Holistic And Alternative Medicine
101 Natural Health Tips

The Wellness Directory Ltd 2009
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While every attempt has been made to ensure that the information presented here is correct, the content herein is a reflection of the views of the Wellness Directory Ltd and are meant for educational and informational purposes only. All links are for information purposes only and are not warranted for content, accuracy or any other implied or explicit purpose.

No tips in this document should be considered medical advice. Seek the help of a professional healthcare provider before making any decisions concerning your health.

Chapter List:

Holistic Health Tips

1. Improve your posture. It is important to keep your spine as straight as possible, so that your muscles do not strain and contract unnecessarily. Also, in order to keep energy circulating throughout your body, it is important to keep your spine straight and nerves unhindered.

2. Consider “trigger point massage” for pain relief. If you are plagued by continuous pain and conventional pain medicines are not working to help eliminate it, consider this special type of massage. It will help to not only ease the pain – but to eliminate its source as well.

3. Try acupuncture. Acupuncture is type of holistic/alternative medicine that has been commonly practiced in the eastern part of the world for thousands of years. Five thousand years ago, the intention of acupuncture was to prolong life. With many alternative medical techniques, the intention is to prevent rather than to cure a specific or general ailment. The oldest recorded practice of acupuncture was over 5,000 years ago. Basically, acupuncture is used to stimulate the nerves in the body and as a result positively affect all of the other bodily systems.

4. Try Reiki healing. Reiki is a healing art that uses the body’s energy to begin and further the healing process. It is performed by using one’s hands to follow a specific pattern of massage, in order to stimulate energy movement throughout the body. There are many Reiki healers who are specially trained to perform the healing massage, or you can read about it or take a class to become a proficient Reiki healer yourself.

5. Consider a complete body cleansing. There are many different products on the market today that can help you to eliminate toxins from the body and increase the efficiency and overall health of your body. A complete cleanse will remove toxins and other harmful matter from your kidneys, liver and intestines. Generally how they work is you follow a strict dietary regimen for a few weeks while the cleansing process occurs. Most people who try this agree that it makes them feel healthier and they often report a fair amount of weight loss after the process is complete.

6. Try to avoid television. Believe it or not, television actually induces negative feelings in most viewers as a result of the commonplace violence and gossip. Television viewing is not nearly as relaxing as some people claim. Try giving up your television shows for a week, replacing them with other activities. You will most likely find that you are better rested, happier and less stressed at the end of that week.

7. Don’t forget to relax. No human being is equipped to function in constant stress mode. It is unhealthy to have a life filled with all work and no play. Some of the most common health problems that result when a person doesn’t relax enough include high blood pressure, stomach ulcers and other digestive disorders. Be sure to take some time out for yourself at least once a week, preferably once a day. This can help to prevent, and in some cases eliminate, these chronic health problems.

8. Consider biofeedback therapy. If you are experiencing health problems and cannot seem to find the source, a biofeedback therapist will monitor your body and how it reacts to daily activities in order to find out where it is not performing optimally. In this treatment, you would wear a monitor that actually records how your body is reacting while it is turned on. If you are an athlete suffering from muscle problems, you might want to consider this treatment to determine whether you are properly resting your muscles between activities.

9. Improve your sleeping habits. One of the best things that everyone can do to improve their well-being is to moderate their sleeping patterns. Unfortunately, poor sleep is a habit learned by nearly everyone during the teenage years. It is critical to allow your body the time it needs to wind down and relax so that you can be rejuvenated. If you feel tired during the day, when you awaken in the morning or exhausted before bedtime it is a sign that you are not getting the right amount of sleep. This could be too much, or too little. Try setting aside eight hours for sleep each night, getting into bed no less than half an hour prior to the time that you want to be asleep. If you do this for a few weeks, you will find positive improvements in your overall health and productivity.

10. Breathe mindfully. The process of mindful breathing is a form of meditation; however it is also a great way to get more oxygen into your blood and tissues. If you start right now and pay attention to how you are breathing, it is more than likely that you will find yourself breathing quite shallowly. This is not a healthy breathing pattern. You can start out by just inhaling completely and then slowly exhaling completely. If you take one minute to just do this focused breathing each day, you will find that you feel better during that minute. And, you will catch yourself paying attention to your breathing several times throughout the day. If you are stressed or tired, take a minute out of your day to breathe mindfully.

