Austin Meditation

Posts Tagged ‘Alternative medicine’

Modern medicine is based on treating a disease or symptom with a scientifically proven drug, procedure, or surgical remedy. These therapies have been proven through carefully controlled and regulated studies, and people generally accept them as safe and effective. But the idea of proving effectiveness through a study is a relatively recent development in the medical world. Innumerable doctors and healers have been treating patients successfully for millennia, without the benefit of scientifically proven cures.

Because the scientific community requires an explanation of “proof”, it is less likely to recommend an alternative therapy, even when clinical studies show its effectiveness. Numerous medical studies conducted in the 1970s through 1990s showed that imagery and visualization techniques were effective in improving remission rates, reducing pain, and enhancing traditional medical treatments.

Patients who were receiving traditional medical treatments were taught to visualize things like diseased cells shrinking and dying, pain disappearing, or healthy cells growing and flourishing. A significant percentage of patients actually experienced physical manifestations of the outcome they visualized. The control groups that did not practice visualization had lower success rates.

There have also been studies and clinical trials that demonstrate the effectiveness of meditation on lowering blood pressure, incidence of strokes, and chemical and behavioral addiction relapses. Test subjects who meditated also had lower rates of surgical complications and better immune system function.

Although the results are dramatic, science can’t explain the mind-body connection or exactly how it works. Because of this, these therapies are considered “alternative” and are not prescribed by traditional health care providers as a primary course of action.

Unfortunately, many people today still tend to be leery of being a part of alternative medicine because it is different from what they know or are used to or they don’t understand much about it. Sometimes it is described as being unreliable, hippie like, or even dangerous. However, there are many forms of alternative medicine that have proved to be beneficial in helping people down a healing path back to wellness and recovery. So, it seems to be something definitely worth looking into and having an open mind about. You just never know whether something will help you until you try it and a lot of times doing a home remedy or something alternative has been found to be a lot healthier for you and have less side effects on you than traditional medicines used for treatment.

The fact is that alternative medicine or home remedies can turn out to be a huge benefit to those suffering with various injuries or illnesses. Nowadays, more and more doctors are learning about alternative medicine and are noticing that they can provide many cures and benefits for their clients. One form of alternative medicine that is really gaining popularity is the practice of meditation due to its great health benefits of calming both the mind and body.

Also, you need to remember that this isn’t about choosing one type of medicine over another. Alternative medicine and modern medicine can easily coexist and be used in conjunction with one another, even simultaneously. In a lot of cases they have actually been found to directly complement one another and make for a better overall remedy for the individual. And isn’t that essentially what everyone is looking for? So the next time you are faced with an illness, pain, or injury in your life turn to your doctor for advice, but also ask about and research other medicine alternatives that may be of benefit to you. It’s about improving your health and your life and having a mix of modern medicine and alternative medicine choices can bring you the best of both worlds!

You are busy and you have little time to actually stop and meditate. Nevertheless, you know the value of meditating as well as how it can help you to achieve your goals both physically and mentally. One of the ways to bring yourself back to focus and to balance your mind and body is by using proper breathing techniques. Breathing itself can be a form of holistic treatment for individuals because it allows you to push out the stresses you are dealing with and gives you more focus on the present.

Proper breathing techniques work as an alternative health therapy. Using proper breathing techniques can help you to improve your overall health and emotional well-being. It takes concentration to breathe properly. Therefore, you cannot worry or stress over day to day life. The question most people have, though, is how to use breathing as a holistic treatment.

-Be sure each breath you take in is deep.
-Take even paced breaths.
-Focus on expanding the diaphragm muscle to expand your lungs. This means you need to sit up straight and see your chest move up and down.

As you do these things, your body is taking in more oxygen. Your body is also using the proper muscles to control your breathing. When you are slumped over and breathing without thinking about it, your neck, upper chest muscles and your shoulder muscles are doing the work for you. This does not allow you to breathe properly and therefore causes strain on the body.

As you consider the importance of breathing within meditation, realize the value of using breathing as part of a de-stressing method at any time during the day. As you feel yourself getting stressed, stop, close your eyes and focus on breathing. Take deep, long breaths that fill your lungs. By doing this several times, the process works as an alternative health therapy, working to cleanse your body of stress.
This highly effective holistic treatment is something you can do at any time. It is also something you can do quite effectively even with limited time. It is a core tool to use throughout meditation.

