A typical Rolfing series is made up of 10 sessions. This is the optimal amount of sessions it takes to realign and restructure the system.

There is a standard manner to approaching a client’s body that takes place over the 10 sessions. The first few sessions often loosen up the outer layer before going deeper.

​Therapists also educate their clients on how to practice beneficial movement and breathing techniques on a day-to-day basis. Sessions tend to take place once a week. Self-treatment at home can be implemented once the 10 sessions are complete, unless it is a serious case. 

The treatment can be quite uncomfortable at times and is not as relaxing (as it is being performed) as a traditional massage.

Many patients leave the session and feel sore or in mild pain. It is important to drink plenty of water both before and after the treatment.

​Those with serious conditions such as cancer, lupus, or physiological disorders should consult their doctor before considering Rolfing natural healing system.

​Categories:
Lesser Known Therapies and ​Massage Therapy

​Keywords and Tags:
#rolfing #massagetherapy #deeptissuehealing #deeptissuemassage #softtissue #stressmanagement #stressrelief 

Rolfing is a type of healing system that works on movement and soft tissue in order to promote wellbeing. It deals with connective tissues in order to improve the structure and posture of the body. It is often compared to a deep-tissue massage, but this is a general comparison because Rolfing actually encompasses all body layers to alleviate strain.

​It has been found to strengthen and improve muscles and range of motion, as well as improve neurological functions, spinal ailments and stress. 

Those who sign up for Rolfing are generally looking for a way to manage and lower pain and tension, which tends to be related to some sort of trauma. It is commonly used with athletes in order to speed up healing and encourage motion range, as well as prevent injuries from reoccurring.

Performers are also encouraged to try Rolfing in order to improve their performance and to prevent injuries related to constant stress. It is also encouraged by various therapists and counselors to help control levels of energy and emotions. 

Unlike massage, Rolfing aims to help the body in the long-term aspect by manipulating soft tissue and increasing range of motion.

​It is not just a method for relief or relaxation but aims to improve the body through structure and posture. It works on freeing the whole body of tension instead of a focused area. Rolfing is meant to increase motion and is beneficial to joints and muscles. It speeds up the healing process by getting rid of tension and pain and increasing circulation. 

Categories:
Lesser Known Therapies and ​Massage Therapy

​Keywords and Tags:
#rolfing #massagetherapy #deeptissuehealing #deeptissuemassage #softtissue #stressmanagement #stressrelief 

Art Therapy is a technique where a person’s spontaneous creation of art is used as a means of cathartic self-expression. Such expression and release of emotions improves the person’s sense of well-being.

Which “Art Creation” qualifies? Well, there are no hard and fast rules on this- it could be as simple as drawing or sketching ‘or’ as intricate and challenging as collage-making or sculpting.
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Art Therapy was first used in the 1940s in England. The first practitioners and pioneers of this technique were Adrian Hill and Irene Champernowne. Adrian was an artist and Irene was a psychotherapist. 

While Adrian was recuperating at the hospital for tuberculosis; he used to paint and thus use his drawing as a means of recreation and catharsis. Upon noting these benefits, he started suggesting to other fellow-residents (patients) to take up drawing as a means of improving their sense of well-being. Several of these patients had witnessed the trying circumstances and goriness of World War II and they found much relief by expressing their anxieties and other psychological imbalances.

Irene on the other hand had studied psychotherapy under Carl Jung and found much interest in following Jung’s technique in using art to help patients express their repressed and/or unconscious feelings.
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Even though there are several Art Therapy related professional associations and it is also taught as a formal curriculum in certain programs, it needs to be mentioned that the basic cathartic benefits and the sense of well-being which consequently develops from expressing hidden emotions coupled with the joy of creation are experienced by anyone using mere basic principles of this technique

Remember Hill’s suggestion to his fellow hospital residents- even simple drawing and/or painting can have a very beneficial effect.

The main key element here is the spontaneous creation of art.

On a formal therapeutic note, Art Therapy can be used-
1] As a cathartic means of expressing emotions. The patient could safely express their hidden negative emotions, thus reducing tension, anxiety and/or any associated hostility.

