Alternative holistic therapies and holistic healing modalities are ancient healing technologies. They date back to the beginning of civilization. Many modern-day treatments are based on these earlier methods. Let’s investigate these healing processes.
The body is continually repairing itself, but sometimes, it needs help. Many ancient healing practices help heal, but modern science has yet to discover how these natural healing gifts work.
Alternative Medicine Practices
Before modern medicine, alternative or complementary medical practices were well-established medical treatments. Many give better healing outcomes than modern remedies, especially with chronic conditions. However, modern medical providers may not accept them.
Modern medicine relies on scientific evidence and clinical trials. Complementary healing methods came about through eons of trial and error. So, they may not have as much scientific support. However, many people find them helpful for managing symptoms and improving health conditions.
Today, alternative holistic therapies are the most widely practiced form of medicine. It can be traced back to Chinese medicine practices over 6,000 years old. (1) These methods consider the “whole person” when applying remedies.
When you mention the word healing, most people think about the physical body or mental health. However, there is one more aspect to our humanity: the spirit or the soul. Holistic healing methods consider the whole person, including the body, mind, and spirit.
Spiritual healing modalities are backed by scientific research. Years of research show how this “whole person” approach affects our health and healing processes. It proves the link between mind and body. The history of “whole person” treatment has roots in Ayurvedic, folk medicine, and superstition. Early medicine was part of cultural and spiritual practice, so they used spiritual terms to describe their processes.
Most of these systems involve manipulating and realigning the body’s energy system. These techniques have been used for centuries to treat the body, mind, and spirit. They address illness caused by a disturbance of the energy flow.
These holistic healing methods can be used alongside modern medical treatments. Most alternative medicine practices complement current medical care methods. Combining traditional and modern techniques can achieve better outcomes. As with any form of treatment, finding the right combination to avoid conflicts is essential.
The best practice is to communicate your proposed treatment plans with all parties. Ensure your modern medical provider knows what you intend to use to augment your treatment. Also, make sure the alternative treatment provider is aware of the treatments provided by your physicians.
Types of Complementary Healing Methods
Complementary or alternative holistic therapies work well alongside modern medical treatments. Alternative medicine practices often augment the effectiveness of modern medicine. The relationship between these two approaches is known as integrative medicine. Integrative medicine is the best of both worlds. It combines evidence-based complementary therapies alongside modern medical treatments. This approach aims to treat the whole person, not just the symptoms of a disease.
For example, a patient undergoing chemotherapy for cancer may also use acupuncture to manage pain and reduce side effects. Or someone with chronic pain might use yoga and meditation to complement medications.
Complementary healing methods and modern medicine work together to provide more comprehensive care. They address both the physical and emotional aspects of health. This integrative approach can lead to better outcomes and improved quality of life.
Holistic Healing Methods are Spiritual Gifts
Western medicine can treat severe trauma, infectious diseases, and life-threatening conditions. It provides a range of life-saving treatments, from vaccines to organ transplants. New medical technologies have changed medicine. An EKG measures electrical activity in the body even if we don’t yet understand exactly where the electrical energy comes from or how it works. Scientifically based medicine is new, only a few hundred years old.
Sometimes, the Western medical approach causes more problems than it fixes. An excellent example of this is the use of radiation treatments for acne in the 1970s. If you had these treatments, it improved the acne, but ten years later, you develop multiple skin cancers.
Holistic healing modalities take a different approach than Western medicine. Western medicine focuses on treating symptoms, but it does not always address the underlying cause. This approach may even worsen the problem and escalate symptoms. Symptoms are how the body communicates that something is out of balance, injured, or diseased.
There are three ways alternative medicine practices or alternative holistic therapies are delivered:
1. self-directed and
2. techniques a healer applies with touch or
3. healing without touch.
Advances in the quality of virtual learning have increased the use of touchless healing or distant healing. This trend increased with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eastern methods focus on regaining proper balance. Sometimes, this means removing roadblocks, realigning, or increasing the energy flow. These traditional techniques come from eons of practice and experimentation. Sometimes, the effects are immediate, while others take time to manifest healing. Some techniques require multiple treatments to achieve the desired outcome. So, they need several treatments to achieve the best results. Here are some common types of complementary healing methods:
Affirmations, positive thinking and attitudes help you cope, even if the treatment doesn’t work. A positive attitude is one thing that researchers have found to have a positive effect on your mental health. People with a positive attitude about their future have better treatment outcomes than those who do not.(2)
Aromatherapy is a therapy used with other healing methods. The traditional method is burning incense, but essential oil defusers are popular today. Essential oils from plants help you feel better by smelling them or applying them to your skin.
Body Scan Meditation can be an effective way to get in touch with what’s going on with your body. Strange as it seems, our modern culture teaches us to ignore the minor discomforts of our bodies. A body scan meditation only takes a few minutes and is pleasant and relaxing. Lay down comfortably and bring your attention to the body. Scan starting with your toes and feet and working up the body to the crown of the head. Along the way, you relax tight muscles and discover places where you need attention.
Chinese medicine includes acupuncture, acupressure, and medicinal herbs to treat systemic health problems. The theories behind these medicines date back thousands of years. Although modern medicine cannot verify why or how they work, they help treat many chronic ailments.
Acupuncture is at the heart of Chinese medicine. It is an ancient Chinese practice in which thin needles are inserted into the skin at specific points. Acupressure uses hands, rocks, or wooden dowels to apply pressure to meridians. It is common for therapists to use heating pads, rocks, towels, or even sticks to target specific areas. Other tools, like aromatherapy and music, are also strategies for preparing the client for massage.