As an alternative health therapy, meditation works to relax and focus your entire body, not just your mind. One of the ways to use this type of relaxation as a holistic treatment is to focus on scanning your body. This technique has been in use for hundreds of years as a way of creating relaxation and to reducing anxiety, stress and fear. In short, it is a way of pushing out other thoughts and concerns and creating a peaceful situation within your body and mind.

How to Use Scanning

During the meditation process, an individual needs to relax each of his or her muscles and body parts. To do this for the first time, lay down on your back. Outstretch your arms and legs. Focus your attention on each part of your body individually. Start with your foot, for example. Feel what your foot is feeling by paying close attention to the body part. You can easily feel any aches and pains. Perhaps you feel warm or cold sensations. You are becoming aware of that individual part of your body.

The next step involves relaxing that part of your body. It is a conscious decision to relax your body like this in meditation, but it works to provide overall relaxation to you. Use breathing exercises as a type of holistic treatment here. Practice breathing so that you are breathing warmth into each body part. Push out any negative thoughts or feelings. Replace those negative aspects with positive, healthy thoughts.

Once you do this with one portion of your body, do it to another. Do the other foot. Focus on your legs, your arms and so on. You can even be very specific and meditate on each of your fingers and toes. As you focus on each body part, force out any negative energy and replace it with warmth and positive thoughts.

As an alternative health therapy, this type of process can work highly effectively at improving your health and well-being. You will feel healed and, as any quality holistic treatment does, it helps to give you more balance going forward.

Many of today’s medical journals note the complexities that stress can cause on health. Individuals may face complex health concerns, ranging from cancer to high blood pressure, and have doctors tell them one of the treatment options needs to be reducing daily stress. For those who are looking for an alternative health therapy, consider the value of such treatments as meditation, or using another holistic treatment.

Don’t Stop Your Medication

While using meditation is a strong way to improve your health, it should not replace other treatments your doctor’s are using to help treat your ailment. Rather, it offers a simplistic method of improving health through a proven and natural method that works alongside other treatments you may be using.

How Can Holistic Treatment Help You?

This alternative health therapy will work well for your situation, in most cases. Holistic treatments are simply an approach to healing that looks for imbalances in the way you live your lifestyle. In this type of treatment, the belief is that the pain you feel from your illness comes from an imbalance within your lifestyle. They are sometimes the cause of physical conditions, but other times stem from emotional or other types of imbalances. When you use a holistic treatment, you improve your overall health by giving your body more of what it needs to remain healthy.

Try Meditation

One of the alternative health therapy options you have is meditation. When you meditate, you do not focus on the aches and pains you have, but you focus on breathing and peace. By doing this, you can calm your body and mind. It is possible to use meditation to help reduce anxiety and stress, too.

-Meditation can help you to focus on your health and well-being.
-It works to draw your mind away from what is ailing you.
-It can reduce the body’s working power that is being put towards stress and focus it on your health improvement.

Because of these factors, meditation and other alternative health therapy options should be part of your daily life. This holistic treatment can help.

There are many forms of alternative health therapy. Each one offers a different approach to achieving the same overall benefits of relaxation. One of the holistic treatment options you have that can work exceedingly well at improving your outlook is called mindfulness meditation. It allows you to be more mindful of what is occurring around you, which can help you to achieve any goals you may have in terms of emotional or physical well being.

How Does It Work?

In mindfulness meditation, the goal is to improve awareness. You are being mindful and therefore increasing your level of awareness to your surroundings. This allows you to focus on acceptance of the situation. You are increasing your level of awareness and acceptance by being in the present moment.

When this type of alternative health therapy is in use, the individual is able to focus on what you are experiencing during the meditation. This may be the sound and flow of your breath, moving in and out of your body. As you focus on the flow of your breathing, you do take notice of your emotions and of any thoughts that enter your mind. However, rather than being judgmental and feeling a relaxation to those thoughts, you allow them to pass without any judgment. The outcome is a sense of relief and relaxation.

This form of holistic treatment helps you to see what is happening around you without feeling it negatively affect you. In many ways, mindfulness meditation works to improve your overall outlook and will enhance your health as well as the way you see the world. Most people will benefit from the use of this form of alternative health therapy by simply focusing on his or her breathing, but other forms of meditation are in use, too. The key is to gain a better level of acceptance and a sense of awareness of what is happening in your mind, without taking on the negative emotions that often come with the process.