2] The therapist could help the client interpret the drawing/paintings (art work) they have created and thus in this process helping the patients to better understand their own selves.

Such Art Therapy could be carried out as a group therapy or on a one to one basic. If in a group, the number of participants is usually limited to not more than eight to allow for extensive and meaningful interaction.

Art Therapy has been used to heal various psychological and mental conditions- ranging from anxiety and depression to eating disorders. It has been found to help people cope well with bereavement ‘or’ a sense of loss as well as for those who do typically have difficulty expressing themselves and their feelings.

Art Therapy has also been prevalently used to help people overcome various addictions such as alcohol or drugs. It’s use is very well known in treating several mental illnesses including psychosis. Art Therapy helps in inducing in people a serene sense of self-worth, balance and well-being.

Bio-energetics is a type of bodywork therapy that was founded in the 1950’s by Alexander Lowen, who was inspired by William Reich.

​The idea behind bio-energetics is that it incorporates both body and mind. It is about living a life where one is able to articulate one’s own thoughts and feelings and watch its affects on the physical self. 

It incorporates emotional, physical and intellectual realities for each person. Therapists of bio-energetics analyze the body and psychological aspects of a person since both are heavily related and both need to be understood in order for change to happen. 

We live in a world that focuses a lot of energy on the mind and much less on the body. However, the body is the way that we experience and feel so many of life’s pleasures.

​The world we live in focuses on power and thinking instead of feeling. What bio-energetics strives to do is to restore pleasure in the body, which can be done by pinpointing where there are areas of physical blockage. 

After this stage, the emotional blocks are more easily found and help us better understand the consequences of physical blocks. The main goal is to regain good breathing and alignment as well as give the power back to the client to deal with everyday stresses. The therapist performs a body evaluation that allows them to come up with a course of action as to how to restore quality of life as well as optimal mind and body health. 

​The idea behind bio-energetics is to feel and understand your body through movement. If the body is alive then you can have feeling. Without activity you will not have the right sense of your body. Regaining spirit helps to activate the body and uplift the spirit.

Grounding, breathing and vibration are the three main focus points of bio-energetics therapy. Breathing has to be deeper and more focused, which helps with vibration. Grounding is such an important part of bio-energetics because it allows us to be in tune with our spirit. It is not possible to feel yourself if you are not in tune and grounded within your body. Grounding puts our energy in direct contact with the earth.

A healthy person shows their health through their features and their mannerisms. A shining smile, bright eyes, courage and humility are all examples of a healthy individual. With bio-energetics, one can gain optimal energy primarily through diet and breathing. When you feel the connection that bio-energetics can help develop, you will have a high value of life and be able to confront all kinds of stresses and problems. 

Chelation therapy is done with EDTA, or Ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid, which is an FDA-approved drug that acts as an amino acid. It was made to remove heavy metals from the body, such as lead and calcium overload within our bloodstream.

It was first used after World War II, when many soldiers returned with lead toxic due to ammunition, exposure to the paints of the battleships and so on. The symptoms of heart disease also lowered in these patients, which encouraged doctors to use EDTA for curing or aiding heart diseases as well. 

Since the 1940s there have been hundreds of thousands of treatments of EDTA conducted throughout the world. It is a safe treatment that is extremely effective. In simple terms, EDTA helps the body by attracting the lead and removing it from the bloodstream via urine. When our arteries are clogged it can lead to a number of problems, such as increased risk of stroke. Plague in the arteries can be helped with EDTA. 

EDTA chelation therapy also involves nutrients such as B-complex vitamins, vitamin C and magnesium. The Myer’s cocktail IV is a popular option of chelation therapy that is a combination of high dose magnesium, trace minerals and vitamin C.

​Most doctors have their own version of the cocktail but the results tend to be quite similar. It is particularly beneficial to those suffering from asthma, migraines and chronic fatigue. Some patients experience relief from their migraines directly after receiving chelation therapy. 