11. Try reflexology. Reflexology is a technique of applying pressure to and stretching the hands and feet in order to send nerve messages to other parts of the body. Through the careful application of reflexology, practitioners can affect the health of various organs and parts of the body. There are many resources available if you would like to learn more about the practice of reflexology.

12. Relieve pain with acupuncture. Acupuncture is an age old healing technique used to stimulate nerve endings and to promote healing from within. Overall, the goal of an acupuncturist is to restore well being and good health to the whole body. If you are currently experiencing chronic pain, consider consulting a therapist to see if your pain might be reduced with treatments.

13. Meditate for better well being. The basic definition of meditation is to concentrate on some object or thought in order to quiet the mind. There are many different types and styles of meditation; however the one thing that is consistent is that not every technique will work for every person. Every one can benefit from some type of meditation, take some time to read about different techniques or talk to a holistic healer for more information about what might work for you.

14. Try Buddhist meditation. Buddhist meditation deals primarily with the quest for knowledge, and is one of the more popular styles of meditation used in the world today. The premise is that by meditating you are spending some quiet time to improve the state of your mind. Getting started is as simple as finding a quiet space to relax, taking some deep breaths and letting thoughts enter and pass through your mind without concentrating on any specific thought.

15. Stop the music when meditating. Just as you would probably accomplish more during a study session without music, the same holds true for meditation. While some people will play music while they meditate, there is a question about whether music serves simply as a distraction. Try turning off the music for a week, and see for yourself if you are able to accomplish more with a quiet atmosphere.

16. Accept that there is no clear and easy path. Many people spend so much time looking for the easy route that they forget to enjoy the joys of the road. Changing your perspective will take time, but try to begin thinking of obstacles as stepping-stones along the path of your life.

17. Go to the dentist. If you have fillings that could possibly contain Mercury, it is a good idea to have those fillings replaced by your dentist. If you are feeling poorly and cannot explain why, this may be the culprit. Mercury poisoning is slow and often masks itself with symptoms of other health problems. Your dentist can tell you whether you should consider having any of your fillings replaced.

18. Be nicer. Positive energy is contagious. If you do something nice for someone today, chances are that before the end of the day that person will do something nice for someone else. Holding the door for someone costs you nothing more than a few seconds out of your day, however if that person is having a bad day it might just be the little pick up needed to put them in a better mood. Little things mean a lot, and if you are doing nice things for people, you will begin to feel better about yourself.

19. Avoid clutter. Clutter is an energy buster. If your bedroom is cluttered, the energy will not flow as freely as it should and your sleep will be affected in a negative way. Not only that, but clutter is frustrating, because it often keeps you from finding something that you need in a few seconds. Take the time to eliminate clutter, but start small with one area at a time. Otherwise, you risk overwhelming yourself with a lot of work.

20. Be gracious. Gratitude is extremely powerful, and remembering to say thank you for even the littlest things can be a powerful positive change. Expressing gratitude is much more pleasant than expressing frustration, and it will eventually begin to replace the negative habit of complaining that we all get into some times.

21. Consider a peroxide bath. Hydrogen peroxide is known for being a highly effective astringent that removes toxins, or dirt, from scrapes and cuts. It can do the same thing for the rest of the body as well. Simply add a quart of peroxide to your hot bath and soak for a few minutes to check for tolerance. If you don’t have any irritation that does not stop quickly, add a second quart and soak for about ten minutes. The peroxide will pull toxins from your skin and help you to flush toxins better afterwards.

22. Consider a liver flush. Gallstones form in the bile ducts and the gallbladder, and may be to blame for medical problems that go otherwise unexplained. By performing a liver flush you are helping your body to eliminate the built up toxins and gallstones. If you are interested in instructions for a liver flush, you can find them at any reputable holistic healer and even online. If you have any health problems, or suspect that you might, you should speak with your doctor prior to performing the process.

23. Consider learning from an Alexander technique instructor. The Alexander method is a way to retrain the body to remain correctly postured in order to prevent and eliminate the possibility of problems such as muscle strains, nerve damage, stiff necks and many more. The purpose of this technique is to eliminate unnecessary tension within the body and to teach the body to position itself correctly.

