The Convention of Holistic Healing

By Teresa Spritzer

Practitioners of holistic medicine are those that use natural methods and therapies to help restore the healing process in the body. There are many different types of holistic medicine sometimes referred to as alternative medicine. These practices have not necessarily been validated by Western medical studies. That is no way implies that they are not valid. It simply means that they have not yet been studied.

Each culture throughout the world had different theories of medical healing. Many of these practices have not been validated through studies by scientific medical methods. It is certainly not because they are invalid, but because of economics. Undertaking a large study takes a lot of money and requires a way to recuperate this investment.

Holistic medicine or alternative medicine is the use of more traditional practices of healing. Many of these traditional practices have a foundation of viewing the body as a complete system. The Western viewpoint of medicine is to keep taking things apart into smaller and smaller pieces. In a sense, holistic medicine is on the other side of the spectrum.

One of the top health problems in the United States is back pain. It is estimated that over $50 billion a year is spent on the treating and diagnosing of back related problems. Chiropractors have grown tremendously in this market for treating the spine. Insurance companies are now beginning to cover many of these chiropractic treatments.

Chiropractic doctors are trained in natural treatments of back related problems. These types of doctors can trace their roots back to the ancient Egyptians. Since those times, many of the techniques have been upgraded and modified to increase their efficiency. Chiropractors all the use natural treatments to restore the health of the spine and do not make prescriptions.

Massage therapy is another alternative form of holistic medicine. It uses different movements and pressures on muscles and soft tissue areas. This form of treatment helps to reduce stiffness, tension and relieve pain. There are many different forms of massage therapy found throughout the world.

The use of acupoints is another traditional medical practice originating in China. In ancient Chinese medicine acupoints were used to stimulate and restore health in the body. Two schools of practice evolved from the use of acupoints. One branch is acupressure and the other branch is acupuncture.

Acupressure is the use of stimulating the acupoints with pressure and movement. This helps to activate the acupoints which is believed to initiate the healing process in certain specific areas of the body. Acupuncture relies on the use of small needles directed at the acupoints. The needle is inserted to stimulate the acupoints and initiate the healing process.

Many of these treatments are now being combined into many chiropractic and medical environments. Just as globalization is making the world smaller, many medical and traditional treatments are being combined in successful ways. This is an important step of validation for many of these holistic methods.

These are some of the more common holistic methods that are becoming more mainstream in our society. Western medical science is beginning to accept many of these traditional concepts. The body is a complex organ and is sometimes tough to study in isolation. This has held by the acceptance of many of these important therapies.

One of the most important validating trends for holistic medical practices is acceptance by the insurance industry. Many forms of chiropractic medicine are now being accepted and paid for by health insurance providers. Many of these forms of treatment are being used especially in the relief of back pain. - 31520

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here