High dose vitamin C is great for those who suffer from immune system problems and cancer. Those with cancer can help support immune systems, which have been weakened from chemotherapy, radiation and other types of procedures. Those who are dealing with cancer treatments tend to receive anywhere between 25-100 grams of vitamin C per session, which cannot be mimicked by taking vitamin C orally. 

Nutritional testing helps assess nutrient deficiencies as well as mineral and red blood cell mineral analysis. This helps doctors to measure the vitamins in the blood and figure out where the patient is deficient and how much to give via the IV.

​Patients that under chelation therapy are primarily tested for kidney function because that is necessary for the body to tolerate the IV treatment. 

An IV of minerals stays in the blood for longer periods and is more effective than oral consumption. It is also good to keep in mind that much of the food we are exposed to is depleted or has a poor amount of nutrients, which can come from processed foods, bad soil and others.

Categories:
Healthy Body and Lesser Known Therapies

​Keywords and Tags:
#chelationtherapy #chelation #EDTA #ethylenediaminetetraaceticacid #heavymetalpoisoning #naturalhealing #alternativemedicine

Carpal tunnel syndrome must not be neglected and it should be treated in as early stage as possible. Underlying causes like diabetes or arthritis should be treated first.

Initial treatment involves resting the wrist and hand for couple of weeks and avoiding movements that may increase symptoms. If inflammation is persistent, use of cool packs may help reduce swelling.

​At the workplace, care must be taken to avoid stiffness in muscles. Perform stretching exercises, taking periodic rest breaks and using correct posture and wrist positioning may prove to be extremely helpful.

Working tools and tasks can be redesigned to maintain a natural position of worker’s wrist during work. Jobs can be shuffled among workers to avoid repetitive wrist movements.

If you work on a computer, having an adjustable keyboard table and chair with a wrist rest is recommended by doctors.

These are just some of the key prevention and treatment ideas for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. There are many other small and big lifestyle changes that one can easily make to greatly help with addressing the complications related to CTS- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

​Categories:
Arthritis, Healthy Body and Physical Health

​Keywords and Tags:
#carpaltunnelsyndrome #CTS #carpaltunnel #arthritis #magnetichealing #magnetictherapy

Carpal tunnel syndrome does not arise only due to a defect in the nerve. This disease flourishes because of a combination of constant increased pressure on the median nerve and tendons in the carpal tunnel.

​This happens due to repetitive tasks done by wrist like driving for a long distance or sitting at the wrong posture while using your computer. Other major could be injury to the wrist such as sprain or fracture. 

Clinical data proves that forceful and repetitive movements of the wrist during work or leisure movements can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. 

Women are more likely to develop carpal tunnel syndrome mainly because the carpal tunnel is smaller in women than in men. Diabetic patients or other metabolic disorder patients are prone to carpal tunnel syndrome as these ailments directly affect the body's nerves making them more disposed to compression. 
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People working with hand tools and those using a computer keyboard on a regular basis  and longer interval of times are at highest risk.

Unani medicine is an ancient form of medicine that combines minerals, herbs and extracts from animals in order to heal the body. While it is an ancient Greek method, Unani is commonly used by Muslims and is also referred to as Islamic or Arabian medicine.

Though primarily practiced in South Asia, Unani is based on principles that were developed by Galen, Rhazes and Hippocrates. Though it was later advanced and put into practice by Avicenna, the Muslim scholar. 

It is often compared to Ayurvedic medicine due to closely related beliefs and theories. Both focus on the main elements of life, which include earth, wind, fire and water. Both believe that the reason for illness or ailments is due to disproportion of the elements. The aim of the medicine, or other forms of treatment, is to restore the balance of the elements. 

​Unani believes that the body works best when there is harmony between the seven major principles of physiology. These principles are: elements, humors, temperament, vital spirit, functions, organs and powers. 

Unani requires diagnosis in order to guide the patient down the right path. The first analysis of the patient is to inspect their appearance. The patient will then be asked questions that relate to sleeping patterns, diet, and bowel movements and so on in order to gain more knowledge. The main method of diagnosis includes inspection of the pulse by using fingers. 

