In the last ten years or so, complementary therapies have become a viable alternative to the mainstream medical system. Much work has been done to demonstrate their effectiveness and to show that they are not a "touchy", "feely", nice little thing to do when one want’s to increase their feel-good factor. They are, in fact, very serious forms of alternative medical treatment and people seeking the help of a complementary therapist for the first time, should do so with care, that is, qualifications, insurance and experience should be checked.
The objective of this section is to explain what complementary therapy is all about with a view to leading up to a slightly more detailed description of some of the more commonly used therapies nowadays. Each therapy will be described in separate chapters.
Complementary therapies range from those that work solely at an energy level (the Qi energy of Acupuncture for example) through to those that deal with problems on a physical level. However, the aim all of these therapies is the same: to restore a bodily, emotional and spiritual balance. That is, to deal with the whole person in a Holistic way.
Therapists consider that all illness is caused by an imbalance in one or more of the three levels of a living being (body, emotional and spiritual).
That is to say, if a person (or any other animal) is injured, let’s say an accidental burn or cut, then in addition to the physical trauma, that person usually experiences some form of emotional/mental distress and an overall sense of being unwell. This is an example of a physical trauma causing distress on the emotional and spiritual level and therefore, creating imbalances of the three states of wellbeing. An example of dis-ease being caused by the spiritual level being traumatised could be when someone’s ego is hurt in some way (insult or some injustice being experienced such as mental abuse). When this occurs, the affected person usually attempts to compensate in some way: withdrawing; crying; becoming angry. If the matter is not dealt with and the situation resolved, then the problem usually manifests itself on the mental level as depression, introversion or unsociable behaviour (to name a few) and eventually will become apparent on the physical level, perhaps as some form of skin or digestion problem (there are many more). What is being illustrated is the effect that the emotional/spiritual health of person will have on their body; it is these problems that most complementary therapists are confronted with and are trained to help treat.
The complementary therapies that utilise energy solely for their healing are Homœopathy and Reiki. These therapies seek to raise the energy levels of the body, mind and spirit so that it can overcome the energy of the disease and in this way encourage the body to commence a curative process.
In between the pure energy and physical therapies are those that utilise a physical process to remove energy blockages or balance out excesses/deficiencies of energy. Examples of these are Reflexology and Acupuncture/Acupressure where the surface of the body is stimulated by either applying pressure or a needle in specific points and thus encouraging an energy imbalance to be rectified and, in the process, allowing the body to restore its health.
On a more physical level is the much talked about/misquoted/misused therapy of Diet and Nutrition. This form of healing seeks to restore the imbalance caused by deficiencies of dietary intake which cause certain nutrients to be below or above very specific and well identified levels. By addressing these deficiencies, health can generally be restored.
In each of the following sections on complementary therapies, you will find one of the governing bodies for that particular therapy. There are others but the one that is given is considered to be the one that will cover the majority of reputable therapists. These organisations should be checked if there is any doubt about qualifications.
When selecting a complementary therapy and therapist, you must be aware that, with few exceptions, therapists of the therapies described on this web site are not permitted or capable of making a diagnosis, that is, being able to tell you that you have a specific, named medical condition. You should be wary of therapists making exorbitant claims to cure because they can only act as a means of helping the body (you) to heal itself (yourself) and if there are serious obstacles to healing naturally that require medical intervention, then the therapist is obliged to refer you to your doctor.
Other things to take into consideration are complementary therapies, as the name suggests, complement the main stream medical profession as well as each other. Hence it may be in your interests to consider a complementary therapy in conjunction with any medical treatment that you or your child may be receiving (advise your doctor first) and always consider using more than one therapy at one time so long as they are compatible. Examples of therapies that complement each other very well are Homœopathy and Reflexology; Diet & Nutrition should accompany all of them. In most cases the manipulative therapies (Osteopathy, Chiropractory, etc.) can have a counter effect on the more healing therapies such as Reflexology and Acupuncture.
Finally, when considering treatment with complementary therapies, allow sufficient time for a healing process to take place. It is of little use being treated by conventional medicine for several years then expecting a cure in one or two treatments. Complementary therapies enable your body to heal itself, therefore, always consider how long you have been ill and what other confounding factors are in place, that is, medication, constant stress levels and other strong maintaining causes.
The most important factor in choosing a therapy is whether or not you can identify with it and whether or not you feel you have some rapport with the therapist. The cost of the treatment is not the most important factor because this usually depends upon the vicinity of the clinic to the centre of major towns or cities, the "going rate" in a specific location and the confidence/experience of the therapist. Always talk to therapists before embarking on a course of treatment and be aware that, in some cases, it can be to your benefit to undertake more than one therapy at one time. Remember that your objective is to heal yourself as quickly as it is practically possible to do so.