Qi Gong is a form of alternative health therapy and is, for the most part, a type of meditation. Individuals who practice this form of holistic treatment are using more than just thoughts to control his or her overall experience. The word itself means cultivating energy. It helps to increase healing within the body and increases vitality. As such, it can and will improve your level of health.

What Is Qi Gong?

By using this form of meditation, the individual integrates several key components. It uses physical postures and movements, along with breathing techniques and focused intentions to achieve the goal of relaxation and improved health. Here is a closer look at this form of alternative health therapy.

-Moving and stationary posture is part of the meditation.
-Breathing techniques are used to achieve control over the mind and body.
-Mental focus is critical to achieving the overall goal.

One of the most important concepts of this form of meditation is the focus on Qi, the life within the body. In this form of meditation, the focus is on using it to heal the body, or to circulate Qi through the blood.

The movements within the practice of this alternative health therapy focus on rhythmic movements that help to reduce stress. The movements also enhance the function of the immune system, which improves physical health. It works to build stamina and therefore increase your vitality. Overall, this form of holistic treatment can help to accomplish a wide range of treatments, including reducing hypertension, improving the function of the respiratory system and digestive functions and improving circulatory movements within the body.

Those who use this type of meditation can use it as a preventative tool, a holistic treatment or even as a tool to restore well being after battling an illness. While you should not stop using other medical treatments, the use of Qi Gong alongside your treatments may make them more effective. Consider how well this alternative health therapy can work for your health.

Perhaps you are seeking relaxation and peace within your daily life. To achieve this, focus on meditation. Mediation is a type of alternative health therapy because it works to improve the way you feel and your emotional well-being. It is also a highly effective type of holistic treatment because it works to cleanse the body of stressors that could harm you. It can help to relieve pain, stop anxiety and help you to be more focused.

One of the first steps in being successful at mediation is finding the right place for it. First, make it a vital portion of your day to meditate. Do so before or after work. Do so during lunch or after dinner. No matter when you choose to do so, the goal is simply to find the time each day to meditate. Once you do that, consider the following tips to help you to choose the proper location for meditation.

-Select a location free from noise. There should be no radio, television, cell phones or other noise devices in the area.
-Ensure the location is quiet and out of the way, to allow for fewer disruptions.
-Ensure the area is comfortable, but not so much so that you fall asleep. You should be in a sitting position.

Keep in mind that meditation does not require a special place in your home nor one that is filled with pillows or statues. Rather, use any location no matter where you are. You can meditate in a corner of your office or meditate on the floor of your bedroom. On the other hand, you can use some forms of meditation, such as mantra or breathing techniques anywhere, even in line at the grocery store.

In order for meditation to be successful, you need to use it often. This holistic treatment is most effective when you can do it regularly. Further, by focusing on an alternative health therapy regularly, you improve your overall outlook on your condition. You drive away the stress and the worry, instead focus yourself and become more in the present.

Have you ever heard the term “alternative medicine?” This is a term coined in Western culture and encompasses medical techniques and treatments that don’t fall within the standard realm of medicine, as conventionally practiced by doctors and health services.

According to the American National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), the following techniques and treatments fall under the term alternative medicine:

•    Meditation
•    Traditional Chinese medicine
•    Naturopathy
•    Herbalism
•    Acupuncture
•    Homeopathy
•     Yoga
•    Hypnosis
•    Nutrition-based therapies

While these techniques fall under the category of alternative medicine, even old traditional wive’s tales can fall under the term. For example, there are supposedly various ways to determine the gender of your baby prior to conceiving, such as by a diet rich in potassium in order to have a baby boy.

A study called "The prevalence of complementary/alternative medicine in cancer: a systematic review" (Cancer 83 (4): 777–82) published in August of 1998 revealed that, in 13 countries, approximately 31 percent of cancer patients used some form of alternative medicine as a treatment for their terminal illness.

Alternative medicines may be based in traditional medical practices and may even incorporate some elements of them. Some are often rooted in folk knowledge and spiritual belief systems. What some people term as “new age” often encompasses newly discovered methods in approaches to alternative medicine. Truly, there is no one defining characteristic for a treatment or technique that makes it “alternative” other than the fact that it is likely not something your doctor would prescribe or recommend for you.

The reason that alternative medicine has little clout in the traditional medical world is because most techniques and treatments lack recurring evidence to support their effectiveness. The irony is, if scientific methods and studies show a technique or treatment of alternative medicine to be effective, it then becomes mainstream and added to the realm of traditional medical practices, meaning that it is no longer considered alternative medicine.