24. Eat clay. Yes, clay in its naturally occurring form is fantastic for treating many different health ailments that might go otherwise untreated. Liquid clay is available and can be taken several times a day to help with problems with the liver, headaches, arthritis and skin disorders. Clay masks are fantastic for the skin, and when used after a good exfoliation they can remove impurities and toxins from your skin.

25. Consider “transpersonal therapy”. If you have found that standard therapy is not working out for you, this is an approach that helps many people to feel more comfortable. In this type of psychotherapy, the therapist and the patient focus on making a significant connection with one another in order to remove anyone from a superior position. Many patients have found that when they feel a connection with their therapist, they feel that they can be more open-minded and receptive.

26. Be mindful instead of bored. If you feel bored, or feel as though you are stretching every minute to its fullest extent in order to get things done, you are probably a good candidate for the practice of mindfulness. Through mindfulness, you are going to get to the root of what is causing you to feel stressed or bored. Often there is something deeper that is causing you anxiety, and through this technique you are likely to discover what that something is. The premise is to let go of pain and to allow thoughts to flow freely. By trying to suppress feelings and control thoughts, you are actually doing your body more harm than good.

27. Pay attention to your dreams. Dreams can tell you a lot of information that you might not otherwise realize. Therapists believe that through our dreams, we become aware of personal struggles, fears and internal conflicts. Consider keeping a dream journal, where you record at least the major themes of what you are dreaming. Do this as soon as you can after waking, so that you make sure to get the essence of your dreams. Pay attention to patterns, serial dreams and symbols that seem to reappear often. Find out what these things represent to you by meditating on the symbol or theme, or look them up in a dream dictionary for the generally accepted explanation. While this may not represent the meaning for you, it will give you a place to start.

28. Study your hands to remember your dreams. If you are experiencing personal conflicts, feeling stressed or would just like to gain a new level of access to your inner thoughts, consider learning to control your dreams to make them work for you. By concentrating on your hands several times throughout the day, asking yourself if you are dreaming, you will start to remember to look at your hands while dreaming. If you can control your hands in your dreams, you will already be able to change the course of your dreams and to play an interactive part. This can include bringing specific people into your dreams, or even asking specific people to leave them. Try this technique, and you will be amazed the first time that you are dreaming, and realize that you are actually able to do more than just watch what is happening.

29. Try yoga to overcome depression. If you are suffering from depression, practicing yoga may help you to overcome the symptoms and get to the root of what is causing the problem in the first place. Through the practice of yoga, you are attempting to connect to your spirit and to reconnect your mind and body. With practice, you may begin to see the symptoms of depression begin to lessen almost immediately.

30. Learn about your constitutional type. Indian medicine focuses treatment for patients upon their constitution – based upon the elements of water, fire, earth, space and air. According to this centuries old practice, it is believed that diet, activities and healthcare can be specifically targeted to the individual. There are a number of factors that help determine your constitutional type according to Auyervedic typing. You can work with a practicing Auyervedic doctor, or you can find information about type determination online.

31. Pay attention to your colors. Although you may have stopped paying attention to color as a young child, there is definitely some benefit to examining what colors you tend to use, enjoy and prefer. Color is directly associated with body energy and emotions. Sometimes, you may feel out of balance and not realize that it is the colors surrounding you that are impacting your mind-body balance. For example, if you tend to wear a lot of red or to surround yourself with red, you may be over-stimulating your emotions. However, if you frequently feel tired or listless you might want to add more red to your wardrobe.

32. Consider color therapy. Try changing the colors in your wardrobe to better suit your emotional needs during any particular time in your life. For example, if you feel that you are in need of a personal change, or that you need to build your self-esteem, consider wearing more purple, as this color is known for its connection with self-healing. If you are stressed, try wearing light blue. Green is a great color to add when you feel like you have recently made a personal accomplishment, since it is a color known for renewing effects.

33. Try magnets for pain relief. Magnetic therapy is becoming a very popular method for treating chronic pain and conditions that cause chronic pain. Magnets are shown to increase blood flow through the body by as much as a third. This increased circulation is a great way to alleviate pain.

34. Use magnets when recovering from an injury. Studies have shown that applying magnets to an injury will help to increase the healing rate because the magnets correct the polarity of the body cells and increase the overall health of the area where they are applied. Healing will be faster, and pain will be less when you apply magnets.