One of the newest configurations of Chinese healing is pranic healing. Prana comes from the Sanskrit term for “life force.” In Chinese systems, it is “chi.” Japanese systems refer to this force as “ki.”
Pranic healing is the practice of repackaging Qigong, Tai Chi, or Tai Ka to make it more marketable. The Delhi High Court in India ruled that the expression ‘pranic healing’ cannot be trademarked. No one can copyright the term over pranic healing asanas and other yoga techniques, as they are not original terms.
Chiropractic care involves adjusting your spine to relieve pain and improve how your body works.
Herbal medicine uses plants to treat health problems and keep you healthy. It is the basis for almost every modern pharmaceutical medicine.
Massage Therapy is one of the most widely used healing methods. It does not require formal training. However, training in body mechanics and massage techniques increases effectiveness. The type of massage that’s right for you depends on your goal. A gentle Swedish massage might be appropriate to relax, calm, and destress.
Pejut is an Indonesian healing method involving mental healing energy and trigger point massage. Trigger point massage is not comfortable, but it is very effective in realigning muscles and bones. It doesn’t use the violent movements associated with chiropractic manipulations. This form of massage is related to the energy projection of Qigong rather than Sigils, as with Reiki.
Reiki is a Japanese touchless energy healing method, a scaled-down version of the Indonesian healing method Pejut. Using symbols, Reiki harnesses energy without physical touch, resembling Sigil Magic. Reiki is one of the most popular holistic healing methods because it is not invasive and is open for everyone to learn.
Meditation is about calming your mind and reducing stress by focusing on breathing or a peaceful thought. The two-step mediation provides immediate relief and can be practiced for 5 or 6 seconds to an hour.
Music is a tool used for healing in many cultures. It can be encoded with lyrics that facilitate memory, making it a mnemonic memory tool that can aid in remembering and learning. These qualities are helpful in many healing practices.
All mantras and sutras are vibrational energy tools, a type of music for consciousness. Mantras are used in many forms of seated and moving meditation.
Nutritional therapy uses food and supplements to support health and treat illnesses.
Reflexology is a form of massage used on hands, feet, and ears. It’s a relaxing technique that some believe can also be used as a diagnostic tool. Your hands, feet, and ears are energy junctions or concentration points. The therapists who use these techniques improve energy circulation by stimulating these points. This therapy is taken from Chinese medicine but is Westernized and sanitized.
Tai Chi, Tai Ka, and Qigong are martial arts that combine movements with deep breathing to improve balance and focus. These three methods have roots in Chinese and Indonesian culture. Many people learn them as a method of self-defense only to find the health benefits.
These natural healing modalities align energy through coordinated breathing and movement. Tai Thi, Tai Ka, and Qigong also have self-defense applications, but one need not study these to get the exercise’s health benefits.
Yoga combines stretching and breathing exercises to strengthen the mind-body connection. It makes you more flexible while clearing your mind. It is perhaps one of the most popular complementary healing methods, alongside meditation.
Sound and vibration are the cornerstones of many alternative medicine practices. Singing bowls, drums, and rattles are among the traditional instruments. So, they are also a part of healing technologies either directly or as a backdrop to set the mood. The drum, rattle, and singing bowl are integral in the Shamanic journey. They start the practice, regulate the heart rate, and end it. Sound is the key to many alternative holistic therapies.
Quantum healing therapy is a sound and vibrational therapy based on the Nada Brahma Schumann Resonances theory. It is the idea that listening to this frequency, 7.83 Hz, will align you with the frequency of planet Earth. While listening to the “grounding” frequency, they use breathing and visualization techniques. There is clinical evidence to support the positive effects of this resonance treatment. Studies show it lowers blood pressure when it is done regularly. (3)
Unverifiable Treatments
Some “remedies” have zero evidence for effectiveness. Most of these are treatments that revolve around religious mythology and superstition.
Crystal Healing is an example of a superstition being used as a treatment. For example, selenite is a crystallized form of gypsum. It is believed to can draw out toxins. It is widely used as a means of spiritual cleansing. But as beautiful as they are, there isn’t any way to measure this effect.
Similarly, Himalayan salt lamps also produce a warm, inviting glow when lit from behind. This defused light ambiance helps provide a calm, inviting environment, which encourages healing. These lamps are a staple in many healing centers.
Many people attest to these lamps’ effectiveness in changing the environment’s ambiance and mood. Changes in the immediate environment will affect our attitude.
The Safest Holistic Healing Modalities
You can use four strategies that won’t interfere with your treatment plan.
1. Engage in self-care and energy healing methods. Focus on activities that reduce stress, such as meditation, breathing exercises, and light yoga.
2. Eating the proper diet. Learn which foods to avoid that may aggravate any underlying conditions
3. Keep a health journal. Track your diet and activities to spot anything that exacerbates your health condition.
4. Identify and remove all toxic substances. Eliminating toxins may also mean removing people who are the source of negativity or false information.
In Conclusion
Alternative holistic therapies and holistic healing modalities are ever-changing. Researchers are conducting tests and surveying people to compile up-to-date data. People will continue to rebrand and rename them to make them more marketable to Western consumers.
There are many types of complementary healing methods. We recommend starting with the four safe, holistic methods. Do your research. If we can help, contact us.
We find value in many of the techniques mentioned in this article. Our organization has Reiki Masters and experienced Pejut healers in its membership.
References
(1) The History of Holistic Healing Modalities.
(2) How Positive Thinking Affects Health.
(3) The Physiological Effects of Schumann Resonance.