What are holistic therapies?

Holistic therapies are usually defined as being those practices which approach health by taking into account the person as a whole. This is in contrast to the traditional western approach of breaking down the body into separate systems or components and addressing those parts independently. Holistic therapies not only seek to deal with an illness but also to find the underlying causes of that illness and put in place a health regime to deal with that cause.  Holistic therapies tend to take a more proactive approach to health, in that rather than solely dealing with health problems as they arise, a holistic practitioner will generally concentrate on maintaining wellbeing so that potential health problems are addressed before they show up as an illness. Holistic therapies will also take into account the more intangible aspects which influence health such as stress and emotional wellbeing. 

How do holistic therapies work?

Holistic therapies focus on the ability of the body to repair itself with the patient being led to the understanding that given the right environment, the body has the capacity to heal itself from many illnesses. The holistic approach treats the mind and body as interconnected systems with each having an effect on the other.
Holistic therapies to some extent, put responsibility for health in the hands of the individual and seeks to provide people with the skills to recognise physical and emotional factors that are affecting their health. This then enables the individual the ability to take steps to not only deal with existing illness, but to improve overall health as a way of avoiding future health complications.
In recent years there has also been a greater realisation that holistic medicine is also a valuable tool to compliment conventional medicines by allowing "the whole picture" to be considered.

Types of holistic therapies:

There are a number of different disciplines which fall under the umbrella of holistic therapies  – here are just a few examples;

Holistic massage:

Massage is generally defined as promoting health and well being through the manual manipulation of the bodies soft tissues. Holistic massage generally specifically deals with clearing the lymphatic drainage system and therefore releasing toxins from the body. Holistic massage focuses on encouraging the body’s natural healing abilities and promoting balance within the entire body as a whole.

Some of the benefits of holistic massage are;

• Improves circulation resulting in benefits to skin tone and colour.
• Encourages deeper breathing which in turn increases oxygenation of the body
• Encourages lymph drainage removing toxins from the body and reducing swelling
• Improved circulation resulting in more efficient delivery of nutrients to the body
• Relieves stiff joints and fatigued and sore muscles and thus is also of particular benefit to arthritis sufferers.
• Improves sleep and encourages general relaxation which in turn reduces stress and increases energy levels.  

Indian head massage:

Indian head massage generally involves the application of deep kneading and compression movements over the neck, shoulder and scalp areas. The Indian head massage therapist will generally make use of beneficial oils to help stimulate the nerve endings of the scalp. In addition, Indian head massage will sometimes also involve the therapist gently stimulating the pressure points on the face through stroking movements.
Indian head massage is particularly useful in increasing joint mobility and increasing flexibility of the neck and shoulders. Indian head massage aims to improve blood flow as well as lymphatic flow and aid in the elimination of accumulated toxins. In particular Indian head massage is effective in reducing the effects of stress and tension which can accumulate in the head and neck. 

Reflexology:

Reflexology is essentially based on the principal that there are reflexes in the feet, hands and ears that correspond to every part of the body. Reflexology will generally concentrate on the feet with each part of the body being accessed through its corresponding anatomical link in the foot.  For example according to reflexology therapists the soft part of the foot represents the internal organs and these are therefore said to receive benefit through the manipulation of this area. Like acupuncture reflexology is generally understood to work by accessing the subtle energy channels in the body.

Reflexology is useful in the treatment of migraine, insomnia, hormone imbalances, breathing disorders, circulatory and digestive problems, back problems, sinus problems, and disorders relating to stress and tension. 

Acupressure:

Acupressure works on the basis of stimulating specific anatomical points on the body by applying pressure with the hand, elbow, or through the use of various devices. Acupressure seeks to manipulate or “unblock” meridians, or energy channels through which energy passes in the body.
The purpose of Acupressure is to encourage the body’s own recuperative powers through the stimulation of these points. The ultimate goal of acupuncture is to diffuse the build up of toxins in the muscles relieving muscle stiffness which can put pressure on the nerves as well as the blood and lymph vessels.  

Why use holistic therapies?

Increasingly people are turning to holistic therapies due to the perceived limitations of western medicine especially when it comes to the prevention of chronic degenerative diseases and lifestyle induced illnesses which are becoming more and more prevalent in our societies. As the awareness of the negative side effects of western pharmaceutical medicines increases people are turning to Holistic Therapies and natural alternatives for natural, non-toxic treatment options which not only seek to treat illnesses as they arise but also promote overall health so that illnesses do not manifest themselves in the first place.