus should not be suppressed with drugs. A fever, for example, is seen as the way a healthy body reacts to a virus or bacteria. To treat the fever, a naturopathic physician believes in supporting the body system involved in producing it--in this case, the immune system.

A symptom that doesn't respond to self-healing would be explored by the naturopath for its underlying causes. A headache, for example, would not be treated with an aspirin. Instead it would be evaluated in various ways: as the possible result of musculoskeletal imbalances in the neck and upper back, a nutritional problem (such as low blood sugar); or an emotional problem, such as stress or poor sleep.

In general, naturopathic practitioners are taught to follow six basic principles when treating patients. These help to distinguish their profession.

1. Nature has the power to heal. According to naturopathy, the body has the inherent ability to establish, maintain, and restore health. The naturopath's role is to facilitate the self-healing process by removing obstacles to a person's health and recovery.
2. Treat the cause, not the effect. Rather than suppress symptoms, the naturopath should treat the underlying causes of disease.
3. Treat the whole person. Illness rarely has a single cause, so every aspect of the patient--mind, body, and spirit--must be brought into harmonious balance.
4. Do no harm. The naturopath should utilize methods and substances that are as non-toxic and non-invasive as possible. Methods that suppress symptoms without removing underlying causes are considered harmful and are to be avoided or minimized.
5. Encourage prevention. A naturopath should help "create" health as well as treat disease.
6. Act as a teacher. Part of the naturopath's task is to educate the patient and encourage lifestyle habits that promote good health. The emphasis should be on building health rather than on fighting disease.

The naturopathic physician movement carries these principals into a primary care “drug-less” medical provider role. The preference of naturopathic physicians to evaluate the whole person rather than just the disease itself, places them in the centre of the movement to make health care more “holistic” by giving special consideration to the patient's mental, emotional, and spiritual attitude, as well as to lifestyle, diet, heredity, environment, and family and community life. In contrast, conventional medical training biases allopathic physicians to view all patients as essentially alike (allowing for some variation in susceptibility). In conventional medicine, especially in drug therapy, the focus has been on the scientific study of the disease itself.

Significantly, in naturopathy, as in many other traditions of health care, every patient is regarded as unique--as someone with self-healing potential. Because the naturopath's emphasis is on the person, the first question often asked is, "What were the circumstances in this patient's life that set the stage for this illness?”

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• Reflexology.

Whilst the art of reflexology dates back to Ancient Egypt, India and China, it wasn’t until 1913 that Dr William Fitzgerald introduced this therapy to the West as ‘zone therapy’. He noted that reflex areas on the feet and hands were linked to other areas and organs of the body within the same zone.
In the 1930’s Eunice Ingham further developed this zone theory into what is now known as reflexology. She observed that congestion or tension in any part of the foot is mirrored in the corresponding part of the body.
Reflexology is a complementary therapy, which works on the feet to help heal the whole person not just the prevailing symptoms.
Reflexology is suitable for all ages and may bring relief from a wide range of acute and chronic conditions. After you have completed a course of reflexology treatment for a specific condition, many people find it beneficial to continue with regular treatments in order to maintain health and well-being.
While many people use reflexology as a way of relaxing the mind and body and counteracting stress, at the same time many doctors, consultants and other health care professionals recognise reflexology as a well established, respected and effective therapy. With ever increasing levels of stress, it is important people take more responsibility for their own health care needs. Reflexology helps us to cope on a physical, mental and emotional level thereby encouraging us to heal and maintain health in all areas of our lives.

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• Reiki.

Reiki (pronounced Ray-Key) is a method of natural healing based on the application of Universal Life Force Energy (the name literally means Universal Life Force Energy).
Reiki is one of the more widely known forms of energy healing. Energy Healing involves direct application of Chi for the purpose of strengthening the clients energy system (aura). Chi is the term used by the Chinese mystics and martial artists for the underlying force the Universe is made of. Mystics in all cultures have talked about the physical universe being made of an underlying form of something, much as modern physics research is now coming to understand the Universe is made of energy which is subject to (or affected by) thought. Just as modern physics says this energy is affected by thought the mystics also say this underlying form is affected by thought, going so far as to claim we create our own reality from our thinking and the thoughts we share between each of us every day

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