​Other methods, like in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TMC) and Ayurvedic practices, include urine and feces examinations. This method of medicine strives to use modest techniques on the body in order to eliminate illness. The main techniques used in Unani medicine include massage, cupping, exercise, vomiting, sweating, leeching and disciplined therapy. 

Unani aims to cure diseases by changing dietary plans and keeping an eye on the type and amount of food intake. This is one of the main methods of treatment.

When it comes to supplements or actual medicine, Unani only uses natural ingredients. The ingredients used are always closely related to plants elements in order to prevent an side effects and to stimulate the body into restoring and rebalancing itself. 

The medicine typically given in Unani medicine is used to strengthen and encourage the immune system to work at its ideal level, in order to be strong enough to fight off and prevent diseases.

Unani medicine has helped cure diseases such as respiratory, liver, skin, musculo skeletal and nervous system ailments. 

Categories:
Ancient Healing Techniques and Lesser Known Therapies

​Keywords and Tags:
#unanimedicine #unani #naturalhealing #alternativemedicine #islamicmedicine #arabicmedicine #ancientmedicine

One fine day when you are working on your computer ignoring the numbness or tingling you've had from quite a long time in your wrist. All of a sudden, a sharp pain rises through the wrist and up your hand. Is it just a muscle cramp? There are chances that you may have carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful state developed due to compression of a major nerve in your wrist.

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What is carpal tunnel syndrome?

This disease occurs when the median nerve (a major nerve which runs through the forearm branching into the palm of the hand) gets squeezed or pressed at the wrist. This nerve is responsible for controlling sensations to the palm and generating impulses to other small muscles running in the hand enabling thumb and fingers to move. This may result in pain or numbness in the wrist and eventually in the entire hand. 

What are the major signs of carpal tunnel syndrome?

Signs indicating frequent burning, itching or numbness in the palm are usually the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Some patients reported that their fingers feel swollen and useless with little or no apparent swelling.

A suffering person sometimes wakes up feeling the need to shake out the wrist while sleeping at night.

​As symptoms increase, people feel tingling during the day as well. In chronic cases, the muscles of the thumb may stop working permanently. Some patients reported the loss of ability to distinguish between hot and cold touch.

Categories:
Arthritis, Healthy Body and Physical Health

​Keywords and Tags:
#carpaltunnelsyndrome #CTS #carpaltunnel #arthritis #magnetichealing #magnetictherapy

In today's day and age, stress seems to be an all-pervasive ailment facing all of us- particularly in the corporate world. Since ancient times, plant essences have been used to create a relaxing and serene atmosphere.

Many of these uses can easily be done at work- such as lotions and creams, fragrances and perfumes etc. 

Here is a short video explaining what Aromatherapy is and how it can be used for stress relief...

You can also watch this on our Fresh & Natural YouTube channel... 
Be sure to subscribe (turn on the bell notification) to receive notification when we upload other such helpful and informative Health & Wellness videos.

Categories:
Aromatherapy and Flower Therapy

​Keywords and Tags:
#AromatherapyforStressRelief #FloralHealing #RelievingStress #nativeflowerremedies #floweressences #floralhealing #flowerremedy  #healingbenefitsofflowers #flowerhealing

Even though floral essences have been used throughout antiquity, they were re-discovered in a more formally researched and documented manner in the 1930s by the English physician Dr. Edward Bach.

Bach proposed that- “The real primary diseases of man are such defects as pride, cruelty, hate, self love, ignorance, instability and greed. Each of these defects… will produce a conflict which must of necessity be reflected in the physical body, producing its own specific type of malady.”

​Thus he reasoned that by correcting emotional factors, one could increase the physical and mental vitality. This then would help resolve or heal the physical malady or sickness thus forming the basis of his flower remedies.

Even though Bach formalized the healing properties of these various flower essences, his remedies were restricted to the local flowers from England.