35. Try bioenergenic therapy when you are feeling depressed or tired. Bioenergetics is an alternative therapy that includes a combination of different techniques used together to help your body fight off illnesses, depression and other conditions. Practitioners observe the patient and form a treatment plan that works to correct things like breathing patterns and stress levels in order to begin identifying and alleviating problems that the patient is experiencing. This therapy combines biofeedback with talk and touch therapy, acupuncture and nutritional counseling in a specific way determined by each individual patient.

36. Play an active role. If you have decided to see a holistic practitioner, one of the things that you need to realize when you get started is that this is not the passive medicine that you may have experienced in the past. The practitioners are there to guide you as the patient, however you will need to make a significant effort and work with your practitioner to determine the best treatments for you and to increase the effectiveness of the treatments. Many patients find that taking an active role in treatment makes the effects more immediate and tangible.

37. Consider a whole body detoxification program. The environment, stress and even the foods that we eat can affect every cell in the human body negatively. Sometimes, the body just needs a break so that it can effectively remove harmful chemicals and byproducts that reduce the body’s ability to fight disease and to function at its peak. A whole body cleanse will give you the ability to remove toxins from your intestine, organs and even your skin. Consider working with a holistic physician to see if a detoxification program could help you.

38. Focus on the dance of life. Life is ever-changing and ever adapting. Sometimes we all get bogged down in our day to day and forget to take time out for ourselves. It is beneficial to take at least some time each day to work on personal growth and healing. Spending time working on personal growth in some way will make you more aware of the ups and downs of your life and give you tools for dealing with whatever comes your way throughout your life.

39. Try what ails you to relieve the symptoms. Homeopathic medicine practitioners believe that a symptom is little more than the body’s defense against stress. Therefore, they take the approach that finding a substance that behaves in the same way that the body does – that substance can be used to fight off the ailment or infection. Take a walk through a health food, or nutritional supplement store, and you are bound to see a homeopathic remedy for many common health problems.

40. Try a natural caffeine detox. If you have been promising to give up coffee, or to cut down, you might need to actually remove the effects of caffeine from your system with a detoxification process that includes chamomile. This extract helps to calm you while washing caffeine from your system. You can use chamomile tea, or a specially developed compound designed to detoxify the body.

41. Consider chiropractic medicine. If you are currently experiencing back pain, chances are that the damage has already been done. Chiropractors are specially trained to manipulate the body in a way that frees nerves and muscles to function correctly, thereby reducing pain in the body immediately. It is important to work with a Doctor of Chiropractic, who has attended college and Chiropractic College.

42. Try chiropractic for more than just your back. Even if you are experiencing an illness or injury somewhere other than in your back, there is a chance that a Chiropractor will be able to alleviate some of your symptoms. In general, holistic chiropractors believe that most illnesses are a result of nerve impingements somewhere in the body. By carefully manipulating the spine, these nerves can be released and symptoms or even the illness itself will fade. Consider scheduling a consultation with a chiropractor today. The visit will generally include an examination, discussion of your symptoms and possibly an adjustment to see if you experience immediate relief.

43. Consider working with a holistic athletic trainer. If you are an athlete, you might benefit from the experience of working with a holistic trainer who focuses not only on injury recovery, but also on performance analysis, counseling and injury prevention. Through the holistic approach, your mental and physical needs will be addressed and you can improve your performance significantly as a result.

44. Try Kinesiology to improve your well being. Kinesiology is a holistic approach to traditional biofeedback therapy, where the body is studied in order to determine the source of potential and current problems. Through monitoring of your body, your Kinesiologist will determine a course of alternative treatments that will help you to perform to the best of your capabilities.

45. Add some fun to your inner work with transpersonal art therapy. Through the practice, you will create artwork and accomplish personal transformations as your work progresses. Don’t worry, no previous experience or talent is required, and this type of counseling can be very effective even for young children.

46. Try hypnosis. There are many different schools of hypnotherapy, however all center around the idea of using altered states of consciousness to help you find and resolve issues within yourself. The primary goal of hypnosis is to be a short-term therapeutic process that can help the patient to find a deep issue that they have been unable to realize in their conscious mind so that they can begin to find a solution to the problems that they are facing.

47. Lose weight or stop smoking with hypnosis. There are many programs available that offer assistance to people who want to lose weight or stop smoking, but who have been unable to remove psychological obstacles that are standing in their way. Generally, in only a few sessions, the patient will become receptive to the hypnosis and will begin to see results quickly. hypnotherapist techniques.

