Yoga and the Mind
Posted on January 23, 2010
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Yoga practice is actually becoming a common practice that is recommended by medical professionals for a variety of illnesses and problems. While not all physical ailments can benefit from yoga, almost all types of mental illnesses can reap some benefit from the practice of yoga.
Psychiatrists and psychologists often recommended yoga to their patients as a way of gaining self-awareness and insight. When a person practices yoga, they calm their minds and focus only on their breathing and poses. This allows for the mind to filter out all that is superfluous and can help the person gain new perspective on their thoughts. Depression and anxiety are often greatly helped by the regular practice of yoga. People with depression often find that they are awakened to the simplicity and beauty in life through yoga. People with anxiety are often calmed and soothed when they practice yoga. It should be stated that before anyone does yoga, they should consult a doctor.
Rolfing, Yoga, and Common Objectives
Posted on January 17, 2010
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There a re many similarities between rolfing and yoga, both in theory and in practice. Not only do both of these natural therapies involve the use of movement to strengthen the body, they both also employ breathing methods to lower stress in the body and to improve the body’s internal functions. But some of the most interesting similarities come in the common objectives of yoga and rolfing.
Both rolfing and yoga practices share purposes like the improvement of flexibility, coordination, and body posture and alignment. Many practitioners of both rolfing and yoga find they have greatly lowered stress levels, and they also can find relief from physical problems like breathing difficulties and chronic pain. One of the biggest benefits from both of these practices is increased energy, and along with increased body awareness, both practices bring about all-around wellbeing.
Meditating On Alternative Therapy
Posted on January 11, 2010
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The list of alternative therapies that are not readily or legitimately recognized by the medical community is long. Most members of traditional medical organizations like the American Medical Association would never recommend treatments like herbal therapy, homeopathy, or acupuncture to their patients. But what is surprising is that in recent years more and more traditional medical practitioners have pushed their patients to practice meditation.
Meditation is recommended to a very wide variety of patients suffering from any number of symptoms and illnesses. For example, patients with chronic pain from severe illnesses like cancer or arthritis often will practice meditation to alter the brain’s perception of pain. Patients with emotional disorders, like Generalized Anxiety Disorder, are often prescribed meditation as a way to calm the mind during severe anxiety attacks. Other benefits of meditation are heightened self-awareness and observation as well as relaxation and concentration.
The History of Acupuncture
Posted on January 5, 2010
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The father of Chinese medicine, Shen Nung, is thought to be the first person to have theorized about circulation in the human body. These theories were compiled approximately 5000 years ago, and led to the development of acupuncture.
Shen Nung developed the idea of the Qi, an energy force that flows through the human body. This energy travels through channels called Meridians which run all through the body. The theory is that when the Qi is not flowing correctly, the human body experiences illness. This incorrect flow can be caused by blocked Meridians which causes unbalanced Qi. In order to reestablish the flow of Qi, certain points of the body where the Meridians contact the surface of the skin must be manipulated. These points are accessed through the insertion of needles into the skin, a practice known as acupuncture.
Light Therapy as an Acne Treatment
Posted on December 30, 2009
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For those with severe acne problems, there are limited treatments. Some dermatologists prescribe certain acne drugs or acne facial soaps or other external treatments. But many dermatologists have taken to using blue light or red light therapies to treat acne.
Besides these two types of light, sunlight is the best acne treatment; but the UVA and UVB rays in sunlight are extremely damaging to the skin, especially during prolonged exposure. Since artificial UV didn’t work as well as real sunlight, blue and red visible rays were found to be effective and safer. These two lights actually have the ability to destroy the bacteria that cause acne in the skin. The prescribed therapy is generally 3 days of exposure; this can get rid of almost all (99.9%) of the bacteria in the skin. The only real precaution dermatologists need to take with this treatment is appropriate eye protection.
Let the Sunshine in
Posted on December 24, 2009
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The number of diagnosed and treated cases of depression and seasonal affective disorder has grown over the last few years. This has, of course, brought about the development of new treatments for all types of depression. One of the newer alternative depression treatments is light therapy. The use of “light boxes”, which provide 10,000 lux of artificial light, not only has been proven to help persons with Seasonal Affective Disorder, but recently they have been shown to help all types of depression.
Though these light boxes do not cause any skin damage the way other types of light therapies � like ultraviolet light therapies � do, there has still been research into other types of light therapy for depression. The use of blue light to treat depression is just as effective as the use of light boxes for younger patients; however, it is not effective in older patients.
Yoga as a Religious Principle
Posted on December 17, 2009
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Yoga is commonly known in the western world as a method of exercise. However, yoga in fact takes its root in a much different place. Yoga actually began as a part of the Hindu religion, one of the major religions practiced in India. India is, of course, where yoga really began. Yoga is defined in the Hindu religion as being closely related to asceticism and meditation. The practice of yoga actually does teach meditation in some form, even in its practice in the west.
In western countries like the United States yoga is more of a forms of exercise than it is a practice of religion. Yoga involves movements and poses that strengthen the body as well as bringing a meditative quality to the mind. There are several different types of yoga commonly practiced in the United States, especially Hatha Yoga.
Aromatherapy: Aromatic Blending and Therapeutic Blending
Posted on December 11, 2009
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While the term “aromatherapy” technically refers to the use of essential oils and plant extracts to produce a therapeutic effect in a person, many people enjoy blending essential oils simply for their fragrances. Blending for fragrance is a wonderful idea, but the blender should be aware of the therapeutic uses of the oils he or she wants to use. Using oils that are contraindicated for the person’s physical or emotional issues can produce a problematic response.
The same is true in blending essential oils for therapeutic use. Beginning blenders should use established recipes for the problems they are trying to fix, and should not attempt to blend their own recipes until they have adequate experience. When blending for fragrance, it is also important to remember that duplication of manufactured fragrances is not possible as manufacturers use artificial chemicals in their scents and perfumes.
Music Therapy and Your Emotional Wellbeing
Posted on December 4, 2009
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Besides its vast uses as a method of pain control by cancer patients and other people who suffer from chronic painful health conditions, music therapy can also be used for the treatment of emotional disorders. There has been particular use of music therapy in the treatment of mental disorders like anxiety and even in dementia patients, a disease that causes both mental and physical symptoms.
Dementia is not the only disease treated with music therapy because of its multiple effect symptoms; cancer patients often experience a great deal of anxiety, and their symptoms are often relieved, if only briefly, by music therapy. It is important to remember that music therapy is never the sole treatment prescribed to treat any disorder, emotional or physical; however, since the therapy doesn’t work against traditional therapies, it is safe to use in conjunction with them.
Therapeutic Processes in Art Therapy
Posted on November 28, 2009
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Art therapists, like other therapists, use several different therapeutic processes to analyze and treat emotional problems in their patients. Unlike other therapists, however, art therapists‘ have therapeutic techniques that center on having the patient create and interpret art pieces. This can help the patient gain personal insight as well as help them to address personal issues.
Some of the techniques used are interpreted by the art therapist instead of the student. In these techniques, the patient’s art is analyzed according to the colors, shapes and designs used. Some techniques are used to determine the current psychological state of the patient; these techniques generally involve the patient choosing geometric shapes and then recreating them. Other techniques involve the patient drawing specific pictures and then explaining the pictures; these techniques give the art therapist clues to the personality of the patient.