​It was only much later in the 1970s that similar studies were undertaken for flowers from other parts of the world, from the heights of the Himalayan Mountains to the dense forests of the Amazon; from the coasts of Hawaii to the unique flora of Western Canada and New Zealand.

Bach’s flower remedies were intended to address the mind-body connection making them very suitable for treating various psycho-physical ailments. The newer flower remedies consider the spiritual needs of the modern man in addition to their psychological disposition, and so are intended to address the entire mind-body-spirit makeup of the ailing person.

Categories:
Flower Essences, Flower Therapy, Native Remedies and Natural Healing Choices

Keywords and Tags:
​#Bachflowers #EdwardBach #nativeflowerremedies #floweressences #floralhealing #flowerremedy #newzealandflowerremedy #australianbushflowerremedy #healingbenefitsofflowers #flowerhealing

Similar to Ayurvedic Medicine, Tibetan Medicine is based upon knowledge of the bodily energies or juices and good health is supposed to be based on the balance between these three energies These three energies being- Wind- The energy of movement, Bile- The fire of life and Phlegm- The fluid element. 
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These bodily juices and energies are not physical in nature but also have psychological and spiritual connotations. When these three energies are in balance, good health is obtained BUT when they go out of balance various illnesses arise, depending on the energy/ bodily juice that is out of balance. 

These three energies/bodily juices are supposed to go out of balance due to various factors- namely physical, environmental & seasonal factors and also spirit poisons such as greed, hate and ignorance or suppression leading to a spiritual blindness. 
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Hence the psychological aspects of the balance are noted from the fact that these bodily juices/energies can be out of balance due to wrong thinking and straying from the right and healthy spiritual path of devotion and prayer. 

In addition, wrong diet, bad karma, bad climatic conditions, unfavorable influence of stars and spirits and demons are also supposed to cause this energy/bodily juices imbalance, thus causing sickness & ailments.

In this way, Tibetan Medicine, does not view an illness as merely a ‘result’ of some cause, but takes a wholistic view- which considers various aspect of our human existence. It truly considers the connection as well as the interdependencies of our mind, body and spirit connection. 

Because of this Tibetan Medicine attempts to heal the complete- i.e. whole person and not just ‘cure’ some ailment!!

​#tibetanmedicine #alternativemedicine #naturalhealing #freshandnatural #orientalmedicine #tibetanherbalmedicine

Similar to the ancient healing science from India, Ayurveda, The Tibetan System of classification is based on the five elements. 

Which is to say, the Tibetan Medicine systems also believes that our bodies like nature, are made up of the five elements namely- Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Space. These constituents in turn make our body and our bodily juices/energies and thus need to be balanced to achieve good health. 
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Air represents the neutral property, Fire the hot property and the Water/Earth represents the cold property and they represent the Wind, Bile and Phlegm bodily energies respectively. 

Each of these elements also has eight active forces such as heavy, oily, cool, dull, light, harsh, hot and sharp. Each of these elements also have some of these seventeen qualities namely, heavy, stable, dull, dry, fluid, cool, hot, sharp, oily, harsh, light, supple, pale, cold, gentle, smooth and flexible. 
 
The various interplay of these eight active forces and these seventeen qualities; increases or decreases the Bodily energies and thus brings about imbalance, further leading to illnesses and ailments.

So, in the Tibetan Medicine system, the methods of diagnosis involve Pulse Diagnosis as a primary and very important method. The right and the left wrist show the state of health or problem for various organs and these are noted differently for men and women. 
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The second method of diagnosis is Urine Analysis and the third method is Tongue Diagnosis. 

Treatment in Tibetan Medicine involves, dispensing various medicinal herbs, which are carefully chosen to have the energies, and qualities that are in imbalance so as to bring about the required balance and thus good health to the patient. 
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In addition, diet and lifestyle changes are also a mandatory part of a successful treatment. 

Moxibustion, and rituals such as Cupping, Cauterization & Blood Letting are also very well-known and often used treatment methods used particularly in detoxification, circulatory problems, injuries, bruising and inflammations.  

In addition to these, there are other methods which are occasionally used such as acupuncture, particularly with gold needles as well as spiritual and religious rites such as special prayers and so on.