48. Banish disease through acupuncture therapy. Acupuncture is a form of Chinese medicine that focuses on freeing energy channels within the body in order to allow for healing and pain relief. Asthma sufferers can find great relief from chronic symptoms through this therapy, as have arthritis sufferers and others dealing with chronic illness. Every therapist will have a different approach, and you might do well to try several therapists to see whose technique works best for you.

49. If you believe in your body’s ability to heal itself, try osteopathy. Osteopathy is commonly regarded as an excellent way to strengthen the body after an injury, however it is also known as an excellent treatment option for those with headaches, digestive disorders and several other health problems. The intent of an osteotherapist is to correct problems with the skeleton in order to alleviate or prevent illness and injury.

50. Try a homeopathic approach to ADD. ADD is becoming one of the most commonly issued diagnoses among young children and adolescents today. Unfortunately, the treatment options are limited and most include the use of strong medications with terrible side effects. A better approach might be to treat only the symptoms that are present, and to treat in order to prevent the appearance of new symptoms. Homeopathic treatment includes not only natural medicines, but psychological counseling as well. The goal is to treat the patient, and not the disease. There are many traditional physicians who will work with you to develop a homeopathic treatment plan, and many holistic physicians who specialize in this type of treatment.

51. Get real allergy relief. If you suffer from allergies, you already know the frustration of treatments that just don’t work. Sure, they may mask symptoms for a while. But, they are not going to provide lasting relief. Homeopathic allergy treatment is different because instead of treating the symptoms, the goal is to strengthen the body to a point where it can resist the allergens that are behind the symptoms. While there are treatments available for the symptoms, a patient can expect to be given medications that make their immune system build upon itself to create a natural defense.

52. Listen to more music. Sound therapy is becoming commonplace in homes with newborn infants and older adults. There are many benefits of sound therapy including calming and increasing the patients sense over overall well being. Find a soft music that you enjoy, and try playing it at the lowest possible volume in a quiet room. You will find that before too long, if you are quiet and relaxed, that you hear the music as though it were at full volume.

53. Become familiar with aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is a simple way to change your daily life. Through the use of essential oils, it is possible to get access to wonderful therapeutic results. Aromatherapy has been a popular holistic health topic for thousands of years, and many people will tell you that the promised benefits are completely accurate. For example, consider placing a few drops of Rosemary oil on a cotton ball and dabbing it on your forehead during a headache. Or, consider placing a drop of lavender oil on the light bulbs in your bedroom for enhanced relaxation during sleep. Consult a pharmacist, holistic specialist or a book on essential oils to determine if one or more could help you to improve your well-being.

54. Visit an aromatherapist. If you are interested in working with a holistic therapist who deals with aromatherapy on a daily basis, consider an aroma massage with an aromatherapist. The therapist will create a custom oil blend for your visit, according to how you are feeling and your emotional state at the time of the visit. Then, they will use a soft massage technique to apply the oils to your body. You should begin to see the benefits immediately, and you should discuss what you should do for the next day or two in order to enhance the effects of the massage and oils even more.

55. Perform an act of love. Many holistic healers claim that there is no more powerful medicine than love and that simply giving or receiving affection such as a hug can raise the spirits and begin to heal the body. If you are suffering from grief of some sort, love may be all that you need to start healing.

56. Nourish your soul. Just like the mind and body, the soul also needs nourishment to continue to grow and develop. Your soul is what provides you with energy and vitality. Every one has different soul food, however most find that their soul is nourished by a walk outdoors or spending time with friends and family.

57. Ask your soul what it needs. If you take the time to listen to your inner voice, your soul will tell you what it needs. It is important to take the time to listen; otherwise you can lose your soul and not be able to find out what it is that you are missing. Just a few moments of quiet each day, and you are bound to learn something that can change your life.

58. Make your bedroom only for sleep. In today’s busy world, there is a tendency to turn the bedroom into a home office and multipurpose room. This is not recommended, as the bedroom should be instilling a sense of relaxation and restfulness.

59. Get better sleep. Do your best to avoid stress and exertion within an hour of your bedtime. Consider having a cup of chamomile tea before bed, or using lavender infused oil in order to help induce a sense of relaxation. Try to get at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, to maintain healthy sleep habits.

60. Eliminate the cause of health problems before trying to