Tibetan Medicine does view the whole person as a deep connection of mind-body-spirit.

And because of this, such spiritual practices such as prayer, mantra chanting (a form of sound healing), other healing sounds like from the Tibetan singing bowls and other such traditional methods also form part of the entire healing session and mode of treatment.

#tibetanmedicine #alternativemedicine #naturalhealing #freshandnatural #orientalmedicine #tibetanherbalmedicine #healingprinciples #fiveelementtheory

Tibetan Medicine is an ancient method of health and healing. It has origins in the ancient Vedic science of healing from India, called Ayurveda. It is believed that the Buddha himself had given this medicinal knowledge during his teachings. In this regard, The Buddha is better known as “The Medicine Buddha”. 
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The Medicine Buddha is regarded as the greatest healing and the King of Aquamarine Light and thus is given the highest respect and revered with love and devotion. It is believed that the Medicine Buddha has the healing knowledge to address all the possible 404 illness that can inflict our human system (mind, body and spirit).

Tibetan Medicine treats the entire mind-body and spirit realm of the patient, as against of only the body, which is typically the case of modern medicine and the min-body, which is the case of traditional herbal medicine. In recent years as people are looking for healing alternatives that are natural and more in tune with our bodily systems, Tibetan Medicine has gained much recognition (and rightly so) in recent years!
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The energy as well as spiritual aspect of sound, colors, aroma and so on play an important role in enhancing the medicinal herbs that are administered to a person. This helps to effectively bring about a wholistic healing experience for the person.

It is the tantric master, Yuthog Gonpo, who added some more informative data to the original medical texts to bring the relevance in tune with the then current times to give the Four Tantras. These Four Tantras form the basis of the Tibetan Method of healing and looking at body types and their associated ailments. 

These Tantras possess a character, similar to the Huangdi Neijing of the Chinese Medicine or the Samhitas of the Ayurvedic Medicine. The four Tantras utilize the knowledge of the three-fold nature of the bodily energies along with Chinese Astrology and Pulse Diagnosis method to address the entire person and the ailment in specific to bring about the required cure. 

Each of the four Tantras examines the medical knowledge of healing from different perspectives- ultimately bringing about a wholistic healing experience!

#tibetanmedicine #alternativemedicine #naturalhealing #freshandnatural #orientalmedicine #tibetanherbalmedicine

Laughter is the best medicine, as the saying goes. It may be because laughter therapy is so beneficial to our minds and bodies. Everyone feels good when they laugh. It is the opposite of feeling stressed and encourages our body to relax and release endorphins.

​The role of a laughter therapist is to make it easier for the client to laugh. This is often done in a one-on-one or group setting by teaching various techniques to get you laughing. The body cannot differentiate between a real or fake laugh, therefore the benefits are the same. 

Laughter therapy has started to become more popular after the success of laughter yoga, a type of yoga that originated in Mumbai. Today, there are over 5,000 clubs for laughter therapy across the globe. Laughter yoga incorporates breathing, stretching, clapping and laughing exercises.

​The laughter yoga workshop allows participants to experience endorphin release, which makes one feel great and relaxes the entire body. This has a great effect on reducing stress or muscle tensions. It is also a bit of a work out because laughing increases muscle tone and stimulates the respiratory system, all of which help improve the immune system. 

Anyone can be involved in laughter therapy and the settings for therapists are very varied.

A session of laughter therapy leaves one feeling overjoyed and at the same time, a little upbeat. Laughter therapy is beneficial in the long run because it allows us to deal with stress or pain in a more positive manner. It also makes us understand that laughter does not need to be synonymous with happiness, but can encourage feelings of happiness instead.

​Patients learn to laugh at anxiety, stress and anger. Even if it is fake laughter, it lifts our spirits since our bodies cannot tell the difference anyway. 

​#LaughterTherapy #comedy #comic #laughter #laugh #laughingyoga #laughteryoga #NaturalHealing #ReduceStress #FreshandNatural #AlternativeMedicine